narmstrong79
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- Nick
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- New Hampshire
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- 2024 Rivian R1S Performance Dual Motor Standard+
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Last weekend i received and installed my comma four (4) with the Lukas longitudinal harness and the upgraded harness with the fuse tap in my Gen 1 R1S, and I wanted to share my results because the difference is night and day.
The Performance: Better than Gen 1
I get it, that's a low bar to pass ... All us Gen 1 owners know, the ADAS system and driver plus might be the worst system in the car industry. No lane centering / lane keep or cooperative steering on non-mapped roads. while better than before, multiple disengagement in driver+ on mapped road. Fully hands on, Coming from a Mach-E bluecruise and co-pilot 360 worked better than gen 1 rivan offered, heck my wife's 2022 Subaru outback also does.
* Smoothness: With the Lukas harness, the comma 4 takes over the gas and brakes (longitudinal control). It handles stop-and-go traffic better than stock ACC. And with using MADS, i can control the pedals myself and let the car handle the wheel, for the most part on any road.
* Integration: I'm Using sunnypilot, I’ve got full steering wheel button integration. I can adjust speed and following distance with the scroll wheels just like factory, but with way more confidence in the system's vision. My dash (ICP) remains on the maps view now, not "autonomy" screen.
* Awareness: With the upgraded harnesses, It actually taps into the factory radar, giving the comma 4 access to blind spot monitoring for auto lane changes.
The Install: Sucked
I’ll be honest: I lost my cool more than a few times during the install. That one connector at the AXM module in the passenger footwell is a total nightmare to reach. especially if you have human male size hands.
However, That's the only hard part once you connect to the AXM, the rest of the install....routing the cables and setting up , etc....is a breeze.
I would highly recommend, while even though it adds cost ....The upgraded harness with the fuse tap is a must-have; it keeps the power stable and and from what i read it avoids the "Communication Errors" some people get from pulling purely off the AXM.
Gen 1 vs. Gen 2
I can't speak to Gen 2 directly because I haven't driven one since UHF was released but...... I spent $1,600 total for the comma four and all the Lukas hardware + a few hours of my day.
If you buy a new Gen 2 Rivian ($80K-$140K) , you're looking at a $2,500 buy-in (or $50/month) for "Autonomy+" just to get features that this setup matches or in many cases beats. The gen 2 and future Gen 3 will pass what comma can do at some point, but to extend the life and your enjoyment of your Gen 1..this is the way to go.
Or if you really want a rivian ...... picking up a used Gen 1, where someone else already ate the depreciation and adding a Comma 4, you're getting an amazing value and better driving experience for a fraction of the cost. The best part No subscriptions, unless you want one for uploading videos and such. A used Gen 1 + Comma would still be less than new R2, and available now.
I'll be driving from Southern NH to the ski areas up north later this week, which most is unmapped roads, and I'm excited to see how this does (assuming the roads are clear, otherwise don't use any autonomy)
The Performance: Better than Gen 1
I get it, that's a low bar to pass ... All us Gen 1 owners know, the ADAS system and driver plus might be the worst system in the car industry. No lane centering / lane keep or cooperative steering on non-mapped roads. while better than before, multiple disengagement in driver+ on mapped road. Fully hands on, Coming from a Mach-E bluecruise and co-pilot 360 worked better than gen 1 rivan offered, heck my wife's 2022 Subaru outback also does.
* Smoothness: With the Lukas harness, the comma 4 takes over the gas and brakes (longitudinal control). It handles stop-and-go traffic better than stock ACC. And with using MADS, i can control the pedals myself and let the car handle the wheel, for the most part on any road.
* Integration: I'm Using sunnypilot, I’ve got full steering wheel button integration. I can adjust speed and following distance with the scroll wheels just like factory, but with way more confidence in the system's vision. My dash (ICP) remains on the maps view now, not "autonomy" screen.
* Awareness: With the upgraded harnesses, It actually taps into the factory radar, giving the comma 4 access to blind spot monitoring for auto lane changes.
The Install: Sucked
I’ll be honest: I lost my cool more than a few times during the install. That one connector at the AXM module in the passenger footwell is a total nightmare to reach. especially if you have human male size hands.
However, That's the only hard part once you connect to the AXM, the rest of the install....routing the cables and setting up , etc....is a breeze.
I would highly recommend, while even though it adds cost ....The upgraded harness with the fuse tap is a must-have; it keeps the power stable and and from what i read it avoids the "Communication Errors" some people get from pulling purely off the AXM.
Gen 1 vs. Gen 2
I can't speak to Gen 2 directly because I haven't driven one since UHF was released but...... I spent $1,600 total for the comma four and all the Lukas hardware + a few hours of my day.
If you buy a new Gen 2 Rivian ($80K-$140K) , you're looking at a $2,500 buy-in (or $50/month) for "Autonomy+" just to get features that this setup matches or in many cases beats. The gen 2 and future Gen 3 will pass what comma can do at some point, but to extend the life and your enjoyment of your Gen 1..this is the way to go.
Or if you really want a rivian ...... picking up a used Gen 1, where someone else already ate the depreciation and adding a Comma 4, you're getting an amazing value and better driving experience for a fraction of the cost. The best part No subscriptions, unless you want one for uploading videos and such. A used Gen 1 + Comma would still be less than new R2, and available now.
I'll be driving from Southern NH to the ski areas up north later this week, which most is unmapped roads, and I'm excited to see how this does (assuming the roads are clear, otherwise don't use any autonomy)
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