R1S and R1T driving differences and First Drive experience - Brooklyn

[Guy]

I am an October 2021 pre-order holder and originally had an R1S reservation. I live 2.5 hours from the nearest service center, Brooklyn, so had never driven a Rivian until recently. My desire to test drive one got the better of me and I rented an R1T with 20" ATs via Turo back in January. It was an excellent experience and the ride quality/dampening was a major revelation to me. For context I am coming from a Sienna minivan and a Mazda 6 sedan.

In February I got the updated delivery estimates and my S delivery estimate moved back from Q4 2023 to 1H2024 (likely around June based on others order dates in the local area - Philadelphia suburbs). I didn't want to wait another year and knew people who had ordered about 12 months ago were getting their trucks. In addition I had seen several reviews that highlighted a) the S having poor ride compared to the T and b) the third row of the S being small and useable for young kids at best (I have three teenagers). So I switched to the T and within two days received a guide. Having a guide allowed me to access the first drive program and I went to Brooklyn yesterday to have a formal first drive. To my surprise they still had me down for an S and that was the vehicle they had for me to test (quite a few R1S models at Brooklyn - roughly 50:50 with the T). I went ahead with the S rather than ask for the T because I was interested to check it out and see if the two complaints that resonated most with me were actually real (in my view).

The S had 22" dark wheels so this was going to be the worse case comparison to the T I rented. The ride quality (given the poor Brooklyn streets and only being able to go uptown 40mph ish) was acceptable, certainly not as good as the T but acceptable, somewhere around 7 out of 10 vs 9 or 10 out of 10 for the T. I am wondering how much of this difference is due to the wheel size. If anyone has driven both wheels sizes or switched out their wheels on either the S or the T please let me know how much you think the wheel size contributes to the overall difference in ride quality. If the gap closed with the S moving unto 8 out of 10 I would be very happy.

As for the second reason to switch - third row space. I found the space to be acceptable. I am 6'1' and with me in the drivers seat and sitting behind myself in the second row my 5'8" daughter could fit Ok in the third row. If we switched second and third row seating I was OK in the third row. So for my family of 5 (three teenagers all 5'8") it is a viable vehicle for roadtrips and those rare times all five of us are traveling together.

The Rivian person accompanying me asked at the end of my 30 minute first drive session if I was flexible on color, wheels and S or T. I said I was (I had wanted to go to Brooklyn also to see the colors in real life and make a choice) and he mentioned trying to see if I can get R1T and R1S shop access. I was very surprised at this as I know there are many S order holders ahead of me and I had given up on getting an S based on the January estimates. I will check next week and report back if access is actually granted - I don't think it will be and would be very surprised if they did grant it, but who knows.

This is the S I test drove. For note they had all colors except red - mainly Forest Green, Blue, White and El Cap. Overall the experience was good and the Brooklyn center was efficient and well run.

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[e4gaa1104]

Interesting post, not least because I see you pre ordered in Oct 21 and will use the Brooklyn SC and there is chance you may get an R1S relatively soon. I pre ordered my R1S in May 21, live 30 miles from the Brooklyn SC and are currently being quoted Oct to Dec delivery (pushed back from April to June 23) but, knowing Rivian, that will be sometime in 2024……

 

[Guy]

Interesting post, not least because I see you pre ordered in Oct 21 and will use the Brooklyn SC and there is chance you may get an R1S relatively soon. I pre ordered my R1S in May 21, live 30 miles from the Brooklyn SC and are currently being quoted Oct to Dec delivery (pushed back from April to June 23) but, knowing Rivian, that will be sometime in 2024……

Exactly, plenty of people ahead of me in line, so I don’t expect R1S shops access.

What I really want to hear about is the effect of the tires on the relative ride performance.

 

[EarlyAdptr]

I took delivery of an R1S about 6 weeks ago (LE, LG/BM, 20" AT tires). I have a friend who is also in line for an R1S who, like you, was concerned about the ride. He had ridden in another friend's S with 22" tires.

I let him drive my car around the neighborhood - with speed bumps. Not sure if this helps, but in his estimation, the 20" wheels really made a difference. He felt the ride was much smoother vs the 22" tires. I didn't ask for his internal "score" (e.g., 8 of 10, etc) but he was leaning towards the 20" tires.

Hope that helps!

 

[Guy]

I took delivery of an R1S about 6 weeks ago (LE, LG/BM, 20" AT tires). I have a friend who is also in line for an R1S who, like you, was concerned about the ride. He had ridden in another friend's S with 22" tires.

I let him drive my car around the neighborhood - with speed bumps. Not sure if this helps, but in his estimation, the 20" wheels really made a difference. He felt the ride was much smoother vs the 22" tires. I didn't ask for his internal "score" (e.g., 8 of 10, etc) but he was leaning towards the 20" tires.

Hope that helps!

That is very helpful. I assumed the 20s made a positive difference as more sidewall.

I didn’t notice any compressor noise in the S which was also a complaint some raised

 

[Turn 10]

Took delivery in mid-December of my Launch Ed R1S with 22" All-season tires. I have driven a lot of cars through the years, including on track. I would say that a lot of feedback on noise and ride is similar to what the Model S got when it launched, (you hear everything and it is a firmer ride than many drivers had switched from). The truck is quiet, and it is a truck. You hear the tires on the road, but mainly the motors. You also hear wind noise at speed. You hear these things since you are missing engine, transmission, and driveline. As for ride -
If you hop in at delivery, push the Sport mode and hit the road... it isn't a great first impression. I had a chance to take the R1T out for a spirited drive and I can say they feel quite different when in the low setting in Sport mode. Porpoising is real. I was shocked for the first couple of days of just commuting. Once the weekend hit I played with the settings and the ride height and started to really fall for my RS1 and I realized what was happening.
The combination of high regenerative braking, quick throttle response, and what I assume is the change in geometry going to the shorter wheelbase is not a great first experience. What I realized was happening - start with Seattle roads which are ALL impacted by construction and wear. You hit a big bump and there is less suspension travel and sidewall to help so you bounce. Now your foot comes into play as your body isn't moving the same as the truck. You get this unfortunate resonance of throttle inputs and suspension bounce that magnifies to the porpoising.
The good news is it does get better as you get use to the throttle response (thought my wife's Model S had regen off after driving my Rivian). And It goes away for me at Standard height. Thus I don't tend to use the lower ride heights, I expected that Low would be my default.
I hope the suspension response can be tuned with future SW updates and it isn't just the geometry. But either way I am a happy owner, would just be happier if they would address this issue.

 

[DB-EV]

I am an October 2021 pre-order holder and originally had an R1S reservation. I live 2.5 hours from the nearest service center, Brooklyn, so had never driven a Rivian until recently. My desire to test drive one got the better of me and I rented an R1T with 20" ATs via Turo back in January. It was an excellent experience and the ride quality/dampening was a major revelation to me. For context I am coming from a Sienna minivan and a Mazda 6 sedan.

In February I got the updated delivery estimates and my S delivery estimate moved back from Q4 2023 to 1H2024 (likely around June based on others order dates in the local area - Philadelphia suburbs). I didn't want to wait another year and knew people who had ordered about 12 months ago were getting their trucks. In addition I had seen several reviews that highlighted a) the S having poor ride compared to the T and b) the third row of the S being small and useable for young kids at best (I have three teenagers). So I switched to the T and within two days received a guide. Having a guide allowed me to access the first drive program and I went to Brooklyn yesterday to have a formal first drive. To my surprise they still had me down for an S and that was the vehicle they had for me to test (quite a few R1S models at Brooklyn - roughly 50:50 with the T). I went ahead with the S rather than ask for the T because I was interested to check it out and see if the two complaints that resonated most with me were actually real (in my view).

The S had 22" dark wheels so this was going to be the worse case comparison to the T I rented. The ride quality (given the poor Brooklyn streets and only being able to go uptown 40mph ish) was acceptable, certainly not as good as the T but acceptable, somewhere around 7 out of 10 vs 9 or 10 out of 10 for the T. I am wondering how much of this difference is due to the wheel size. If anyone has driven both wheels sizes or switched out their wheels on either the S or the T please let me know how much you think the wheel size contributes to the overall difference in ride quality. If the gap closed with the S moving unto 8 out of 10 I would be very happy.

As for the second reason to switch - third row space. I found the space to be acceptable. I am 6'1' and with me in the drivers seat and sitting behind myself in the second row my 5'8" daughter could fit Ok in the third row. If we switched second and third row seating I was OK in the third row. So for my family of 5 (three teenagers all 5'8") it is a viable vehicle for roadtrips and those rare times all five of us are traveling together.

The Rivian person accompanying me asked at the end of my 30 minute first drive session if I was flexible on color, wheels and S or T. I said I was (I had wanted to go to Brooklyn also to see the colors in real life and make a choice) and he mentioned trying to see if I can get R1T and R1S shop access. I was very surprised at this as I know there are many S order holders ahead of me and I had given up on getting an S based on the January estimates. I will check next week and report back if access is actually granted - I don't think it will be and would be very surprised if they did grant it, but who knows.

This is the S I test drove. For note they had all colors except red - mainly Forest Green, Blue, White and El Cap. Overall the experience was good and the Brooklyn center was efficient and well run.

Sorry, I had some trouble reading all this. Did you go with T or S?

On ride, it is really sweet on the S with 20s. I bet the 22s were a factor on those banked up roads.

Glad to hear your view on 3d row. When I read your impression before getting in, I was like this is bonkers. Most usable 3d row I have seen outside of a Suburban.

 

[DB-EV]

Exactly, plenty of people ahead of me in line, so I don’t expect R1S shops access.

What I really want to hear about is the effect of the tires on the relative ride performance.

20s are sweet ride but I am coming from a crappy vehicle. Count Orlock can tell you about S ride coming from a fancy vehicle.

 

[Guy]

Just as an update - my guide confirmed that the R1S shop was reserved for launch edition preorder holders. This is as it should be given the limited S production.

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