Thoughts on power tonneau vs. manual tonneau

[Jamlank]

So, my pricing just reverted to pre March 1 and as others have pointed out, the adventure model no longer includes the power tonneau. Id like to know (pun?) everyone’s thoughts on weather to add it or go manual??
Any pictures of the manual setup out there?
Would the manual one fit in the gear tunnel with a camp kitchen in there?
I kind of fancy the powered one but sounds like it could end up being problematic anyway.
Hmmmm. Decisions decisions.

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[Davethadog]

The manual folds into a bag and then you gotta figure out where to put it. It just slots into the channel that the auto cover rides in. There will be cooler aftermarket ideas. IMO, it's powered or none at all.

 

[ironpig]

The manual folds into a bag and then you gotta figure out where to put it. It just slots into the channel that the auto cover rides in. There will be cooler aftermarket ideas. IMO, it's powered or none at all.

I was thinking the same thing. I would imagine it won't take long for someone to make an aftermarket manual cover that might be cheaper. I added the powered cover back in for now.

 

[SeaGeo]

The manual folds into a bag and then you gotta figure out where to put it. It just slots into the channel that the auto cover rides in. There will be cooler aftermarket ideas. IMO, it's powered or none at all.

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the apparent... jankiness of the powered one, but sliding in panels for the manual one seems like a pretty inconvenient design.

 

[bd5400]

Given the size of the camp kitchen I can’t imagine you will be able to fit the manual cover in there at the same time.

 

[goldburger]

after seeing the powered tonneau in action it def feels janky, but it could be just the sound and... slugishness of how it operates. the truck overall is built really well IMO so i am sticking with powered. it feels weird to have it be manual... like closing the tailgate manually is sort of weird considering the rest of the truck and how not manual it is.

 

[astonius]

Didn’t the adventure package include the powered tonneau before March 1? If they said they would honor pre-March 1 pricing I would push for the power tonneau to be included at no charge.

 

[TXR1S]

Didn’t the adventure package include the powered tonneau before March 1? If they said they would honor pre-March 1 pricing I would push for the power tonneau to be included at no charge.

The base price is lower by the same amount, so the final price is cheaper if you don’t want any tonneau or the same if you add it back on.

 

[Riviot]

The manual folds into a bag and then you gotta figure out where to put it.

I thought the manual one fits into the gear tunnel...

 

[Forager]

I wonder why the space for the power tonneau isn’t available for storing the manual pieces.

Manual roll top tonneaus are very inexpensive to buy, easy to operate, and are very compact when rolled up. Aftermarket is definitely the way to go if you don’t want the powered one.

 

[moosetags]

One of the reason that I originally ordered the Explore Edition was the powered tonneau cover. I did not want it then and I don't want it now. In my opinion this feature will always be problematic on these trucks. If I really wanted a powered tonneau cover, I would by one of the high end after market versions like the Gator Trax.

Brian

 

[nfrank]

I'm not sure there's a way to open a manual tonneau cover with the cross bars installed over the bed. That could be a pain if you find yourself wanting something in the front of the bed with bikes on the rack.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

The pricing update really makes this a quandary for me. I like the idea of the powered tonneau but have the same concerns as others regarding longevity etc. I like the idea of taking the $1,500 and using it on other things I'd rather have (AT wheels) and hope for a better after market solution to come along.

I wonder if someone would be able to design something that takes advantage of the very convenient cargo bar mounting points for a removable tonneau.

 

[ads75]

I wonder if someone would be able to design something that takes advantage of the very convenient cargo bar mounting points for a removable tonneau.

Losing the cargo mounts for a tonneau? When Rivian's own designs leave the cargo mounts available?

 

[Inkedsphynx]

I don't really understand all the concerns with the powered tonneau. It'll be covered under warranty for the duration of time that it is most likely to break. There also aren't really that many things that can go seriously wrong with it. Motor burns out, sure, that's a replacement (I'd like to think Rivian put a decent motor in there, given that electric motors are kinda central to what they're doing...). Otherwise what is the concern people have? Some dirt or rocks in the housing chamber? If it can't be blown out with the air hose by owners then again.. make a service call.

Sure, if it breaks in 6 years maybe you're up a creek, but in that case you got 6 years of powered tonneau cover use. Unless the repair at that stage is ridiculously expensive (why would it be, this is a relatively simple system) I can't see myself hitting that moment and being too upset.

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