Gen2 R1S Delivery and Review

[Supratachophobia]

100% agree that the doors don’t sound/feel as solid as Gen1, but I do feel like Gen2 takes less force to close reliably.

Weird, they seem pretty solid to me. However, I heard someone mention, and I have confirmed, it's only the last door that takes effort to close. I think it has to do with the pressure inside the vehicle. Ergo, the car is better built IMO.

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[Electron]

The door is going to cause a lot of service tickets.

Was just at the SC and this is true, which I imagine the demand to fix them will increase causing even more scheduling issues at high traffic SCs. Panel gaps on the Gen 2 is a real thing. It's really a trade off with having all the improvements on the Gen 2, while perhaps having a sloppier build. Particularly with fit and finish.

I hope Rivian doesn't go full on "It's within spec" mode like Tesla does. This is what happens when short cuts are taken in the name of efficiency; with the sole purpose to pump the numbers.

In my opinion, build wise the 2023 and 2024 Gen 1s were probably their best built R1s. They had to with it being the poster child model for the brand.

Scaling down in quality isn't unique to Rivian, this is seen with many other brands in the name of cost cutting and efficiency.

 

[RivianPGH]

Weird, they seem pretty solid to me. However, I heard someone mention, and I have confirmed, it's only the last door that takes effort to close. I think it has to do with the pressure inside the vehicle. Ergo, the car is better built IMO.

I don’t necessarily mean to imply they feel/sound bad, just that my old doors felt and sound like one solid thing, where the new ones sound slightly more rattle-y.

Also agree about the pressure affecting door closure, but I had that with Gen1 as well.

 

[mkhuffman]

Hi everyone. I have had my Gen2 R1S for two weeks and already put 2K miles on it. Here is my video review of delivery and initial thoughts.




Background: 20” rims because of tire availability, we camp and off road at least once a month, ocean coast because why not. It’s a futuristic car. I have owned two Tesla with white interiors and no issues even after my nephew puked in the background seat twice. Baby wipes fixed everything. Air compressor always needed for airing backup and I don’t have to carry a portable one that I might forget.

We have owned a quad 202 Quad R1T 20” rims, ocean cost for 12k miles. Sold because of Bosh motor issues loud sounds and rattles that service center didn’t want to admit to or try to fix. Leasing dual motor R1T large pack 20” rims for 2 years. Hopping for better luck with the in house motor. Great motor but miss the pick up of the quad.

Just bought Gen2 R1S max pack, all terrain upgrade, ocean coast interior. After having trouble free with the in house motors we used our 20% discount for early reservation holders because of September 30th deadline.

The good from my 2k miles experience and a road trip to Florida.
Overall this is the car Rivian wanted to build but supply chain stopped them.

• Vampires drain is now down to zero. Left it at the parking garage for 7 days. Cellular data and location services off on iPhone. Gear guard off.
• Definitely improved ride quality over Gen1. The new hardware is worth the upgrade to me. We leased Gen1 knowing Gen2 was around the corner and wanted to validate if the in-house motor would be reliable and less noisy half shaft issues.
• Upgraded cameras are amazing and definitely improved the driver plus.
• I am an audio file having owned Volvo XC90 with B&O upgraded sound and owning Land Rover defender with Meridian sound system. The Gen2 basic sound system is definitely better than the Gen1 but no where near a Land Rover or Volvo basic sound system. R1S Gen2 sound system has better base control and speakers sound like they have better insulation.
• Wifie loves having more interior ambient colors. R1T is hers and R1S is mine. Looks like both will become hers if I want to stay married longer and I will be back to driving my gas guzzling defender daily.
• Ocean coast interior pillar speaker grills are now white like they were originally supposed to be.
• Headlights are fantastic and are now cornering. It’s cool watching the matrix sort of do their thing when you turn the steering wheel.
• Storage cubby that replaced the camp speakers is not too bad. Great place to store tissue and spoons and of-course granola.
• Sound system quality has been improved.

The bad

• Worst delivery ever and this is my third Rivian. The vehicle was delayed for 3 days and I only found out after I driving 1.5hrs to the delivery center a day before my deliver since they ghosted me. On delivery day they seemed not interested in hearing about the issue I found so I grabbed my keys and split.
• Range is not always as advertised so dont complain since we all know the EPA testing standards dont repalce to real world highway driving at 75Mph.
• The phone proximity unlock seems worse on the Gen2.
• Wireless phone charger is improved but always overheats your phone instead of actually charging it.
• My Gen1 frunk water tank won’t fit the Gen 2.
• Those new electronic doors are going cause a lot of service tickets. They are hard to close and make a very unsettling clicking/grinding noise when opening. I can see that the filed down metal on the driver side door to avoid the noise but didn’t do it for the other door that are making the grinding noise when they open.
• Build quality is improved but I found a lot of panel gaps, deformed plastic door trims and underbody plastic panels that were sticking out. Service tickets submitted including for the door issues.
• Charging curve is about the same. No improvement that I have noticed.
• Driver plus leans more towards the right side of the lane and can be a little scary making you think the other driving is getting too close to you. Still needs work.
• The really should have put in illumination buttons on the steering wheel. Even simple back lite dots would have been okay if they don’t want to put arrows. All model 3s and non luxury cars have illuminated button for quick orientation at night.
• The seats are still firm and places you would rest your elbow or arms feel like they could use more padding. Sit in a Volvo XC90 or Range Rover Sport and you would know what I mean.

Overall I recommend getting it and plan on getting the Gen2 R1T when our current lease is over.

Patrick, this is a great review. The best I have seen yet. I love how you focus on the issues you have seen and what to look for when picking one up, and the very detailed comparison between Gen1 and Gen2 was great. Thank you for making the video and posting here!

 

[iansriv]

Weird, they seem pretty solid to me. However, I heard someone mention, and I have confirmed, it's only the last door that takes effort to close. I think it has to do with the pressure inside the vehicle. Ergo, the car is better built IMO.

I don't know why but I like it when it takes effort to close the door. Makes me think the car is more solid. My favourite thing on the Gelandewagen, otherwise not a fan.

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