Yahoo Autos Lucid Gravity Preview: Three-row, family-friendly EV with a 440-plus-mile range
Despite some teething problems, the Lucid Air has thus far wowed as the first product of a startup carmaker. Actually, the qualifier isn’t really necessary: the Air just wows, period, whether you’re talking about driving the thing or learning about its truly impressive engineering.
Problem is, having a one-car lineup consisting of a sedan is not exactly a recipe for success in 2023. An SUV is a must, and the Lucid Gravity is that SUV, bringing all that impressive electric motor and battery engineering to a more family- and market-friendly body style.
It should be said, though, that “SUV” is sort of a relative term here. Much like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Mustang Mach-E, the Lucid Gravity is a segment-bending sort of vehicle. In person, it’s notably lower than the typical three-row SUV, with the top of the liftgate falling well below this 6-foot-3 editor’s chin. Its short hood and long body are more than a bit evocative of a, he whispers, minivan. In fact, the way the third-row disappears into a deep cavity behind it is exactly what you’d find in a minivan. Or a Ford Flex. Actually, that’s a decent comparison for the Gravity’s body style: it’s sort of a cross between a Flex and a Mercedes R-Class with an available adjustable air suspension that can raise it higher off the ground than either. Like I send, segment-bending.
Now, none of the preceding paragraph should be considered a bad thing. If you want a macho, off-roading EV, Rivian exists. The Lucid Gravity is a more sensible family vehicle, with more family friendly space and versatility than you’d get in the present collection of luxury EVs (the EQS SUV is LOL by comparison). It also packs all that interior space into a much smaller exterior footprint than a comparably spacious gas-powered SUV (it’s 6 inches shorter than a Mercedes GLS). The second-row slides by a huge degree and gets treated to fold-down tables complete with tablet holders. We didn’t get a chance to sit in the third row of this very pre-production Gravity, but the space between the far-sliding second row and the third row was ample, as was the space between seat bottom and footwell. This is a well-packaged vehicle, a testament to the advantages of EV architecture in general and Lucid’s extremely compact componentry.
Beyond having more cargo space behind the raised third row than most three-row SUVs (this thing is going to smoke my Luggage Test), the Gravity’s second row folds totally flat allowing for 104 cubic feet of space. An 8.5-foot-long surfboard can fit diagonally, while a 7-foot one can fit lengthwise. Hey, Lucid is a very California company with the state’s bear emblem proudly placed within each of the 20-plus-inch wheels – surfboard fitment is important, bra. And should you need a handy place to hang out post waves, the 8.1-cubic-foot frunk offers an available fold-up cushion to transform the space into a comfy, if lofty bench. Given the frunk’s shape, I’m less certain about its usefulness for cargo – it’s definitely less useful than the Air’s frunk. And for reference the Gravity's total cargo space with that frunk comes to 112 cubic feet.
