Just test drove a Model X...

[hgpayne]

You use FSD thru roundabouts?!? I haven’t worked up the nerve to try that yet.

Getting off the highway to go to our house I drive through three roundabouts. I have plenty of opportunity to try. There are lots of them around town too so again, plenty of opportunities.

I do find it interesting when it perfectly executes a brand new roundabout that isn’t on the map yet but follows that by failing at a roundabout that has been there for years. It will also fail sometimes and succeed sometimes taking the exact same roundabout for the same path.

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[LM248]

We had a Model X before the R1S. They're both excellent vehicles. I prefer the height of the R1S.

 

[rapPayne]

I had some spare time on my hands today, and on a whim, I decided to go test drive a Model X. Currently I have a R1S Dual Motor Max Pack.

As a little background, I have only driven a Model Y once before, and that was a rental from Hertz. I was throughly unimpressed by it. The ride was harsh and it felt cheap. So I went into the test drive of the Model X with low expectations

Anyway, I dropped by the local Tesla "store" signed up for a demo, was give a key fob and off I went. The Model X in question was a standard 5 seat Model X with a steering wheel and no stalks.

After driving the car on twisty roads as well as on the highway for around 30 minutes, I came away quite impressed - though to be fair I went in with quite low expectations. Here are some of quick observations:

• Very quiet compared to my R1S. I didn't hear any of the motor whine and the wind noise was practically non-existent. To be fair we are comparing an egg to a boxy shaped SUV
• The ride was smoother and felt more planted than the R1S. To be expected as the Model X is a CUV vs the Rivian being an SUV
• As expected, the X felt more nimble and maneuverable than the R1S.
• Brake regen was far less dramatic on the X than the R1S. I prefer Rivian's implementation as I feel it is more conducive to 1 pedal driving.
• The Tesla software stack is simply light years ahead of Rivian's.
• Having the turn signals on the steering wheel didn't bother me... until I had to use them when the steering wheel was turned e.g. signaling out of a roundabout in which case they are utterly maddening
• This vehicle had the horn in the center of the steering wheel. , where it should be
• The R1S simply has far more utility than the Model X if you do outdoor activities such as kayaking, surfing etc as the FWD don't allow for a roof rack.
• Speaking of the FWD, On the one hand they provide amazing access to the rear seats, on the other hand , and as many have reported, they look like trouble waiting to happen. That said, they opened and closed faster than I expected.
• The interior of the X is certainly more spartan than the R1S, but it is honestly didn't feel as cheap as I expected it to be. I would say it is at the level of a 50K vehicle. Certainly no where near the level of a European car in the same price range and absolutely atrocious at pre-price cut levels.

I came away from my experience torn. On the one hand I really liked the software stack, performance, handling, and quiet of the X vs the R1S; on the other hand, I like the utility, style, and ruggedness of the R1S. Ultimately that isn't surprising when you think about the architecture and goal of each vehicle.

At the end of the day, it comes down to horses for courses.

FWD = Front wheel drive?

 

[TheRivian]

FWD = Front wheel drive?

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[Rivian Head]

Getting off the highway to go to our house I drive through three roundabouts. I have plenty of opportunity to try. There are lots of them around town too so again, plenty of opportunities.

I do find it interesting when it perfectly executes a brand new roundabout that isn’t on the map yet but follows that by failing at a roundabout that has been there for years. It will also fail sometimes and succeed sometimes taking the exact same roundabout for the same path.

Mine does roundabouts flawlessly. The only problem is at In&out Burger drive thru. It tries to overtake cars in front by going around. Scared me, and made me laugh.

 

[hgpayne]

Mine does roundabouts flawlessly. The only problem is at In&out Burger drive thru. It tries to overtake cars in front by going around. Scared me, and made me laugh.

I was on a tour in Death Valley where you must follow the ranger. Everything was going fine until the ranger stopped and got out to open the gate. FSD decided to go around the stopped cars by crossing the double yellow line. There are situations where FSD needs more knowledge than it can just see.

 

[Rivian Head]

I was on a tour in Death Valley where you must follow the ranger. Everything was going fine until the ranger stopped and got out to open the gate. FSD decided to go around the stopped cars by crossing the double yellow line. There are situations where FSD needs more knowledge than it can just see.

Yes, V12.3 is a huge improvement over V 11, but still needs more learning. I’ve noticed that It can’t tell human hand gestures, can’t recognize flashing yellow lights in school zone, and can’t recognize fallen tree branches. It’s also Too timid at stop signs and merging. I think it is getting very close being fully autonomous

 

[Khaos]

Maybe you left prematurely? I just tried the full self driving that became available on our MY and am pretty blown away. I never tried the beta so this is my first experience and it was a great one. For service our Model Y got a loaner when we needed it or an enterprise loaner if they didn’t have vehicles. In my experience one visit to Tesla fixed my issues. Rivian has taken 6 visits and we are still on the same issues..

I had a loaner driver tell me anmong all the EV service centers Rivian gets the most pickups for loaners by far.

Keep using it.

I also just got it on my Model Y and after a nice short drive I was in awe. Then I used it for the next few days in different situations and honestly injust stopped using it because it would take decisions that injust didn't feel safe in (cutting it close on a left hand turn was one of them)

 

[RivianRunner]

I own a Tesla and don't yet own a Rivian. It's clearly an apples vs. oranges vehicle comparison. Aside from both being EVs, they aren't the same. How do the companies compare? We know Tesla doesn't give a s*** about customers. Is Rivian as bad or headed in a similar direction?

My wife and I have owned two Tesla for 6 years each and always feel very well cared for by their Service Departments. Fortunately, we have needed almost nothing beyond tires and a couple of insignificant warranty recalls. I'm sure there are bad Service Centers/dealerships out there, but that is true for all brands, I have experienced that firsthand with VW, Ford, Volvo, Mazda, etc., but not with Tesla.

 

[RivianRunner]

Yes, V12.3 is a huge improvement over V 11, but still needs more learning. I’ve noticed that It can’t tell human hand gestures, can’t recognize flashing yellow lights in school zone, and can’t recognize fallen tree branches. It’s also Too timid at stop signs and merging. I think it is getting very close being fully autonomous

You need to adjust the level of aggressiveness to "aggressive". That timidity at intersections and while merging will improve massively (while still not feeling reckless).

And, yes, mine has driven around numerous branches that were too substantial to drive over and driven over many more that were small enough to not be a problem. I don't know how it tells the difference between the two, but it always has for me.

 

[RivianRunner]

If it's just software that's making you lean towards the X.. Rivian will get to that point sooner or later.

It's always possible that Rivian software will eventually match Tesla software, possibly even surpass it, but it's far from a given. Tesla started with the better software. Everything is built from that.

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