I think I messed up....

[Uncle Dude]

Sorry for the click bait title LOL. We have a Bronco Sport which I want to upgrade to an R2. My wife sort of agreed at the time we placed the deposit. She likes the Bronco, likes that it is basic, easy to use, non precious and relatively inexpensive. Our other car is a Porsche Spyder for context.

So we were in Vancouver and I thought it would be good to stop at the Rivian show room with her and our dog. So we got to the showroom and there was an R1S parked outside in the dark colour and dark wheel covers. It looked good to me, but we were both struck at how *big* it is. As we went in, I caught my poor dogs foot in the door and he screamed. He was ok, and there was also some guy grinding concrete down 10' from the Rivian so it was loud outside. Not a good start.

Inside the showroom, it was bare. No cars, one guy working there playing on his phone (who did open the R1S for us). Some boxes showing interior materials, paint samples and a rack of t-shirts. We were the only people there. It wasn't welcoming and odd with no cars inside, and the fellow confirmed that was the only one they had. I asked my wife what colours she liked, and she said "I don’t know, need to see it on the car"......... I'm losing ground quickly LOL.

The R1S interior to me looked great, to her it was busy and she (again) bemoaned the lack of buttons. The car was fully lifted too so she had to hop up to get in. I did remind her the R2 was smaller, but I think the visit was a failure by that point. So in my case, this particular show room, on this day, hurt my case to get her excited about new tech, and an upgrade over the Bronco with a new kind of driving experience. We talked about pulling the plug on the reservation (the showroom was a massive disappointment to me and I'm an enthusiastist), but we're going to hang on to it for now and maybe I'll try again next summer when there's actually an R2 on hand. The R2 never showed at the Vancouver tour, even though it was scheduled.

Sorry, not super interesting to read, I'm just annoyed that my attempt to get her interested completely backfired.

Randy

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[mikehmb]

I'm willing to bet there's another Vancouverite with an R1S who just happens to have side steps and would be happy to show you and your wife their truck - in low mode.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

The R2 is substantially smaller. The R3 is even smaller than that. Technology is going to be the sticking point it sounds like. I'd wait until it was available to test drive.

 

[Uncle Dude]

I'm willing to bet there's another Vancouverite with an R1S who just happens to have side steps and would be happy to show you and your wife their truck - in low mode.

You're likely correct, for our purposes though the vehicle is just too big. It is just us 2 and the pooch. I did show her on the way home the R2 interior is slightly different (visually she thought R1S was busy), and I showed her the R2 is only about 12" longer than the Bronco and actually lower. For her it is a utility vehicle, but when we travel I want something more interesting to drive (I do the driving). So the size of the R2 will be ok, but I've got an uphill battle on the tech front and cost front (here ideal amount to spend is $0 LOL). Showroom visit worked against me, I'd have been better off showing her the Out of Spec deep dive video or something.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I'd try to catch actual owners. Most of us won't bite, and are happy to show off our trucks. ? Alternatively, check if there are any clubs or meetups in your area?

 

[Foobar]

I would hate for someone to end up disappointed with something because they couldn’t see it before buying it. The last 5 vehicles I’ve purchased were bought sight unseen so I’m used to doing the research ahead of time and visualizing the experience in my head and making a decision right then and there but I know a lot of people can’t make that decision until seeing the item upfront.

Wait until you can see one and decide if it’s worth waiting for. Fortunately, your deposit is refundable.

In any event, the Rivian interiors are pretty bland and basic compared to other cars out there aside from Tesla. I’m not sure why she thinks it’s busy. I just googled bronco interiors and that seems busier than any Rivian I’ve seen so maybe busy means something different to her.

 

[Uncle Dude]

The R2 is substantially smaller. The R3 is even smaller than that. Technology is going to be the sticking point it sounds like. I'd wait until it was available to test drive.

She uses CarPlay and I have been telling her we use the screen more and more etc. I didn't even have time to mess around with the screen because I just felt she wanted to leave. From my research and asking folks who have one, it seems pretty easy to use (like no drilling down 2 menus for simple functions). In my case, I might have to actually show her the vehicle to see if she's at all into it. We come to these decisions jointly, and I can't really complain given the other car we have.

 

[Uncle Dude]

I would hate for someone to end up disappointed with something because they couldn’t see it before buying it. The last 5 vehicles I’ve purchased were bought sight unseen so I’m used to doing the research ahead of time and visualizing the experience in my head and making a decision right then and there but I know a lot of people can’t make that decision until seeing the item upfront.

Wait until you can see one and decide if it’s worth waiting for. Fortunately, your deposit is refundable.

In any event, the Rivian interiors are pretty bland and basic compared to other cars out there aside from Tesla. I’m not sure why she thinks it’s busy. I just googled bronco interiors and that seems busier than any Rivian I’ve seen so maybe busy

I was surprised on the interior comment. We're also strict vegans so I thought she'd really appreciate what they'd done. R2 has a bit less embroidery and patterning so that might help. By busy, I think that's what she means because there is way less "stuff" in the Rivian. With the Bronco, she also wanted to see it first. So she's not like you and me, where we can research, watch videos, and get jazzed up, then purchase and generally know what to expect. She's very much hands on, then decide. I'd hope this visit would help her appreciate the aesthetics, quality, and the tech but we just didn't get that far. I'm annoyed at myself LOL.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

She uses CarPlay and I have been telling her we use the screen more and more etc. I didn't even have time to mess around with the screen because I just felt she wanted to leave. From my research and asking folks who have one, it seems pretty easy to use (like no drilling down 2 menus for simple functions). In my case, I might have to actually show her the vehicle to see if she's at all into it. We come to these decisions jointly, and I can't really complain given the other car we have.

You don't have to tell me how important it is to ensure your wife agrees on her primary driver's car. I went to the Nashville space last weekend, where the R2 and the R3X were to look. We decided the R2 is too small, although I have a day-one reservation for one. Too small for me that is. My wife really liked the R3X so that's a contender to replace her i4M50.

I wouldn't look at any more R1's as they don't work for you. All that's going to do is turn your wife off.

 

[COdogman]

At some point the R2 will make it's way through that Rivian Space and that is the visit that counts. The R2 sits lower than the S and while it feels big enough, it definitely feels smaller than the S looking at it from the outside.

 

[KRG]

Surprised you had a less than stellar experience at that store. I’ve visited a couple and came away very impressed.

You still have plenty of time to get excited. No reason to cancel the reservation until you’re a definite no imo.

 

[Uncle Dude]

Surprised you had a less than stellar experience at that store. I’ve visited a couple and came away very impressed.

You still have plenty of time to get excited. No reason to cancel the reservation until you’re a definite no imo.

yep, time is on my side! The store was empty, no car in the showroom made it feel vacant and the employee was just sort of there and didn't engage really at all. I know it is tough to balance "annoying" and "disinterested' for the sales guys. Kind of a no win situation, but the space itself really needed a car, and a video playing on the screen or something interesting. This was the Brentwood store.

 

[electruck]

You're almost 2 yrs out from R2 deliveries. Kick that can down the road, it's futile to debate that decision with her now. A lot can change over 2 years that might influence her opinion. If you have a reservation, hang onto it - it's not really costing you anything.

 

[b_ack51]

You're likely correct, for our purposes though the vehicle is just too big. It is just us 2 and the pooch. I did show her on the way home the R2 interior is slightly different (visually she thought R1S was busy), and I showed her the R2 is only about 12" longer than the Bronco and actually lower. For her it is a utility vehicle, but when we travel I want something more interesting to drive (I do the driving). So the size of the R2 will be ok, but I've got an uphill battle on the tech front and cost front (here ideal amount to spend is $0 LOL). Showroom visit worked against me, I'd have been better off showing her the Out of Spec deep dive video or something.

How is the R2 interior too busy but the Bronco isnt?

 

[jbssfelix]

Current R1S owner with R2 reservation. We were able to catch the R2 and R3 in Denver when it passed through. As others have said, it is significantly smaller than the R1. It's more comparable in size to a Model Y or the Volvo XC40 (just ever so slightly larger), so I'd go walk around those if you want to get a sense of scale.

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