2 days in new R1S, initial thoughts for new EV owners

[clcbjc123]

Yesterday Rivian dropped off the Ms's new R1S. Black on black on black. Here are my thoughts, in the tint shop today (70% windshield, 20% front windows, 30% rear and 45% sunroof) then she will take over primary duties.

Delivery and purchase:
Pro: Simple, easy, fast and good communication.
Cons: When they delivered it they took a microfiber towel to make it shine and put micro scratches in the black paint. The charger also shipped to our old house (original address when the order was created) and can't seem to resolve that after a week.

Last two days
+ Build quality seems great. I visibly saw no issues with panel gap etc. I also have gotten use to our Tahoe. The germans (BMW) are just better which is what the R1S will replace.
+ I really like the exterior styling. Clean and unique
+ Headlight beam length and quality was way better than I imagined.
+ Fast af. I'm averaging 2.4kWh per mile.
+ Steering wheel and seat adaptability. Steering wheel has a nice feel/thickness.
+ I like the interface. Somethings are a little complicated to find but nothing was as bad as the initial BMW iDrive

- Seats are not comfortable for me, 6-5. The upper seat hits my back between my shoulder bones awkwardly. They look cool though.
- Damping. It's not a German car or even as good as our airshocked Tahoe. When you hit a bump you know it. And its not just stiff. They haven't gotten the elasticity of bushings correct throughout the car - something here will get refined.
- So much glass. I was sitting in the back seat as they ran my wife through setup. Car registered 104 outside and it felt like I needed sunscreen as I was sweating in the back.
- Sport mode on lowest setting feels like your running on bump stops (and Nascar fans?) Clearly some more programming needed. Standard ride is ok though. Not offensive at all.
- Wife and son want running boards, they said the leap out was too much. I changed to kneel mode this AM.

> I jumped in the Tahoe to get the kids this afternoon and said, I don't ever need to drive the Rivian again. This is more comfortable, has HUD, rides better and is as quiet. Also, I have a new second car with 670hp so that probably changes what I need in a primary vehicle. I wanted to be blown away with my first EV but am not.

Overall, for $80k, yeah sure. Hopefully she likes it. I can see a great SUV living under the skin.

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[NY_Rob]

FWIW- people who own both and or have driven both have said the R1T rides better than the R1S. Just saying....

 

[philofilm]

I’d read the 20” ATs are smoother on the R1S and that seems to be true. Brooklyn roads can be bumpy as heck and the ride is just fine for us. As a new EV owner just a week in I’ll never go back to a gas guzzler. Yes they’re a 100 year old well-developed tech, but talk about the oil & gas tail wagging the car dog. The Rivian is so fast, nimble, and fun to drive. And I haven’t even taken it into the mountains yet. Installing my home charger today. Adios, gasoline.

 

[defcon888]

FWIW- people who own both and or have driven both have said the R1T rides better than the R1S. Just saying....

That is what I have heard more than a few times. Our R1T drives amazing.

 

[NY_Rob]

That is what I have heard more than a few times. Our R1T drives amazing.

Yeah, my R1T as well.... the ride is "nicer" than our Model 3.

My only small criticism is not regarding ride quality but it's tendency to dive it's front corners down into turns. I guess that could be corrected with some suspension tuning, but at this point it's probably a result of all that weight changing direction from a straight line.

 

[Count Orlok]

Yesterday Rivian dropped off the Ms's new R1S. Black on black on black. Here are my thoughts, in the tint shop today (70% windshield, 20% front windows, 30% rear and 45% sunroof) then she will take over primary duties.

Delivery and purchase:
Pro: Simple, easy, fast and good communication.
Cons: When they delivered it they took a microfiber towel to make it shine and put micro scratches in the black paint. The charger also shipped to our old house (original address when the order was created) and can't seem to resolve that after a week.

Last two days
+ Build quality seems great. I visibly saw no issues with panel gap etc. I also have gotten use to our Tahoe. The germans (BMW) are just better which is what the R1S will replace.
+ I really like the exterior styling. Clean and unique
+ Headlight beam length and quality was way better than I imagined.
+ Fast af. I'm averaging 2.4kWh per mile.
+ Steering wheel and seat adaptability. Steering wheel has a nice feel/thickness.
+ I like the interface. Somethings are a little complicated to find but nothing was as bad as the initial BMW iDrive

- Seats are not comfortable for me, 6-5. The upper seat hits my back between my shoulder bones awkwardly. They look cool though.
- Damping. It's not a German car or even as good as our airshocked Tahoe. When you hit a bump you know it. And its not just stiff. They haven't gotten the elasticity of bushings correct throughout the car - something here will get refined.
- So much glass. I was sitting in the back seat as they ran my wife through setup. Car registered 104 outside and it felt like I needed sunscreen as I was sweating in the back.
- Sport mode on lowest setting feels like your running on bump stops (and Nascar fans?) Clearly some more programming needed. Standard ride is ok though. Not offensive at all.
- Wife and son want running boards, they said the leap out was too much. I changed to kneel mode this AM.

> I jumped in the Tahoe to get the kids this afternoon and said, I don't ever need to drive the Rivian again. This is more comfortable, has HUD, rides better and is as quiet. Also, I have a new second car with 670hp so that probably changes what I need in a primary vehicle. I wanted to be blown away with my first EV but am not.

Overall, for $80k, yeah sure. Hopefully she likes it. I can see a great SUV living under the skin.

down voting for the lack of pictures LOL

 

[iansriv]

down voting for the lack of pictures LOL

Pros: good honest write up.
Cons: No photos.

 

[jebinc]

Yep, my R1T has a quality ride. We also have a Tesla MS Plaid and MY, for comparison.

 

[1T2022]

I heard the review of R1T has better ride than R1S. So I switched my order. No regret.

 

[Sevn86]

I wanted to be blown away with my first EV but am not.

Exactly how I feel. Still wondering what I should do with it.

 

[AxelR]

Exactly how I feel. Still wondering what I should do with it.

Same. Didn’t return ours but still not in love.

 

[Sevn86]

Same. Didn’t return ours but still not in love.

Sucks that we feel this way. I was so excited to get it but that quickly changed at delivery. I would never pay post March 22 prices for this. I’m trying really hard to love it. It’s exhausting lol

 

[Legi0n]

Exactly how I feel. Still wondering what I should do with it.

Not trying to throw you under the bus but I'm a year in and 20k miles in and still love it every day. I feel somehow special every time I drive it, not because it is elite or exclusive but how much fun I have with every drive. For me it is the quality craftsmanship and simple things like being able to cool it before I get there etc...

 

[usulio]

Thanks for the review! Don't mind the lack of pics, I know what the R1S looks like.

Sounds like you already have a great kid-hauler (and decent off-roader) in the Tahoe, and an awesome trackster in the Corvette. I can see how adding one car that does each of those 80-90% could be disappointing. Albeit, both those cars get 20mpg. It all depends what you care about. For example, you want a comfy ride, don't put it in Sport mode on lowest .

And yeah, at the end of the day, it's a car.

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