Sun Visor + Acceleration pedal - First Test Drive

[thecodingart]

I currently live in Orlando with the nearest show room being in West Palm Beach FL. I've been to the showroom once and had the opportunity to view/tour a stationary vehicle. Today, I finally was able to test drive a Black GT with 19" wheels. There were some nuances/surprises I got out of this experience I didn't expect.

There were 2 things that annoyed me beyond belief in which weren't on my radar.

• The location of the visors relative to the minimum seat height
• The acceleration pedal causing a grinding noise when releasing the brakes after a full stop

The sun visors in particularly surprised me. The seats lowest settings were not accommodating for what I'm used to as someone who is fairly average height at 5'10". The sun visors were directly in my upper vision and almost seemed like something that flat out didn't belong. If anything, they were highly distracting. I know I've seen some grumbling in these forums about this, but when I do receive my unit, I am going to pry them off almost instantly. I understand there's some insurance stuff + regulatory requirements that could be tied around this.. but man.. they are distracting and almost ruin the entire ambiance of the glass roof. Woof...

Regarding the pedal, it was almost sheer embarrassment when a grinding noise came from the pedal when accelerating after a complete stop. The Showroom person tried to blow it off as "oh, that's just the brake releasing" and I continued to explain how having other people in a new $150k car.. and having a grinding noise occur each time you accelerate from a stop doesn't sound like luxury, it sounds like something is broken.

Overall, these items caught me off guard and both are absolutely not tied to software... so no updates on that other than physical hardware iterations.

Besides that, the software didn't fail to show lag (it wasn't on the latest update) and the Music situation was simply unacceptable. I paired my phone via bluetooth and waited about 5 minutes for anything to play. This was after a song and dance that confused the Showroom individual, my wife, and myself (a software engineer). That... hit expectations, but seeing the reality of those expectations was concerning (more than I thought).

I didn't experience any lag regarding the lock/unlock functionality or even car boot. I was surprised at how cheap/light weight/flimsy the actual key fob felt. I did notice the lane changing cameras were terrible, low frame rates and poor quality. The lighting experience outside and in was better than expected, and the steering wheel felt amazing. The right turn signal was irritating in the sense it never reset itself (hopefully a software thing).

The car was extremely cool being in Florida and almost embellishes you in AC from all directions (I loved this).

The choice to not have any red color indicators for the rear seat heater is questionable. It’s easy to mistaken the buttons for seat cooling rather heating and the only color indication of what they are is buried in the screen menu rather the convenience buttons.

But for the most part, those were the items that stuck out the most. I think I'm still keeping my order as the worst case scenario is selling my car and making profit from the price increases. If I were to cancel now (with my VIN and my vehicle produced) any regrets about the cancelation would be amplified by the extended wait of ordering again.

These items seem so obvious to me though, as obvious as the un-usefull-ness of the phone charger. I'm honestly curious what engineer sat in the car and signed off on these items.

 

[SDHacker]

The acceleration pedal causing a grinding noise when releasing the brakes after a full stop

This has been talked about in other threads. You could halfway consider it a software fix in that you can turn off brake hold and that noise goes away (I don't have a car yet but that's what's been posted). If you wanted 1 pedal driving and the brake hold function then, yes, it is a bit disconcerting hearing that thunk as the brake releases.

 

[DJL]

I currently live in Orlando with the nearest show room being in West Palm Beach FL. I've been to the showroom once and had the opportunity to view/tour a stationary vehicle. Today, I finally was able to test drive a Black GT with 19" wheels. There were some nuances/surprises I got out of this experience I didn't expect.

There were 2 things that annoyed me beyond belief in which weren't on my radar.

• The location of the visors relative to the minimum seat height
• The acceleration pedal causing a grinding noise when releasing the brakes after a full stop

The sun visors in particularly surprised me. The seats lowest settings were not accommodating for what I'm used to as someone who is fairly average height at 5'10". The sun visors were directly in my upper vision and almost seemed like something that flat out didn't belong. If anything, they were highly distracting. I know I've seen some grumbling in these forums about this, but when I do receive my unit, I am going to pry them off almost instantly. I understand there's some insurance stuff + regulatory requirements that could be tied around this.. but man.. they are distracting and almost ruin the entire ambiance of the glass roof. Woof...

Regarding the pedal, it was almost sheer embarrassment when a grinding noise came from the pedal when accelerating after a complete stop. The Showroom person tried to blow it off as "oh, that's just the brake releasing" and I continued to explain how having other people in a new $150k car.. and having a grinding noise occur each time you accelerate from a stop doesn't sound like luxury, it sounds like something is broken.

Overall, these items caught me off guard and both are absolutely not tied to software... so no updates on that other than physical hardware iterations.

Besides that, the software didn't fail to show lag (it wasn't on the latest update) and the Music situation was simply unacceptable. I paired my phone via bluetooth and waited about 5 minutes for anything to play. This was after a song and dance that confused the Showroom individual, my wife, and myself (a software engineer). That... hit expectations, but seeing the reality of those expectations was concerning (more than I thought).

I didn't experience any lag regarding the lock/unlock functionality or even car boot. I was surprised at how cheap/light weight/flimsy the actual key fob felt. I did notice the lane changing cameras were terrible, low frame rates and poor quality. The lighting experience outside and in was better than expected, and the steering wheel felt amazing. The right turn signal was irritating in the sense it never reset itself (hopefully a software thing).

The car was extremely cool being in Florida and almost embellishes you in AC from all directions (I loved this).

But for the most part, those were the items that stuck out the most. I think I'm still keeping my order as the worst case scenario is selling my car and making profit from the price increases. If I were to cancel now (with my VIN and my vehicle produced) any regrets about the cancelation would be amplified by the extended wait of ordering again.

These items seem so obvious to me though, as obvious as the un-usefull-ness of the phone charger. I'm honestly curious what engineer sat in the car and signed off on these items.

I think you need to find a new car...flimsy fob, come on.

 

[thecodingart]

I think you need to find a new car...flimsy fob, come on.

I’m not sure how you read this, but yeah. The keyfob feels like a thin piece of hollowed plastic.. and that’s really all there is to it. Mercedes has a metal fob that you can probably hurt someone with, Tesla has a fob that feels like a toy car, and Porsche has a nicer Toy car fob. Not sure how you read this, but the fob itself feels cheap and not study. It is nice and simplistic, but that is the reality. It doesn’t feel like a premium car fob.

 

[hydbob]

I’m not sure how you read this, but yeah. The keyfob feels like a thin piece of hollowed plastic.. and that’s really all there is to it. Mercedes has a metal fob that you can probably hurt someone with, Tesla has a fob that feels like a toy car, and Porsche has a nicer Toy car fob. Not sure how you read this, but the fob itself feels cheap and not study. It is nice and simplistic, but that is the reality. It doesn’t feel like a premium car fob.

I must be the only one who really likes the fob design because it's super slim.

 

[thecodingart]

I must be the only one who really likes the fob design because it's super slim.

I actually do love the simplistic design! But, I do feel if I put it in the wrong pocket and sat on it, it would be game over. That’s not something that crossed my mind with previous key fobs.

 

[hydbob]

I actually do love the simplistic design! But, I do feel if I put it in the wrong pocket and sat on it, it would be game over. That’s not something that crossed my mind with previous key fobs.

Hmm, I've sat on it before accidentally, I'm roughly 250 lbs and it held up just fine as opposed to my self esteem...

 

[thecodingart]

Hmm, I've sat on it before accidentally, I'm roughly 250 lbs and it held up just fine as opposed to my self esteem...

Ha! I dont have my car in hand and wasn’t anxious to stress test this. The key is so light and feels pliable, so I’m happy to hear nothing happened. I do wish it was metal though (or felt heavier/tougher). That helps make me more confident. I’m around your weight as well so right there with you.

 

[daydreamer223]

This has been talked about in other threads. You could halfway consider it a software fix in that you can turn off brake hold and that noise goes away (I don't have a car yet but that's what's been posted). If you wanted 1 pedal driving and the brake hold function then, yes, it is a bit disconcerting hearing that thunk as the brake releases.

This really stuck out to me when I was driving it too. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed the one pedal driving, but that thunk was so unpleasant at every stop.

 

[hydbob]

This really stuck out to me when I was driving it too. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed the one pedal driving, but that thunk was so unpleasant at every stop.

I think it's jarring but just like the windshield reflection, gets forgotten easily, especially when you are actually using the sound system.

 

[daydreamer223]

I think it's jarring but just like the windshield reflection, gets forgotten easily, especially when you are actually using the sound system.

Yeah that’s fair and a good point. I got over the windshield reflection pretty quickly, and in normal driving always have something playing 99% of the time, compared to the test drive

 

[Mountain Man]

Or just use the mobile key. I haven’t touched my fob in a month

 

[Mountain Man]

Ha! I dont have my car in hand and wasn’t anxious to stress test this. The key is so light and feels pliable, so I’m happy to hear nothing happened. I do wish it was metal though (or felt heavier/tougher). That helps make me more confident. I’m around your weight as well so right there with you.

Something interesting: the flat plastic key makes it through the metal detector at my courthouse. Slightly more convenient.

 

[Alex]

A metal keyfob may be problematic in that it may block or attenuate the bluetooth signal.

 

[Slam08]

I am also 5’10” and noticed on the test drive that the visors were right in the field of vision. I feel like they should be a few inches higher.

I noticed the thunk as well. It’s not a problem but also not expected of a 150k vehicle. Just unbecoming, makes it feel less refined.

 

[RichMalden]

I noticed the thunk as well. It’s not a problem but also not expected of a 150k vehicle. Just unbecoming, makes it feel less refined.

You can turn hold off in the settings and you won't get the thunk.

I was a little bothered by it at first and did just that. It was only then that I realized just how much I loved having the hold. I was rolling on everything other than perfectly flat roads and had already been spoiled by the fact that I've probably used the brake only half a dozen times since I got the car.

I quickly turned hold back on and now I've pretty much tuned the thunk out.

 

[Slam08]

You can turn hold off in the settings and you won't get the thunk.

I was a little bothered by it at first and did just that. It was only then that I realized just how much I loved having the hold. I was rolling on everything other than perfectly flat roads and had already been spoiled by the fact that I've probably used the brake only half a dozen times since I got the car.

I quickly turned hold back on and now I've pretty much tuned the thunk out.

Yeah. Hard to not have hold with one pedal driving.

 

[MikeTz]

Yeah. Hard to not have hold with one pedal driving.

Both our other two EVs have the hold function and there is no thunk whatsoever. You have to look at the screen to make sure it is on. I don't get how Lucid found the thunk acceptable in a luxury car.

 

[Alex]

Both our other two EVs have the hold function and there is no thunk whatsoever. You have to look at the screen to make sure it is on. I don't get how Lucid found the thunk acceptable in a luxury car.

Everyone here is calling it a "thunk", but I would say the it is a "clunk." A clunk being higher pitched than a thunk.

 

[MikeTz]

Everyone here is calling it a "thunk", but I would say the it is a "clunk." A clunk being higher pitched than a thunk.

Unacceptable as a thunk or as a clunk.