Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Traffic jams, toll booths, and the open roadThis was my first road trip with an EV. No joke. I loathe the idea of stopping to charge up and forcing down pork rinds and Gatorade while I wait, only to get back on the road to do it all over again a few hours later (okay, maybe not the pork rinds). I had the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring to do my bidding as I headed out of town for a six-hour road trip—a mix of highway cruising, suburban traffic, and open-road stretches—to see how this 828-horsepower family EV performs when used as intended.Lucid MotorsThe idea of a three-row electric SUV that delivers supercar-level performance and eats up highway miles sounds like a contradiction. But Lucid is betting big that buyers no longer want to choose between practicality and power.Getting Out of Chicago Isn't For the WeakLucidI fired up the Gravity (well, it pretty much just turned itself on when I got in the driver's seat) at 6:03 am on a Thursday morning. Loaded up with coffee and snacks, the center console still had room to spare. The charging deck started juicing up my encased iPhone no problem. I was ready to get some miles in quickly.AdvertisementAdvertisementOn weekday mornings, Chicago traffic is terrible, even this early because, well, everybody else wants to get an early start, too. The good news is that the Gravity's tamest drive mode (Smooth) is still neck-snappingly quick, and threading the needle is almost immediate. You find an opening, hit the accelerator pedal, and you're in like Flynn. I'm pretty sure I frightened a few BMW drivers who thought they were fast. Nope. The large and in-charge Gravity is deceptively quick.Power Delivery Borders on AbsurdLucid MotorsWith 828 horsepower and 909 lb-ft of torque, the Gravity Grand Touring feels significantly smaller than it is. The hulking shape and length are almost alarming when you walk up to it. The all-wheel drive, massive tires, and adaptive suspension make quick work of it all, and it has the reflexes of a sports car, except when taking a tight corner. Acceleration is relentless, yet incredibly smooth. I hit more than legal speeds without even trying and had to back off so as not to incite law enforcement.On highway merges, it feels almost excessive. I barely needed half throttle to outpace traffic, and full acceleration feels closer to a high-performance EV sedan than a three-row SUV. What's more impressive is how accessible that performance is. There's no learning curve; it's just instant, intuitive speed. I often found myself marveling at how much more planted and solid it felt compared to the Lucid Air, which is also pretty good.Range and ChargingLucidLucid claims as much as 450 miles of range for the Gravity Grand Touring, and while I didn't run it down to zero, the real-world efficiency was reassuring. I had already driven it for a couple of days before road-tripping, so the battery wasn't quite 100%. Over the six-hour trip, I charged once on a Telsa supercharger, and it took me less than 30 minutes to get the Gravity's big 123 kWh battery up to 90%. It's not as convenient as filling up at the gas pump, but over 400 miles of range would easily get me back home. I can't get 400 miles out of my Mazda6.Lucid MotorsThe vehicle's efficiency shines most at highway speeds, where it maintains range better than many competitors. Lucid's background with the Air sedan is evident—this is one of the few large EVs that feels genuinely road-trip capable without constant charging planning. Does that mean I have a strong desire to drive the Gravity from Chicago to Florida for our Thanksgiving vacation? I don't want to answer that question just yet.AdvertisementAdvertisementDream Drive 2 Pro worked like a charm, making lane changes smoothly and without a hiccup. I love how the Gravity shows the movement of the car and the surrounding traffic icons on the main screen with visual warning line indicators of nearby traffic. One of the best features is the system's adaptive cruise control. It's the best ACC system I've used to date. It uses a robust sensor suite (LiDAR, cameras, and radar) and the responsiveness when traffic is pulling away is remarkably quick but still smooth.An Incredible Cabin with Mixed ResultsLucidAs incredible as this luxury cabin is, it delivers mixed results. On the plus side, there's more than enough room for even the tallest adults. My six-foot, 200-lb frame had room to spare, and the airy cabin and massive glass roof mean reduced motion sickness for passengers. Adjusting the seat is easy thanks to good switchgear on the side of the seat cushion. Adjusting the steering wheel requires the touchscreen, an extra step that takes too long.LucidAdjustment for climate controls is largely physical (fan speed, temp), but there is a set of icons above the physical switches that are touch control, making things confusing. It's easy to mistake the touch icons for the switch functions, which have their own debossed icons for temp and fan. As good as it is to have switchgear on a largely touchscreen vehicle, this needs to be better fleshed out if and when there's a refresh.Final ThoughtsThe Lucid Gravity Grand Touring proved to me that road-tripping with the right EV can be an excellent experience. After six hours on the road, what impressed me most wasn't any single feature or aspect. Lucid did its homework with this one and learned lessons from the Air. I dare say the Gravity is the better model after driving it over long distances. Lucid has managed to blend performance, comfort, and practicality in a way that few EVs, or SUVs in general, currently achieve. If this is where the three-row electric SUV segment is headed, the bar has just been set very high. The Lucid Gravity Grand Touring is just that good.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Jul 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Reviews section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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