My observations from Sonoma Rivian test drive event

[R1Tr8000]

I also attended the First Mile event in Sonoma, but did it today and drove the R1T. It rained nearly 2 inches overnight so the track was wet and muddy, but I did get a chance to test the wipers on the vehicle!

My impressions can be summed up to say that the vehicle delivers on what is advertised. It's an EV pickup that handles and drives as well as you'd expect it to. It's well thought out and the features are precisely what they purport to be. But that's not very informative, so I'll mention a few things that stood out to me, especially in comparison to my Tesla experience.

First, the frunk is very high so as to be almost difficult to reach into for my 5'7" shorty self. They did have all vehicles raised to their max height which may have impacted this, but the truck has a flat hood, unliked the curved hood of the X, so it's naturally higher. Yes, it would fit an electric cooler. No, there's no way I'd be able to get one in there without stilts. It has a magnetically fixed divider/false floor that separates your charging cables (below) from your cargo (above). I liked that a lot. The size of the frunk is more in line with my RWD Model S, which has a ton of space. Accessing it is much easier because it's electronically controlled.

The gear tunnel seemed great. I stood on the flipped out door and it was solid. I disconnected and reconnected the Rivian rail system while standing on it, which is very easy and well thought out. My only concern with the gear tunnel is that some random stuff will get stuck in the middle and I'll need a broomstick or something to push it out to the other side. Or I'll just learn how to use it. You can access the gear tunnel from the inside of the vehicle, which definitely helps. I just imagine that turning into a total mess on a road trip.

Quality of the sound system absolutely blows away anything I've ever had in my three Teslas. It was outstanding. The infotainment setup, with an IC and a landscape center screen, was potentially preferable to my existing S and X setups. The screen quality and contrast were also better than in my Teslas. Responsiveness was slower than I'd like but not as slow as I've seen in some videos. I'm guessing that'll be a software fix over time. Voice controls seemed limited, or not working very well at this point. And I had a rep reboot the vehicle (left steering wheel scroll tab, hazard button hold), and it took over 5 minutes to complete. You cannot drive while doing this procedure. I mentioned how Tesla separates out these reboots and he was impressed. Also something Rivian will need to address as time goes on.

Since I am strongly considering this due to towing ability, I spent some time looking at the towing setup. The receiver is accessible via a removable cover in the back. Removing this cover consists of two plastic coin type screws and plastic hooks. The piece must be stowed in the vehicle somewhere, but leaving it off doesn't leave any open gaps like it does with the Model X, so it can be comfortably left at home if you tow frequently. Safety chain hooks are large and easy to use and the 7-pin connector is very accessible, mounted right next to the receiver. The vehicle auto-detects a load and automatically goes into towing mode, like the Tesla. That mode limits air suspension adjustments and some of the lane keeping features, which is comparable to what Tesla is doing.

Seeing the hood while I was driving was a bit of an adjustment. I'm not used to such a square vehicle, and it kind of bothered me. Visibility feels better with the more upright windshield and A pillars, but I felt like the hood was a reminder that I was in a boxy shaped truck simply for the purpose of the form. That reminded me of the inefficiency of the vehicle as well, which along with weight are probably my two biggest hangups.

In the end, I wasn't swayed away from the vehicle and I probably became a little more excited about it. There weren't any build issues that were concerning at all. So I continue to wait for my max pack, which will be a while. I've got time to change my mind if something else comes up. For now, I'll say they've done a good job and it's a promising vehicle.

Re. Towing: do you know or did you ask if the automatic towing mode can then be manually changed back to another mode with the trailer still hitched? (I have a few cases where the trailer has enough clearance..but I need to raise the suspension on the tow vehicle..so would like ability to possibly raise the R1T a tad higher at a slow crawl speed).
Related: is there an ability to create and save a ‘custom’ mode? (I have a custom mode for towing with our ‘Benz.., would be nice to have).
Did you uncover any other towing tidbits?
Thanks for an excellent review and post!!

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[Babbuino]

My only concern with the gear tunnel is that some random stuff will get stuck in the middle and I'll need a broomstick or something to push it out to the other side. Or I'll just learn how to use it. You can access the gear tunnel from the inside of the vehicle, which definitely helps. I just imagine that turning into a total mess on a road trip.

Probably one of the reasons they sell the gear shuttle, so you can just pull the stuff out. I'm after the R1S, so I hope the rear seats can slide on that one to give more leg room space of needed. Can't wait to see some reviews of the SUV.

 

[Whmorken]

Probably one of the reasons they sell the gear shuttle, so you can just pull the stuff out. I'm after the R1S, so I hope the rear seats can slide on that one to give more leg room space of needed. Can't wait to see some reviews of the SUV.

Great idea to have adjustable back seats that slide back!

 

[Pedritho]

My partner Nick and my best friend Jess just wrapped up our test drive at the Sonoma Raceway and god damn... this truck is incredible. A couple of my quick observations:

• The sound is outrageously good. We bumped it to 4/5ths max volume and it was crazy good.
• Screen responsiveness was acceptable, and much better than I thought it was going to be. I'll upload a video.
• We hit 81 very quickly even though they only wanted me to go 60 ?
• Space is super good. Much more room than my 2016 4Runner - and in the back according to my copilots.
• They kinda very purposefully didn't have any of the tonneau covers working haha they were blocked by something in the bed on each truck.
• Seat heaters in the back left and right seats surprised my friend.
• The drive was sublime. Honestly. Jesus.

I'll answer questions if you have them! Sold my 4Runner yesterday so crossing my fingers really, really hard that my truck comes by end of November as promised!


Hi. Happy campers here

SO MUCH YESSSS!!!!

 

[skyote]

Was hoping to test sport mode to see if the steering gets tighter (i prefer tighter steering ala M3/E90 3-series) but didn't get a chance. Hopefully it is similar.

Steering & throttle response change very noticeably in sport mode. I was actually surprised by the difference.

Not that I need much space in the back, it's usually just my dog, but was hoping for space that would be good enough for my friends (we're all fairly tall). I'm 6'2", my friend's 6'3".

I'm just shy of 6'3" and had plenty of legroom in the back. Not cavernous like an F150, but better than my Jeep Grand Cherokee & on par with my Chevy 2500. Width is tight for 3 adults in the back, but doable.

. So.... does everyone who is buying these trucks look like Models for the North Face Catalog.........

Nope, I'm big, bearded, & ugly.

 

[Mjhirsch78]

Nope, I'm big, bearded, & ugly.

Haha! Too hard on yourself, sir. Love to hear that laugh coming from that beard in the latest Rivian chats and videos.

 

[Whmorken]

Steering & throttle response change very noticeably in sport mode. I was actually surprised by the difference.



I'm just shy of 6'3" and had plenty of legroom in the back. Not cavernous like an F150, but better than my Jeep Grand Cherokee & on par with my Chevy 2500. Width is tight for 3 adults in the back, but doable.



Nope, I'm big, bearded, & ugly.

Tesla has three steering settings. I drive “sport’”. Is the “sport setting” in Rivian similar?

 

[cc84]

Steering & throttle response change very noticeably in sport mode. I was actually surprised by the difference.

I'm just shy of 6'3" and had plenty of legroom in the back. Not cavernous like an F150, but better than my Jeep Grand Cherokee & on par with my Chevy 2500. Width is tight for 3 adults in the back, but doable.

Nope, I'm big, bearded, & ugly.

Haha! Too hard on yourself, sir. Love to hear that laugh coming from that beard in the latest Rivian chats and videos.

I don't view all the threads and every post, so I've missed something along the way. It appears @skyote has driven a Rivian and Matt sees you on a Rivian chat and video. I'm curious how you were able to drive a Rivian being from Austin. Is the chat and video available to anyone, is it a review of @skyote testing the vehicle, and how do you find it? Thanks

 

[skyote]

Tesla has three steering settings. I drive “sport’”. Is the “sport setting” in Rivian similar?

Steering & throttle settings are both tied to the drive modes, along with default ride height, suspension firmness, and regen strength.

I can't speak to the Tesla setting comparison, but the steering "tightens up" significantly, and throttle response is much sharper in Sport Mode.

 

[skyote]

I don't view all the threads and every post, so I've missed something along the way. It appears @skyote has driven a Rivian and Matt sees you on a Rivian chat and video. I'm curious how you were able to drive a Rivian being from Austin. Is the chat and video available to anyone, is it a review of @skyote testing the vehicle, and how do you find it? Thanks

He sees me on YouTube, and we got to drive in Normal before the initial First Mile event there.

 

[Kenshaka]

I have to agree with @jffkm, the rear seating was smaller than i expected it to be. My wife is 5’ and my friend is a lean 5’8” and I couldn’t imagine sticking a 3rd adult in the rear for any long distance driving. Just seemed strange since the R1T is a few inches wider than the eTron that we’ve been driving. But i can live with that as we have only two kids and any long distance driving would be limited to our immediate family. We also noted that these preproduction models did have a few fit and finish issues. Front bumpers didn’t appear to align perfectly with the fenders on a few of the trucks I inspected. Also, I test drove the yellow R1T, and it felt like there was some heavy wear already in the suspension. Similar to the feel of a worn bushing on an ”A” arm. It still went like a devil over the terrain and didn’t seem to hamper us in any way. Overall I’m happy with my 1st mile, but wasn’t completely blown away. Perhaps my expectations were too high from reading all the rave reviews.

I too, noticed the suspension. Not so much as felt, but heard it. I mentioned to the Rivian employee that the suspension was loud and he attributed that to not having an engine to mask the noise. No, not buying it. It sounded worn out.
This was also the yellow R1T on Tuesday 9th. All in all…I’m still in love with the truck and company?

 

[Kenshaka]

It helps with frunk space, sure, but at the cost of accessibility. And with a gear tunnel and a bed, plus my experience using a frunk in my Model S and two Model Xs, that's of pretty limited value.

I don't think it helps with passenger space much, though as I mentioned, it does make visibility a bit more natural. My wife repeatedly said she felt it was more cramped than our Model X both in the front and the back. That may have been exacerbated by the 3" less rear legroom from our X.

Don’t forget the design of the front end is also to allow water fording up to 42”

 

[Whmorken]

Steering & throttle settings are both tied to the drive modes, along with default ride height, suspension firmness, and regen strength.

I can't speak to the Tesla setting comparison, but the steering "tightens up" significantly, and throttle response is much sharper in Sport Mode.

As far as I know as a Tesla driver, acceleration settings (up to Ludicrous + in Performance vehicles) are not connected to the steering settings. You set them independently. I look forward to driving the integrated Rivian system you describe. Thanks.

 

[skyote]

As far as I know as a Tesla driver, acceleration settings (up to Ludicrous + in Performance vehicles) are not connected to the steering settings. You set them independently. I look forward to driving the integrated Rivian system you describe. Thanks.

I hope they uncouple these as well, OR allow us to create our own custom modes. I'd like the "sport" steering and throttle mapping available in All Purpose mode!

 

[Kenshaka]

Steering & throttle settings are both tied to the drive modes, along with default ride height, suspension firmness, and regen strength.

I can't speak to the Tesla setting comparison, but the steering "tightens up" significantly, and throttle response is much sharper in Sport Mode.

I believe that since all is electronically controlled…that we should eventually be able to customize our drive settings.

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