Introductions & Welcome Thread 👋

[bfilippo]

Yeah, I’ll echo driving one. It’s a great drive. I enjoy the drive on my gen2 R1T even over my 2024 Tesla MYLR, and it’s a truck!

Oh and read my post on my recent experience with Chelsea service center.

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[opnwide]

You can sneak home at 3 am.

Were you at Twin Peaks with @COdogman last night?

 

[Laserboy1054]

I'm with @godfodder0901 : go take a test drive. I was 50/50 when I scheduled mine. Once I climbed in and saw the attention to detail, I was impressed! But the _performance_ is what got me. The instantaneous response and sportscar-like handling in a mammoth truck sold me immediately. Go drive one. If that doesn't sell you, that's cool--you need to apply your own criteria. There's no reason for you to be swayed by anybody else's experiences. The downsides have all been highly reported on this and other forums: slow and expensive repairs and the risk of the company going toes-up being the primaries. But many of us have had hugely positive experiences when (as is inevitable with a new vehicle) things go South. So, yeah, there are risks. But go drive one. After our test drive, my wife and I stopped at the nearest Starbuck's so we could get wifi and started the purchase process. There was just no way we were going to let this one get away!

 

[Cycliste]

EVs are good if your road trips are 2 (or 3 depending on your personality) charging sessions or less per day and you use the time to take a break from driving.

EVs are great in an evacuation if you charge at home first

 

[Zoul]

Damn you guys are fast. Other forums I am on, it takes weeks to get replies to my threads. Seriously i couldn't reply fast enough a new message would come through as i type.

On deciding the model I'm leaning more towards an r1t as it would most likely replace my truck, but the r2 planned price point was what got me looking. R1s looks way bigger than the durango, more suburban or tahoe sized. If I decided against the r1t id probably wait for the r2 over the s.

It is less of a “tell me what to do” and more what arguments can you make from a practicality standpoint that me not being an avid EV guy(yet) would not know or think of. Trust me ill do plenty of research, but part of that research would be peer review.

Unfortunately if I got a rivian it would not be in the garage, as the garage is full with my sweet sixteen car that i am restoring/modding. Not having to do oil changes in the driveway would be nice.my camaro will have plenty of loud pedal, but I wouldnt complain.
The durango is making me feel that way about the ram. Both our vehicles would be paid off(or close) by the time the r2 is out and if we like the rivian as much as i am hoping, i feel like the wife will not want to wait to trade them both.

i guess i should have included in some background, I am a mechanic for usps. I have worked for frieghtliner, mercedes benz, international, subaru, general motors dealerships and a few other shops. I am not really afraid of major repairs on any vehicle, I am just getting disgruntled over them all making “cost cutting” decisions that lead to the big repairs. But i do like what i do for a living. It is my craft, my trade. So half of me knows i can fix anything, the other half is wondering do I want to, just to drive to work and do the same thing.

As far as driving one, what are peoples experience with setting that up at the normal, il location. Do they have multiple configs/trim levels, or do you only get to try a maxed out quad motor? Are there any r2 available to testdrive?

 

[SANZC02]

Damn you guys are fast. Other forums I am on, it takes weeks to get replies to my threads. Seriously i couldn't reply fast enough a new message would come through as i type.

On deciding the model I'm leaning more towards an r1t as it would most likely replace my truck, but the r2 planned price point was what got me looking. R1s looks way bigger than the durango, more suburban or tahoe sized. If I decided against the r1t id probably wait for the r2 over the s.

It is less of a “tell me what to do” and more what arguments can you make from a practicality standpoint that me not being an avid EV guy(yet) would not know or think of. Trust me ill do plenty of research, but part of that research would be peer review.

Unfortunately if I got a rivian it would not be in the garage, as the garage is full with my sweet sixteen car that i am restoring/modding. Not having to do oil changes in the driveway would be nice.my camaro will have plenty of loud pedal, but I wouldnt complain.
The durango is making me feel that way about the ram. Both our vehicles would be paid off(or close) by the time the r2 is out and if we like the rivian as much as i am hoping, i feel like the wife will not want to wait to trade them both.

i guess i should have included in some background, I am a mechanic for usps. I have worked for frieghtliner, mercedes benz, international, subaru, general motors dealerships and a few other shops. I am not really afraid of major repairs on any vehicle, I am just getting disgruntled over them all making “cost cutting” decisions that lead to the big repairs. But i do like what i do for a living. It is my craft, my trade. So half of me knows i can fix anything, the other half is wondering do I want to, just to drive to work and do the same thing.

As far as driving one, what are peoples experience with setting that up at the normal, il location. Do they have multiple configs/trim levels, or do you only get to try a maxed out quad motor? Are there any r2 available to testdrive?

No R2s yet, there is a queue for those and are not expected until 2026.

 

[Tango45]

Pardon me if your posts lead me to draw inferences about how you approach vehicle ownership - I'm working with what you've given and trying to fill in the blank spots.

I'll be the contrarian here. It might not be what you want at this point. You sound very handy and the kind of guy who would want to try and fix a problem yourself, if possible. It's simply not an option on this vehicle (and many nowadays, as you certainly know). If that's going to bug the crap out of you, think twice before jumping off this cliff. Your ability to tinker with it will be minimal, if it exists at all. There's no modding it to add power, increase efficiency, boost low-end torque, replace the mass-air flow sensor, etc. It doesn't need it, but some people just enjoy being able to work on their vehicles.

Honestly, if I was replacing a Dodge Ram that does truck things, but is getting long in the tooth, I wouldn't pick a Rivian as a 1-for-1 replacement. It has power, it has off-road capability, it has a bed... but would I want someone putting a pallet in the back with a forklift? Not without my gun to their head. Don't get me wrong, many here are doing great truck things with their R1Ts (god bless 'em), but I know I would feel really different about treating an R1T like I treated my old Toy Taco back in the day.

That's the subjective part, and I'm open to criticism of how I feel about a vehicle I don't have (R1S owner here). On the more factual side, make sure to check what the charger situation is in your area (and along your usual roadtrip routes) and the distance to your nearest service center. You cannot take this thing to a nearby garage or shade tree mechanic for a fix. I say that as someone who used to do all my own work at the rent-a-lift located on (or used to be) on every military base.

Hope that helps and that I didn't read you wrong.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Our use case for our 2023 R1S with Max Pack: Frequent 160-200 mile trips each way for family. Want lots of space to haul food, toilet paper, etc., back from the city (where it's cheaper) to our small town for local charities such as the Food Bank. Occasionally need a hauler to assist family members moving their stuff. Can't always wait for a non-rainy day west of the Cascades, so a pickup truck wouldn't be our best primary vehicle. VERY tired of owning/using private fossil-fuel transportation while our Earth overheats. We liked the low energy costs of our prior Chevy Bolt EV's. So we bought the R1S in February 2024.

Our use case for our 2023 R1T with Large Pack: Need a truck for the occasional high or weird-shape load. Sometimes need two vehicles to travel separately, or a backup vehicle for long trips where the R1S isn't ideal. Wife wants to maximize the similarities between our primary and secondary vehicles, to minimize the adjustment issues when switching vehicles. Very happy with R1S. So we bought the R1T in May 2024.

Demo Drives usually involve just a single vehicle, but you can go back for another Demo Drive until you get all your questions answered. We did two Demo Drives, both in R1S, at Portland Service Center. We used a Rivian Space in Seattle (now closed) to check out the internal dimensions and other features of R1S and R1T.

There's a "learning curve" for the operation, not just the servicing, of any really complicated vehicle. I've learned much from other Rivian owners, and I hope I've "paid it forward" by helping others. Rivian owners are a good group!

The Normal Service Center has an excellent reputation. We're very happy with our Service Center in Portland.

None of this has any relevance to you and your wife unless you say it does. I agree with others -- your Demo Drive will tell you a lot about whether a Rivian is for you or not.

Very best wishes!

 

[Rexbo]

It is less of a “tell me what to do” and more what arguments can you make from a practicality standpoint that me not being an avid EV guy(yet) would not know or think of.

I love this statement, and I'll make a simple one in return: It can do most all the things your Durango or Avalanche does, just quietly.

I think of mine the same way and treat it like my cell phone; an expensive but useful tool. Pickups are supposed to be utilitarian.

Background: I've had a truck since age 20 ('02 Frontier, '89 Toyota, '08 Frontier, 2019 ZR2), and I love wrenching on things and road trips. Never really been brand-bound on vehicles. Honestly, I don't miss NOT having to wrench on this thing, and I've had great experiences with Rivian service when something happens (no auto maker is immune).

Evidence:

• It's my daily driver to work, and I just ticked over 40,000 miles. Total time in shop in 2 years, has been under 2 weeks.
• I regularly put my KLR650 and KTM500 in the bed at the same time for desert dirty bike time. That's 800 lbs of bike back there.
• Every winter has road trips from Santa Barbara to Mammoth or Tahoe (8+hrs) to get in the snow with the two dogs. Handles everything with ease and charging (is now) stress free.
• Avid camper/offroader. From Death Valley to Rubicon Trail to Pismo Dunes, I've done just about every off-pavement thing you can try and it hangs with the best of them.
• Storage: between the frunk and the gear tunnel, it has as much closed storage as a sedan, but you still have the entire bed free.
• It's downright NICE. There are so many little things done right, and thoughtful touches that make driving pleasurable.

It is as capable, if not more so, than any of my previous trucks. But, in all fairness, I gotta be honest with you on the ugly.

Downsides:

• Cost - gotta pay to play. I've never owned a brand new vehicle before, and where I didn't care much about scratches and dings before, I'll take a second before doing something now.
• Bed size - if you're used to a 7ft long bed, you'll be disappointed in the tiny R1T bed. But, I've got a bed extender and it works just fine.
• Towing range - If you tow stuff often, range will suffer and charging times can be long.
• Repair - Can't just go down the street to fix this thing, but luckily I've not been at the crap end of that stick. Others have, and that's tough to watch.

For what it's worth: I'd buy it all over again, no regrets. EVs aren't for everyone, but it's been perfect for me.

 

[Kaiju]

I was in the same position you were a few months ago. Though before going further everything depends on how much money you're willing to spend.

If you would drop Rivian money on an F-150 platinum or the like, the conclusion I came to was that when the price was equal, Rivian was offering more for the money. You take a base model F-150 that's on paper cheaper and add all the features to get to an apples to apples comparision with an R1T, they cost about the same. Silverados cost more. EV to EV it had a better interior, more power, more battery and more expensive mechanical fittings like air suspension, forged aluminum suspension parts and the like. If you're comparing it to a traditional ICE vehicle, all the EV options look about $10k more expensive. The thing they generally don't tell you is that all-electric drive trains are hilariously superior to an engine and transmission, with their full HP and torque available at any time without the engine having to reach whatever RPMs for peak power. That aside Rivians and other EVs presently have way more HP and torque than their ICE equivalents and tend to be far more engaging to drive.

I also chose the Rivian out of the competition because it's about the same as a full-size from three truck generations ago and I was tired of the embiggification trend.

The one thing I would argue is a drawback in the present market is that everyone selling expensive vehicles makes them incredibly widgit-y to make it seem like you're getting a lot. Every new vehicle has a screen now and the expensive ones do away with buttons even if the lower trims have them because of some demented sense of asthetics. Rivians have more widgits than their competition: actuated AC vents, actuated console doors, a motorized charger door, actuated gear tunnel doors, powered tailgates. A lot of people think that's super cool/luxury and a lot of people see it as stuff that's needlessly overcomplicated and will break more easily. Out of warranty parts are relatively expensive because Rivian is small. Rivian repairs are more similar to BMW, Mercedes or Land Rover than GM, Ford or Dodge.

I've been cheated by dealers too, though the direct sale approach is not without its problems because Rivian's organizational structure is too centralized. Service has long waits depending on if you're in a crowded area but all service visits in my experience have effectively addressed problems. Rivian people from demo to roadside assistance to techs are generally nice and helpful but the company as a whole has pretty terrible customer service because it's largely impossible to directly contact anybody who can fix a problem. I'm not going to sugar coat that bit because my experiences to date trying to contact Rivian people post-ordering or for service-related issues have been very frustrating. Generally all you can do is leave messages with whoever answers the phone or the chat and they forward it along to have someone call or message you back. They are under no particular obligation to do so and I've been ghosted for weeks at times. I'll qualify that if anything serious is wrong and your vehicle isn't drivable, the roadside people are good and it'll get prioritized for service.

All in all I still think the Rivian is the better choice out of its competitors in terms of the machine hurtling down the highway. Highest safety rating among pickups if that matters any to you. Most of my actual problems have been dealing with Rivian-the-company.

 

[Zoul]

Ok was going to quote rexbo but I have not learned that yet. your bold print is alot more helpful. I used to own a first gen avalanche and i loved it. more than the durango. unfortunately it died the way all gms of that era died, rusty and with a slipping trans. i replaced it with the ram. unfortunately the ram doesnt fill those shoes. i could do all the things the "real" trucks could do in my avalanche, but was more maneuverable, had weather tight storage, more comfortable, better offroad. i never need the 6'4" bed in the ram, the avalanche bed was only a little longer than the rivian and barely ever needed the midgate down.

cost is turning into a wash at this point in that to get a truck that matches the spec of the avalanche from ram 1 is not possible anymore 2 would cost 65k. and thats just building it 1 for 1 with the features of my avalanche, no or minimal modern frills. build and price on the r1t came out to 72k. towing range and repair are falling this way as well. my truck loaded to 11k tow rating only gets 10mpg with no headwind. range is maybe 150mi to tank. other thing is rough cost calculation of charging, i would be saving 400 a month on fuel compared to my ram.

repair, almost all major manufacturers have locked the aftermarket scan tools out of the datalink. 2018+ Chrysler require specific hand shake from oem scan tool for anything other than reading codes. cant even clear them. requires hardware/wiring mods to bypass. my hope would just be that by the time the warrantee is up I could do something via aftermarket, or be in a position to trade up. rivians warrantee is better than ram.

it would be nice to get to appease my tinkering/wrenching fix on the project car vs keeping the daily on the road.

 

[MATTELSEWHERE]

This seems like the first place to start.
As of right now i guess i would call myself a prospective member/buyer? I have not purchased or ordered anything. just looking for the next step. current vehicles are a ram 1500 and dodge Durango. Wife and I love the Durango. the truck I like and it has been a good truck, but she is showing her age more and more and there's more and more i dont like. I feel like the next step is to purchase a new vehicle, but am fine with that being a couple years down the road if need be.

Here is my issue: the big automakers suck. gm cant build a transmission to save their life and in the process ruined the best engine they had made. kia, hyundai, nissan, toyota, subaru ect. make ok vehicles, but the dealerships around me are all owned by a former employer that burned me one too many times. I've heard similar complaints about their other dealers. I like the Chrysler products I own, but not what they would be replaced with. they are killing off current models for an update, but not sure i like the updates. I can not stand any of the ford products, the interiors annoy me in a way i can't explain. German cars are expensive and hard to find service information. I feel this is getting worse every year.

I liked the idea of Rivian when the concepts first came out. a new US automaker that wasn't the big 3, and wasn't tesla. R1t has storage and features similar to my avalanche, has reasonable range, plenty of power, and doesn't look like a rolling dumpster fire waiting to happen. Unlike many blue collar workers that drive a dodge ram I am not afraid or disgusted by EVs. so long as they work, don’t cost me more to charge than filling gas tanks, and don't spontaneously combust and burn down my house. It would be nice if I could work on it too. So far, Rivian seems to fit the bill. Though the service info is not accessible for diy, and the price is pretty similar to the germans, it's something at least. I know I've got tons of questions and concerns that hopefully can get answered here.

So I guess the question is: what can yall do to convince me? And the wife?

I really like my truck as far as the design and driving characteristics, but have also had a pretty bad ownership experience from a build quality and speed/convenience of service.

I bought mine in May, it’s been in for service 3 times (with a 4th scheduled) for over 40 total days - and I have yet to hit 2k miles… but they do provide a loaner or rental. Nothing left me stranded - more so issues like trim flapping, vent motors sticking, vibration, and suspension component replacement - but also not what I would expect for an $85k truck. Service does seem to be getting better - I think. Just don’t be one of those people that like a state or more away from a service center.

I would have pushed to get out of it, but there isn’t anything else in the market I am interested in - and the discounts they had to get rid of old inventory did make the lease pretty reasonable…. and again, the truck and technology is pretty cool.

FWIW this is our 8th EV and 40-somethingth vehicle. I’m less of an environmentalist and more of a technology nerd and torque junkie. If you have decent home charging and drive one for a week, you’ll find it’s really hard to go back to a gas vehicle.

 

[CompilerBreak]

I will also play to the contrary here, I know you say you're burned out on the traditional manufacturers, but there are some steals every now and then on the F150 Lightning and it'd match your Ram a little closer. No EV will really be easy to work on but I have to imagine it will be easier to find Lightning parts than Rivian. And while not super documented, lots of people doing a few mods on the Mach E at least with FORScan.

Don't get me wrong, love my Rivian, absolutely perfect size, storage space is amazing.

 

[Tango45]

I will also play to the contrary here, I know you say you're burned out on the traditional manufacturers, but there are some steals every now and then on the F150 Lightning and it'd match your Ram a little closer. No EV will really be easy to work on but I have to imagine it will be easier to find Lightning parts than Rivian. And while not super documented, lots of people doing a few mods on the Mach E at least with FORScan.

Don't get me wrong, love my Rivian, absolutely perfect size, storage space is amazing.

I’ll second this. If I needed a trucky truck and wanted to stay ev, I’d be looking hard at a lightning and there’s probably deals out there… but you commented on ford interiors, so… (as an aside, I am continuously shocked the lightning isn’t selling better) If I wanted a fun, rock-crawling, dune-gobbling, trx-smoking, lambo-humiliating truck, I’d grab an R1T. Honestly, if I could, I’d grab one now to replace the Hyundai Ioniq 5, but sensibility and the wife must be obeyed (I really secretly harbor a desire for an R1T if someone is thinking of Xmas gifts for their favorite forum buddy).

All said, I’d love to see you happy in an R1T, but I’d hate to see you unhappy in one.

Oh, also, check the used market…

 

[Riviot]

So I guess the question is: what can yall do to convince me?

You sound like an informed buyer who does their research. Keep researching, you'll likely come to the same conclusion we all did: Rivian checks more boxes and puts more smiles on faces than any other vehicle currently on market.

And the wife?

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