Love it or hate it, the 2025 Lucid Gravity has arrived. The SUV from Lucid looks to elevate our standards the same way the Air sedan did when it earned our 2022 Car of the Year award. However, the Gravity isn’t just an Air SUV, it is an evolution from the Air, making us feel a lot. We have lots of feelings about this one.
A Little Air, a Little… Isuzu?
As an editor currently daily driving MotorTrend’s yearlong Lucid Air test car, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished for a cabin with more space. Various heights— not just tall people—are at risk of knocking their head when entering an Air. Some have also found the Air’s driving position a bit claustrophobic.
Enter the 2025 Lucid Gravity. You have a better chance of entering it without bonking your head. This thoroughly modern SUV is tall enough for smoother ingress and egress yet has a long and low look that vaguely recalls the Isuzu Axiom from the early 2000s. Even so, any fan of the Air sedan will recognize the Gravity as part of the Lucid family.
However, it’s likely no accident Lucid showcased the Gravity in one of its higher suspension heights. At its lowest suspension height, especially with smaller wheels, the sleek Gravity should look almost car-like, the visual antithesis of the boxy, adventurous-looking Rivian R1S. To each their own, right?
As for the Gravity, two-row, five-seat and three-row, seven-passenger versions will be available. We’re also informed a six-passenger Gravity with second-row captain’s chairs is being considered for later on.
New to Lucid? An available rear-wheel steering system and an air suspension that auto-adjusts based on speed. Both technologies can greatly enhance ride quality, low-speed handling, and overall driving experience. When the Gravity goes on sale in the second half of 2024, we’ll see if Lucid can introduce these features without many bugs at launch.
An Electric SUV with a 500-Mile Range?
Lucid’s engineering excellence has stunned the electric car space with a luxury sedan that is quick, fun to drive, efficient, and still manages more than 500 miles of EPA-rated range for certain models. This achievement is unmatched in the luxury-car segment, and we have high hopes for the 2025 Gravity SUV.
Using what Lucid describes as a new platform from Air, the Gravity has updated motors and a drag coefficient of just under 0.24 (in certain trims). However, details are limited at this stage. We do know that the floor won’t be a different height for the two battery packs; on the Air, you gain about three inches of rear-seat legroom by skipping the larger battery pack, which intrudes on passengers’ foot space.
Don’t expect any Gravity to hit 500 miles of range, unless perhaps you drive it down a very, very long hill. Instead, expect at least one Gravity trim to achieve a minimum of 440 miles of range. The Tesla Model X tops out just below 350 miles while the Rivian R1S manages up to a claimed 400 with its larger battery pack. Lucid claims the Gravity can add 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes thanks to its 300-kW charge rate.
Towing and Off-Roading
Dual-motor all-wheel drive will be standard on the 2025 Gravity, although the company isn’t ruling out a single-motor rear-drive version down the line. If enough customers embrace the Gravity and it doesn’t require price cuts like the Air has, a rear-drive Gravity likely won’t happen.
While looking at the 2025 Gravity photos, you might realize this vehicle isn’t a rock-crawler like the R1S. However, it does have an off-road mode that sets the air suspension’s height at its tallest setting with access to full torque. We’re curious about the ground clearance for an SUV that seems so boulevard-ready. Wheel options include 20-inchers in front with 21s in back, 21s in front with 22s in back, or 22s in front with 23s in back.
Towing capacity reaches 6,000 pounds, which is 1,700 pounds less than what’s possible with a Rivian R1S or Audi Q7 but infinitely more than the Air sedan can handle.
Acceleration from 0-60 mph can be accomplished in as little as 3.5 seconds, according to Lucid. While we don’t have horsepower and torque specifications yet, the 2025 Gravity will boast at least 480 hp. At launch, Gravity models will likely match or surpass the power of the 620-hp Touring and 819-hp Grand Touring models.
“A Real Growth Curve at Lucid”
The theme inside the 2025 Lucid Gravity is consistent: similar to Air but not identical. Lucid’s head of design, Derek Jenkins, notes a “real growth curve at Lucid” since the Air’s original launch. This is reassuring, considering the Lucid Air’s undeniable strengths often come with minor issues, including technology bugs.
Moreover, on our yearlong Air test vehicle, one of the steering wheel buttons detached with gentle usage. The Gravity’s steering wheel features touchpads on either side with a swiping area and four flat buttons, while adopting a squircle shape that is flat on the bottom and the top. Jenkins has indicated that Lucid tested 27 different steering wheel styles, including a Tesla-style yoke.
The upgraded OLED displays are refined and the system should be more reliable than it has been in the Air. The taller edges of the top display and the slimmer top edge provide a sleek look. That long, 34-inch display comprises a small menu of controls on the left of the steering wheel, the instrument cluster, and the top infotainment screen. Below that, a horizontally oriented center display measures 12.6 inches instead of the previous 12.5.
A feature we enjoyed on the Air was hiding the lower screen, but this option is absent from Gravity. However, there’s a relaxing setting that blacks out the lower screen and simplifies the upper screen to show only essential information. This is ideal for long night drives.
Additionally, the Lucid Sanctuary feature is available when the vehicle is stationary, displaying the same nature scene—one we witnessed was Joshua Tree, California—across every screen in the car. It’s enhanced by a massage feature and upgraded LED mood lighting. Similar features exist in Mercedes and Genesis vehicles, but this one seems to elevate the experience further.
Gravity, a 3-Row SUV
Regarding the second-row seating, Lucid is still determining how the seats will fold out of the way for access to the third row. The existing prototype features a lever on the second-row bench’s underside, adjusting the backrest angle. Will there be a Honda-Pilot-like button to recline the backrest and slide the seat forward? Only time will tell. At least the rear doors open to about 90 degrees—a feature we appreciated on the Air.
Regardless of how those seats fold, access to the third row is merely adequate. The windows in that area do not provide a commanding view. Additionally, there are no steel-roofed Gravity models planned, so passengers will enjoy a view of the greenery above. In Los Angeles, our glass-roofed Air has experienced extreme heat in the summer sun, so we’re pleased to hear that the Gravity’s glass roof includes a thermal coating that may lower cabin temperatures. An electrochromic glass roof feature may also become available, akin to the Toyota Venza.
A Key Fob and Glass
It’s ironic that on a car as advanced as the Lucid Air, one recurring issue is a slim key fob needing frequent battery changes and not always recognizing the vehicle. The good news is that the Gravity features a new regular-sized key fob, designed to accommodate longer-lasting batteries.
Furthermore, let’s talk about glass. We admire the elegant look of the wood cover over the Air’s front cupholders. On the 2025 Gravity, that cover is now made of tempered glass. When we inspected a Gravity Dream Edition prototype prior to the SUV’s debut, the etched glass was unexpected yet stunning. Different trims will feature various etching patterns. Beneath the cover and a backward-folding armrest lies a spacious storage area.
Updates Before Launch
As we anticipate the launch of the production version of the 2025 Gravity, Lucid has updated the world on its highly anticipated SUV. First, the user interface that comes with the all-new Gravity will be the latest “Oz” release in its 2.4 update, addressing improvements in navigation, high assist performance, lane change assistance, lane departure protection, and reducing app wake-up time. Oz 2.4 will enhance HomeLink access tied to Lucid’s VIN.
A hardware upgrade standard on the Gravity as a 2025 model is the North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug, which transitions Lucid away from the J1772-CCS combo charging standard. This will enable the Gravity and other 2025 Lucids to access the Tesla Supercharger network, allowing for easier charging with an estimated 200 miles of range in approximately 15 minutes. Finally, there’s potential for the new Atlas motor in Lucid’s new midsize platform to find its way into Gravity as a more economical option, while the top models retain the compact and powerful drive units from the Air AWDs.
Falling for Gravity?
The 2025 Gravity truly embodies Lucid’s design philosophy and vision for the future. While striving to be on the cutting edge has its pros and cons, it remains to be seen how effectively Lucid can deliver on the Gravity’s promises.
Nonetheless, the 2025 Gravity undeniably expands the Lucid brand’s reach in a way that an executive sedan never could. With an expected starting price of “under $80,000,” the prospect seems promising, especially as the Air slowly integrates lower-cost versions at similar price points after launching in the six figures.
