usulio
Well-Known Member
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- #1
10xxx VIN picked up in Denver a couple weeks ago. 20" All-Terrains, quad motor.
I will say up front that I think the R1S is without doubt the awesomest car ever made, and I am still in shock that I own one and really excited for future adventures with it. That said, I won't hold back on critiques either.
Two things up front that might make this a different take. One, I am not a car person. Until last year I never owned a car worth over $10,000. (Last year we got a Nissan Leaf.) The wealth and luxury car stuff on this forum is definitely a culture shock to me. I don't really care about most of that stuff, more focused on capabilities. Two, I'm a computer person who cares about privacy and right to repair, as you'll see.
The good
The car is amazing. Already had a ton of fun off-road, on-road, groceries, dog park, mountains, dirt roads, air down, light clambering, air up. I love the capabilities and didn't expect that it would also just be so much fun to drive.
I won't go on and on because if you're here, you already know. But I will say :
* The size is really nice -- not hulking large on the outside, easy to park and maneuver, but plenty of space on the inside. You can put a 6-footer in any seat comfortably (maybe not all seats at the same time).
* The touchscreen and menus are generally very well-executed. This doesn't make the concept good, see below, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The nitpicks
* Only noticed defect is that the air compressor is loose (like I can pull it out of the wall). I'm guessing car people would tell me the panel alignment is bad and the rattles are bad but I don't care, the car is a BEAST!
* Black body plastic seems impossible to clean (see this thread, or this thread, or this thread).
* Side mirror mount reflections (see thread)
* Sensitive pedal can make parking lots, etc tricky (also mentioned here). Finding the right pressure from a stop is tricky. Get pedal jolt from incline changes like a driveway, or bumps.
* The car is 7000 lbs and there is no getting around that. From watching off-roading videos, this is most noticeable if you are climbing up a steep angle -- the front tires lose traction as all the weight goes back -- or if you are on any sideways angle on dusty rocks, you will tend to slip sideways. I experienced a bit of that myself.
* Climate control has not been the most intuitive or effective so far. Example, I have it cooling to 72 on a hot summer day, decide to bump it up to 74, and it turns on the heat.
The bad
* The regen limiter is pretty disappointing. (Recent thread) It triggered after going 10-15mph down a pretty gradual road for only a mile or two, in 60 degree weather. It kicks on quickly on any serious downhill driving. And the limited braking makes driving a bit unpredictable in that mode.
* Many touchscreen interfaces are too distracting or intricate to be safely used while driving. The FM radio is completely unusable. As I said above, I'm very impressed by how good and intuitive the touchscreen is, but it's often not enough for the driver.
* The various key methods are all laughably bad -- fob, cards, phone. The Leaf is 20 times more usable: a relatively small, light key that fits in my running shorts, you walk up to the car and press the handle and it unlocks/locks, end of story.
* It's frustrating when a car thinks it knows better than you what you want. It's kind of infuriating when it gives you controls, then overrides your decisions anyway. Example, I'm cleaning the car, but after 5 minutes, the lights all turn off. Even if I have all four doors and the trunk open, and manually go into the menu and turn the interior lights on! Don't get me started on lock/unlock. And I wish the car had a power button.
The ugly
* Rivian is the Macbook Pro of cars, in all the worst ways as well as the best. The company aggressively erodes your right to repair and own your vehicle. You can only do things with your car that Rivian wants you to do.
* Privacy issues: Rivian puts all of its customers under location surveillance. That gives them your driving habits (insurance $$), info about your health care decisions, when you're away from home, and much much more. It's not clear if this data will ever be sold, given away, shared with AT&T (I assume so), shared with law enforcement, etc. That is indefensible.
* Reliability is not where it needs to be for a serious tool rather than a toy. Rivian's software seems excellent compared to software in general, but it's still closer to Netscape than NASA. We'll be "adventuring" in the R1S for sure, but I think not into situations where our safety depends on its reliability.
More good
* Rivian Adventure Network charging is fantastic so far.
* Changing drive modes is just so much fun. So is the air compressor, not sure why, just love the novelty of using it.
* The second-row seat adjustability, seats fold flat, under-trunk space, and general use of interior space is all great.
* The aftermarket ecosystem around these cars is cool. Looking forward to some running boards.
* The efficiency/range we've been getting so far is not bad on 20" with a decent amount of off-road mode. Of course, that's at lower speeds which helps. About as advertised so far.
Summary
The R1S is an amazing, amazing vehicle. It has some drawbacks arising from "live by the software, die by the software" and I have basic disagreements with some of the company's philosophies toward its customers. That said, I am very happy with the purchase already and look forward to a lot of adventures to come.
I will say up front that I think the R1S is without doubt the awesomest car ever made, and I am still in shock that I own one and really excited for future adventures with it. That said, I won't hold back on critiques either.
Two things up front that might make this a different take. One, I am not a car person. Until last year I never owned a car worth over $10,000. (Last year we got a Nissan Leaf.) The wealth and luxury car stuff on this forum is definitely a culture shock to me. I don't really care about most of that stuff, more focused on capabilities. Two, I'm a computer person who cares about privacy and right to repair, as you'll see.
The good
The car is amazing. Already had a ton of fun off-road, on-road, groceries, dog park, mountains, dirt roads, air down, light clambering, air up. I love the capabilities and didn't expect that it would also just be so much fun to drive.
I won't go on and on because if you're here, you already know. But I will say :
* The size is really nice -- not hulking large on the outside, easy to park and maneuver, but plenty of space on the inside. You can put a 6-footer in any seat comfortably (maybe not all seats at the same time).
* The touchscreen and menus are generally very well-executed. This doesn't make the concept good, see below, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The nitpicks
* Only noticed defect is that the air compressor is loose (like I can pull it out of the wall). I'm guessing car people would tell me the panel alignment is bad and the rattles are bad but I don't care, the car is a BEAST!
* Black body plastic seems impossible to clean (see this thread, or this thread, or this thread).
* Side mirror mount reflections (see thread)
* Sensitive pedal can make parking lots, etc tricky (also mentioned here). Finding the right pressure from a stop is tricky. Get pedal jolt from incline changes like a driveway, or bumps.
* The car is 7000 lbs and there is no getting around that. From watching off-roading videos, this is most noticeable if you are climbing up a steep angle -- the front tires lose traction as all the weight goes back -- or if you are on any sideways angle on dusty rocks, you will tend to slip sideways. I experienced a bit of that myself.
* Climate control has not been the most intuitive or effective so far. Example, I have it cooling to 72 on a hot summer day, decide to bump it up to 74, and it turns on the heat.
The bad
* The regen limiter is pretty disappointing. (Recent thread) It triggered after going 10-15mph down a pretty gradual road for only a mile or two, in 60 degree weather. It kicks on quickly on any serious downhill driving. And the limited braking makes driving a bit unpredictable in that mode.
* Many touchscreen interfaces are too distracting or intricate to be safely used while driving. The FM radio is completely unusable. As I said above, I'm very impressed by how good and intuitive the touchscreen is, but it's often not enough for the driver.
* The various key methods are all laughably bad -- fob, cards, phone. The Leaf is 20 times more usable: a relatively small, light key that fits in my running shorts, you walk up to the car and press the handle and it unlocks/locks, end of story.
* It's frustrating when a car thinks it knows better than you what you want. It's kind of infuriating when it gives you controls, then overrides your decisions anyway. Example, I'm cleaning the car, but after 5 minutes, the lights all turn off. Even if I have all four doors and the trunk open, and manually go into the menu and turn the interior lights on! Don't get me started on lock/unlock. And I wish the car had a power button.
The ugly
* Rivian is the Macbook Pro of cars, in all the worst ways as well as the best. The company aggressively erodes your right to repair and own your vehicle. You can only do things with your car that Rivian wants you to do.
* Privacy issues: Rivian puts all of its customers under location surveillance. That gives them your driving habits (insurance $$), info about your health care decisions, when you're away from home, and much much more. It's not clear if this data will ever be sold, given away, shared with AT&T (I assume so), shared with law enforcement, etc. That is indefensible.
* Reliability is not where it needs to be for a serious tool rather than a toy. Rivian's software seems excellent compared to software in general, but it's still closer to Netscape than NASA. We'll be "adventuring" in the R1S for sure, but I think not into situations where our safety depends on its reliability.
More good
* Rivian Adventure Network charging is fantastic so far.
* Changing drive modes is just so much fun. So is the air compressor, not sure why, just love the novelty of using it.
* The second-row seat adjustability, seats fold flat, under-trunk space, and general use of interior space is all great.
* The aftermarket ecosystem around these cars is cool. Looking forward to some running boards.
* The efficiency/range we've been getting so far is not bad on 20" with a decent amount of off-road mode. Of course, that's at lower speeds which helps. About as advertised so far.
Summary
The R1S is an amazing, amazing vehicle. It has some drawbacks arising from "live by the software, die by the software" and I have basic disagreements with some of the company's philosophies toward its customers. That said, I am very happy with the purchase already and look forward to a lot of adventures to come.
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