My First Mile Experience w/ Launch Green R1T

[ajbrutman]

If mine gets delivered with the hood aligned like this, then that is not acceptable. This is too obvious. How does that get past QC?

definitely disappointing, but I guess that's why they are going to employees...

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[DaveA]

I did notice this on OP’s photo. It appears to be on both sides while rest of the hood gaps seem to align nicely.

Ooof. That's not pretty.

 

[R1S Maineiac]

If you don't want to roll with the early adopter growing pains, wait for a 2nd generation. Having gone through this with an early Model S, I would expect there to be issues. It's a brand new car company.

The problem with this line of thinking, as I'm sure you know, is if Rivian follows the Tesla model and makes iterations mid-year. They've only "refreshed" the S fully once (the newest version), but they did the front end a few years ago, and tons of tiny changes in the middle of model years.

So it's very tough to say you've gotten a second "generation".

In my case, I'm hoping that being about 1/2 way down the R1S list means that they've worked out the hardware kinks before they get to mine. I fully expect software tweaks to be nearly constant.

 

[KWeimer711]

My personal opinion having attended the agua dolce event is that you likely received a much more useful test drive than what we were allowed to do there. The offroad section while neat wasn't anything a prius couldn't mostly navigate although at a much more careful pace.
.

Would love to see you drive a prius through that course.

 

[VHRivian]

I drove one of the blue R1Ts in Los Angles yesterday. I'd agree on panel gaps and overall build issues. There were some squeaks and rattles. Also, the automatic window switches didn't work to put the windows back up.

That said, the UI worked great and the truck drives really well.

The Cameras are pretty crappy as others have mentioned.

If you don't want to roll with the early adopter growing pains, wait for a 2nd generation. Having gone through this with an early Model S, I would expect there to be issues. It's a brand new car company.

Most auto up/down windows have some variation of the following re-programming:

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-reset-automatic-windows-by-mia-bevacqua

Hopefully that's all it is. If not, then I have heard all you have to say is "pre-production" and all those little issues don't matter anymore anyway.

 

[VHRivian]

I did notice this on OP’s photo. It appears to be on both sides while rest of the hood gaps seem to align nicely.

This HAS to be adjustable like on any other vehicle, right? That's rough.

 

[ironpig]

The problem with this line of thinking, as I'm sure you know, is if Rivian follows the Tesla model and makes iterations mid-year. They've only "refreshed" the S fully once (the newest version), but they did the front end a few years ago, and tons of tiny changes in the middle of model years.

So it's very tough to say you've gotten a second "generation".

In my case, I'm hoping that being about 1/2 way down the R1S list means that they've worked out the hardware kinks before they get to mine. I fully expect software tweaks to be nearly constant.

I'm not saying they SHOULD embrace the Tesla model - I'm just stating the obvious. There will be issues with the first model that will eventually be fixed in the refresh - it happens with every car even if it's not a promoted as a new model. Early adopters need to be comfortable with the idea that they are sort of beta testing not just the cars but the whole Rivian service experience as their first product owners.

 

[ironpig]

Most auto up/down windows have some variation of the following re-programming:

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-reset-automatic-windows-by-mia-bevacqua

Hopefully that's all it is. If not, then I have heard all you have to say is "pre-production" and all those little issues don't matter anymore anyway.

The truck I was in was VIN 280 something. it's not a pre-production truck. The guide said the window switches worked previously, but just stopped working recently.

 

[888tom888]

I had my first drive event on Sat as well. Alex from Rivian was amazing. It is indeed a very cool feeling when the truck pulls up to your house. Alex let me have a bit more time. I took the truck thru my winding road test loop from Newbury Park to Zuma beach and back thru Decker canyon. The truck performed beyond my expectations. This is typically a road I ride my motorcycle or M cars on. There was almost no yaw at all. Power delivery was on point. Performance once again exceeded my expectations. You've got a 7000lb vehicle accelerating like no one's business. It felt very much like my Tesla M3 P. The user interface and display was great. Responsive, nice graphics and if your used to a Tesla, it felt Tesla like. There were a few finish issues. Once again, Tesla is the pioneer to finish issues, so you just grin and bear it. This is a game changer vehicle. I hope the next 6 months pass quickly so that I can get mine. Kudos to Rivian for understanding how cool it is to have a vehicle come to you. Now that's customer service.

 

[ajbrutman]

Man I wish I'd had that same experience. Maybe I was doing something wrong. My guide also had me put it into sport mode but I wouldn't say it was like driving a sport EV at all really from my experience

I had felt it was a very linear acceleration but you have to keep pushing

 

[Jason C]

I test drove a launch green R1T at the Aqua Dulce event a few weeks back. We must have drove the same vehicle because the vehicle I test drove had panel gap issues along the hood and front quarter panel on the passenger side of the vehicle.

I asked the guide the same question. Is this a production vehicle. He told me yes but they get beat up a lot doing the off road trails all day long. Mind you the trails aren’t that crazy.

Not sure I buy that answer since their wasn’t a scratch or dent in the panel. It was just misaligned. Maybe they swapped panels at the event. Idk

 

[ironpig]

I thought the screen and software was actually really nice and snappy coming from the new Ford, but man I still think I'd miss Carplay a lot.

The ride was also actually pretty loud compared to my Mach-e. The Mach-e has magneride suspension that I think really negates some of the bounciness that every heavy EV has - and I noticed the R1T was a lot more "floaty".

I drove a Blue launch edition on Saturday in LA. I also had a great experience but I agree with your specific notes above.

Magnaride is very very good in the Ford cars. I also thought the R1T was floaty and I think it's party of them trying to make a heavy car feel light - like American Car makers used to do with the land yachts. But It's better in sport mode. I toggled back and forth on the freeway and when changing lanes you definitely feel some body roll type of feeling in all purpose mode that tightens up in Sport mode. And I think it's one of the individual settings that you can adjust in any mode.

 

[JDMD]

Would love to see you drive a prius through that course.

Agreed. I drive a Prius, and would never take it on the Agua Dulce course.

 

[DaveA]

Had my test drive as well. For reference I took delivery on a Mach-e GT Performance two months ago so my EV comparisons came from that.

Personally I don't care so much about body perfections on what I consider a utility vehicle that's gonna get beat up and dirty anyway - the sooner the first scratch or ding happens, the sooner I can resign myself to treating it like a tool vs a trophy.

I really loved the exterior and interior styling - interior felt spacious and truck-like. I was disappointed when the frunk wasn't opening using the latch button even though it was unlocked. Disappointed the tonneau was broken and couldn't roll back (though I know these break a lot and want a manual one anyway). I thought the screen and software was actually really nice and snappy coming from the new Ford, but man I still think I'd miss Carplay a lot.

I tried the various ride modes, hoping the sport mode would give me similar throttle feel as the GTPE given that this car has way more power but was disappointed. On the Mach-e, every millimeter you press on the pedal you feel the car push harder. The R1T was pretty soft - it's not really important but the roller coaster, "throw you back in your seat feel", is one of the most fun parts of owning an EV (at least for the driver). The Mach-e has gotten a lot of "holy shits" from passengers when I floor it.

The ride was also actually pretty loud compared to my Mach-e. The Mach-e has magneride suspension that I think really negates some of the bounciness that every heavy EV has - and I noticed the R1T was a lot more "floaty".

I'm kind of on the fence about the car right now. It has way more utility than the Mach-e but there are a lot of trade-offs in both directions. Ideally I'd keep both but I don't know if I can make that make sense.

I'm kind of leaning towards the R1T since the max pack will be nice for camping. Being able to actually mount kayaks and bikes will be great, but I am still a little wary of a first gen vehicle from a new company. I'm kind of hoping they ramp up slowly over a few years and work out the kinks by the time my reservation comes up.

Anyone else annoyed by the fact that Rivian is ok with bringing a not 100% functional vehicle to a prospective customer's test drive? This makes no sense to me and honestly causing me some concern...

 

[Max]

This HAS to be adjustable like on any other vehicle, right? That's rough.

Unfortunately my education on this is limited. From this angle everything else seem to be aligned perfectly so my assumption is that either after production and QC was complete something pressed both edges down or something went wrong during stamping and QC missed it. I can’t possibly imagine it is a design issue or all of them would have it. May be someone that understands manufacturing can pitch in.

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