Obligatory Sold My Rivian Post

[Duckman]

... and the Lightning, and the Sierra EV, and the Silverado EV.

Thanks. I knew the Ford Lightening had been discontinued and thought the Chevy had been also. Did some quick research. Chevy gets some good "truck" reviews, especially range and towing. Negatives were mostly software not as good as Rivian. Also, full size truck is too big for me. That's why I had 4 Honda Ridgelines over the years. Anyway, thanks for the input. I think I would rather have the R1T than either Ford or Chevy full size trucks. Not to mention the Hummer. Ideal truck would be Rivian with Tesla FSD and V2H and the Honda tailgate!

Also thanks to the poster who explained what tech Rivian is selling. Architecture and operating systems as I understand it but not driver tech. I can see where that might be as good or better than Tesla.

At 79 I'm not sure I can wait for Rivian. The kids might take my phone key app away before Rivian has FSD!

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[Zorg]

The driver tech in the gen2 Rivian is way better than gen1 (I got both). It's still not Tesla FSD but it's a very good highway ADAS. Frankly, until someone releases a level 3 point to point ADAS, I don't want point to point ADAS. I have tried Tesla FSD and it was amazing but it's also not fool proof, and it can send you in a wall without enough warning.

 

[Duckman]

The driver tech in the gen2 Rivian is way better than gen1 (I got both). It's still not Tesla FSD but it's a very good highway ADAS. Frankly, until someone releases a level 3 point to point ADAS, I don't want point to point ADAS. I have tried Tesla FSD and it was amazing but it's also not fool proof, and it can send you in a wall without enough warning.

Thanks. I guess I need to demo Rivian Gen 2 ADAS. I have thousands of miles, mostly road trips, on the Tesla FSD without any problems except not being able to find the Mesa Airport. Twice. But I take your point and I do pay attention. It certainly relieves the stress and fatigue on a long trip. Even if you only use it for a few mile break.

 

[Zorg]

Thanks. I guess I need to demo Rivian Gen 2 ADAS. I have thousands of miles, mostly road trips, on the Tesla FSD without any problems except not being able to find the Mesa Airport. Twice. But I take your point and I do pay attention. It certainly relieves the stress and fatigue on a long trip. Even if you only use it for a few mile break.

Wholeheartedly agree. All my road trips have been on Tesla or Rivian autopilot. Makes a world of difference.

 

[DD4ST]

I totally agree on the ride quality. I have a Gen 1 R1T. But I will say Rivian kept tweaking the software since I took delivery and the ride much improved. My first EV was an Audi eTron (still have it) and the ride is much smoother and the wind noise much less. It can also raise and lower view air suspension. It is more comfortable for long trips for this reason. And it does lane keeping on virtually any road. Also has Audi’s great fit and finish, and luxury features. The software, however, pales compared to Rivians (but is has CarPlay!). However, I remember an interview where RJ said they had made a lot of adjustments to the R2 suspension, so maybe smoother? I like my Rivian, too. But I am not sure I would keep it past the warranty period due to the lack of service options. And practically, my decision point is in a little over a year when my three year lease is up.

 

[runwithscissors]

Low in my 2023 R1S is just unacceptable. Even with 20's, it feels like utter crap. If you drive anyone in the lowest setting, they would assume the suspension is broken. R1T can somewhat get around it but definitely not in a Gen1 R1S.

 

[Jeff M]

Well folks, the day came and went. Officially sold my 2023 Rivian R1S to Carmax. This was my dream car at the time of purchase and still continues to be one of the best experiences I've had owning a vehicle. Very few brands lighten my mood like talking about Rivian. It was certainly bittersweet, but I decided it was best to sell mine before the warranty expired (I was closing on 60k miles fast) and as I re-arrange my finances for my next purchase.

My list of negatives is short, so I'll start there:

-While the ride in standard and soft was acceptable for me, I much preferred to be in low and prefer less bounce in my suspensions. Not sure if any different in Gen 2, but at the time of writing, the suspension in low for Gen 1 is still pretty bad. Not a deal breaker for me, but the biggest disappointment I'd say in ownership.
-Software and Bugs. Nothing to ruin the experience like some other vehicles, but PAAK started to degrade over the last few months and Gen 1 ADAS is dated at best. The time it took for apps to load was also starting to get questionable. Now that we own a Tesla, this is was starting to look specially bad.
-The audio ranged from good to terrible, kind of like the suspension. A lot has been said on these topics, but as someone who really enjoys music, the inconsistency in the audio department left a lot to be desired.
-I took my vehicles 3 times in for service. Each time it took a few weeks. And this was after waiting several weeks to get an appointment. This seems to be getting better or it could completely get unacceptable once the R2 rolls around. Who knows.

My list of positives can go on forever (power, space, tech (when it worked), capability, material durability) but overall if I had to sum it up, I just love the personality. My Rivian felt like a friend. It was strange to see my wife (not really a car person) get really emotional once she realized it was gone. We took it on many adventure and racked on a lot of miles quickly. I was always excited to talk about it when someone approached me about it. So much so, I'd say Rivian has probably become my favorite brand, automotive or otherwise. Kudos to all that they have done to create this fanbase and a vehicle that makes people excited to drive and go have fun out there again.

So the question is - what next? As of now, I have a reservation for the R2. With no red canyon or tri-motor in sight, can't confirm this will certainly be my next choice but I will keep it incase my number is called and I can snag a launch edition. A tri R1S is not out of the question in the future, but would like to see improvements to charging first. Other considerations are the Lucid Gravity (waiting to see what they do for the 2027 model) and potentially the Scout Traveler (if it comes out sooner rather than than later, but not holding my breath). My wife already has a Tesla and I don't have any interest in having two of them and traditional manufactures are getting some interesting options (Volvo EX60, Mercedes Benz GLC EV, BMW iX3, Cadillac Lyriq V) but dealing with dealerships might make me avoid them altogether.

I'm in no rush. I am using my 2 series as my daily and am ok with that while I ponder my next move. If anyone has made the switch from Rivian to another EV company, how has the experience been? How was the software? Would love to hear what other alternatives people have chosen.

I appreciate your ownership feedback - realistic and thorough. I'm still "enjoying" my 2026 Canyon Red R1S Max Performance. It provides the legs out west (388 miles at 80% SOC) that stretch my 2021 Audi Etron Prestige. But, my go to is still the 188 mile (80% SOC) Etron. It's older, more comfortable, smoother, and more efficient than our R1S. It takes less time to recharge at home on our solar system, and is unbelievably more efficient delivering 3.1 miles/kW as opposed to 2.4 for the R1S. I'm praying I live long enough for the newer solid state technology blow any range issues away and companies like Lucid and Tesla get rewarded for highly efficient vehicles. Rivian needs to step up the adventure and provide a rugged adventurous highly efficient EV.

The biggest lesson for me regarding my 100% EV stable is range really isn't an issue when charging stations are available. You can argue time to refuel - but I noticed on my round trip from Boise, ID to Memphis, then Bell Buckle TN that my R1S charging times were about the same as ICEVs when bathroom, food and stretching out were included. But solid state is offering recharge times within 5 minutes....at 800V - that will be a game changer - if the US can get it head out of fracking oil and oil sands. Just an aside - but we're so concerned about range anxiety and limits of solar power, but Artemis II is being powered to the moon and back by a solar array and battery power.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I appreciate your ownership feedback - realistic and thorough. I'm still "enjoying" my 2026 Canyon Red R1S Max Performance. It provides the legs out west (388 miles at 80% SOC) that stretch my 2021 Audi Etron Prestige. But, my go to is still the 188 mile (80% SOC) Etron. It's older, more comfortable, smoother, and more efficient than our R1S. It takes less time to recharge at home on our solar system, and is unbelievably more efficient delivering 3.1 miles/kW as opposed to 2.4 for the R1S. I'm praying I live long enough for the newer solid state technology blow any range issues away and companies like Lucid and Tesla get rewarded for highly efficient vehicles. Rivian needs to step up the adventure and provide a rugged adventurous highly efficient EV.

The biggest lesson for me regarding my 100% EV stable is range really isn't an issue when charging stations are available. You can argue time to refuel - but I noticed on my round trip from Boise, ID to Memphis, then Bell Buckle TN that my R1S charging times were about the same as ICEVs when bathroom, food and stretching out were included. But solid state is offering recharge times within 5 minutes....at 800V - that will be a game changer - if the US can get it head out of fracking oil and oil sands. Just an aside - but we're so concerned about range anxiety and limits of solar power, but Artemis II is being powered to the moon and back by a solar array and battery power.

My wife always had a smaller EV and it has made appreciate efficiency that much more. The R1 takes forever to charge on a LV2 and on a LV1 it's not happening. We were able to get by on a LV1 when we had a Mach-E. They are plenty of charging stations nowadays fortunately, so I agree with you - however for me it always felt like 10 minutes too long. I think the Gen 2 Max Pack has a better charging curve and more range, so I could see it being doable, but a Gen 1 Quad takes north of 40 minutes to charge and more realistically 280-300 miles of actual range. Even more of a pain in the winter.

I really did loved my R1 though, but definitely made me stop and consider on what I want long term. Something less complex, that chargers from 10-80% in under 30 minutes and rides more comfortably. Hoping the R2 can deliver in that regard.

As for solid state, man, I hope you're right. Hopefully is not as far away as some think. I'm fully onboard the EV life but still realistically have to consider if ICE vehicles are in the cards given how many long trips we take. Honestly I'd even take charging in under 15 minutes as a true game changer.

 

[savethemanual]

Honestly I'd even take charging in under 15 minutes as a true game changer.

This!
15 minutes to 80 percent when road tripping is completely doable, the new Cayenne will do it in 16 minutes when at a proper DC fast charger. It won't be too much longer when this is common with EV's here in the States and proper chargers are in place across the country.

 

[Duckman]

My 2022 R1T is coming up on the 52,500 service and then the 60,000 mile warranty will soon be up. I love the truck. Had 4 Honda Ridglines before this and the RiT is the EV equivalent. On steroids.

Our first EV was a Tesla S in 2014 followed by a 3 in 2018 and now my wife's 2024 Y is coming up on 2 years and 10,000miles. I lived through Tesla's software development and Elon's missed promises. I think we paid $2,000 extra for FSD on the 2018 and of course never got it. When we traded the 3 for the Y however, the FSD migrated to the new Y. I have taken the Y on a few road trips and also around town. The FSD is not perfect, but it is amazing and I am getting spoiled. Especially on road trips.

I am thinking about selling the R1T before the warranty is up and have the same conundrum. What to replace it with? The only options if you want an EV truck are R1T and Cybertruck. I love the styling, interior, gear tunnel, size of the R1T. Only thing I do not like about the hardware is the tail gate, but that's not a deal breaker. The software, however, sucks. I don't understand what they are selling to VW, Uber etc.. Perhaps they are way ahead of all the other EV's except Tesla. But current Tesla tech is lightyears ahead of Rivian.

After driving the FSD Y for a few thousand miles, it has become a must have for me. Until you have been on a road trip or had your Tesla take you out to dinner and even park for you, you cannot appreciate the value of FSD. It does have its faults. For some reason it cannot find the Mesa Airport. But for 99% of usage it is great.

The other long promised by everyone, but not delivered tech is V2H. I think our future is solar with V2H as the grid is unreliable and getting worse. Battery storage is very expensive while we all have a hundred kWh +/- sitting in the garage. Why doesn't Rivian deliver on this?

I still haven't made up my mind but here are my thoughts:

Rivian: great hardware, styling, gear tunnel, size.
Cybertruck: ugly, too big, but has FSD and supposedly V2H.

I don't want to wait the 3-5 years it will really take for Rivian to perfect FSD.

I am going to test drive a Cybertruck and also determine whether the advertised V2H is real or just another Elon promise.

Because the Cybertruck is so ugly and probably will not fit in my garage, I guess there is a 3rd option. Risk the potential repair costs and drive the Rivian for 3 years or more and see what Rivian develops versus all the press releases.

Okay I went for a demo drive in a Gen 2 R1S. Used the Autonomy +. It's not Tesla point to point but still useful for what I want which is some driver relief on long road trips.

Then I went for a demo drive in a Cybertruck. The FSD was everything I have come to love in my wife's Model Y. The surprise was that I liked the truck even less than I thought I would. From the 63" windshield wiper to the frunk with no front wall to the no visibility rear window and the useless rear view mirror, I just did not like it at all. Could not see myself driving it. There is poor visibility from the greenhouse in pretty much any direction. The interior appears cheap. On the plus side, there's lots of room in the back seat and the seats fold up towards the backrests like the Honda Ridgeline leaving you with a nice flat rear area for dogs or cargo. It does have 2 120 outlets and a 240 with I think 11 kW of total output compared to the Rivian 1500 combined total watts. Overall, it did not give the impression of quality that Rivian does.

So I took my wife back to the Rivian showroom to see the R1S. She thought it was gorgeous but asked why I was thinking of buying it instead of the T. She pointed out how much I use the T's truck bed and especially the gear tunnel. I ended up buying a new T being delivered tomorrow.

Based on 51,000 miles in the Gen 1 and many thousands more in Teslas, I decided that the Dual Motor Large Battery would suffice. We have had no problems with the similar Gen 1 range, especially now with so much Tesla charger access. I just could not justify $7,000 for 100 miles more range. I do not go camping in the outback. Also, 4.5 seconds to 60 mph is enough for highway merging, safe passing etc. We just do not need 2.5 or 3 second acceleration for another $10,000 in a Tri or Quad. The R1T is my daily driver with a few road trips a year. Plus it comes standard with the power tonneau.

I loved my Gen 1 and look forward to the Gen 2 delivery.

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