Do you consider Rivian a Luxury Car?

[Brian A]

I agree. My opinion is not a popular one here but I don't find our Rivian to be even remotely luxurious. To my wife and I, luxury is all about comfort and having full easy access and control of this comfort. The lack of even a handful of basic minimal tactile buttons and controls are a big miss. Very few consider an all-screen UI vehicle one of luxury. Techy sure, minimalist absolutely, but no way luxurious.

Not only is there no automatic roof sunshade, there is literally NO sunshade; cooking in the summer heat is not luxury. There are no simple memory buttons for seat positions. My wife and I gave up so we both made the settings identical so at least we knew what we were dealing with when we both hopped in together. We never use any of the automated driving features because they make the driving experience worse. The AC is incredibly loud (both the compressor and the interior vents) and it takes forever to cool the interior down till it's comfortable.

Then there's the little things like no "normal" drive mode (i.e. you're forced to do one pedal drive), the clunky windshield wiper/headlight control stalk, always having to turn on certain AC settings because the reset to off when you walk away, the poorly engineered unreliable non-passive entry system, having to press the brake pedal and put into drive again because you slightly lifted your bum to pull a quarter out of your pocket, no proper "off" button, loud wind noise at speed, having very little convenient storage space up front or a single normal 12V charging outlet, constantly adjusting the suspension height because Rivian self lowers it... all add up to a very utility-based feel that requires an inordinate amount of interaction with the UI and touchscreen.

I'd say our R1S is just a larger, rugged more utilitarian version of a Tesla Y. And nobody considers this to be a luxurious vehicle. But Rivian doesn't regard itself as a luxury brand (they are an "adventure" brand) and I 100% agree with their stance. Our R1S is still the only option for a non-eggmobile BEV SUV so we're happy with it for now. We love the pep and the appearance - it's a handsome vehicle. And we absolutely love the utility of it. But hopefully Rivian will make some significant improvements in future models to up their game in the luxury dept.

I am confused about some of your interior issues. My wife is 10 inches shorter than me. We have no issues. She gets in and everything changes to her settings. I get in and everything changes to my settings. There is a simple push of a button on the screen to change drivers if they don't automatically change. Our AC is not loud at all (4/2024 build date). The one pedal driving is an EV thing. I too am used to more real buttons and have found it a lot different. I also realize times are changing and things like this are the new normal. I actually have grown to really like the one pedal driving and find it not as fun driving a regular vehicle. I do wish they would have an automatic sunscreen like our Hyundai has. The glass has a lot more heat rejection than the Hyundai. I found tinting the side windows and front window eyebrow with ceramic tint has made the interior very comfortable in 95 deg weather. I love walking up to the vehicle and it knows I'm there and opens the door handles and closes, locks when I walk away. The roller buttons on the steering wheel are very nice and linking Alexa has made many things hands free. I really think Rivian did a nice balance between too many buttons like a lot of ICE vehicles and too few buttons like Tesla.

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[SwampNut]

We owned a mid-high end BMW which was traded for a Tesla M3LR, then that for the Rivian. The Rivian is more luxurious in many factors than the BMW. Most importantly, in little details which BMW was, and still is, behind on, particularly infotainment. And the Rivian's isn't great, but better than the brand new X5 I just spent a few days in. The seats and the feel are at least as good as either our previous BMW and the X5.

All that said, never visiting a gas station is pretty luxurious. And yesterday I charged in front of a Coach store, so really, can it get any more luxurious?

 

[KRG]

Not all leather is luxurious. You know the good stuff when you sit on it/touch it (it should be on more surfaces than just the seat). So I'll just disagree with you on the leather conclusion.

I know what you mean, I just meant I don’t think leather is needed in a luxury car. A lot of premium/luxury brands are moving away from it also. I had a 2018 Range Rover with full leather interior (doors, dash, etc) and owning that car was not a luxury experience.

Not aimed at you or anyone, but think the disagreements here come from a traditional vs modern view of luxury. I’d never buy a Lexus and I can’t stand that type of vehicle. The softest leathers and zero noise are not luxury to me. The uninspiring Toyota drivetrains in most of the models are also not luxury to me. Mercedes is a luxury brand for sure, but they sell some models that feel much less luxurious than a Rivian. It’s all a very gray area.

For me and a lot of people, we view luxury as the ability to charge at home and never visit a gas station again, to have sustainable and unique interior materials, to have large high resolution screens instead of buttons (we grew up with screens, its more natural) with software that is consistently refined to stay fresh, to have unnaturally quick 0-60 times.

The broad definition of luxury is anything that makes life better but is not necessary, and the traditional meaning of luxury is rapidly changing imo.

I also think the OP was asking more in the sense of brand ranking/status and less about interior comforts, since the poll options were very clearly done in this way.

 

[ndmiller]

Advanced suspension, excessive power, latest safety features, driving aids all add up to premium luxury as an individual R1 vehicle delivered.

While The brand Rivian has indicated what it wants to stand for, it hasn't delivered vehicles long enough to be recognized by broad consumer (most people don't even know Rivian). It will take generations of vehicles and customer recognition for that to happen.

This is sort of like Lexus when they started out. Lexus stated what they wanted to be, yet until they delivered on that expectation many years and generations of vehicles it wasn't an automatic customer stamp of approval.

 

[moondoggy]

Class of its own. But doesn’t truly compete with luxury because of the QA/QC (+ service) issues and comparative quirks. This could get ironed out. Aesthetic is most similar to Buick, tbh.

 

[SwampNut]

Someone brought up noise. That's another Rivian luxury; with the new Nitto tires, ours is SOOOO very quiet. Definitely quieter than the Tesla, and the BMW. But that was a two seater sport model with a hard top convertible, and not expected to be super quiet. I don't recall the noise level of the X5 which means that my brain processed it as "average" or just normal. This weekend while traveling for a few hundred miles we were shocked at how quiet the Rivian is, particularly on A/T tires.

 

[KRG]

Class of its own. But doesn’t truly compete with luxury because of the QA/QC (+ service) issues and comparative quirks. This could get ironed out. Aesthetic is most similar to Buick, tbh.

Some of you have unrealistic expectations or have only owned Lexuses in the past or something. Land Rover has worse quality imo, and the dealers are aloof, snooty and slow. They also gave me a Nissan Sentra rental when they ran out of loaners and I had a brand new Range Rover in for warranty issues. I had a new Porsche that was always in for issues also. Constant. Luckily they at least have service buttoned down and always gave me nice loaners.

Ive taken my R1 to Costa Mesa, who everyone complains about, and they were awesome to me. The ability to talk with them directly via the Rivian app is awesome too.

And BUICK!!??? Are you trolling lol

 

[CharonPDX]

I would describe the brand as premium, not luxury.

This. The base R1 are a premium trim Toyota, Ford, etc. They aren’t a Lexus or Lincoln, much less a Mercedes or Range Rover.

They’re “very nice”, but not “luxury.”

Then again, I also don’t think Teslas are luxury, either. I know Tesla likes to claim the Model 3 is a BMW 5-series competitor. It ain’t. It’s a fancy Accord.

 

[ksurfier]

Rivian isn't remotely "Luxury", its fundamentally built around functionality...
What luxury vehicle has onboard air? Or a flashlite in the door, or a bluetooth speaker?
What luxury vehicle is built for offroading and camping...TBH, if Rivian was a luxory brand I bet more than half the people here wouldn't own one (myself included)...maybe the only thing "luxury" about it is the price...

 

[Chewy734]

Rivian isn't remotely "Luxury", its fundamentally built around functionality...
What luxury vehicle has onboard air? Or a flashlite in the door, or a bluetooth speaker?
What luxury vehicle is built for offroading and camping...TBH, if Rivian was a luxory brand I bet more than half the people here wouldn't own one (myself included)...maybe the only thing "luxury" about it is the price...

A car can both be functional and luxurious though. Rolls Royce keeps an umbrella in the door. I would say a flashlight is more useful for me. Granted it doesn’t cost nearly a grand and doesn’t have magical fairy dust sprinkled on it, but I would still consider that as a luxurious feature to have.

Most of us would consider the G-wagon luxurious, and although most of the folks driving it don’t leave pavement, it’s certainly an off-road capable vehicle. Also has air suspension which the Rivian has.

People overland Range Rovers all the time and camp in it too. Less so here in America than in Europe though.

People can nitpick features, tech, etc to make whatever argument they want. For me, Rivian is luxurious, more so than my BMW, given all its capabilities, comfort, and technology.

 

[barrelproof]

Rivian is like an Arc'teryx jacket - adventure luxury for tech types

If Subaru had a premium brand

 

[KRG]

The stark differences of opinion are fascinating. But we all love these trucks for one reason or another which is cool.

 

[moondoggy]

Luxury is refinement. Rivian lacks refinement, overall, as a brand. So does Tesla. They are not luxury because the brand experience was never designed to be luxurious. Disruptive, different, adventurous: ok. But, luxury they are most definitely not.

 

[ksurfier]

Here's my assessment, Rivian is definitely not a Luxury brand (at least in classic sense):

Performance and handling - It's fast, but not exactly top performer for handling (too boaty).

Smooth ride - It's ok, definitely not luxury, more like mid-level.

Comfort, refinement and painstaking detail - nope! Cabin noise is far too loud to hit a luxury category.

Interior quality - It's pretty basic, nice but definitely not luxury...

Customer service - not even remotely luxury...

Customization - pretty standard, nothing on the luxury spectrum (limited edition?)

Depreciation - seems standard, so not really holding as well as some higher end models might...

Overall, Rivian's brand doesn't align with typical luxury standards for quality, performance, or exclusivity. I'd say that's also not a market they are even interested in...

 

[Jeep Addict]

The question would be more effective if phrased "Do you believe the Rivian brand is a Luxury Brand?"

I answered no because Rivian is not marketing it's vehicles as luxury, and they certainly haven't the amenities of luxury brands I've owned. Yes, it's an awesome vehicle, has awesome performance, costs as much as many luxury vehicles, it's not ubiquitous, it's got a unique style, but it's not luxury.

The sub categorization of luxury brands is purely subjective. Is McLaren a luxury brand? I argue no it isn't, premised on McLaren's own marketing, they emphasize performance, not luxury, yet it is mentioned among luxury brands.

Is Cadillac a luxury brand? I argue yes, it is designed and marketed as luxury intended to attract luxury buyers. Is it my favorite? Nope. Is it equivalent to a German brand, in many respects yes.

How about Genesis? How about Tesla? or Telsa eight years ago? How about Buick in China?

Price, availability, materials, style, and marketing play major roles in the perception of buyers. Toss in geography, culture, quality, reliability and collective zeitgeist, and you arrive at no clearly defined threshold, merely opinion.

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