What's important to you for the price?

[Notaevfan]

There is a lot of questioning and complaining about lack of features or what is not included in general on this forum. For the record, I enjoy the complaining and do not understand why people get upset when people do complain. Isn't that why we are here? It would be really uninteresting to read all happy posts all the time. That being said, I am interested in reading what is important to you when purchasing this vehicle, with a few disclaimers, or acknowledged realities.

1. R1T is an expensive proposition. Compared to other midsized trucks it is definitely on the expensive side and should be compared accordingly.
2. R1S is more in line with pricing of it's competition, mid/large SUVs. So I don't think that it needs to stand out as much feature wise.
3. Electric vehicles are more expensive than ICE competition, so that needs to be factored into the price comparison.
4. This is a new company with completely new architecture. They WILL have to prioritize where development costs are spent.

We can't really expect that these things will be the fastest, longest range EVs, with every bell and whistle, and no compromises right out of the gate. We can expect that features will be added OTA as time goes on.

So what is important to you at delivery?

I expect 0-60 in 3sec, 300mi range in ideal conditions, and a quality interior. The interior should have top level feel to all materials and controls (I'm talking E39 turn signal feel, and top level leather). I don't want squeaks and rattles. Beyond that, I don't care too much about features and I do expect reliability to be an issue similar to a Land Rover due to these being completely new, I'm ok with that. What about you?

Sponsored

 

[kanundrum]

Charging Curve, it will be my daily, road tripping vehicle and I don't want to alter my trips by a huge amount of extra time to charge. I really hope they focus on that curve. The 140 miles (45%?) in 20 min is something I hope they deliver on.

 

[Notaevfan]

That's important, and something I haven't paid much attention to.

 

[BigE]

What's important? High quality, outstanding reliability, very little maintenance. Since Land Rover is historically awful on reliability, I would assume Rivian will be much better. I think Land Rover had a goal of reducing the new Defender's problems by something like 30% and they still realize that's not where they need to be. See TFL truck, they went through 3 Defenders in a month or so.

 

[SeaGeo]

Charging Curve, it will be my daily, road tripping vehicle and I don't want to alter my trips by a huge amount of extra time to charge. I really hope they focus on that curve. The 140 miles (45%?) in 20 min is something I hope they deliver on.

Better be damn near flat at 200kw from 0 to 60 or 70% given how big the battery is.

 

[Trekkie]

So, honestly I do not think the R1T is overpriced for it's segment.

I learned to drive in a truck, but as I grew up in the world the reason I never owned one was this - they're freaking expensive, and they're terrible at gas mileage.

If you want good features, like nice interior, a radio that has bluetooth/navigation, four doors, short bed, oh and AWD/4WD features....it's a 65K -80K truck (Think Ford F150 Limited, King Ranch, Lariat, and now Platinum)

They really haven't identified the 'value' of the skateboard (or battery) compared to a gas car yet, sure ICE are cheaper to make, let's play a game and say $15k of the car price is tied up in the EV system vs ICE engine? (IE EV-ICE cost diff is $15k) so at the end you have a max pack fully optioned R1T at $85k subtracting the EV/ICE Difference.

So what do Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, Ford, and Nissan offer in a full size four door truck with a six foot bed?

2021 F150 Platinum with 4x4 Heavy Duty Tow package (10,000 GVWR) Platinum package, co-pilot assist, FX4 option. Comparable to the R1T's features best I can come up with for quick example. That's a 70K Gas powered vehicle.

2021 Silverado gets weird because I can't combine the features you can get on the F150 and the R1T, you can't have adaptive crusise and the 4x4 max trailer package, so , boo for Chevy and it comes out around 65K with missing features.

Not to mention 0-60s in the boring range.

So feature to feature I don't think we're missing much.

 

[BigE]

Here’s a weird comparison for you. So my wife really likes the Honda ridgeline (it’s actually very close in size to the R1T) and this next vehicle will be her daily driver. So let’s take a top line Ridgeline for about $45,000 and then start adding all the extra features you get with a R1T: adjustable air suspension, 11,000 pounds of towing versus 5000, acceleration of a supercar, superior gas mileage/efficiency, powered tonneau cover, nice stereo, on & on. So is my max pack R1T configured at ~$93,500 worth it? If it’s all that RJ says it does, absolutely it will be worth it. I think of the R1T as a multifunction tool.

 

[Mjhirsch78]

Here’s a weird comparison for you. So my wife really likes the Honda ridgeline (it’s actually very close in size to the R1T) and this next vehicle will be her daily driver. So let’s take a top line Ridgeline for about $45,000 and then start adding all the extra features you get with a R1T: adjustable air suspension, 11,000 pounds of towing versus 5000, acceleration of a supercar, superior gas mileage/efficiency, powered tonneau cover, nice stereo, on & on. So is my max pack R1T configured at ~$93,500 worth it? If it’s all that RJ says it does, absolutely it will be worth it. I think of the R1T as a multifunction tool.

Yup. Was talking to my wife about the difference between being expensive and being valuable. This car will be both.

 

[Michael Legel]

There is a lot of questioning and complaining about lack of features or what is not included in general on this forum. For the record, I enjoy the complaining and do not understand why people get upset when people do complain. Isn't that why we are here? It would be really uninteresting to read all happy posts all the time. That being said, I am interested in reading what is important to you when purchasing this vehicle, with a few disclaimers, or acknowledged realities.

1. R1T is an expensive proposition. Compared to other midsized trucks it is definitely on the expensive side and should be compared accordingly.
2. R1S is more in line with pricing of it's competition, mid/large SUVs. So I don't think that it needs to stand out as much feature wise.
3. Electric vehicles are more expensive than ICE competition, so that needs to be factored into the price comparison.
4. This is a new company with completely new architecture. They WILL have to prioritize where development costs are spent.

We can't really expect that these things will be the fastest, longest range EVs, with every bell and whistle, and no compromises right out of the gate. We can expect that features will be added OTA as time goes on.

So what is important to you at delivery?

I expect 0-60 in 3sec, 300mi range in ideal conditions, and a quality interior. The interior should have top level feel to all materials and controls (I'm talking E39 turn signal feel, and top level leather). I don't want squeaks and rattles. Beyond that, I don't care too much about features and I do expect reliability to be an issue similar to a Land Rover due to these being completely new, I'm ok with that. What about you?

I am large and old.
Ease of entry and comfort are two very important deal breakers for me.
If I need a step to get in or out ... or if I am too cramped ... I won't buy it.

 

[Notaevfan]

Yeah, that's why I used Land Rover as an example, they have issues to put it lightly. My point is I do expect the early vehicles from a new manufacturer to have some teething issues and I'm ok with that reality. Hopefully we are all pleasantly surprised. I also think both vehicles are expensive, and at the same time, a good value, but I also think that some may compare individual features and leave out the ($15,000) electric expense. So if I spend $75,000 on an R1S, I should be comparing it to other $60,000 SUV's. When doing that, what are my expectations? I would prefer quality of materials, high grade buttons and switches, and solid build i.e. no rattles. I don't HAVE to have seat massagers or dog mode, to be satisfied. Let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with any feature that someone else may seem essential, that's why I ask, I would love to hear what others realistic expectations are in order to be happy.

 

[SoCal Rob]

So what is important to you at delivery?

From my perspective, the R1T & R1S are a very good value given the pricing and specifications we’ve seen so far. With that in mind I don’t have many expectations but they are broad.
1. I expect a vehicle which matches the published production specs (not necessarily what we see today) when delivered to customers. We own a Kia which had overstated fuel economy published when we bought it. Kia have been reimbursing us for extra fuel usage for the life of the vehicle, which is nice, but it doesn’t give us the expected range so we spend more time at gas stations.
2. I expect a vehicle with high-quality components which will provide a long useful life when following the manufacturer’s maintenance requirements. Our Land Rover has 223,000+ miles and it still can do everything it did when it left the factory, comfortably. It also has a minimum of age-related cosmetic issues. If Rivian as a new manufacturer can deliver half that I’ll be happy.
3. I expect hardware which can support all new OTA features for at least 3 years, or which can be upgraded at owner expense to gain those new features. I know that next year’s smartphone will do something mine can’t even with an OS update because of new hardware present on the new phone. Most people expect vehicles to last longer than smartphones. If this can’t be delivered then there needs to be a reasonably-priced upgrade path. If a vehicle manufacturer is talking about sustainability then keeping their vehicles on the road longer is a great place to start.

Other than that, while I would like to have the option to buy features even the most basic economy car offers for a price: Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, built-in garage door opener, and SiriusXM. None of these are as important to me as what I listed above. Missing any or all of them may be annoying, but it won’t prevent me from buying.

 

[Jamuso]

Yup. Was talking to my wife about the difference between being expensive and being valuable. This car will be both.

I currently drive. 2017 Ridgeline and I really like It. Your points about expensive and valuable ring true to me. We do want to tow and camp. Any ICE trucks that have the capability we would need would be in the ball park for what we will pay for the R1T. I love what I’ve been seeing and am determined to not pay for gas staring with my next vehicle.

 

[BigE]

I currently drive. 2017 Ridgeline and I really like It. Your points about expensive and valuable ring true to me. We do want to tow and camp. Any ICE trucks that have the capability we would need would be in the ball park for what we will pay for the R1T. I love what I’ve been seeing and am determined to not pay for gas staring with my next vehicle.

Hi Joe, so my wife really likes the new Ridgeline. She currently has a 10-year-old Acura MDX and loves it, but she is constantly putting all kinds of stuff in the back that need to be in a truck bed, so her next vehicle is definitely a truck. Something I'm hopeful of with the R1T vs say the Ridgeline is performance/handling. We drove the new MDX (Type S is not out yet) and were very disappointed, it just doesn't handle as well as her 2012 (way too soft of a ride). I was trying to keep the price of the R1T down and did not include the camp kitchen, but we're definitely getting the max pack. My wife saw the kitchen and said, yes, we need that and she is the frugal one. We have camped a lot in our life and are currently rebuilding a 1969 Shasta Camper (total gut job). We almost always, while traveling on long trips, get out and cook breakfast outside with a small Blackstone griddle even though the camper has a full kitchen. So the kitchen would get a lot of use on trips and she thinks it's worth it.

I guess my question for you as you currently drive a Ridgeline, what is attracting you to the R1T that your not getting in with Ridgeline? Thanks for your thougths.

 

[McMoo]

I have an R1S reservation.

In no particular order.

1. Interior space. Needs to fit 3 car seats easily in 2nd row and have room for adults in the 3rd row. Some sort of tilt and slide function with a car seat installed is needed too.

2. Performance. 0-60 in 3 seconds and 1/4 in the mid 11’s is what I expect. I also expect it to handle much better than any other SUV due to the low center of gravity.

3. Reliability. My Tesla has been very reliable over 20k miles and I love not having to go to the dealer for oil changes or other items. Mobile service will be a plus.

4 Range. 300 miles going 70 mph in good conditions would be phenomenal. Might need to wait for the larger pack for this.

5. Intuitive user interface and improvements through OTA updates.

6. Hands free highway driving.

The explore R1S is going to be a relative bargain if they can deliver on their promises. $62,500 after the current tax credit.

 

[Jamuso]

Hi Joe, so my wife really likes the new Ridgeline. She currently has a 10-year-old Acura MDX and loves it, but she is constantly putting all kinds of stuff in the back that need to be in a truck bed, so her next vehicle is definitely a truck. Something I'm hopeful of with the R1T vs say the Ridgeline is performance/handling. We drove the new MDX (Type S is not out yet) and were very disappointed, it just doesn't handle as well as her 2012 (way too soft of a ride). I was trying to keep the price of the R1T down and did not include the camp kitchen, but we're definitely getting the max pack. My wife saw the kitchen and said, yes, we need that and she is the frugal one. We have camped a lot in our life and are currently rebuilding a 1969 Shasta Camper (total gut job). We almost always, while traveling on long trips, get out and cook breakfast outside with a small Blackstone griddle even though the camper has a full kitchen. So the kitchen would get a lot of use on trips and she thinks it's worth it.

I guess my question for you as you currently drive a Ridgeline, what is attracting you to the R1T that your not getting in with Ridgeline? Thanks for your thougths.

Hi Eric,
Basically the Ridgeline doesn’t have the towing capacity that we’re looking for. As we move towards retirement we want to camp and what we want to tow is in that 5-6 thousand lb range which exceeds what the Ridgeline can do. Everything else about the Ridgeline is perfect for what we need. Ride is great. Storage is great. Like the looks as well. We have had zero issues other than usual maintenance costs. The R1T checks boxes for towing, utility and we’re committed to going electric with our next vehicles. if we went Ram or F150 for a tow vehicle we’d be in the same ball park price wise. I would recommend a Ridgeline to anyone. I love your R1T plans As well!

Sponsored