Honest Opinion From Current Owners? - Re: R1S

[McLovin]

I am closer to Rochester.

Sorry to hear. As a native Rochestarian (see my thread here about visiting RIT), I support moving away from that weather. 30+ years in Virginia, and it’s so much better between September and May…

Can’t help you much, as I’ve only had my R1T (Large) for 2 months, and only commute 2 times a week. And I get free charging at work, so I “fill up” Monday and Tuesday, and I’m good for the remainder of the week. Coldest it’s been is upper 30s.

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[iansriv]

YES, there was a Service Bulletin to relocate brackets and other stuff (is around the forum if you want to search for it) and I might have been one of the first to get it done. The change is night and day.My wife has a Model 3 and now the outside noise is on par with my R1T

OP: I just picked up my R1S today from the SC for this ac "update." It made a significant change in the noise as @mudito stated. The number of Rivians on the road are not that many compared to mass produced legacy cars so, the complaints can seem to be proportionately larger. I have had my R1 for about a year and it's been great. It took about a week to schedule the SC visit. They had it for about a week and all is well. As far as being 5 hours away-there are people taking their Rivians to Europe and the Middle East. I would get the R1. All the best.

 

[iansriv]

I am able to charge once a night with my Y. Only during winters I have to worry about getting back home with out charging. Believe it or not with 95% charging at home, I can make it back and forth 180 miles in even brutal cold weather in the Y, but I have to drive very slowly like 65mph.
So looking for alternatives so I can drive reasonably fast like occasional 75 and steady 70mph.

I narrowed it to Lucid Air but the ground clearance is only 4.6". Next comes Tesla [again Tesla, geez] S clearance 4.5 to 6.2 inches. Then comes Rivian R1S. But it is too big for me.

As it stands, I am leaning towards Tesla S with EPA 405 miles. So even in winters, I am hoping it will give at least 250 to 275. Concern is the low ground clearance.

Can you wait for the R2?

 

[ndmiller]

We do not have a local service center, nearest one is 5 hours away.

Hard no 5 hours from a SC as just a tow @ $4/mile for something simple like 12V battery dying would be about $1200. NO vehicle is reliable enough under these circumstances. Wait until they open a SC closer.

 

[Jiji]

I am closer to Rochester. So Brooklyn is 5+ hours and Toronto is 3.5 hours. I do not know of any Rivian service centers closer to Syracuse or Rochester.

 

[lovetowait]

The Hyundai 2025 IONIQ 5 or IONIQ 6 AWD and 84 kWh battery seems like a solid choice. It is performing well in cold climates and just needs that rear window wiper for snow/sleet accumulation on the highway.

Range would be about 3 miles/kWh, or about 225 miles.

 

[Dmroc]

Hard no 5 hours from a SC as just a tow @ $4/mile for something simple like 12V battery dying would be about $1200. NO vehicle is reliable enough under these circumstances. Wait until they open a SC closer.

Yes Jiji... I was about to post the same. Looks like there is a SC in Rochester.


Now can you guys recommend a used 2023 R1S that has 400 mile range?

Thanks.

 

[lefkonj]

Have had my R1S for almost 2 years, 20k miles. A few bumps in the very beginning but solid ever since. I would buy another today if I needed too. Hope that helps.

Lots of people like to complain not compliment. Service center sure but mobile service does great things and can be at your house or place of business. Rivian has always been responsive and reacted well to my questions or concerns.

 

[Jiji]

Now can you guys recommend a used 2023 R1S that has 400 mile range?

Doesn’t exist unless they delivered the DM Max pack in 2023.

Realistically something has to give to make an EV work with your requirements.
1. Accept occasional charging in severe weather and get a EV with ~300 miles range with the desired ground clearance
2. Get a big battery vehicle like a Silverado, Hummer or R1 Max
3. Get a beater winter car for those crazy lake effect days

Since you don’t really need the space/size, I would suggest something like a Mach-E class vehicle that has Tesla charging available. Not sure of your exact commute but between the 40+ Evolve NY sites and the Tesla SCs that accept non-Teslas you would have many options for a 10 minute stop on the toughest days.

 

[Dmroc]

Doesn’t exist unless they delivered the DM Max pack in 2023.

Realistically something has to give to make an EV work with your requirements.
1. Accept occasional charging in severe weather and get a EV with ~300 miles range with the desired ground clearance
2. Get a big battery vehicle like a Silverado, Hummer or R1 Max
3. Get a beater winter car for those crazy lake effect days

Since you don’t really need the space/size, I would suggest something like a Mach-E class vehicle that has Tesla charging available. Not sure of your exact commute but between the 40+ Evolve NY sites and the Tesla SCs that accept non-Teslas you would have many options for a 10 minute stop on the toughest days.

Thanks Jiji.

 

[ads75]

250 miles with a single charge when temp is under/around 10 degrees.

For me, a service center 5 hours away is a non-starter. After 3 service center visits, I will not get the R2 (or any other vehicle) unless a service center/dealer is within 30-45 minutes of me. My last Rivian service center visit was "only" 1.5 hours each way, and I had to arrange for time off of work to drop off, and again, a couple weeks later to pick up. The time I did get mobile service, for a dead 12v battery, the person on the phone made it sound like since I lived 2.5 hours from the nearest service center, mobile techs weren't in my area that often, so it took almost 3 weeks to get my dead 12v batteries replaced. Now, that was in Summer 2023, they probably have more mobile techs now. But if you rarely see Rivians in your area, it may not be a high priority to have a mobile tech in your area.

As for the distance, I have a Quad motor Large R1T, supposedly 270-280 miles of range, on 20" AT tires. The other tires can get around 10% more range.

My best range that I got was around 250 miles, on a couple mild days with temps 70s-80s. I left my house, and got home with around 30-40 miles of range estimated left (drive was about 110 miles each way). Driving was some freeway, some 45mph roads. I did the same drive, same route (or close enough) when it was 13F out, and it took 50% of my battery to go 110 miles, so a total range of about 220 miles.

That's my range experience. Some will agree with me, others will insist I am doing it wrong.

 

[sub]

It took me 7 service center visits and more than 6 months to get everything on my the day 1 issue/defect list fixed.

It was pretty annoying that it took them so long to get everything fixed. And that is with the service center less than 5 minutes out of the way from my daily commute.

I can't imagine how angry I would have been at Rivian about returning the vehicle unrepaired over and over if each appointment involved 20 hours of driving.

But it had way more to do with the service center being overworked and the employees undertrained than the vehicle being unreliable. All of that was for issues that existed on Day 1. I have only had 1 issue come up that was not present at delivery, and Rivian did a great job at resolving that one promptly.

If I were you and was 5 hours from a service center there is no way I would buy a Rivian from the factory sight unseen. But I would probably be OK buying a used one that I could inspect before buying to confirm that it is defect free.

 

[Riptonite]

We are in the mountains of central Vermont and have 20k on our Quad/Large R1S since last August.
Nearest service center is 3.5 hours to Boston but we haven't needed anything that can't be done by the local service rep on a mobile basis. It's a (positive) beast in the winter with proper tires and offers opportunities to explore that simply don't exist with most other vehicles (EV or ICE).
We also have a '16 Model X that has been harder to maintain, even with a recently added Tesla center an hour away.
We will soon sell the Tesla and replace it with a second Rivian.
DM me if you want to talk about any additional details or concerns.
Chris

 

[Riptonite]

They sold 2024 R1S' with DM/Max so you may find one of them. I bought and am repairing a salvage one.

 

[AllInev]

Hi
I currently own a model Y with 142,000 miles on it. I commute daily 180 miles, mainly in highways. I live in upper NY where it snows and there can be snow squalls when driving in the winter, highway maintenance crews can't keep up with the 1-2 feet of snow falling rapidly. My Y works but I run in to range issues in the winter. Also I am looking for a Musk alternative. I am on the wait list for R2, so another 2 years before I get my hands on it.

We do not have a local service center, nearest one is 5 hours away. How reliable are the R1Ss? I see so many negative comments and people selling their R1S due to poor construction and support.

Please be honest. Would you recommend a used R1S 2023 for my purpose? Range [need 225 miles on a single charge at temps in the low 10s], reliability and support if needed.

Thanks.

No nearby Service Center? Nope, don’t do it. Like lies and secrets, keep them (Service Centers) close to your heart.

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