Canceled my R1S order :-(

[Electrified Outdoors]

Its not for you and that's ok. Moving to an EV is a big step. I would point out that the max pack is probably not worth the extra $10,000. Also, comparing MSRP is not a good way to gauge the cost of the vehicle. The BMW, Porsche, et al will cost much more to own over 3-5-10 yesrs then the Rivian. Having had several BMW in the family i can promise you after the first couple of yesrs they require lots of expensive maintenance. They are great driving cars though.

Bottom line is that the Rivian is an adventure vehicle first. Thinks outdoorsy, offroad, sports truck. It hss some luxury features but its not designed to be a luxury vehicle.

Have you looked at the BMW iX?

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[opnwide]

One of my favorite things about my R1S is that after I’ve off-roaded to the trailhead, ready for a hike down into the canyon river, I don’t look like a douche-bag gearing up on the tailgate, putting on my fly fishing waders and rigging up, like I would on the back of an X7. Oh wait, the X7 couldn’t make it there.

 

[Zoidz]

Clarity in the sound, having a vocal punch through the mix for example instead of everything kind of getting muddled together. It was loud and had good bass, but seemed a bit muddy. Take that with a grain of salt, it wasn’t bad by any means and is better than the stock Harman Kardon system in the X7. Playing around with EQ might help clean up the sound but I didn’t have time to mess with it.

Playing with the EQ improves this. Some of us feel that moving the center of the sound field away from the default to a point behind the front row seats a few inches makes a noticeable improvement as well.

 

[Mister Person]

TL/DR?

 

[Rivdog]

It’s really interesting to read all the takes on how Rivian compares to more expensive vehicles. My test of the R1S was short and felt about the same as my R1T, but I’ve never felt that my T was particularly smooth, but that’s probably due in large part to the mandatory regen braking - my only real complaint with Rivian. My Mach E was the smoothest ride I’ve ever driven but ride quality was one of the biggest and most common complaints for other people with that vehicle. Same with the Meridian sound in the Rivian - some people say it’s definitely better than the new in-house system, some say it’s definitely worse.

Something you do get with a Rivian is relatively frequent and meaningful software updates. Rivian can - and has - addressed so many issues with software updates whereas with a BMW/Mercedes/etc., you have what you have. By this time next year, who knows what my truck will be able to do. Will it have a super smooth luxury drive mode with no regen? Will the 0-60 time be improved? Will we have streaming video on the infotainment? Those of us with early pricing really got an incredible deal on these things. At $108,000 though, even with all the positives, I can understand where you’re coming from.

 

[LoneStar]

I don't give a shi!

 

[PappaBolt]

I respect it’s not what the OP prefers. BMW expectations (luxury) vs Rivian (capability). It seems a lot of the complaints OP already knew about before the test drive.

I’m genuinely curious about the motivation for this thread. To debate the sub-par experience? Or to discuss the underwhelming R1S?

FWIW, I had a white X7 loaner while my S was at the SC. That thing was huge and felt like I was piloting a hearse.

 

[SoCal Rob]

The absolute deal-breaker was simply that it rides like a 90's pickup truck on the freeway, bouncing up and down and side to side and front to back. My wife was in the back and immediately said "is it as bumpy up there as it is back here?" Yep, it was. Not only could you feel every single bump in the road but it also had that feeling where after you hit a bump you can't tell if you are still hitting bumps or if it's still bouncing up and down from the first bump. Hands down, absolutely atrocious, unforgivable ride quality for a vehicle this expensive! I asked the guy if it had received the latest update and he said it did not...I have a hard time seeing how a "software update" could fix a suspension that badly dialed in, or how their engineers would even let that thing out of the factory to begin with! Granted, California freeways are tough test, they are pretty atrocious as well, but our neighbor's Subaru Outback rides better than the R1S!

I don’t think there is a vehicle in existence which would make every person happy and that’s why we take test drives. As an example, the power folding/positioning seats that you love in your X7 would drive me crazy if they’re the same as my friend’s X7. His has some special high-end interior with beautiful contrasting navy blue and tan leather. However, accessing the third row involves an excruciatingly-slow repositioning of the first and second row seats every time you enter and exit. To me, there’s nothing luxurious about wasting 10 minutes of time on a multi-stop trip waiting for the seats to move. Different priorities for different people.

I have a question since the ride quality was the deal-breaker for you and your wife. Did you constructively ask the Rivian employee if there were any changes which could improve the things you found objectionable? I say constructively since if you said something like, “Honey, this thing rides like an ox cart compared to our BMW!” it could be that the Rivian employee just thought it best to not engage. On the other hand, if you said to the employee that you will not be buying a Rivian because of specific ride characteristics and list them, the employee may have said that they can schedule another test drive for you in an R1S with the latest software, different wheels, and/or specific settings to address your concerns.

It may be that even with that the R1S still wouldn’t meet your expectations.

 

[WorldComposting]

I have had my R1S for 3 months now and I get what you are saying about test drive locations. Just be glad they had one nearby. Rivian wanted me to travel to Brooklyn, NY from Maryland to take a test drive. Luckily a dealer had a used one I got to take out. I think Rivian is doing the best on these with what they have and what they are allowed in each location.

As far as driving did you play with the drive modes at all? When I test drove it was set to sport, low, stiff, and high regen making it really bad on the pothole road I was driving on. It felt like my first time driving a manual again.as the bounce would move my foot on the pedal causing the motors to slow and make the bounce even worse. We changed it to all purpose and it was much better but I now primarily Rally mode as that is really smooth.

Also wheels make a huge difference the R1S I test drove had 20" wheels and mine as 21" wheels and we noticed it doesn't soak up the bumps nearly as well as the 20" did. If you drove one with 22" wheels I'm guessing it might be even more firm.

As far as luxury these cars are not. They are practical and tough which I like as I do camping and have a dog.

Lastly I wanted to talk about price I know others mentioned this but if the Rivian costs $100,000 and the RR or MB cost 100,000 the Rivian will be cheaper once you start driving it. The reason being is having an EV is like buying 80% of your fuel up front. The Rivian will cost between 5-10 cents per mile compared to 20+ cents per mile (depending on your local electricity and gas costs). For me I was also looking at a Land Rover Defender which cost under 100K with my configuration and the Rivian at 104K out the door. At 50K miles the RIvian will have been at least $3K cheaper for me to own based on my electricity cost vs gas and this doesn't include maintenance.

Either way the car needs to align to what you want and need. I hope you are happy with whatever car you purchase!

 

[Ecupip]

I agree with you and others that it’s not for you. Good thing you were able to drive one and make that call before purchasing!

For me the R1T is phenomenal. I definitely opt to drive it more than the other vehicles. However, for comfort and long hauls, our Grand Cherokee wins in comfort and tech.

 

[Redline]

Just my 2 cents, it seems you and your wife went into the test drive set on not liking the car.

 

[Roger.Joys]

Overall, it seemed like it would be a great vehicle for an adventurous outdoorsy person in their early 30's splurging on their first "nice" car, but I have a hard time seeing how that person is also going to happily spend upwards of $100k on this thing!?

Hopefully this isn't a knock to the thousands of people here who love theirs, it simply just wasn't for us. My advice to anyone waiting for one is if you haven't driven it, be sure to schedule a test drive before pulling the trigger!

As a 63 year old outdoorsy person who has owned luxury cars, I agree with others that this is not the car for you, based on what you called out. It's not the car for many. Thank goodness, the test drive saved you from a lot of future frustration as a potential owner.

For me, this is the car I always wanted. I also drive off road 25% of the time and have the all-terrain package.

PS and Full Disclosure. I also admit I am a pre-price hike buyer.

 

[Steve A.]

Well, I finally got my test drive this weekend and after waiting a long 18 months I'm sad to say the R1S simply didn't live up to my (or my wife's) expectations.

Granted, this is from the perspective of having driven a BMW X7 for 4 years now (and currently) and a full size Range Rover for 5 years before that.

...

Hopefully this isn't a knock to the thousands of people here who love theirs, it simply just wasn't for us. My advice to anyone waiting for one is if you haven't driven it, be sure to schedule a test drive before pulling the trigger!

Not that surprising. The only head-shaking factor is this expectation that a Rivian is a luxury vehicle due to it's price. It's NOT a luxury cross-over vehicle like a X7. It's a *real* truck ad drives like one. It does NOT have luxury interior options like an X7, Range Rover, Cayenne, etc.

As far as trucks go, even my 2014 Ford Expedition Limited that cost ~$65k has a *smoother* ride and much more/better interior features (e.g. *real leather* not pleather, powered moonroof that slides open and/or pops up, powered rear side windows that pop out, powered 3rd row, center console w/ 4 fixed cupholders, fixed cupholders in each door, Sirius/XM, etc.) than my R1S and even came w/ a full size spare tire! And, Expeditions since 2017 have Android Auto and Google Car Play.

FWIW, my Expedition gets 15 mpg and costs me about $0.25/mile in gas alone to drive, where as my R1S costs me $0.08/mile charging at home.

That said, I love my R1S because it's exactly what I expected; i.e. a *real* truck that drives like one but does 0-60 in 3s. I've put over 11.5k+ miles on it in my first 4 months since taking delivery, and 100% of those miles have been in sport mode on lowest ride height, stiffest suspension, and max brake regen mode, so I have ZERO expectations of a *smooth* ride which is the same expectations for ANY sports car like the Mustang GT and Cobra that I used to own. My wife, the Cayenne owner, hates that I keep it in the modes above and refuses to drive my R1S, and I don't drive her Cayenne, but she had ZERO input in my getting my R1S while I encouraged her to get her Cayenne which was her *dream car* for the last 20 years. Not sure why your wife would prevent you from getting and R1T or R1S, but that's a much different thread. ;-)

No, it's not perfect and not the luxury cross-over SUV like my wife's Cayenne, but it's perfect for me especially at the pre-order pricing which is $19k less than you'd pay for it now.

As always, YMMV.

Oh yeah! And, my test drive was at the Brooklyn SC in rush hour traffic in definitely a *sketchy* industrial complex. Not sure whose idea that was, but stupid from a *first impressions* standpoint considering I never got above 20 mph riding it around the block. SMH

 

[EBEG]

Some people want quad motors, 835 hp, 8,000-11,000 pounds of towing, adjustable suspension and electrical efficiency. Some people want real leather, massaging seats, and and other luxury features.

In our contemporary world $100k doesn't buy both.

 

[carsly]

No, a Rivian is not a BMW X7 or full-fat Range Rover. If that's what you prefer, have at it.

I found the X7 big on the outside, small on the inside, power seats were insanely slow in the second and third rows and on-road handling over bumps was a little too floaty and unbecoming for an 'ultimate driving machine'. More minivan than SUV. And I've owned a half-dozen BMW's over the years. I just don't like minivans.

I find the R1S more similar to another Land Rover product, the Defender. It's about the same size as a 110, similar driving position, visibility, on-road feel (which is definitely more truck than sports car). I'd offer the Defender's air suspension is better tuned than the R1S and the heavier Rivian feels more ponderous than the 3 ton Defender but all in all pretty similar vehicles. Sure, the Defender has very nice leather options, heated seats get dangerously hot, and seats are not well bolstered (because truck) but it's an awesome highway cruiser. We have crammed five of us, two dogs and a week's worth of gear into our 130 with a roofbox and have run 8-9 hours in a day without issue. The R1S is more Lexus GX than Mercedes GLE.

The Rivian then has first-generation pleather - better than Tesla pleather up until the 2021 S/X refresh but not nearly as good as the post-refresh vinyl that is softer and more textured similar to Sensafin and other pleathers. I'd say it's more similar to Honda/Toyota leather or Tahoe/Expedition equivalent materials on the interior. More plasticky than BMW or Mercedes by a long shot but likely to be hard-wearing and durable.

But a Rivian is not a minivan X7 nor a $200+K full-fat gas-guzzling Range Rover. No one has to like any of these vehicles, find whatever suits your purposes. Still looking forward to my R1S reservation getting punched.

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