Lucid Gravity In Depth Review

[Alan J]

TLDR: If you don't go offroading and can get past the looks, this is very strong competition.

Full Story:

Got a chance to take another test drive of the Lucid Gravity. Had a chance to get behind the wheel of one in one of their pop-ups, but it was only driving it around a parking lot and it was with the faux leather white interior, which did not impress me at all (already showing stains and tears in the fabric). Left that experience feeling underwhelmed, but my wife loved it, hence why I gave it another shot. This time it was around rush hour in a combination of city and highway traffic. This is the experience of a current RIS owner who is considering it (more on that later) for either myself or my wife.

Outside

Yes, it looks like a minivan. Now that we have that out the way, it's not an ugly car IMO though this varies depending on the rim size and color choices. The smallest wheels and black make it look like a bloated Prius. The 21/22 setup looks a lot better, specially in a higher ride height. Standard ride height is very low. The highest ride heigh puts it at around the low ride height for an R1S, for perspective. It doesn't look that big either but still has a presence. Overall, I'm not in love, though I would love to see it in white with the bigger rims in their stealth package. That would be my preference.

Inside

Here is where the story takes a different tune. The Tahoe (tan brownish interior) real leather feels and looks luxurious. The fit and finish is well done. The seats are very comfortable with a lot of options to get in the right seating position. The massaging feature is not a gimmick and something I missed from my 2020 Ford Explorer (except these are much better). The squirqle looks kind of goofy and the screens seems like overload at first, but once you get acquainted, everything feels well thought out. I don't know what sorcery Lucid did, but the inside feels much more spacious than the R1S. This is specially true for the second and third row. It feels massive inside. Cargo room is ok. Frunk is smaller than the R1S but still acceptable and automatic. Overall, a very nice place to be. I lowkey didn't want to leave by the end of the test drive. Oh, and its super quiet. Like completely silent. In rush hour traffic and highway speeds, you couldn't hear a thing. This I liked a lot.

Infotainment

Responsive, for the most part. No huge hiccups to report and everything work as intended. Carplay is coming (to those who care) soon and so is PaaK, along with some form of self driving. Manual air vents were a welcome addition. I'm not one of those "OMG I NEED PHYSICAL BUTTONS" but it was nice to have some. Again, very well thought out and integrated with the infotainment.

Driving

It's really good. Very refined ride quality and handled imperfections and bumps on the road well, including several train tracks. Regen is very strong and the accelerator is very responsive. It is undoubtedly quick. It gives the option to turn off regen, if you care about that at all. Handles very well and can go around corners very fast and feels very flat. Compared to the R1S, much less floaty and ponderous but lacks the personality of the R1S (the motor whine of the Gen1 Quad is great, IMO). My tester had the rear steering package, which made me yearn for the day that this comes to the R1 line. Had to do a tight U-turn and it took it masterfully. I was just driving around in my 2 series that day and am still astonished that a 3 row SUV took a U-turn arguably easier than a two door convertible. Overall, a very enjoyable driving experience. However, if you like the higher ride height and feeling of towering over others, this is not it. Even on highest, it's about most mainstream midsize SUVs ride height and the Gravity clearly prefers to be in standard or a lower ride height. This could be the other deal breaker for those of us that I love that about the R1.

Closing Thoughts:

In a perfect world, I'd get this for my wife and get myself the new Quad R1S. For road trips, the Gravity's advertised 200 miles in 12 minutes and range anywhere from 386-450 miles is fantastic. This would likely be our roadtrip car and I can keep the R1S as my daily. I personally prefer the higher ride height and the styling of the Rivian speaks more to me (I've always been a fan of boxy and rugged cars). As an EV enthusiast, I want both Rivian and Lucid to succeed (and Tesla and anyone else who is actually trying in this space). After I sell my 2 series, I can't imagine owning any other ICE car in the future. While I foresee a lot of comments saying "Well you can't compare these, the Rivian is targeting the offroad crowd and the Gravity is more for *insert whatever you want here*", the fact of the matter is that most people who buy these "offroad" style of vehicles will never see anything more dangerous than perhaps an unpaved road. If you need a 3 row EV, these will likely end up high in your options list.

As for me, I'm keeping my Gen1 Quad R1S for a while longer. Waiting to see how the EV market shakes out and perhaps looking at the cheaper Touring trim for the Gravity coming later this year for my wife. I'm also waiting to see more on the R2 to see if I will change my R1S for one, at which point a GT Gravity for my wife could also make sense. I'm hoping the next R1 refresh/gen brings faster charging speeds and rear wheel steering, along with a quieter cabin and more composed ride - if these issues are addressed, I will likely stay with the R1 line - but who knows. Either way, wanted to provide my thoughts on the Gravity for those interested. Let me know if you have any questions that I didn't answer or get to here.

I own a Lucid Air and an R1S. I think your assessment is very fair.

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[GJPoss]

"...the fact of the matter is that most people who buy these "offroad" style of vehicles will never see anything more dangerous than perhaps an unpaved road."

LOVED this line. Especially loved it because it's so true. And it's true FOR ME!! I bought the R1T with the thought that I was going to do the -- mostly -- off road highway in one of Rivian's first videos. Then I thought: Do I really want to take a 100k vehicle and beat the hell out of it? It's so pretty. I don't even want to get it dirty. LOL

 

[Miketz]

"...the fact of the matter is that most people who buy these "offroad" style of vehicles will never see anything more dangerous than perhaps an unpaved road."

LOVED this line. Especially loved it because it's so true. And it's true FOR ME!! I bought the R1T with the thought that I was going to do the -- mostly -- off road highway in one of Rivian's first videos. Then I thought: Do I really want to take a 100k vehicle and beat the hell out of it? It's so pretty. I don't even want to get it dirty. LOL

HAahahhah same here. I even bought aggressive tires and "off road" underbody protection and to convince myself I was serious I purchased the off road towing package as well. I had no trouble off roading our 34k Jeep but could not get the brain to approve off roading a 100k vehicle.

 

[GJPoss]

I ALMOST got the underbody protection and dropped it at the last minute because I thought: I'm not going to do that to my new baby!! But I did buy the very heavy tow straps. lol. Oh, well, those could come in handy in snow..........pulling SOMEONE ELSE out of snow. Too funny.

 

[Jeff M]

TLDR: If you don't go offroading and can get past the looks, this is very strong competition.

Full Story:

Got a chance to take another test drive of the Lucid Gravity. Had a chance to get behind the wheel of one in one of their pop-ups, but it was only driving it around a parking lot and it was with the faux leather white interior, which did not impress me at all (already showing stains and tears in the fabric). Left that experience feeling underwhelmed, but my wife loved it, hence why I gave it another shot. This time it was around rush hour in a combination of city and highway traffic. This is the experience of a current RIS owner who is considering it (more on that later) for either myself or my wife.

Outside

Yes, it looks like a minivan. Now that we have that out the way, it's not an ugly car IMO though this varies depending on the rim size and color choices. The smallest wheels and black make it look like a bloated Prius. The 21/22 setup looks a lot better, specially in a higher ride height. Standard ride height is very low. The highest ride heigh puts it at around the low ride height for an R1S, for perspective. It doesn't look that big either but still has a presence. Overall, I'm not in love, though I would love to see it in white with the bigger rims in their stealth package. That would be my preference.

Inside

Here is where the story takes a different tune. The Tahoe (tan brownish interior) real leather feels and looks luxurious. The fit and finish is well done. The seats are very comfortable with a lot of options to get in the right seating position. The massaging feature is not a gimmick and something I missed from my 2020 Ford Explorer (except these are much better). The squirqle looks kind of goofy and the screens seems like overload at first, but once you get acquainted, everything feels well thought out. I don't know what sorcery Lucid did, but the inside feels much more spacious than the R1S. This is specially true for the second and third row. It feels massive inside. Cargo room is ok. Frunk is smaller than the R1S but still acceptable and automatic. Overall, a very nice place to be. I lowkey didn't want to leave by the end of the test drive. Oh, and its super quiet. Like completely silent. In rush hour traffic and highway speeds, you couldn't hear a thing. This I liked a lot.

Infotainment

Responsive, for the most part. No huge hiccups to report and everything work as intended. Carplay is coming (to those who care) soon and so is PaaK, along with some form of self driving. Manual air vents were a welcome addition. I'm not one of those "OMG I NEED PHYSICAL BUTTONS" but it was nice to have some. Again, very well thought out and integrated with the infotainment.

Driving

It's really good. Very refined ride quality and handled imperfections and bumps on the road well, including several train tracks. Regen is very strong and the accelerator is very responsive. It is undoubtedly quick. It gives the option to turn off regen, if you care about that at all. Handles very well and can go around corners very fast and feels very flat. Compared to the R1S, much less floaty and ponderous but lacks the personality of the R1S (the motor whine of the Gen1 Quad is great, IMO). My tester had the rear steering package, which made me yearn for the day that this comes to the R1 line. Had to do a tight U-turn and it took it masterfully. I was just driving around in my 2 series that day and am still astonished that a 3 row SUV took a U-turn arguably easier than a two door convertible. Overall, a very enjoyable driving experience. However, if you like the higher ride height and feeling of towering over others, this is not it. Even on highest, it's about most mainstream midsize SUVs ride height and the Gravity clearly prefers to be in standard or a lower ride height. This could be the other deal breaker for those of us that I love that about the R1.

Closing Thoughts:

In a perfect world, I'd get this for my wife and get myself the new Quad R1S. For road trips, the Gravity's advertised 200 miles in 12 minutes and range anywhere from 386-450 miles is fantastic. This would likely be our roadtrip car and I can keep the R1S as my daily. I personally prefer the higher ride height and the styling of the Rivian speaks more to me (I've always been a fan of boxy and rugged cars). As an EV enthusiast, I want both Rivian and Lucid to succeed (and Tesla and anyone else who is actually trying in this space). After I sell my 2 series, I can't imagine owning any other ICE car in the future. While I foresee a lot of comments saying "Well you can't compare these, the Rivian is targeting the offroad crowd and the Gravity is more for *insert whatever you want here*", the fact of the matter is that most people who buy these "offroad" style of vehicles will never see anything more dangerous than perhaps an unpaved road. If you need a 3 row EV, these will likely end up high in your options list.

As for me, I'm keeping my Gen1 Quad R1S for a while longer. Waiting to see how the EV market shakes out and perhaps looking at the cheaper Touring trim for the Gravity coming later this year for my wife. I'm also waiting to see more on the R2 to see if I will change my R1S for one, at which point a GT Gravity for my wife could also make sense. I'm hoping the next R1 refresh/gen brings faster charging speeds and rear wheel steering, along with a quieter cabin and more composed ride - if these issues are addressed, I will likely stay with the R1 line - but who knows. Either way, wanted to provide my thoughts on the Gravity for those interested. Let me know if you have any questions that I didn't answer or get to here.

Great review. I’ve spent hours comparing the Gravity with the R1S Dual Performance Max. We selected the R1S to complement our 21 Audi Etron Prestige. I absolutely love the Etron build quality, luxury, reliability and quietness. The R1S gives us more adventure for Idaho’s back country, space to stretch out, luxury, range and ride height. The Gravity was very tempting but would have equaled or replaced our Etron. Both Etron and R1S make me happy to have the other vehicle.

 

[the_mace]

TLDR: If you don't go offroading and can get past the looks, this is very strong competition.

Other then the concerns around yet another new car/EV maker and if they can make it, my main issues on them has been style. I'm not young, but the sedan looks like my grandfather's car from many angles. And the choice of trunk over hatch kills it forever for me. I'll never have another trunk.

The SUV, as you said has minivan vibes. My kids are long grown and gone. I need space to haul aging parents, too much luggage etc, but I don't want to be driving a minivan like thing.

For now our Gen1 quad R1T is our road trip/family car. Its rough on the older parents to get in/out of. But so is my Model S in a different way. The storage in the R1T is wonderful and its a comfortable drive though i'm looking forward to getting quieter tires than my factory ATs.

Tesla doesnt have a truck or large SUV that appeals to me. I love the model S and while its 8 years old there's no good reason to let it go. Maybe if they ever come out with a roadster and its not a dumb design decision i'd go for that as i'm the only one in the model S since we got the Rivian.

Appreciate the perspective.

 

[Miketz]

I ALMOST got the underbody protection and dropped it at the last minute because I thought: I'm not going to do that to my new baby!! But I did buy the very heavy tow straps. lol. Oh, well, those could come in handy in snow..........pulling SOMEONE ELSE out of snow. Too funny.

I did buy the straps as well. Waiting for Heavy snow to hit South Florida .....

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

Great review. How about some pics?

 

[madhat]

"...the fact of the matter is that most people who buy these "offroad" style of vehicles will never see anything more dangerous than perhaps an unpaved road."

LOVED this line. Especially loved it because it's so true. And it's true FOR ME!! I bought the R1T with the thought that I was going to do the -- mostly -- off road highway in one of Rivian's first videos. Then I thought: Do I really want to take a 100k vehicle and beat the hell out of it? It's so pretty. I don't even want to get it dirty. LOL

Pfft. I didn't buy it as an offroader. I've got high performance street tires on mine! I bought it because it's fast, nice looking, capable, and functional (the bed means I don't have to put sheet rock and bricks in the trunk/ hatch anymore!).

 

[Great Gatsby]

Great review. How about some pics?

Thanks! And didn't get a chance to do so this time around, but here are some from the pop-up they had and from the SC nearby:

 

[Great Gatsby]

Great review. I’ve spent hours comparing the Gravity with the R1S Dual Performance Max. We selected the R1S to complement our 21 Audi Etron Prestige. I absolutely love the Etron build quality, luxury, reliability and quietness. The R1S gives us more adventure for Idaho’s back country, space to stretch out, luxury, range and ride height. The Gravity was very tempting but would have equaled or replaced our Etron. Both Etron and R1S make me happy to have the other vehicle.

The Etron does not get talked about enough, IMO. How is the tech and range on it?

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