Do you consider Rivian a Luxury Car?

[SANZC02]

I never thought it was luxury and was not looking for a luxury vehicle.

I was looking for an EV to replace my Jeep GC, this was the only thing out there that fit that bill.

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[R1Guest]

Price does not imply luxury, but many people incorrectly believe it does. A Ford F350 can sell for $125k. Does that make it a luxury vehicle? Of course not.

An F350 is also not marketed as a family hauler. It’s a work truck. I don’t think that’s an accurate comparison. Rivian sells SUVs and trucks that are marketed to be used as daily drivers. My guess is 99% of buyers use them as such. As a result, they should be compared to those vehicles.

 

[R1Guest]

I think we’re in a very interesting era in between early adopters and early majority where EV car shoppers are coming from a variety of intersects.

You have legacy luxury buyers who are looking to buy the “best” EV. And when they compare prices, they might make some assumptions. These people will most likely miss some of the luxury features they had become used to if they choose Rivian.

Then you have upgrade crew, who I think are a lot of millennials, who have been driving Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia etc and are now not only looking at switching to EV, but also upgrading in the process. They jump into a Rivian and don’t miss the features they never had.

 

[Electron]

This is a very great topic and thread, but OP if you could update your choices to add Premium, along with editing the examples for Luxury that'd be great.

I couldn't vote, because there wasn't a Premium choice.

In my opinion, the only one that I would consider Luxury in your (Luxury - Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac) choice is maybe Cadillac from 2019 and newer. (For example, in the Escalade line.)

Disclaimer: That's coming from someone who has never been a real big fan of domestic Detroit built cars. I know how the old reputation of crap made american cars can linger on into this new era, but even I have to give credit to where it's due. If you want to quickly calibrate out of the old way of thinking, just go drive a new Escalade ESV for example for a quick re-calibration.

Acura and Infiniti is nowhere near luxury in my books. That's my opinion. If you get the chance, just go to your next auto show in your city and sit in an Acura. It has always been a glorifed Honda, but nowadays it's even worse.

You have cars like the new Hyundai Sonata or IONIQ 5 that is much better built. Times have changed. Some will learn to accept that, while some will never change. But the truth is out there. Welcome to 2024.

I've owned many cars throughout the years of all brands, including many Acuras and Infinities in my earlier days.

From my experience I would put the Rivian at Premium+ and it's a heck of a lot better than any Acura. An Infiniti is a glorified Nissan, nothing more. I've owned a QX80 for some time and it was an Acura+ level type of class.

This is tough, because we're in a new era and a lot of metrics have changed. There really is no standard that fits all to when it comes to Luxury.

Perhaps if you had a check list of the basics including materials, features, tech, fit and finish, suspension, ride quality, etc... then yes there for sure exists a baseline, but in 2024 a lot more brands that you'd never think would be in the luxury segment today, are now eye to eye in many ways with the old school luxury icons.

Rivian is in a really unique class with what it offers. I would comfortably put it in a Premium+ category based on all the miles from my own ownership/experience. Of course your mileage may vary depending on your ownership/experience of other brands, but I will say with confidence that the Rivian is very well put together. It ain't a Tesla lol, and we own many Teslas so this is just genuine data based on real world ownership.

If you come across anyone to say that Tesla is luxury then you know exactly where they are with not knowing cars and that they are lying/in-experienced.

 

[Surferdude]

4Runner with a $30k battery

I agree. My opinion is not a popular one here but I don't find our Rivian to be even remotely luxurious. To my wife and I, luxury is all about comfort and having full easy access and control of this comfort. The lack of even a handful of basic minimal tactile buttons and controls are a big miss. Very few consider an all-screen UI vehicle one of luxury. Techy sure, minimalist absolutely, but no way luxurious.

Not only is there no automatic roof sunshade, there is literally NO sunshade; cooking in the summer heat is not luxury. There are no simple memory buttons for seat positions. My wife and I gave up so we both made the settings identical so at least we knew what we were dealing with when we both hopped in together. We never use any of the automated driving features because they make the driving experience worse. The AC is incredibly loud (both the compressor and the interior vents) and it takes forever to cool the interior down till it's comfortable.

Then there's the little things like no "normal" drive mode (i.e. you're forced to do one pedal drive), the clunky windshield wiper/headlight control stalk, always having to turn on certain AC settings because the reset to off when you walk away, the poorly engineered unreliable non-passive entry system, having to press the brake pedal and put into drive again because you slightly lifted your bum to pull a quarter out of your pocket, no proper "off" button, loud wind noise at speed, having very little convenient storage space up front or a single normal 12V charging outlet, constantly adjusting the suspension height because Rivian self lowers it... all add up to a very utility-based feel that requires an inordinate amount of interaction with the UI and touchscreen.

I'd say our R1S is just a larger, rugged more utilitarian version of a Tesla Y. And nobody considers this to be a luxurious vehicle. But Rivian doesn't regard itself as a luxury brand (they are an "adventure" brand) and I 100% agree with their stance. Our R1S is still the only option for a non-eggmobile BEV SUV so we're happy with it for now. We love the pep and the appearance - it's a handsome vehicle. And we absolutely love the utility of it. But hopefully Rivian will make some significant improvements in future models to up their game in the luxury dept.

 

[bmwlad24]

This is a very great topic and thread, but OP if you could update your choices to add Premium, along with editing the examples for Luxury that'd be great.

I couldn't vote, because there wasn't a Premium choice.

In my opinion, the only one that I would consider Luxury in your (Luxury - Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac) choice is maybe Cadillac from 2019 and newer. (For example, in the Escalade line.)

Disclaimer: That's coming from someone who has never been a real big fan of domestic Detroit built cars. I know how the old reputation of crap made american cars can linger on into this new era, but even I have to give credit to where it's due. If you want to quickly calibrate out of the old way of thinking, just go drive a new Escalade ESV for example for a quick re-calibration.

Acura and Infiniti is nowhere near luxury in my books. That's my opinion. If you get the chance, just go to your next auto show in your city and sit in an Acura. It has always been a glorifed Honda, but nowadays it's even worse.

You have cars like the new Hyundai Sonata or IONIQ 5 that is much better built. Times have changed. Some will learn to accept that, while some will never change. But the truth is out there. Welcome to 2024.

I've owned many cars throughout the years of all brands, including many Acuras and Infinities in my earlier days.

From my experience I would put the Rivian at Premium+ and it's a heck of a lot better than any Acura. An Infiniti is a glorified Nissan, nothing more. I've owned a QX80 for some time and it was an Acura+ level type of class.

This is tough, because we're in a new era and a lot of metrics have changed. There really is no standard that fits all to when it comes to Luxury.

Perhaps if you had a check list of the basics including materials, features, tech, fit and finish, suspension, ride quality, etc... then yes there for sure exists a baseline, but in 2024 a lot more brands that you'd never think would be in the luxury segment today, are now eye to eye in many ways with the old school luxury icons.

Rivian is in a really unique class with what it offers. I would comfortably put it in a Premium+ category based on all the miles from my own ownership/experience. Of course your mileage may vary depending on your ownership/experience of other brands, but I will say with confidence that the Rivian is very well put together. It ain't a Tesla lol, and we own many Teslas so this is just genuine data based on real world ownership.

If you come across anyone to say that Tesla is luxury then you know exactly where they are with not knowing cars and that they are lying/in-experienced.

Acura has more difference from Honda nowadays. My 24’ MDX Type S drives, and feels nothing like a pilot.

 

[Redline]

Premium is a good way to put it.

As of right now, they most people who know of Rivian, but don’t own one, would consider it a premium brand with the price tag.

That might change with the R2 and 3.

It’s sort of like Patagonia or Lulu. Not luxury, but not cheap and sort of a premium brand if you will.

 

[Ecupip]

The poll is nice, but this has already been discussed at great length in other threads. Luxury is very subjective. For most, it's in the details like the materials used, available features, and even dealer experience.

Rivian is considered and ranked as a luxury brand, at least in the EV space.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/luxury-electric-suvs

 

[Hillbilly]

People try very hard to pigeonhole “luxury” into one very narrow category, but it’s really open to personal preference. Thinking leather is a staple of luxury is a BS and dated view imo. By some peoples’ accounts, Porsche is not a luxury brand. I think premium is a better word to use and Rivians are definitely premium. Also, I’d bet almost no one is cross shopping these with Acuras or Infinitis. They’re pulling people from Tesla, Volvo, BMW, Land Rover, etc.

The R1S seems to be the new Range Rover Sport of Southern California.

Not all leather is luxurious. You know the good stuff when you sit on it/touch it (it should be on more surfaces than just the seat). So I'll just disagree with you on the leather conclusion.

 

[swazi]

I think a lot of people consider it luxury based on price compared to other cars. And perhaps to a lesser extent the niche/novelty of it. In my opinion more so for the R1S than the T.
I was charging at Newark DE yesterday and for the duration had 5 other rivians charging. I never had the impression that any of them were enthusiasts like myself, which started me thinking. Are they all ex BMW owners?
Prejudice aside, I still think it is a good thing though. For both the planet and Rivian. So the more people that think it is luxury and stop idling their 18mpg suv during their kid's soccer practice the better.
Sorry about the mini rant.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Luxury vehicles tend to put creature comfort at the front and center. Rivian is not that kind of a brand.

 

[Gee Bee]

Not with Vinyl interior

 

[Franksmartin]

4Runner with a $30k battery

And air suspension, multiple drive modes, OTA improvements monthly, 0-60 in 3.1 secs, and a better ride feel.

 

[Brian A]

4Runner with a $30k battery

Much better than a 4runner when you compare interiors. Toyota is very plain/plasticy in their interiors.

 

[Brian A]

Not with Vinyl interior

It my be vinyl (vegan leather) but it sure looks and feels like leather.

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