R1S test drive - My honest opinion

[R1Sky Business]

I was lucky enough to be invited to an R1S test drive last week at my local Costa Mesa, California center. I typically never test drive any vehicles I'm interested in since I research specs, "quirks and features", and other things quite extensively. The quality of the ride itself never matter to me since I'm used to sports cars. I typically prefer a harder/harsher ride vs. a floaty/comfy one. But hey, I had some time, so why not try out the Rivian. Plus I have limited experience with EVs (my first EV is a 2022 Tesla Model S which I received only a few weeks ago). I do have a couple of friends who work at Rivian and I've been driven around in a couple of R1Ts (but never drove myself).

Outside of the Venice, CA hub invite to check out the R1S several months ago and a few sightings around my area, this is my only experience with the R1S.

I'm an enthusiast, in my 40s, and owned multiple types of fun vehicles over the years. I recently sold my BMW X5M which I would say *should* be the closest competitor I've owned to the R1S (with the exception of its non-existing offroad capability). It was fast (~570hp, twin turbo V8, etc). Despite its heavy weight, it handled like a sports car if you were willing to bring it to its limits. Other ones I've experienced (but not owned) are Audi RSQ5, multiple variants AMG SUVs, and the Range Rover SVR. They all have similar driving dynamics...but far different than the Rivian as you'll read below.

My main reason for interest in the Rivian is I want an SUV (room for family/dog/storage) and I want power. For the first time, the option for off-road is possible whereas it was never possible in the past for high horsepower luxury/sport SUVs. Their large brakes do not allow for beefy tires.

Picture first. Nothing too exciting at this point since they are showing up on public roads now. We've all seen these before. Launch green with 22" black wheels.

Short summary: I was not impressed with the driving dynamics, but great tech, looks great, and use of space is amazing.

Long summary...

With the Rivian's 4 motors, ~835hp, and an advertised 3 second 0-60mph sprint, I was expecting the driving dynamics to be similar to a performance SUV, or dare I say it, a heavy sports sedan/wagon (think M5, E63 S Wagon, etc). Getting in, the guide had me in All Purpose Mode, which significantly toned down the throttle response and suspension. Okay, I get it, it isn't Sport mode. The Rivian was VERY floaty in the up/down direction but surprisingly flat on turns. Staying flat from side to side for such a heavy vehicle was great, but the up/down movement was pretty crazy. It was almost as "bad" as a Jeep Wrangler. Power wise in All Purpose Mode was very smooth, but in no way felt very quick and definitely did not feel like 835hp. Granted it is ~7200lbs but my X5M was 5400lbs and ~570hp and it felt significantly faster and more violent while the pure numbers should make it slower than the Rivian.

I mentioned this to the guide and he moved me to Sport and the throttle immediately got more sensitive and the up/down movement toned down a lot (but it was still noticeably present). It accelerated marginally faster, but for some reason felt very slow. This was while merging onto freeways relative to other vehicles. For someone who drives all his vehicles in "sport mode" 24/7, I'm concerned my real world usage is the 220mile range (assuming you charge to ~75%). As soon as the guide moved me to Sport, the range number dropped ~35 miles that I saw. My Model S Long Range gets me ~365miles charged to 85% which is significantly more (and I'm set to "Insane" acceleration mode 24/7). Yeah yeah its all about efficiency, but this is the metric I'm using now and its been accurate. Will 220ish miles be enough on a day to day basis? Sure but a full day from my place to Los Angeles, exploring, then back home, might use it all up. That happens once every couple of weeks.

So I guess I was disappointed it wasn't as fast as I expected. It SHOULD be faster than my X5M on paper, but is it really? It doesn't seem so accelerating next to other vehicles on the road. Speed/power is on the top of my list, which is probably different than other peoples' priority. I understand larger/heavier vehicles may not feel fast when they actually are. But with my years of experience on track, sports cars/SUVs, I'd say I'm a pretty good judge of performance.

I still love the look and the tech. The use of space and available storage is amazing. I could sit in the 3rd row (I'm 5'9"ish) and have plenty of room. For the price I would pay (~$80K) I think it is still a great deal. I don't know about current pricing. Will I take delivery? Most likely. Will I keep it and sell the Tesla? I don't know. Will I keep both? I don't know. I'd like to keep both (if my wife will allow it ), I just don't know if I'm willing yet to have the R1S as my only daily driver/family hauler. We have a company Hyundai Accent which my wife drives to work (I work for them in the Cybsersecurity space) and a weekend sports car that only gets driven ~2K miles a year.

Doug Demuro rated it as one of the best vehicles to date and I agree. I guess I place too much emphasis on power/speed even if it isn't the purpose of the vehicle. It is more about being a versatile EV. But with 4 motors and over 800hp, is it wrong of me to expect more?

Maybe a ME problem.

Anyway, wanted to present my thoughts to the forum. I'm ready for the backlash.

What's your preorder date?

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[zefram47]

Well, with a guide sitting there next to you who didn't really seem like the "performance enthusiast" type, it is going to be a little difficult.
...
Source: I've done years of track events (both motorcycle and car), and even taught track instruction for a few years. I have experience in high power cars and SUVs over the course of many years. I'd say I have a pretty good "eye" for how vehicles perform. Then again, there's only so much you can do on a 8 minute test drive with my mom in the backseat.

I got lucky on my test drive as the usual person wasn't in that day. I wound up with a guy who was normally a delivery driver and he was *thrilled* that I wanted to take it up a canyon he'd just delivered a truck up the day before. I have a Corvette as well as a lifted 4Runner. No, the Rivian is not a sports car...no one with half a brain would try to claim it was. That said, even on the ATs I was super impressed with the torque vectoring of the quad motors and roll control. I was able to send it into a 25 mph corner at 45-50 mph and it didn't show any real signs of struggling. I think it's fair to say it's the best handling truck on the market today, but I clearly wouldn't expect it to match an X5M or Cayenne GTS, etc. I hopped back in my EV MINI right after the test drive and it was understandable how different a little 3100 lbs EV felt vs the 7000 lbs R1T, yet for its size, the Rivian was commendable in the twisties. I can only imagine that on the 22s the truck would be even more entertaining.

 

[Franksmartin]

It’s a simple fact that is IS faster than the X5 by quite a bit, so it’s either an issue with this specific vehicle or a driver issue.

 

[seanocono]

What's your preorder date?

You can just walk into the Venice Hub and schedule a R1S First Mile, regardless of your preorder date.

 

[R1Sky Business]

You can just walk into the Venice Hub and schedule a R1S First Mile, regardless of your preorder date.

So they also have R1Ss for test drives now.....good to know. Did u already drive it?

 

[bd5400]

As stated above, I admit I did not floor the gas pedal so maybe that's why. Everyone is saying Sport + WOT is the way to go to really feel it.

I'll also add that there is a different feel between WOT from a stop and WOT from 50mph on the freeway. It's quick in both instances, but it doesn't feel as quick or ridiculous when you're already going 50 and the lack of audible drama can be deceiving.

 

[seanocono]

So they also have R1Ss for test drives now.....good to know. Did u already drive it?

Yes, and yes. I just walked right in, and scheduled a drive for about a week later. I could have booked a little earlier, but their open windows conflicted with my calendar. The guides at the Venice Hub were awesome, as always.

 

[rivian1800]

I was lucky enough to be invited to an R1S test drive last week at my local Costa Mesa, California center. I typically never test drive any vehicles I'm interested in since I research specs, "quirks and features", and other things quite extensively. The quality of the ride itself never matter to me since I'm used to sports cars. I typically prefer a harder/harsher ride vs. a floaty/comfy one. But hey, I had some time, so why not try out the Rivian. Plus I have limited experience with EVs (my first EV is a 2022 Tesla Model S which I received only a few weeks ago). I do have a couple of friends who work at Rivian and I've been driven around in a couple of R1Ts (but never drove myself).

Outside of the Venice, CA hub invite to check out the R1S several months ago and a few sightings around my area, this is my only experience with the R1S.

I'm an enthusiast, in my 40s, and owned multiple types of fun vehicles over the years. I recently sold my BMW X5M which I would say *should* be the closest competitor I've owned to the R1S (with the exception of its non-existing offroad capability). It was fast (~570hp, twin turbo V8, etc). Despite its heavy weight, it handled like a sports car if you were willing to bring it to its limits. Other ones I've experienced (but not owned) are Audi RSQ5, multiple variants AMG SUVs, and the Range Rover SVR. They all have similar driving dynamics...but far different than the Rivian as you'll read below.

My main reason for interest in the Rivian is I want an SUV (room for family/dog/storage) and I want power. For the first time, the option for off-road is possible whereas it was never possible in the past for high horsepower luxury/sport SUVs. Their large brakes do not allow for beefy tires.

Picture first. Nothing too exciting at this point since they are showing up on public roads now. We've all seen these before. Launch green with 22" black wheels.

Short summary: I was not impressed with the driving dynamics, but great tech, looks great, and use of space is amazing.

Long summary...

With the Rivian's 4 motors, ~835hp, and an advertised 3 second 0-60mph sprint, I was expecting the driving dynamics to be similar to a performance SUV, or dare I say it, a heavy sports sedan/wagon (think M5, E63 S Wagon, etc). Getting in, the guide had me in All Purpose Mode, which significantly toned down the throttle response and suspension. Okay, I get it, it isn't Sport mode. The Rivian was VERY floaty in the up/down direction but surprisingly flat on turns. Staying flat from side to side for such a heavy vehicle was great, but the up/down movement was pretty crazy. It was almost as "bad" as a Jeep Wrangler. Power wise in All Purpose Mode was very smooth, but in no way felt very quick and definitely did not feel like 835hp. Granted it is ~7200lbs but my X5M was 5400lbs and ~570hp and it felt significantly faster and more violent while the pure numbers should make it slower than the Rivian.

I mentioned this to the guide and he moved me to Sport and the throttle immediately got more sensitive and the up/down movement toned down a lot (but it was still noticeably present). It accelerated marginally faster, but for some reason felt very slow. This was while merging onto freeways relative to other vehicles. For someone who drives all his vehicles in "sport mode" 24/7, I'm concerned my real world usage is the 220mile range (assuming you charge to ~75%). As soon as the guide moved me to Sport, the range number dropped ~35 miles that I saw. My Model S Long Range gets me ~365miles charged to 85% which is significantly more (and I'm set to "Insane" acceleration mode 24/7). Yeah yeah its all about efficiency, but this is the metric I'm using now and its been accurate. Will 220ish miles be enough on a day to day basis? Sure but a full day from my place to Los Angeles, exploring, then back home, might use it all up. That happens once every couple of weeks.

So I guess I was disappointed it wasn't as fast as I expected. It SHOULD be faster than my X5M on paper, but is it really? It doesn't seem so accelerating next to other vehicles on the road. Speed/power is on the top of my list, which is probably different than other peoples' priority. I understand larger/heavier vehicles may not feel fast when they actually are. But with my years of experience on track, sports cars/SUVs, I'd say I'm a pretty good judge of performance.

I still love the look and the tech. The use of space and available storage is amazing. I could sit in the 3rd row (I'm 5'9"ish) and have plenty of room. For the price I would pay (~$80K) I think it is still a great deal. I don't know about current pricing. Will I take delivery? Most likely. Will I keep it and sell the Tesla? I don't know. Will I keep both? I don't know. I'd like to keep both (if my wife will allow it ), I just don't know if I'm willing yet to have the R1S as my only daily driver/family hauler. We have a company Hyundai Accent which my wife drives to work (I work for them in the Cybsersecurity space) and a weekend sports car that only gets driven ~2K miles a year.

Doug Demuro rated it as one of the best vehicles to date and I agree. I guess I place too much emphasis on power/speed even if it isn't the purpose of the vehicle. It is more about being a versatile EV. But with 4 motors and over 800hp, is it wrong of me to expect more?

Maybe a ME problem.

Anyway, wanted to present my thoughts to the forum. I'm ready for the backlash.

Of course I am going to brag about my 19.000+ miles run in my R1T and I will say this: You are right on the spot! It’s a YOU problem!
One more thing….PLEASE don’t purchase a Rivian! Let other person enjoying the thrill. No hate, just love, brother ?

 

[xyskis]

You lost me at "felt slow"

I could kind of see this. Part of what makes the Teslas feel fast (beyond the fact that they are) is that the throttle response feels 1:1. The Rivian R1T that I've driven feels like there's either software or mechanical latency built in to the beginning of acceleration that ever-so-slightly eases you into a launch. Our Model Y does 0-60 in 5s or so but feels fairly snappy on 0-30 mph. The R1T we drove felt smooth 0-30 mph and was clearly very fast on the 0-80 mph.

 

[DaveA]

Nah, try

I could kind of see this. Part of what makes the Teslas feel fast (beyond the fact that they are) is that the throttle response feels 1:1. The Rivian R1T that I've driven feels like there's either software or mechanical latency built in to the beginning of acceleration that ever-so-slightly eases you into a launch. Our Model Y does 0-60 in 5s or so but feels fairly snappy on 0-30 mph. The R1T we drove felt smooth 0-30 mph and was clearly very fast on the 0-80 mph.

Nah, I get that...for me, this is the fastest thing I've driven...so my comparisons are few.

 

[Bmitch24]

Maybe I just need more seat time. Not sure how that will be possible at this time.

I am not sure where you live, but I was able to take several solo test drives from local dealers who were selling R1Ts. You may look into that. Even if you had a salesperson along you would have the opportunity to better test out the limits.



My closest reference point to the R1T is a 911 Carrera 4s and a 2016 Nissan GT-R. The R1T can put me much harder into my chair, but with considerably less drama. I find that a perk because I feel less ridiculous doing it at random intersections and driving around town than I would is something more vocal.

 

[smiesguy]

I could kind of see this. Part of what makes the Teslas feel fast (beyond the fact that they are) is that the throttle response feels 1:1. The Rivian R1T that I've driven feels like there's either software or mechanical latency built in to the beginning of acceleration that ever-so-slightly eases you into a launch. Our Model Y does 0-60 in 5s or so but feels fairly snappy on 0-30 mph. The R1T we drove felt smooth 0-30 mph and was clearly very fast on the 0-80 mph.

Well said and I completely agree. I've had my R1S for about a month now, and have held on to my Model 3 Performance just in case the Rivian had a major issue. I 100% love driving the R1S, but in a weird way its made me appreciate the Model 3 Performance even more. Just a really fun small car to toss around with an instant reaction on the throttle.

 

[SlaterGS]

@shamoo I appreciate your honest opinion and then your willingness to evaluate and take feedback/criticism.
Would love to hear a followup if you get the chance for another test drive!

 

[Atlrivian]

2 cents: This truck is extremely quick. However, yes you need to mash the accelerator all the way to the floor. Yes there is a lot of travel. Can it feel boaty? Yes but as mentioned this thing is so heavy.

My truck has the 20s, and most of the time I drive it is in All-purpose. Occasionally I need to really hit the gas to pass someone / merge and boy does it respond / go quick.

In re: to efficiency, I have noticed my truck is very sensitive to driving style. If you drive extremely aggressively and routinely go over 80mph you'll be sucking that battery dry in no time.

 

[Cactus]

I could kind of see this. Part of what makes the Teslas feel fast (beyond the fact that they are) is that the throttle response feels 1:1. The Rivian R1T that I've driven feels like there's either software or mechanical latency built in to the beginning of acceleration that ever-so-slightly eases you into a launch. Our Model Y does 0-60 in 5s or so but feels fairly snappy on 0-30 mph. The R1T we drove felt smooth 0-30 mph and was clearly very fast on the 0-80 mph.

How many folks like having to mash the accelerator to get the vehicle to feel quick?
One thing I've loved about my model S is that it doesn't take much mashing to throw your shoulders back in the seat. I like the throttle mapping of Teslas. Hope Rivian does something similar.
Don't have my R1S yet, but hope it doesn't feel like some ICE cars where there's that dead spot when you depress the accelerator and nothing seems to happen except engine noise.

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