Canceled my R1S order :-(

[YoungRivian]

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.

Here are some of the "low-lights":

Rivian gave me an address in San Jose to meet them for the test drive. I was fully expecting this to be Rivan's building, but instead it was a park across the street from a sketchy neighborhood with homeless people wandering around, and project cars parked on front lawns. After driving around in circles wondering how our GPS did us wrong, I finally saw a lone R1S on the side of the road. I hesitantly walked up to it and sure enough, there sits a young kid inside waiting for us. Like, do you think they could have been a little more specific in the e-mail that we'd be meeting some dude in a park in a sketchy neighborhood to go for a test drive....not a great start! Super unprofessional and kind of mind-boggling actually!

Outside walkaround:

- The walk-around of the vehicle was fine. I did notice a few minor panel gap issues but didn't bother pointing them out. It was green (not launch green) and the paint sparkles were pretty nice when the sun hit it. Can't deny it's nice looking from the outside!
- It had the 22" wheels, also nice. It had the Quad package.

Inside walkaround:

- The inside of the vehicle is where we were let down a bit. The way all the seats fold down with a loud *thunk* seems very unrefined for a vehicle this expensive and it's literally the very first thing the guy showed, as if that was a great "feature". "Thunk, thunk, thunk." ?? Every other luxury SUV in this class has electric controls to move the seats or at least a "soft open/close feel" rather than just thunking into place like a basic work pickup truck or something.
- The sound system was pretty decent and got loud but was also kind of unrefined with not much detail. It's too bad they pulled out the Meridian system (which was awesome in the Range Rover).
- No option for rear side window shades (not even manually operated), or a shade for the sunroof.
- Glass sunroof does not open at all...what's the point? We always crack our sunroof when parking outside on a hot day and it makes a huge difference without having to roll the windows down.
- Interior seats were reasonably comfortable front and rear, but my back started sweating immediately while sitting in the back seat in the "vegan leather" which was a surprisingly stiff and clammy vinyl. Back seat is not ventilated either. Putting an adult back there on a hot day with no window shades or sunroof shade seems like it would be a fairly torturous experience.
- No massage seat option.
- There is a display for the climate control in the back that the passenger cannot control (at least that's what the test drive guy said)...what's the point?
- Up front the seats were comfortable but even with the ventilation on (which was uncomfortably cold in the wrong places) my back was still sweating...maybe I was still just too hot from sitting in the back for only 5 minutes. At least your privates will stay cool. ?
- Overall the interior is nice and cleanly designed --the matte wood was nice, but it's still pretty sterile in a Tesla sort of way and also seemed "plasticky" everywhere -- definitely more of an entry level Volvo feel than a car costing $100k. Having come from both BMW and Range Rover, the overall interior quality is just not even on the same level -- this would be a serious downgrade from the X7 or a Range Rover where you are coddled in leather and soft-touch surfaces everywhere! The Sensafin artificial leather on the BMWs doesn't make your back sweat either and the ventilation cools you off evenly. And well, leather is there as an option if you want it.... I was really surprised here, the interior looks much better in pictures than in person where you definitely notice all the corners that were cut.
- No glove box, but hey, there's a sunglass holder under the passenger seat--I guess you could keep your paperwork there...

Test drive:

- Steering input and resistance seemed fine, similar to the BMW, but you could really tell the steering was electric and not "connected to the road" if that makes sense--now I understand why some of the car reviews call the steering "vague"--I don't really agree with that characterization but it's weird not feeling the road under you when you steer.
- I didn't really notice any weird noises as mentioned on the forums or in some reviews.
- It seemed peppy-ish driving around normally, but I felt like you really needed to lay into the gas pedal to give it some oomph, where there is then this latency of nothing happening and then bam, it's almost too much and the front end lifts up like you are about to take off in an airplane. I never really found a happy medium between peppy and sporty and didn't feel a ton of difference in throttle response in sport mode other than the suspension becoming unbearably stiff. I was very surprised how much you had to lay into it to get anything out of it--all of that (3.5s to 60) power seemed either on or off. Coming from BMW, the slightest modulation of the gas pedal with one toe gives you what you expect and you feel like you have all the power available to you at any time, especially in sport mode, which didn't seem to be the case with the Rivian. Granted, I didn't have nearly enough time with it and I haven't seen this mentioned in any of the reviews, so take this one with a grain of salt.
.- Yes, the regenerative braking thing is hard to get used to. It was set to minimum and seemed very aggressive. My wife commented that her foot would get tired from having to be on the accelerator all the time and not being able to coast in traffic when cruise is not on--I didn't think about that but it's a good point. I told her at least she'd save her foot by not having to use the brakes, haha.
- The blinker sound is kind of annoying and yet somehow also not really loud enough either.

Okay, so all of the above gripes aside, keep in mind this was all being extra-critical as in "is this the car we're going to sell the X7 for?" I was literally half-overlooking all of the above until...

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!

As spec'd with the Max battery pack and a few accessories, I was happily prepared to spend nearly $108,000 on this vehicle sight unseen myself.... Thank god we saw it and drove it in person, because for equal or less money we can get a brand new fully loaded X7 with every option ticked, or another Range Rover, or a Porsche Cayenne, etc. Those 3 vehicles at the same price are literally all in another stratosphere from fit and finish and refinement perspective than this vehicle.

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!

It's funny how we set our expectations on a vehicle based on what we currently drive. After stepping out of my Range Rover and going for my test drive, I noticed that the R1S didn't feel like like my Range Rover. The drive is a little bit stiffer and the seats felt a little less luxurious but Rivan wasn't building another RR. Rivian built an all purpose vehicle that had a mix of luxury as well as off-road capabilities. After picking up my R1S, we couldn't be happier. The drive is actually much smoother than the RR and as my wife says, my driving doesn't make her nauseous anymore, haha. I kept my RR for my wife's sake and now it sits in the driveway b/c she prefers to take out the Rivian. Its a fun ride. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations but it doesn't appear that you knew what you were reserving 18 months ago.

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[paariv]

Your taste is your taste and that’s fine. Comments about the ride quality are spot on- that’s my main complaint after 10k miles in 6 months. That and how clunky adjusting the second row is.

Only odd bit to me was the comment about latency in acceleration. There’s lots of pedal travel in the R1S but the power is always there, instantly, when I push down. And I came from a manual BMW where I could - as much as is possible in an ICE vehicle - make sure I had power when I needed it. R1S is much better than that. So I am really surprised by this comment given that instant power is a main EV selling point across the board.

 

[Lrak1973]

I really wasn’t in a bad mood at all from meeting in a park in a bad neighborhood and I didn’t care that the guy was young (he was actually super nice) so you are misreading that there. I was simply pointing out that it’s surprising that a big corporation would not strive to provide a better test drive experience from the get-go; they should at least set someone’s expectations to know where to go, instead of sending them to an address that makes you feel like you must have gotten lost...

Inspite of the above I was like a kid in a candy store and super excited with a huge smile on my face the entire time. Keep in mind I’ve been in Rivian fan-boy mode for 18 months now. I’ve watched every YouTube video 2 or 3 times, I’ve read many of the forum posts here, good and bad and based on everything I saw and read had already made up my mind. We even got solar at home in anticipation of getting the Rivian or similar.

I’ve driven and ridden in many Tesla’s, so my expectations were already tempered via flat out luxury vs utility and doing something good for the environment etc.

And read, the deal breaker at the end was the ride quality not the other observations which I could have probably lived with if the car would have kept the smile on my face when it came to handling and performance, which sadly it didn’t.

At the end of the day though, spending $108k on a vehicle is no joke and I don’t think it’s unfair to compare it to other vehicles in the same price range.

Car and Driver said the R1T seemed pretty dialed in, so it’s surprising that the R1S seems to ride more truck-like than the actual truck Model.

I, too, have got to wonder what drive mode you were in. It had to be sport, which is good for launching, but tough everywhere else. You might retry it in all purpose soft ride. Or take it over a mountain pass with lots of rocks and edges. Your opinion will likely change.

 

[AZ Rivntur]

I don't give a crap about how you didn't like something.
I don't give a crap about your car history
I don't give a crap if there were too many onions in your meatloaf.
I don't give a crap if your weatherman said it was going to rain and it didn't.
I don't give a crap if the referee missed a call that caused you to lose a bet.
I don't give a crap if your wifes last boyfriend gave her a better ride.
What I really don't understand is your need for validation for posting about something you are choosing not to purchase. Just don't buy and move on...

 

[defcon888]

I really wasn’t in a bad mood at all from meeting in a park in a bad neighborhood and I didn’t care that the guy was young (he was actually super nice) so you are misreading that there. I was simply pointing out that it’s surprising that a big corporation would not strive to provide a better test drive experience from the get-go; they should at least set someone’s expectations to know where to go, instead of sending them to an address that makes you feel like you must have gotten lost...

Inspite of the above I was like a kid in a candy store and super excited with a huge smile on my face the entire time. Keep in mind I’ve been in Rivian fan-boy mode for 18 months now. I’ve watched every YouTube video 2 or 3 times, I’ve read many of the forum posts here, good and bad and based on everything I saw and read had already made up my mind. We even got solar at home in anticipation of getting the Rivian or similar.

I’ve driven and ridden in many Tesla’s, so my expectations were already tempered via flat out luxury vs utility and doing something good for the environment etc.

And read, the deal breaker at the end was the ride quality not the other observations which I could have probably lived with if the car would have kept the smile on my face when it came to handling and performance, which sadly it didn’t.

At the end of the day though, spending $108k on a vehicle is no joke and I don’t think it’s unfair to compare it to other vehicles in the same price range.

Car and Driver said the R1T seemed pretty dialed in, so it’s surprising that the R1S seems to ride more truck-like than the actual truck Model.

The Rivian is like a tool in the toolbox. There is a different tool for every occasion.

Personally, I do not like BMW's....have I owned one?....No, but my son has owned 4 and each other broke down. The turbo's have gone out a couple of times he told me. It sounds like you are in the bay area....San Jose is sketchy no matter where you drive...other than by the tank. I am surprised they didn't want you to come to the building they have down there.....that is odd.

Best of luck with your car adventure and may you and your wife get what fits you. Hopefully it will be an EV with gas prices at $5.50/gal.

 

[Count Orlok]

how much did your X7 cost?

 

[SoCal Rob]

I don't give a crap about how you didn't like something.
I don't give a crap about your car history
I don't give a crap if there were too many onions in your meatloaf.
I don't give a crap if your weatherman said it was going to rain and it didn't.
I don't give a crap if the referee missed a call that caused you to lose a bet.
I don't give a crap if your wifes last boyfriend gave her a better ride.
What I really don't understand is your need for validation for posting about something you are choosing not to purchase. Just don't buy and move on...

@BigGreenR1S was sharing their opinion and it may help some readers finally realize what has been discussed on here previously: the R1 vehicles are NOT luxury vehicles and were never marketed that way. Many people seem to assume that because an R1S is about the same size, shape, and price as other luxury SUVs that it is also a luxury SUV when it isn’t.

I think @EBEG summed things up perfectly here: https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/canceled-my-r1s-order.19972/post-411539

The R1S is just about the perfect vehicle for me, but I’m interested in capability, performance, comfort, and tech. I will say that if Rivian wanted to make a luxury version of the existing R1S, they could do so MUCH more easily than luxury SUVs could be modified to match the R1S capability and performance.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

TL;DR. I stopped reading when I got to the part about "BMW and Range Rover". Think it all has to do with your expectations. My previous vehicle before the R1T was a 15-year-old Chevy WT. The Riv is light-years better in all regards and exceeds all my expectations. Although I do still miss Android Auto and Sirius XM that the old truck had. ?

Edit: You're mad because it doesn't have massage seats? Good grief, LOL. ?

 

[Zeusy Zeus]

I drive a M4 when I ride the R1S it’s silky smooth but that makes sense. Can’t imagine going from an i7. It’s definitely not a luxury vehicle but like others have said you’re paying for the max pack and fully decked out model with superior performance to those other vehicles you mentioned.

Maybe you’re also like me where you realized oh gee I have to get a 7% APR for a vehicle at this price… no thanks I’ll keep my previous car at 2%. There’s a lot of factors that can make someone hesitant to pull the trigger on a purchase this big. From everything I read you seemed really upset with the vehicle I definitely think you should buy a new Range or I7 that’s going to work out much better for you.

 

[Redline]

I mean, I'm coming from a 2012 X5 35d, so the Rivian is luxurious to me lol.

The R1S is perfect for our needs right now, and hopefully our changing needs with additions to the fam in the future. Our other car is a Rav4 Hybrid, so it works well.

I don't plan on keeping this outside of the warranty...that lesson with the X5 was a steep cost. Plus, I think Rivian and EVs as a whole will be vastly improved in 5 years.

 

[Better Late than Never]

I completely agree with everything OP has said. I rented an R1S on Turo and had the same disappointment with the manual setas and how difficult theya re to use. Lets all stop rpetending that the third row of any vehicle is comfortable for adults other than a full size suburban or similar or a minivan. That said, it shoudl be easy for my children to get to this third row and in the R1S it was not.
The skylight/sunroof is also a mystery to me. Why can Audi and Kia figure out a retractable sunshade and Rivian cannot? The AC couldn't overcome the sun bating down and I was sweating on my ride as well.
Overall, it's not a luxury vehicle. Its not. For all the reasons you listed and the above. And for all the tesla haters - if you want to claim Rivian is a luxury vehicle then the Model X and Y might as well be SUVs.
That all said, if the AC worked I could also look past all of the negatives and agree this is an awesome vehicle that is more than capable. And fueling up a BEV for $10 a charge vs the $100 a tank in my ICE is something I will enjoy every single time and then again when I drive past a gas station and see people wasting their time on their commute gassing up. I just can't see paying 80-100K for it. It's a perfect BEV replacement for my ICE Toyota 4Runner except it's priced like an S Class Benz.

Me personally, I am actually considering getting a Nissan Leaf and waiting until someone comes out with something cheaper.

 

[SDH]

Rivian need to option the roof (glass/retractable sun roof/normal) and suspension (air/shocks & springs).

I get the Tesla-style simple manufacturing & fewer options but it's going to start costing them.

 

[Redline]

Is it costing them? Doesn't appear to be right now.

This is the first two vehicles made from a start up. Some people here act like Rivian should be just like the legacy OEM's. It sort of boggles my mind.

As Rivian builds out, they'll have the R2, they'll update the R1 platform as well. Options will come and go, etc.

The bottom line, the products they've made so far are almost unbelievable for a first attempt from a new OEM. Period. End stop.

 

[SANZC02]

I completely agree with everything OP has said. I rented an R1S on Turo and had the same disappointment with the manual setas and how difficult theya re to use. Lets all stop rpetending that the third row of any vehicle is comfortable for adults other than a full size suburban or similar or a minivan. That said, it shoudl be easy for my children to get to this third row and in the R1S it was not.
The skylight/sunroof is also a mystery to me. Why can Audi and Kia figure out a retractable sunshade and Rivian cannot? The AC couldn't overcome the sun bating down and I was sweating on my ride as well.
Overall, it's not a luxury vehicle. Its not. For all the reasons you listed and the above. And for all the tesla haters - if you want to claim Rivian is a luxury vehicle then the Model X and Y might as well be SUVs.
That all said, if the AC worked I could also look past all of the negatives and agree this is an awesome vehicle that is more than capable. And fueling up a BEV for $10 a charge vs the $100 a tank in my ICE is something I will enjoy every single time and then again when I drive past a gas station and see people wasting their time on their commute gassing up. I just can't see paying 80-100K for it. It's a perfect BEV replacement for my ICE Toyota 4Runner except it's priced like an S Class Benz.

Me personally, I am actually considering getting a Nissan Leaf and waiting until someone comes out with something cheaper.

Just curious, why would you even look at a Rivian if a Nissan Leaf meets your needs?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I completely agree with everything OP has said. I rented an R1S on Turo and had the same disappointment with the manual setas and how difficult theya re to use. Lets all stop rpetending that the third row of any vehicle is comfortable for adults other than a full size suburban or similar or a minivan. That said, it shoudl be easy for my children to get to this third row and in the R1S it was not.
The skylight/sunroof is also a mystery to me. Why can Audi and Kia figure out a retractable sunshade and Rivian cannot? The AC couldn't overcome the sun bating down and I was sweating on my ride as well.
Overall, it's not a luxury vehicle. Its not. For all the reasons you listed and the above. And for all the tesla haters - if you want to claim Rivian is a luxury vehicle then the Model X and Y might as well be SUVs.
That all said, if the AC worked I could also look past all of the negatives and agree this is an awesome vehicle that is more than capable. And fueling up a BEV for $10 a charge vs the $100 a tank in my ICE is something I will enjoy every single time and then again when I drive past a gas station and see people wasting their time on their commute gassing up. I just can't see paying 80-100K for it. It's a perfect BEV replacement for my ICE Toyota 4Runner except it's priced like an S Class Benz.

Me personally, I am actually considering getting a Nissan Leaf and waiting until someone comes out with something cheaper.

It sounds to me like you should stick to something in a lower price range. For me a Leaf or a Bolt would be a punishment. It's really dependent on budget and needs though and if you're happy with a much cheaper vehicle that's a no brainer. Same reason I don't have a Lamborghini. Sure I could buy one, but I'm really happy with the performance of my T why should I spend 4x as much.

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