Friend bought ModelY after keeping R1S for a day, and after learning about R2

[Apprunner]

You won't . Someone with both brands:
- range - is much more trustworthy on the Rivian. Tesla range drops dramatically as you drive. first year overall range drop is ~ 3%-5% on Teslas (we have had 3) and then it settles down. R1T - 0 % drop after1yr/20K miles. Rivian has more headroom with the cells they put on their vehicles than Tesla. It is natural for some cells in any battery pack to underperform within the first year and Rivian has more reserve cells there than Tesla - to save costs. Tesla decided to put more money on more supechargers vs more cells per car. Diff philosophies.

- ride quality - much more luxurious. Quiet, supple and taller stance is reassuring. Tesla focused on performance but not on comfort/ride quality. Parts are reliable, but not German quality ride. Rivian comes close to European ride quality.

- adventure/offroad possibility - you will be encouraged by many Rivian owners to venture out and enjoy the outdoors more - be it camping, off-roading, cooking outside. It's just amazing!

- S/W is improving. The s/w, the app..there is hope. The monthly updates are good and reassuring that the focus is there.

- The Teslas are super reliable - but the interiors rattle. Man it drives me crazy. lol. I have come to hold the front camera housing on my ModelY while on specific road areas. They just have decided NOT TO spend money on fit & finish (which is OK by me - their focus is tech, reliability, sustainability etc. and as a young company, they have to pick their battle and I understand it. So I just hold on to those parts at some sections of the road. hehe!)

- if you buy Rivian stocks now, you will likely be happier (we all hope so ).

On EPA reports, Rivian is switching to NCA batteries for the R2. I wouldn't be surprised if the degradation (range) is similar to Tesla given the chemistry switch.

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[Jeremy3292]

On EPA reports, Rivian is switching to NCA batteries for the R2. I wouldn't be surprised if the degradation (range) is similar to Tesla given the chemistry switch.

I believe it is LG NMCA cells, so they just decided to not leave any of the elements out

 

[macb00kemdanno]

People buy Teslas because they just want an electric driving appliance, and all of these stories just prove that to me.

Ehh, it depends on what your idea of "fun" is. I can have a lot of fun in my Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range. The thing is super fast, handles great, and is an excellent highway cruiser.

The R1S and R1T (nor the R2) will never match the on-road driving dynamics I can get with my Model 3. Now, if we're talking about off-road enjoyment, that's a completely different story.

But since we'll spend 99% of our time in the R2 on-road, it'll serve as a perfect replacement for our Model Y. I have absolutely no desire to rock climb, and will likely see nothing more demanding than a mall parking lot or a dirt road.

 

[Apprunner]

I believe it is LG NMCA cells, so they just decided to not leave any of the elements out

Its not all dependent on the chemistry and hoping Rivian made their's better than Teslas. I know R1s have had pretty good capacity retention...maybe they eat into buffer but it gives consumers peace of mind.

 

[Apprunner]

Ehh, it depends on what your idea of "fun" is. I can have a lot of fun in my Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range. The thing is super fast, handles great, and is an excellent highway cruiser.

The R1S and R1T (nor the R2) will never match the on-road driving dynamics I can get with my Model 3. Now, if we're talking about off-road enjoyment, that's a completely different story.

But since we'll spend 99% of our time in the R2 on-road, it'll serve as a perfect replacement for our Model Y. I have absolutely no desire to rock climb, and will likely see nothing more demanding than a mall parking lot or a dirt road.

True. Model 3 is really good on smooth road but I'm getting older and so is my back

 

[Dark-Fx]

Ehh, it depends on what your idea of "fun" is. I can have a lot of fun in my Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range. The thing is super fast, handles great, and is an excellent highway cruiser.

The R1S and R1T (nor the R2) will never match the on-road driving dynamics I can get with my Model 3. Now, if we're talking about off-road enjoyment, that's a completely different story.

But since we'll spend 99% of our time in the R2 on-road, it'll serve as a perfect replacement for our Model Y. I have absolutely no desire to rock climb, and will likely see nothing more demanding than a mall parking lot or a dirt road.

So you agree with me. I never said anything about "fun".

 

[macb00kemdanno]

True. Model 3 is really good on smooth road but I'm getting older and so is my back

That's the thing that completely soured me on the R1S. I drove it, and I couldn't get over how badly it drove on city streets and on the highway. It was ponderous, pitched fore and aft when accelerating and decelerating, and just seemed out of sorts for such a big vehicle.

Then I hopped in the R1T, and all of those complaints melted away. It was a much better driving vehicle compared to the R1S. I just hope that the R2 drives just as well.

 

[macb00kemdanno]

So you agree with me. I never said anything about "fun".

My apologies. I misread your initial comment, and I now understand the context. I was reading the "electric driving appliance" comment as a dig at how the vehicle drives, but you were talking about how people view Teslas in general (pointing to the OP's friends).

 

[shamoo]

A little negativity in here with words like “shortsighted” and “stubborn” being thrown around.

Some people just like what they like, and that’s okay. Most people aren’t enthusiasts, and most aren’t looking to learn or adapt to something new.

A lot of my friends have been driving the same type of vehicle for 20+ years and just want the next version of that exact thing. It’s familiar and comfortable to them. Let them enjoy it.

As someone who goes way overboard with hobbies and enthusiast stuff (sim rigs, cars, mountain bikes, motorcycles, electric skateboards, etc.), I can talk endlessly about why a certain option is “better” and try to convince someone to make the jump. But at the end of the day, people like what they like, and that’s totally fine.

 

[phaduman]

That's the thing that completely soured me on the R1S. I drove it, and I couldn't get over how badly it drove on city streets and on the highway. It was ponderous, pitched fore and aft when accelerating and decelerating, and just seemed out of sorts for such a big vehicle.

Then I hopped in the R1T, and all of those complaints melted away. It was a much better driving vehicle compared to the R1S. I just hope that the R2 drives just as well.

Was your R1S a Gen1 or Gen2? Gen1 R1S was not well tuned - it was taken from R1T but with almost 11inch shorter length/diff wheelbase, they didn't really adjust for that in their suspension/stability/dynamics engineering. They took time and fixed this with Gen2 R1S...(as well as some late Gen1 R1S). R1T was their first child full of love and care, and they really nailed it.

To others comparing a 7-seater/tall truck/SUV with a Model 3 driving dynamics - is not a fair comparison. Within Tesla lineup, Model 3 is the best car to drive, Model S is a close second, ModelY is not bad, and Model X is meh! One should compare R1T/R1S with Model X or Cybertruck dynamics.

 

[macb00kemdanno]

Was your R1S a Gen1 or Gen2? Gen1 R1S was not well tuned - it was taken from R1T but with almost 11inch shorter length/diff wheelbase, they didn't really adjust for that in their suspension/stability/dynamics engineering. They took time and fixed this with Gen2 R1S...(as well as some late Gen1 R1S). R1T was their first child full of love and care, and they really nailed it.

It was this 2026 R1S that I drove from the Knightdale, NC service center.

 

[phaduman]

Thanks. That's unfortunate that Gen2 R1S still rides differently than R1T.

 

[VandalSibs]

On EPA reports, Rivian is switching to NCA batteries for the R2. I wouldn't be surprised if the degradation (range) is similar to Tesla given the chemistry switch.

All the Gen 2 R1 vehicles (except Standard range packs) use NCA chemistry already.

 

[VSG]

I question the judgement of the people described in the original post. I'm not sure why their clearly impulsive and ill-considered actions have any implications for Rivian or any other car manufacturer. If they put so little effort into their choices, why should we care what they choose?

 

[sfvR1S]

There's only one M3 and it's made by BMW.

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