Help a prospective buyer pull the trigger (or not)

[NY_Rob]

I would definitely consider how far you are from service centers. You may get lucky and get one that doesn't need any service. Also consider how much it may cost you if it needs to be towed to a service center. For a while, my closest service center was about 140 miles away, and would've been close to $1000 for it to be towed one way from my house to the service center, if I had to pay out of pocket. If you are far from service centers, or in a remote area, remote service may take awhile to fix a problem in your driveway. When my 12v batteries died in my driveway, it took almost 3 weeks to get an appointment. Remote service may be better in your area or expanded since then.

^ This 1000%

Lots of new hardware on the gen 2 vehicles, Rivian needs to get production dialed in to make them trouble free, there have also been software glitches with gen 2 vehicles. Both will get corrected over time, but it could be a couple of years before all that happens. Currently, Rivian has almost no loaner vehicles, so you'll get Uber credits vs a loaner. For non-safety related defects (panel gaps, interior issues, leaks, etc..) you are responsible to bring the vehicle to the closest SC. How far is that from your home? And, they typically require the vehicle to be at the SC location 10 days ahead of when they intend to start working on it.

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[av8or]

I vote none and wait for R3X

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Depends on what your goals are. Financially, and I’m no expert, a 3-5 year old vehicle which has already had a significant amount of depreciation would be a good choice assuming you keep it and drive it for ten years.

Now with Rivian right now a used 1st gen quad will be most cost effective and it has a great 175,000 mi or 8 year warranty.

Ionia 5 I hear is a decent vehicle but I have not experienced one.

The Rivian will be the most fun vehicle hands down. It also has versatility like.m no other.

The only word I have of caution is on service service does require a lot of patience right now because they do not have a lot of service centers and the number of vehicles is growing. There can be a significant wait time for an appointment and after you drop off.

 

[Rigel2601]

If you want a good deal on an EV commuter car, get the Ioniq 5. If you want a stupid grin on your face evey time you get in the car, get the Rivian.

Its a smartphone on wheels, an off-road beast, and a bat out of hell fast, with a 400 mile range.

At my age, with 8 grandkids, off-road mountain trails an hour away from Denver, and a once a year road trip to California, I went for the R1S Dual Max Performance and “the grin”.

 

[slippingsloth]

Appreciate everyone’s input.
I put the longer post because I figured more info the better.

Eastvale service center 30min away.

Havasu is just a get away location for us.

The R1T is the fun choice, Ioniq is the economical choice.

I knew this before posting, but just wanted to be sure that summer heat wasn’t a deal breaker because of either poor a/c performance or noise in R1T gen 2. IE if 5 guys here said the thing really screams/shakes and you boil when it is a 110 then the R1T gen 2 would be off the table.

Once I make that call then it would be dual vs tri for the R1.

It is not a marketing survey unless you mean a survey for one guy who lives in Riverside CA. LOL. I was a medical student when I bought my last car, I have been an attending for a decade now so different time/$ of life.

 

[ThumprMN]

I love this thread!! And wish i could throw this in front of everyone who claims this forum is filled with nothing buy Fans of Rivian. Really got a good cross section of honest feedback.

It certainly sounds like your heart has made a decision… Can’t wait to hear how it turns out ?

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Even when there are financial advantages to driving the Bolt, @slippingsloth, we feel safer in the Rivians.

Driving something that big is a big responsibility, but we think overall the Rivians are a better safety bet.

*** SAFETY ***

Rivian's crash avoidance features are the best we've ever owned. Nothing else came close.

Our biggest road hazard isn't other vehicles. It's deer and elk.

We don't think hitting a deer or elk with a Rivian is likely to injure us at all. Same scenario with the Bolt? We could get badly injured.

We're still very defensive drivers, but it's nice to know that if a terrified deer runs out too fast to avoid, we'll be out of the Rivian and walking around as we call the police and work out the insurance.

*** SATISFACTION AND FUN ***

The Bolts are fun, especially in the daytime. The Rivians are just as much fun, day and night.

On smooth roads, our Rivians just eat up the miles and time seems to stand still. Very pleasant.

If Rivian succeeds, the world is better off. We enjoy being part of that effort.

***

You're fortunate to have at least two very good choices. Enjoy your new vehicle!

 

[Billybobgt]

Sounds like fun vehicle is the way to go.

That said I've not had any issues with Gen 1 r1t with large pack. Easily best vehicle I've owned. My wife has 120k miles on her id4 and I can say that it's similar size to the ioniq and does everything you could need from a daily driver.

The charging speed of the ioniq is pretty descent but if you don't road trip that often term maybe not as important.

In summary you've done your time so go get the fun option.

 

[DayTripping]

Put aside your issues and buy a Tesla. Seriously. In your situation, it would be one of your best options. Go drive a new Tesla model 3 highland performance. Amazing car for the money, Supercar quick and very efficient.

Best fun you buy have for 50k. Assuming you enjoy performance. If you need more room, and want a hatchback, buy a used Model S Plaid. No money going to Elon that way if you are absolutely stuck on that.

I live in Texas with hot temps for a lot of the year. My Teslas have had the best ACs of any cars I've owned. They are phenomenal on 115F+ days.

The Ioniq isn't a bad choice at all and I can see how you got there. I'd keep that in the mix. I'd definitely consider an Ioniq 5 N. But at its current price, the Model 3 is a better value, but a cool car, much cooler than the base Ioniq 5.

The Rivian is a great vehicle but compared to the Teslas I mentioned above, or the Ioniq, you'll double your energy usage and road tripping will often be worse. I almost always take the most efficient EV I have as I spend less time charging and charging on the road is a lot more expensive than home. That may vary if towing something or I need a lot more room.

I'd consider a Gen1 R1T, but a used on in your situation. Save on depreciation, get a quad motor, large pack. Not much more than a new Ioniq if you look for a bit. A traditional AC system is more efficient in hot weather (>85F) than a heat pump. Between 20-85F, heatpump is better, below approximately 20F, heatpump is marginally better, but not enough to really matter.

If you do want something like full self driving, go back up to my Tesla recommendations. There are hitches made for the sedan Telsas. My 3 tows as well as my Y did and much more fun to drive when I don't have a boat behind it. Now with my Rivian I use it more, but the Teslas still do great.

 

[krb1183]

Appreciate everyone’s input.
I put the longer post because I figured more info the better.

Eastvale service center 30min away.

Havasu is just a get away location for us.

The R1T is the fun choice, Ioniq is the economical choice.

I knew this before posting, but just wanted to be sure that summer heat wasn’t a deal breaker because of either poor a/c performance or noise in R1T gen 2. IE if 5 guys here said the thing really screams/shakes and you boil when it is a 110 then the R1T gen 2 would be off the table.

Once I make that call then it would be dual vs tri for the R1.

It is not a marketing survey unless you mean a survey for one guy who lives in Riverside CA. LOL. I was a medical student when I bought my last car, I have been an attending for a decade now so different time/$ of life.

I love my R1S (Gen2), picked it up in August in Huntsville and A/C worked great, and i didn't think it was too loud, based on feedback i had heard i was expecting worse. Even in the cold here, i don't think it is that loud, or odd sounding really. My BIGGEST thing i can recommend, is distance to the service center and the flexibility of your time. I live 2 hours from the service center and have brought mine in thrice now since pickup on August 17. If you are have the patience and flexibility to handle service for even minor bugs and glitches that need to be troubleshot in software, than okay. You will always get a loaner/rental from rivian once you get it there.

 

[meshugy]

Large pack is sufficient, especially if most of your driving is local with the occasional road trips. If you road trip a lot, I'd get the Max Pack.

it should be noted that the Gen 1 Large battery has 20kwh more than the Gen 2 Large so they’re not the same. For me, the Gen 2 Large battery would be too small and the Gen 2 Max battery is excruciating slow when charging to 100%. Gen 1 Large still seems like the best bet for range.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

it should be noted that the Gen 1 Large battery has 20kwh more than the Gen 2 Large so they’re not the same. For me, the Gen 2 Large battery would be too small and the Gen 2 Max battery is excruciating slow when charging to 100%. Gen 1 Large still seems like the best bet for range.

Gen 1 Max isn't easy to find, @meshugy, but we're very happy with ours!

Gen 1 Max has about 141 kWh of usable capacity, with good range and charging curves.

Best wishes!

 

[Rade]

it should be noted that the Gen 1 Large battery has 20kwh more than the Gen 2 Large so they’re not the same. For me, the Gen 2 Large battery would be too small and the Gen 2 Max battery is excruciating slow when charging to 100%. Gen 1 Large still seems like the best bet for range

Our concern around these parts is the lack of charging infrastructure going to places we normally take trips to; Cape Cod, "The Big E!", etc. We know that from our house to Provincetown is 101 miles. From our house to Agawam, MA is 110 miles. The Large battery offers us enough range to get to point "B" and back on one charge.

On delivery, the Service Center gave us a "full tank" (100% charge). I think I charged it up to 100% once since, but for the most part, use the 85% charge limit for daily use. I was also in the habit of plugging it into the home charger every day. We have a January electric bill that has indicated as such... 38amps for x-hours...x-times a week... Started driving over to the Tesla chargers a couple of miles from the house.

 

[boosted20v]

One thing no one has mentioned in this thread solely based on the OP's final list of Rivian vs. Ioniq 5 is the software. The Rivian's software stack is miles ahead of Hyundai's with the Hyundai bordering on painful. It doesn't sound like you plan on road tripping it but the route planning in the Hyundai isn't good at all either. All that said I'd short list a 5N but I'd be going in eyes wide open and I wouldn't road trip it. you also mentioned Macan and Q6. We added a SQ6 etron to the garage and while there are some bugs to iron out, it's pretty impressive overall. I'd also go that route over a Ioniq 5 as it has superior tech, and is loads more upscale.

 

[RivAW]

Our R1S does fine in the heat (Phx). The hvac is loud Af but it works. If 17 yr Honda reliability is important to you, Rivian might not be the way to go. These things have a lot that crop up. And how does 4 month out service appts sound? And Havasu? Where’s your nearest service center? Phx? F that dude.

The overwhelming majority don't have regular service issues and not 4 month issues. I have 40K on my Gen 1 R1t with only one early service issue that took 3 days (1 of them because I was not available to pick up). You seen an overstated amount of "issues" on forums like this which attract people with both questions and complaints.

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