I'm now in the club!

[steilkurve]

Hey all.

After years of waiting and hesitating, I dove in and took delivery of an El Cap R1T Max Pack. The car is replacing my Model S daily driver and a RAM 2500 tow vehicle (for a 25' Airstream). What made me finally purchase is the growing desire to streamline my fleet size (insurance costs, maintenance, city parking of 3 vehicles), Gen 2 improvements and their latest incentive.

Now, before folks warn me about towing range, I've towed a smaller Airstream with a Model X and I know what to expect. That said, having now tried both EV and ICE towing, I'm willing to trade more frequent stops for the power and stability of EV towing. The RAM was bouncy and noisy (but yes of course, had amazing range).

What's impressed me about the R1T in my short experience with it:

- The ride. This thing is a truck (albeit smaller than my old HD truck) but almost drives like my Model S. Actually, I think it may drive better than my S. I feel like it handles road imperfections better. Really doesn't porpoise a lot for a truck when hitting potholes or expansion joints.
- The interior. It's refined and looks good. I feel like I'm getting more of my money's worth compared to the S interior. Both are high priced cars, it should feel like it inside.
- The efficiency. I've yet to dig into stats in great detail but I'm actually surprised I only ate into 20% of the battery or so. Drove around quite a bit yesterday in cold, snowy weather, some of it hauling an extra set of wheels/tires. Nothing scientific here, just an impression.
- The UI. Ok, Tesla probably has the upper hand but I do like the looks of it better. Feels like they got designers involved and not just IT guys. It's pleasant to look at.
- The sales and deliver experience. The folks at the Montreal service center (and their sales and delivery guide colleagues from Toronto on the phone) were super friendly. Taking possession was such a pleasant experience.

What I heard as concerns before buying and noticed already:

-The heat pump. Yes, it's noisy. Can't exactly say my Teslas were silent but somehow you hear and feel it a bit more inside the Rivian. That said, it warms up the car fast despite our sub-freezing temps.
-The tonneau cover. Why do I feel like it'll be the first thing to fail? It's the new and improved of course but man it's noisy. Please tell me it's 'by design'. ;-)

More to come as I drive it more but so far, it's exceeded my expectations.

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[Donald Stanfield]

I had my OG tonneau cover on my gen 1 that was noisy but worked perfectly from the time I got the car to the time I traded it in for my gen 2 trimax. Use dry lube in the tracks periodically and you should be good.

 

[MountainPassPerformance]

Congrats, and welcome!
You picked one hell of a Rivian to start with. We love it.

The tonneau cover should last, but it can make some noise for sure.
Our solution: No cover

 

[steilkurve]

Use dry lube in the tracks periodically and you should be good.

Thanks! Any specific brand of dry lube recommended by Rivian?

 

[COdogman]

Not even a single pic

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Thanks! Any specific brand of dry lube recommended by Rivian?

Not that I know of. I used WD-40 brand dry lube. It's important to get the dry lube as the stuff that stays wet will attract dirt and dust, making the cover more likely to fail, not less.

 

[steilkurve]

Not even a single pic

Ah! Yes! Don’t like to show off a dirty ride, though some would say it’s the natural state of an adventure vehicle. Here it is at delivery and then after, sporting winter wheels and tires, as well as a good dose of Montreal slush.

 

[Ohm Boy]

Congrats and welcome!!

 

[LR4toR1S]

Hey all.

After years of waiting and hesitating, I dove in and took delivery of an El Cap R1T Max Pack. The car is replacing my Model S daily driver and a RAM 2500 tow vehicle (for a 25' Airstream). What made me finally purchase is the growing desire to streamline my fleet size (insurance costs, maintenance, city parking of 3 vehicles), Gen 2 improvements and their latest incentive.

Now, before folks warn me about towing range, I've towed a smaller Airstream with a Model X and I know what to expect. That said, having now tried both EV and ICE towing, I'm willing to trade more frequent stops for the power and stability of EV towing. The RAM was bouncy and noisy (but yes of course, had amazing range).

What's impressed me about the R1T in my short experience with it:

- The ride. This thing is a truck (albeit smaller than my old HD truck) but almost drives like my Model S. Actually, I think it may drive better than my S. I feel like it handles road imperfections better. Really doesn't porpoise a lot for a truck when hitting potholes or expansion joints.
- The interior. It's refined and looks good. I feel like I'm getting more of my money's worth compared to the S interior. Both are high priced cars, it should feel like it inside.
- The efficiency. I've yet to dig into stats in great detail but I'm actually surprised I only ate into 20% of the battery or so. Drove around quite a bit yesterday in cold, snowy weather, some of it hauling an extra set of wheels/tires. Nothing scientific here, just an impression.
- The UI. Ok, Tesla probably has the upper hand but I do like the looks of it better. Feels like they got designers involved and not just IT guys. It's pleasant to look at.
- The sales and deliver experience. The folks at the Montreal service center (and their sales and delivery guide colleagues from Toronto on the phone) were super friendly. Taking possession was such a pleasant experience.

What I heard as concerns before buying and noticed already:

-The heat pump. Yes, it's noisy. Can't exactly say my Teslas were silent but somehow you hear and feel it a bit more inside the Rivian. That said, it warms up the car fast despite our sub-freezing temps.
-The tonneau cover. Why do I feel like it'll be the first thing to fail? It's the new and improved of course but man it's noisy. Please tell me it's 'by design'. ;-)

More to come as I drive it more but so far, it's exceeded my expectations.

Your MAX pack will behave just like an ICE with a strong V6 or a JLR Defender. Those ICE drop to 4-7mpg when towing. The only difference I have found is there just aren't any charging stations in the hills. But plan accordingly and you won't know the difference once the range anxiety (while towing) goes away. Towing Range anxiety is like those first few months when you started driving EVs. Except a bit more stressful.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Congratulations! If you're going to enter the Rivian world in 2025 this is a great entry! Enjoy the journey.

 

[steilkurve]

Congratulations! If you're going to enter the Rivian world in 2025 a TriMax is a great entry! Enjoy the journey.

TriMax? You mean I should trade in that Dual Motor less than 24 hrs after getting it?

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

TriMax? You mean I should trade in that Dual Motor less than 24 hrs after getting it?

Ha! My mistake! I'm not trading in my Gen 1 Quad Launch, so it makes sense for you not to either....

 

[Conseil]

Thanks! Any specific brand of dry lube recommended by Rivian?

Rivian Tech I spoke to recommends spray lube with white lithium grease.

 

[ciderarchitect]

Thanks! Any specific brand of dry lube recommended by Rivian?

When Rivian insisted that a mobile tech delivered my spare tire (in 2023), the tech that came had a can of WD-40 Dry Lube in his R1T and used it to tame the coffin creak of my front cooling vents.

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