My First Mile Experience w/ Launch Green R1T

[ajbrutman]

I just had my mobile first-mile event. It was a little bitter-sweet considering I was unable to experience any kind of offroad as I would have at Aqua Dulce, but I was able to spend a little more time with it and show it off to some friends and family. Long story short they canceled the Aqua Dulce event due to the "heavy" rain we received here in southern California, so they instead brought a truck to my home the same day and nearly the same time I had been scheduled in Santa Clarita. Very cool to note that It saved me a 2-hour drive, which would result in 4 hours of total traveling time for a 20-minute test drive. Also interesting to note that I test drove at 10 am PST today which is when I would have left to make it to Aqua Dulce by 12 pm PST for my scheduled drive.

My overall experience was great. Watching the truck pull up to my house was incredible. It was very cool of Rivian to bring my exact spec(showing they did their homework) and I believe his name was David the employee gave some really good insight on his experience on the truck rather than feeding me facts off the website. Most of us on here are very familiar with the vehicle and all of its "quirks and features" so we skipped that part and got on the road. We jammed down the infamous pacific coast highway, and in my area are some of the nicest stretches of road. I was able to test all drive modes except for the off-road modes and was pleased with the vehicle's all-around performance. We all have very high expectations for these vehicles and I'm glad to say they were met, but not exceeded.

I am however in love with the spec. The Launch Green greatly exceeds all expectations and could not imagine getting any other color on the vehicle. I was in between for a while, but this is a clear and obvious choice. My mother, a very traditional person when it comes to cars thought it was spectacular. Now that is saying something. She drives white, black or grey, and never gets anything "futuristic" looking. In fact, she said she hated it in photos but loved it in person.

I have seen the truck several times before, and have spent time inside of them, but this was the first ride, and the first time I've seen a car that has been driven. It was interesting to notice there was PPF on the lower section of the doors following the sharp body line behind what channels the airflow over the wheel. If this is not from the factory, it is certainly an addition I will do myself.

While driving I did not adjust anything on the main display, all inputs on the main display were made by David, and volume adjustment, etc. was made on the steering wheel. It is certainly a large display, and something that takes a bit of getting used to if you are not coming from the new-gen Model s and x or the model 3 or Y.

The ability to adjust the suspension stiffness, power delivery, ride height, and more made it feel incredibly luxurious. To me, luxury is about being comfortable, and I was incredibly comfortable and confident driving this vehicle which is important to note considering it does not belong to me and I typically get a bit anxious driving other people's vehicles. The technology, the unreal engine array on the driver display was surprisingly more useful than I had imagined It to be. I enjoyed the blind spot monitoring being integrated into it as well as on the mirrors. It was nice to see pedestrians pop up on the corners of crosswalks which were not the easiest to see, and the way it displays colors based on warnings.

Another note I will add was the sound system sounded significantly better than other R1Ts I have heard. Like significantly better. I consider myself a bit of an audiophile and this was a welcome update. Previously I was a bit disappointed by the hyped-up Meridian sound system, now I can confidently say, it lives up to the hype.

While the truck is undoubtedly amazing and my experience was fantastic, I do have my concerns. My first question was if it was a pre-production or production vehicle, David confirmed it was in fact a production vehicle. A look at the VIN confirmed that and it was in 264 (let me know if anyone else drives this vehicle, would be cool to track it). This was a concern because there were significant body panel gaps around the hood. Now 264 is not the earliest I've seen and is certainly a bit worrisome, but I'm glad it is used as a first-mile vehicle and was not sent to a customer. It would be a shame to take delivery of a vehicle that looks like it was put together in a hurry.

A little about my Rivian journey. I originally pre-ordered at the LA Auto show with my father. After a nice conversation with Brian Gase, we were sold. The vehicle seemed perfect. I have kept a very close eye on the company's ever since and become obsessed with all things RIVN. My father and I have gone to every event together since, as we decided to share the vehicle 50/50 as he needed a truck and I was in the market for a new car. One of those deals where it will be my daily driver, but he will be using it just as much if not just a little less. I am very fortunate to be in this position, and we all are. These are incredible vehicles that many people never get to experience.

I will attach some photos down below of my time with the truck. All photos were taken at the lowest ride height. Feel free to drop questions below I will most likely get back to them tomorrow.

I did not get many good photos, I was just trying to enjoy the moment. When I get my truck I will take it for a proper photoshoot. I just don't know who to trust driving it....


Cheers!

.

Sponsored

 

[ajbrutman]

I will add, it did have an idle speed noise. It was not annoying at all, but certainly noticeable from outside the vehicle upon initial "gear" selection

 

[Blur1t]

I just had my mobile first-mile event. It was a little bitter-sweet considering I was unable to experience any kind of offroad as I would have at Aqua Dulce, but I was able to spend a little more time with it and show it off to some friends and family. Long story short they canceled the Aqua Dulce event due to the "heavy" rain we received here in southern California, so they instead brought a truck to my home the same day and nearly the same time I had been scheduled in Santa Clarita. Very cool to note that It saved me a 2-hour drive, which would result in 4 hours of total traveling time for a 20-minute test drive. Also interesting to note that I test drove at 10 am PST today which is when I would have left to make it to Aqua Dulce by 12 pm PST for my scheduled drive.

My overall experience was great. Watching the truck pull up to my house was incredible. It was very cool of Rivian to bring my exact spec(showing they did their homework) and I believe his name was David the employee gave some really good insight on his experience on the truck rather than feeding me facts off the website. Most of us on here are very familiar with the vehicle and all of its "quirks and features" so we skipped that part and got on the road. We jammed down the infamous pacific coast highway, and in my area are some of the nicest stretches of road. I was able to test all drive modes except for the off-road modes and was pleased with the vehicle's all-around performance. We all have very high expectations for these vehicles and I'm glad to say they were met, but not exceeded.

I am however in love with the spec. The Launch Green greatly exceeds all expectations and could not imagine getting any other color on the vehicle. I was in between for a while, but this is a clear and obvious choice. My mother, a very traditional person when it comes to cars thought it was spectacular. Now that is saying something. She drives white, black or grey, and never gets anything "futuristic" looking. In fact, she said she hated it in photos but loved it in person.

I have seen the truck several times before, and have spent time inside of them, but this was the first ride, and the first time I've seen a car that has been driven. It was interesting to notice there was PPF on the lower section of the doors following the sharp body line behind what channels the airflow over the wheel. If this is not from the factory, it is certainly an addition I will do myself.

While driving I did not adjust anything on the main display, all inputs on the main display were made by David, and volume adjustment, etc. was made on the steering wheel. It is certainly a large display, and something that takes a bit of getting used to if you are not coming from the new-gen Model s and x or the model 3 or Y.

The ability to adjust the suspension stiffness, power delivery, ride height, and more made it feel incredibly luxurious. To me, luxury is about being comfortable, and I was incredibly comfortable and confident driving this vehicle which is important to note considering it does not belong to me and I typically get a bit anxious driving other people's vehicles. The technology, the unreal engine array on the driver display was surprisingly more useful than I had imagined It to be. I enjoyed the blind spot monitoring being integrated into it as well as on the mirrors. It was nice to see pedestrians pop up on the corners of crosswalks which were not the easiest to see, and the way it displays colors based on warnings.

Another note I will add was the sound system sounded significantly better than other R1Ts I have heard. Like significantly better. I consider myself a bit of an audiophile and this was a welcome update. Previously I was a bit disappointed by the hyped-up Meridian sound system, now I can confidently say, it lives up to the hype.

While the truck is undoubtedly amazing and my experience was fantastic, I do have my concerns. My first question was if it was a pre-production or production vehicle, David confirmed it was in fact a production vehicle. A look at the VIN confirmed that and it was in 264 (let me know if anyone else drives this vehicle, would be cool to track it). This was a concern because there were significant body panel gaps around the hood. Now 264 is not the earliest I've seen and is certainly a bit worrisome, but I'm glad it is used as a first-mile vehicle and was not sent to a customer. It would be a shame to take delivery of a vehicle that looks like it was put together in a hurry.

A little about my Rivian journey. I originally pre-ordered at the LA Auto show with my father. After a nice conversation with Brian Gase, we were sold. The vehicle seemed perfect. I have kept a very close eye on the company's ever since and become obsessed with all things RIVN. My father and I have gone to every event together since, as we decided to share the vehicle 50/50 as he needed a truck and I was in the market for a new car. One of those deals where it will be my daily driver, but he will be using it just as much if not just a little less. I am very fortunate to be in this position, and we all are. These are incredible vehicles that many people never get to experience.

I will attach some photos down below of my time with the truck. All photos were taken at the lowest ride height. Feel free to drop questions below I will most likely get back to them tomorrow.

I did not get many good photos, I was just trying to enjoy the moment. When I get my truck I will take it for a proper photoshoot. I just don't know who to trust driving it....


Cheers!

Thanks for sharing!
I wanted to ask, Was it just the panel gaps that were disappointing or was there other things? Also, Almost sounded like waves on an ocean, was that the tires or the idle sound? Cool if it was idle.

 

[Bleo]

My personal opinion having attended the agua dolce event is that you likely received a much more useful test drive than what we were allowed to do there. The offroad section while neat wasn't anything a prius couldn't mostly navigate although at a much more careful pace.

We were limited to 60mph on the runway, and the truck wasn't allowed into sport/performance mode. We had very little useful time on actual tarmac in general. I have no idea how loud the cabin is at highway speeds, and I have no idea what the passing power is like from 60-90mph where it counts on the highway. Everyone has their priorities so perhaps agua dolce would have been a better experience for you than it was for me.

 

[Max]

I just had my mobile first-mile event. It was a little bitter-sweet considering I was unable to experience any kind of offroad as I would have at Aqua Dulce, but I was able to spend a little more time with it and show it off to some friends and family. Long story short they canceled the Aqua Dulce event due to the "heavy" rain we received here in southern California, so they instead brought a truck to my home the same day and nearly the same time I had been scheduled in Santa Clarita. Very cool to note that It saved me a 2-hour drive, which would result in 4 hours of total traveling time for a 20-minute test drive. Also interesting to note that I test drove at 10 am PST today which is when I would have left to make it to Aqua Dulce by 12 pm PST for my scheduled drive.

My overall experience was great. Watching the truck pull up to my house was incredible. It was very cool of Rivian to bring my exact spec(showing they did their homework) and I believe his name was David the employee gave some really good insight on his experience on the truck rather than feeding me facts off the website. Most of us on here are very familiar with the vehicle and all of its "quirks and features" so we skipped that part and got on the road. We jammed down the infamous pacific coast highway, and in my area are some of the nicest stretches of road. I was able to test all drive modes except for the off-road modes and was pleased with the vehicle's all-around performance. We all have very high expectations for these vehicles and I'm glad to say they were met, but not exceeded.

I am however in love with the spec. The Launch Green greatly exceeds all expectations and could not imagine getting any other color on the vehicle. I was in between for a while, but this is a clear and obvious choice. My mother, a very traditional person when it comes to cars thought it was spectacular. Now that is saying something. She drives white, black or grey, and never gets anything "futuristic" looking. In fact, she said she hated it in photos but loved it in person.

I have seen the truck several times before, and have spent time inside of them, but this was the first ride, and the first time I've seen a car that has been driven. It was interesting to notice there was PPF on the lower section of the doors following the sharp body line behind what channels the airflow over the wheel. If this is not from the factory, it is certainly an addition I will do myself.

While driving I did not adjust anything on the main display, all inputs on the main display were made by David, and volume adjustment, etc. was made on the steering wheel. It is certainly a large display, and something that takes a bit of getting used to if you are not coming from the new-gen Model s and x or the model 3 or Y.

The ability to adjust the suspension stiffness, power delivery, ride height, and more made it feel incredibly luxurious. To me, luxury is about being comfortable, and I was incredibly comfortable and confident driving this vehicle which is important to note considering it does not belong to me and I typically get a bit anxious driving other people's vehicles. The technology, the unreal engine array on the driver display was surprisingly more useful than I had imagined It to be. I enjoyed the blind spot monitoring being integrated into it as well as on the mirrors. It was nice to see pedestrians pop up on the corners of crosswalks which were not the easiest to see, and the way it displays colors based on warnings.

Another note I will add was the sound system sounded significantly better than other R1Ts I have heard. Like significantly better. I consider myself a bit of an audiophile and this was a welcome update. Previously I was a bit disappointed by the hyped-up Meridian sound system, now I can confidently say, it lives up to the hype.

While the truck is undoubtedly amazing and my experience was fantastic, I do have my concerns. My first question was if it was a pre-production or production vehicle, David confirmed it was in fact a production vehicle. A look at the VIN confirmed that and it was in 264 (let me know if anyone else drives this vehicle, would be cool to track it). This was a concern because there were significant body panel gaps around the hood. Now 264 is not the earliest I've seen and is certainly a bit worrisome, but I'm glad it is used as a first-mile vehicle and was not sent to a customer. It would be a shame to take delivery of a vehicle that looks like it was put together in a hurry.

A little about my Rivian journey. I originally pre-ordered at the LA Auto show with my father. After a nice conversation with Brian Gase, we were sold. The vehicle seemed perfect. I have kept a very close eye on the company's ever since and become obsessed with all things RIVN. My father and I have gone to every event together since, as we decided to share the vehicle 50/50 as he needed a truck and I was in the market for a new car. One of those deals where it will be my daily driver, but he will be using it just as much if not just a little less. I am very fortunate to be in this position, and we all are. These are incredible vehicles that many people never get to experience.

I will attach some photos down below of my time with the truck. All photos were taken at the lowest ride height. Feel free to drop questions below I will most likely get back to them tomorrow.

I did not get many good photos, I was just trying to enjoy the moment. When I get my truck I will take it for a proper photoshoot. I just don't know who to trust driving it....


Cheers!

‘Thanks for sharing. In case you had the stereo off, how was wind, tire and motor noise at highway speed?

 

[ajbrutman]

H

Thanks for sharing!
I wanted to ask, Was it just the panel gaps that were disappointing or was there other things? Also, Almost sounded like waves on an ocean, was that the tires or the idle sound? Cool if it was idle.

I was really only disappointed by the panel gaps, I'd have to give the video another listen to differentiate between tire sounds. I will say my driveway is a bit slick and makes a noise when tire turn on it.

 

[ajbrutman]

My personal opinion having attended the agua dolce event is that you likely received a much more useful test drive than what we were allowed to do there. The offroad section while neat wasn't anything a prius couldn't mostly navigate although at a much more careful pace.

We were limited to 60mph on the runway, and the truck wasn't allowed into sport/performance mode. We had very little useful time on actual tarmac in general. I have no idea how loud the cabin is at highway speeds, and I have no idea what the passing power is like from 60-90mph where it counts on the highway. Everyone has their priorities so perhaps agua dolce would have been a better experience for you than it was for me.

I was able to get the truck to some higher speeds that I will not disclose so my first-mile buddy does not get fired?, but the passing power is there, trust me. The acceleration on the higher end was more impressive to me as 0-60 did not feel like 3 seconds. It was still incredibly quick and you can not feel 7,000 lbs.

 

[ajbrutman]

‘Thanks for sharing. In case you had the stereo off, how was wind, tire and motor noise at highway speed?

I did have the stereo off for a bit at highway speed so we can talk through some key driving points, however, we had to keep the windows two fingers open per Covid protocol. As a windows down driver I did not mind, but it was not a quite with the windows down.

 

[ajbrutman]

I’m pretty OCD about the panel gaps and I’d say this one is pretty good (around charge door and hood) compared to others. ?‍

It was definitely very noticeable, and slightly concerning especially coming off the line after 260 something trucks

 

[ironpig]

I drove one of the blue R1Ts in Los Angles yesterday. I'd agree on panel gaps and overall build issues. There were some squeaks and rattles. Also, the automatic window switches didn't work to put the windows back up.

That said, the UI worked great and the truck drives really well.

The Cameras are pretty crappy as others have mentioned.

If you don't want to roll with the early adopter growing pains, wait for a 2nd generation. Having gone through this with an early Model S, I would expect there to be issues. It's a brand new car company.

 

[ajbrutman]

I drove one of the blue R1Ts in Los Angles yesterday. I'd agree on panel gaps and overall build issues. There were some squeaks and rattles. Also, the automatic window switches didn't work to put the windows back up.

That said, the UI worked great and the truck drives really well.

The Cameras are pretty crappy as others have mentioned.

If you don't want to roll with the early adopter growing pains, wait for a 2nd generation. Having gone through this with an early Model S, I would expect there to be issues. It's a brand new car company.

Now that you mention it, I did notice that about the windows, but I did not have any rattling or squeaking. I'm ok with being an early adopter, I was stoked with the truck I drove today, and if that was what I took delivery of, I would be ok with it. Although panels being lined up is certainly ideal.

 

[DaveA]

If mine gets delivered with the hood aligned like this, then that is not acceptable. This is too obvious. How does that get past QC?

 

[Max]

If mine gets delivered with the hood aligned like this, then that is not acceptable. This is too obvious. How does that get past QC?

It looks like the hood is not completely closed. Which makes me wonder what happens if you leave a jacket or your hand on the edge when the hydraulic is closing the hood.

 

[DaveA]

It looks like the hood is not completely closed. Which makes me wonder what happens if you leave a jacket or your hand on the edge when the hydraulic is closing the hood.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen this more than once…I wonder if maybe there is a bumper on each side of the inside of the hood that can be adjusted?

 

[Max]

Unfortunately, I’ve seen this more than once…I wonder if maybe there is a bumper on each side of the inside of the hood that can be adjusted?

I did notice this on OP’s photo. It appears to be on both sides while rest of the hood gaps seem to align nicely.

Sponsored