Obligatory Sold My Rivian Post

[Great Gatsby]

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.

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[Killer95Stang]

See you soon...

 

[evguy]

Thanks for sharing your experience! We still have our R1S, but last year we added a 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 to the family "fleet." It's become my daily driver and I love it. The ride and driving experience are great, as is the build quality. The second row is incredibly roomy. The software experience fall short, but I think you'll find that with any EV from a legacy auto maker (until they all follow VW's lead and license Rivian's tech platform that is!). Not sure if the IONIQ 5 would fit your needs, but in my opinion Hyundai is doing EVs very well.

Edit: One think I don't like - the SEL trim dropped the digital key feature for the 2026 model year (to go along with the big IONIQ 5 price reduction, I guess), which I did not realize until after I took delivery. Not a deal breaker for me, but the Hyundai key fob is large and having to carry it around feels stupid after having the Tesla and Rivian experience.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Thanks for sharing your experience! We still have our R1S, but last year we added a 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 to the family "fleet." It's become my daily driver and I love it. The ride and driving experience are great, as is the build quality. The second row is incredibly roomy. The software experience fall short, but I think you'll find that with any EV from a legacy auto maker (until they all follow VW's lead and license Rivian's tech platform that is!). Not sure if the IONIQ 5 would fit your needs, but in my opinion Hyundai is doing EVs very well.

Edit: One think I don't like - the SEL trim dropped the digital key feature for the 2026 model year (to go along with the big IONIQ 5 price reduction, I guess), which I did not realize until after I took delivery. Not a deal breaker for me, but the Hyundai key fob is large and having to carry it around feels stupid after having the Tesla and Rivian experience.

Heard nothing but great things about the Ioniq5!

Had a Kia EV9 when it first came out in 2024. Experience was okay but wasn't thrilled on the software and yeah...the PAAK wasn't great either. Having to put the car to one pedal each time I got in got old too.

The bones were there for a great EV though. I'm sure they have only gotten better since! No PAAK is a deal breaker for me though. Carrying keys feels like a dated thing at this point lol

 

[TexasBob]

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.

Have been looking toward the same for next year. I like the iX3 and the EX60 Cross Country, but the weird one that keeps percolating to the top of the list is the Lucid Cosmos and Earth. Their idiotic marketing description of the Cosmos "upscale nurturers" had me completely writing that thing off (everyone there in marketing should be fired) but listening to the more detailed descriptions of the people who have seen the vehicle changed my mind. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the appearance (Aston Martin Zagato styling) and the spec sheet looks very good. Will see if they offer a long-range version. Charging will be very fast, efficiency excellent, the NVIDIA Hyperion ADAS / lidar stack is extremely extensible, and the 3.5 second 0-60 got my attention. So I am waiting with cautious optimism to see if Lucid can not mess it up this time from a styling and software perspective. Still leaning BMW at the moment but...

 

[Great Gatsby]

Have been looking toward the same for next year. I like the iX3 and the EX60 Cross Country, but the weird one that keeps percolating to the top of the list is the Lucid Cosmos and Earth. Their idiotic marketing description of the Cosmos "upscale nurturers" had me completely writing that thing off (everyone there in marketing should be fired) but listening to the more detailed descriptions of the people who have seen the vehicle changed my mind. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the appearance (Aston Martin Zagoda styling) and the spec sheet looks very good. Will see if they offer a long-range version. Charging will be very fast, efficiency excellent, the NVIDIA Hyperion ADAS / lidar stack is extremely extensible, and the 3.5 second 0-60 got my attention. So I am waiting with cautious optimism to see if Lucid can not mess it up this time from a styling and software perspective. Still leaning BMW at the moment but...

Oh yeah...I guess I forgot about that. With no prototype (or even concept art) to show, I found myself completely disregarding that Lucid is even working on a smaller offering. I also listened to their latest investor call and while everything on spec sounds great, so did it on the Gravity and Air and we all know how those turned out. Great cars ruined by software and some questionable design choices along with terrible pricing structure ($2900 for upgraded audio and $4200 for leather interior is criminal). The company seems to be its own worst enemy. The description of the upscale nurturers (media 41 age), trendsetting achievers (median age 39) or active explorers (media age 49) gave me a good chuckle. I even took a picture to show my wife. They are very out of touch.

Kyle described the Cosmos as having a red exterior and white interior and a huge frunk and subtrunk. I'm sold. Show me the car. As long as its not fugly (anything slightly better than the iX3), I'll buy if it can be had reasonably equipped for under $70k.

With nothing to show going into April of 2026 with production slated to start by end of year, I'm not holding out. I imagine Rivian probably beats them to the punch with an R2 Tri and I'd probably go down that route if so. If I had it my way, the Scout would have been my next car, but the latest confirmation of a 2028 year built is way too far away for me to wait for it. I don't think Lucid is on a much better timeline for their midsize. They halted production of the Gravity for the 2026 model year and are instead going to release the 2027 model...whenever that will be. So they are effectively only selling the Air and leftover Gravities while desperately burning cash hand over fist. I truly wonder what is going on over there.

 

[iansriv]

Alex-thanks for the detailed write up. I've always enjoyed your posts. Please, stick around. Cheers.

 

[impulsoren]

I don’t currently own one but Polestar was going to be what I bought until I drove a Rivian. Small car but if you can daily drive a 2…

 

[savethemanual]

Whenever the updated Polestar 3 comes out with it's 800v architecture & processor update, that would be a good one to look at. Especially if they keep some sort of discount going off of MSRP, right now it's like $15k! They did upgrade the current models for sale with the new processor, so that helps along with the big price reduction if you can live with out the 800v update.

 

[dleepnw]

Did the same with my LE R1T. It was bittersweet. I was concerned about the post warranty costs as my vehicle when into service 10 times in 2.5 years.

I also have an R2 reservation. I'm hoping to snag the LE but looking at leasing. If the deals are good, I'll go for a 2-3 year lease and then either switch to the R3X or Scout Traveler. Depends on the specs, price and availability of those two when my lease is up.

Were a Lexus family so I switched up to the NX 350h. Its a really nice car but of course I miss the R1T.

 

[TexasBob]

Oh yeah...I guess I forgot about that. With no prototype (or even concept art) to show, I found myself completely disregarding that Lucid is even working on a smaller offering. I also listened to their latest investor call and while everything on spec sounds great, so did it on the Gravity and Air and we all know how those turned out. Great cars ruined by software and some questionable design choices along with terrible pricing structure ($2900 for upgraded audio and $4200 for leather interior is criminal). The company seems to be its own worst enemy. The description of the upscale nurturers (media 41 age), trendsetting achievers (median age 39) or active explorers (media age 49) gave me a good chuckle. I even took a picture to show my wife. They are very out of touch.

Kyle described the Cosmos as having a red exterior and white interior and a huge frunk and subtrunk. I'm sold. Show me the car. As long as its not fugly (anything slightly better than the iX3), I'll buy if it can be had reasonably equipped for under $70k.

With nothing to show going into April of 2026 with production slated to start by end of year, I'm not holding out. I imagine Rivian probably beats them to the punch with an R2 Tri and I'd probably go down that route if so. If I had it my way, the Scout would have been my next car, but the latest confirmation of a 2028 year built is way too far away for me to wait for it. I don't think Lucid is on a much better timeline for their midsize. They halted production of the Gravity for the 2026 model year and are instead going to release the 2027 model...whenever that will be. So they are effectively only selling the Air and leftover Gravities while desperately burning cash hand over fist. I truly wonder what is going on over there.

Agree with everything you said above. They are their own worst enemy. Nurturers, achievers, lol and WTH? And just SHOW THE CAR for goodness sake. Kyle rightly criticized them for that. Morons.

But if it actually does look like a smaller version of this and goes >350 miles, with 900V charging, 3.5 second 0-60, and an L4 capable ADAS ... I'm listening!

 

[azbill]

-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.

These were the two main reasons I traded my R1T in on an Escalade IQ, software bugs and ADAS. The adaptive cruise control became unusable for me, could not pass a large vehicle without disengaging the system. I quit using it for road trips because of this.

GM software is very solid and of course Super Cruise is great, even follows the navigation in the MY 26 vehicles. And of course, 800V charging.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Whenever the updated Polestar 3 comes out with it's 800v architecture & processor update, that would be a good one to look at. Especially if they keep some sort of discount going off of MSRP, right now it's like $15k! They did upgrade the current models for sale with the new processor, so that helps along with the big price reduction if you can live with out the 800v update.

The Polestar 3 is my automobile crush. I love the way it looks and a lot of the ideas and features behind. I do think its a tad underpowered even on the performance trim and the range is not competitive. I do wish they increased the range on the upgrade. I would have probably sprung for one at 800V and 320+ miles of range. I do hear the range estimate on Polestars are far from accurate unfortunately.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Did the same with my LE R1T. It was bittersweet. I was concerned about the post warranty costs as my vehicle when into service 10 times in 2.5 years.

I also have an R2 reservation. I'm hoping to snag the LE but looking at leasing. If the deals are good, I'll go for a 2-3 year lease and then either switch to the R3X or Scout Traveler. Depends on the specs, price and availability of those two when my lease is up.

Were a Lexus family so I switched up to the NX 350h. Its a really nice car but of course I miss the R1T.

Same train of thought here. Lease or put a ton of money down on the R2 LE to upgrade to a Scout, R2 Tri or R3X down the line. I already miss my R1S but seeing how much work was done during the warranty period made owning it outside of it out of the question.

My sister owns a Lexus RX. Can't beat the reliability and comfort on Lexus, so I totally get that. Excited to see what they do with the rumored highland EV shared platform.

 

[Great Gatsby]

These were the two main reasons I traded my R1T in on an Escalade IQ, software bugs and ADAS. The adaptive cruise control became unusable for me, could not pass a large vehicle without disengaging the system. I quit using it for road trips because of this.

GM software is very solid and of course Super Cruise is great, even follows the navigation in the MY 26 vehicles. And of course, 800V charging.

I had used the ADAS on the R1S on a few roadtrips and it was fine at best. A lot random disengament and road way to close to semis for my liking. I used to own a 2020 Ford Explorer and it somehow had a way better system for just keeping you in your lane and maintaining speed. Makes a world of a difference when this stuff just works like its supposed to and not reinvent the wheel. Never had experience with Super Cruise, but my now curiosity is peaked...

The IQ is too big for my needs, but I have been eyeing the Lyriq for a while. Had GM put a frunk and the 800v architecture on that thing, it would likely be sitting in my driveway. That is a very attractive looking ride.

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