2022 R1S VS 2022 R1T Ride quality...where do we stand today after 2 years of OTA's?

[bronco7777]

GM Folks. Very soon I plan to be a new Rivian owner. I just placed a demo vehicle 2022 R1T Quad with 21" wheels in the cart to purchase and I'm waiting on a sales rep to contact me so I can set the purchasing process in motion. However, an R1S would likely be a better overall fit for our family. Not sure I'll be able to get one. But if I found a 2022 R1S available....here's my question: I heard the ride quality of the R1S was bad compared to the R1T. Has that improved over the last year or two with OTA's? If you were going to buy one of the 2022 demo vehicles, which would you buy?

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[ndmiller]

Drive them both on demos, neither is bad per se, the suspension is a feat of engineering. The T has a foot longer wheelbase than the S so it's a bit of physics. S is X% more nimble with shorter wheelbase and T is X% more composed on the highway than the S. X is subjective but there.

If you need the S get the S, if it's up in the air drive both and choose. I own the T and will hardly ever use the bed. For me it's a 5 passenger vehicle. with a lot of storage for trips and soccer tournaments. 5 years ago I would have gotten the S as more kids in the house, now we just have another vehicle for her to drive.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Yes the R1S suspension has gotten a lot better with OTA updates. Still isn't perfect, but adequate. I'm looking forward to the Gen 2 R1S to deliver an even better suspension.

 

[bronco7777]

@ndmiller & @Cosmacelf, thanks for your quick responses. All very helpful. It's good to know OTA's have improved the R1S ride. One of the main factors towards getting the R1S was size. The R1S will fit better in my garage while the R1T will be a very tight fit. But ride quality I think is a much bigger priority than just how easy or difficult it is to park a car. Does a certain wheel size also help with the R1S? Or it doesn't matter what wheel I get?

 

[iansriv]

I love the ride quality on my R1S (20AT). I've had it for about 8 months and the OTA updates have helped a bit but it was great to begin with. I test drove two R1s on 21s and 20s for about an hour each. Again, I could not tell a big difference. I had a R1T loaner for about a week and the ride was very similar. Either I'm absolutely desensitised to the vehicle or just lucked out.

Like others have said-try to get some test drives in and you should be good.

 

[snowboarder777]

I am pretty impressed with my 2024 Rivian R1S ride quality especially owning german cars including Audi and BMWs. Its very smooth on majority of the roads and riding it in all purpose with soft or moderate is perfect. Its a heavy car so you will feel some impact on certain uneven roads but its very forgiving. I was worried about this before doing the demo and once I did the demo drive with the OTA update on the suspension I was surprised how nice it was so I cannot comment on how it was before the update.

 

[Redmond Chad]

Any ride quality question is likely to get answers all over the map, given that it depends on (among other things): R1S vs R1T, which wheels, which tires, which software version, how loaded the vehicle is, alignment, suspension height and ride settings, pavement type and maintenance, driving speed/style over said pavement, what defect or abuse a specific vehicle may have had, and most importantly: what other cars are they comparing it to?

That caveat aside, here's my answer: I *was* disappointed in the ride when I first got my 2023 R1S (a year ago today) even after switching to Michelin Defender AS tires on my 20" factory wheels. But there have been a couple of OTA updates; the first one didn't seem to make much difference, but the last one did. It is still not perfect and it's clear that there is room for improvement, but I'm happy with how my R1S rides now.

It's the best ride of any vehicle I've had; but they've all been gas economy cars or, for the past 15 years, EV performance vehicles. I've never had a luxury vehicle. The ride seems very similar to the ride of my wife's 2023 Tesla X (an LR on 20" Cyberstreams with AS tires), and much better than the ride of the 2017 X she had before it.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Put it this way, the current R1S a way better ride than a regular minivan, but not as luxuriously floating as an Inifiniti QX80.

 

[JJE]

Echoing the earlier comment about tire/wheel variables. The ride and handling of my 2022 R1S changed significantly (for the better) when I switched from the 20 ATs to 20 AS tires. The subsequent OTA updates made things even more serene.

Based on my experience I am guessing that a good bit of the positive change that reviewers of the 2025 R1S are noticing is attributable to the change of the standard 20 inch tires to AS. An apples to apples wheel/tire comparison would be key.

Subjectively I find the ride/handling combination now so good I have a hard time imagining how they improved it significantly.

 

[elatrickWheels]

In choosing between a pickup and an SUV, there are far more important considerations than ride quality. They are different vehicles with different use cases.

 

[MidnightRivian]

Night and day difference between R1S when it first came out and R1S today.

The R1T still wins and @ndmiller explained it beautifully.

The T has a foot longer wheelbase than the S so it's a bit of physics. S is X% more nimble with shorter wheelbase and T is X% more composed on the highway than the S. X is subjective but there.


If you're looking for a more composed and refined experience similar to R1T, you will need to go with the Gen 2 R1S.

Picking 20" All terrains will give help improve the ride experience at the expense of handling compared to 22" due to sidewall differences.

I personally prefer the nimbleness of the R1S and using Firm / All Purpose mode with 20" All terrains gives me a very good driving experience when comparing my 20" AT R1S to the loaner R1T I've personally had with 21" wheels and 20" wheels. R1T will always result in a better experience than R1S due to wheelbase.

 

[SactownD]

We have an R1S. For families definitely the better vehicle given you can fit more people. The ride has improved but definitely not a luxury vehicle feel. If you’re used to a midsize pickup truck ride it will be a step up. About mid pack for a full size truck. The bushings squeak over speed bumps and rough roads and the truck porpoises as well. These are mostly minor things and I’m not really bothered by them.

 

[runwithscissors]

Gen 1 R1S suspension stinks and no software update will make it great beyond what the OTAs have already done. They learned from their mistakes and supposedly made Gen 2 better through hardware. R1T drives so much better over bumps due to the longer wheelbase.

 

[strykerwsu]

I have both, T is a lot better but everyone compliments on how great the ride is. S is fine and no one complains but very noticeable for me since drive T Mostly.

Buy the vehicle that works best for your family needs.

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