rivianguy
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
This post is a follow up to a couple of other posts that I've made in my month or so of R1S ownership (see below if interested in previous takeaways etc.)...
Thoughts after Day 1 of R1S Ownership
R1S Shakedown and Road Trip
I'm now at about 2500 miles of use in my R1S, with a combination of daily city driving and multiple road trips. No off-roading as of yet. My R1S is a launch edition, El Cap Granite, 22" Sport Brights with underbody.
Service
The service from Rivian has been exceptional, and I mean exceptional. The crew at the Seattle (Bellevue) service center have been far and away the best service experience I've had from any automotive dealer and I would say rank in the Top 5 service experiences I've had from any purchase. Proactive follow up, competent staff, friendly, customer focused etc. All of the issues that I've had with my vehicle (see previous posts) have been 100% resolved with a minimum of fuss and bother. I'm really liking the 'come to your driveway' model and it would be hard to go back to anything else. I'm not saying this is everyone's experience or that it will be your experience but it has been mine.
Quality
I have seen quite a few posts (I believe skewing more towards the R1T side) around fitiment of panels etc. Honestly I've had none of these issues. The quality of the vehicle both internal and external has been exceptional. I'm looking for problems and beyond the ones that I've mentioned in previous posts can't find any. I'm guessing that we can thank our R1T brothers for the significant improvement in build quality.
Range
I get about 207 miles on a 70% charge. I've driven the vehicle enough to give this number with some confidence. This is in almost 100% All Purpose mode, never conserve and only very rarely in sport. I wouldn't say that I'm a super economical driver (I enjoy using the power of the vehicle when I can) but I'm probably not the heaviest foot in the world either. Probably just your average driver.
Real Life Cost
If you are like me and a first time EV owner getting your head around the real life cost difference of operating a car like this vs. an ICE can be a bit daunting. For me the biggest factor is if I'm charging at home where my cost is about 9 cents (or so) per kw/h. I find the vast majority of my driving (even for road trips) allows me to charge exclusively at home. A very rough idea of the cost differential would be a trip I make regularly from Seattle to Vancouver and back. This trip would typically cost me on the order of $120-$140 in gas in my Acura MDX (took premium gas) As far as I can tell this trip costs me closer to $10 or so when I charge at home.
Performance
The effortless acceleration of this vehicle combined with its refined handling characteristics continue to amaze me. It's like a 'sleeping dragon with nice manners'. The dragon is usually sleeping but when you want to wake it up it's ready to roar. Honestly it's hard to go back to other vehicles. I don't mean to sound like a fan boy but man this thing is nice to drive.
Community
I'm really happy with the sense of community that seems to be building around Rivian. Even though it's early days when another Rivian drives by it's a friendly wave or a fist pump. As silly as that stuff can sound to some it actually can be quite important long term for the enjoyment of a brand. The only brand I can think of that seems to have a similar vibe (joyful ownership and friendly congenial owners) would be something like Airstream. Owners actively seek each other out for a conversation even if they aren't the most social folks to begin with. Not sure if this is just my experience or not. Kind of like an extension of this forum to be honest. Vast majority of the dialogue is constructive, useful and civil. There are always going to be a few asshats but I haven't run into any yet.
Cargo Space
I find that since we often have a dog in the back we mostly are using the frunk for day to day cargo needs. The frunk is cavernous enough that this is more than enough for our day to day needs, and on the off day where we need more (Costco Shop for example) the rear cargo space is massive and has more than enough room for a 100 lb dog as well as the flats of goods from Costco.
Updates
Just got the latest update last night and I can confirm that the improvements to Drivers+ are fantastic. Much much less ping ponging back and forth in the lane, really remarkable improvement from the previous iteration. Also 'kneel mode' is a big winner for us as we have a dog who struggled a bit to get into the back, and elderly relatives who needed a bit of help to get in also. Obviously Rivian is listening to customers and are doing a good job of executing on the many priorities that they have.
Thoughts after Day 1 of R1S Ownership
R1S Shakedown and Road Trip
I'm now at about 2500 miles of use in my R1S, with a combination of daily city driving and multiple road trips. No off-roading as of yet. My R1S is a launch edition, El Cap Granite, 22" Sport Brights with underbody.
Service
The service from Rivian has been exceptional, and I mean exceptional. The crew at the Seattle (Bellevue) service center have been far and away the best service experience I've had from any automotive dealer and I would say rank in the Top 5 service experiences I've had from any purchase. Proactive follow up, competent staff, friendly, customer focused etc. All of the issues that I've had with my vehicle (see previous posts) have been 100% resolved with a minimum of fuss and bother. I'm really liking the 'come to your driveway' model and it would be hard to go back to anything else. I'm not saying this is everyone's experience or that it will be your experience but it has been mine.
Quality
I have seen quite a few posts (I believe skewing more towards the R1T side) around fitiment of panels etc. Honestly I've had none of these issues. The quality of the vehicle both internal and external has been exceptional. I'm looking for problems and beyond the ones that I've mentioned in previous posts can't find any. I'm guessing that we can thank our R1T brothers for the significant improvement in build quality.
Range
I get about 207 miles on a 70% charge. I've driven the vehicle enough to give this number with some confidence. This is in almost 100% All Purpose mode, never conserve and only very rarely in sport. I wouldn't say that I'm a super economical driver (I enjoy using the power of the vehicle when I can) but I'm probably not the heaviest foot in the world either. Probably just your average driver.
Real Life Cost
If you are like me and a first time EV owner getting your head around the real life cost difference of operating a car like this vs. an ICE can be a bit daunting. For me the biggest factor is if I'm charging at home where my cost is about 9 cents (or so) per kw/h. I find the vast majority of my driving (even for road trips) allows me to charge exclusively at home. A very rough idea of the cost differential would be a trip I make regularly from Seattle to Vancouver and back. This trip would typically cost me on the order of $120-$140 in gas in my Acura MDX (took premium gas) As far as I can tell this trip costs me closer to $10 or so when I charge at home.
Performance
The effortless acceleration of this vehicle combined with its refined handling characteristics continue to amaze me. It's like a 'sleeping dragon with nice manners'. The dragon is usually sleeping but when you want to wake it up it's ready to roar. Honestly it's hard to go back to other vehicles. I don't mean to sound like a fan boy but man this thing is nice to drive.
Community
I'm really happy with the sense of community that seems to be building around Rivian. Even though it's early days when another Rivian drives by it's a friendly wave or a fist pump. As silly as that stuff can sound to some it actually can be quite important long term for the enjoyment of a brand. The only brand I can think of that seems to have a similar vibe (joyful ownership and friendly congenial owners) would be something like Airstream. Owners actively seek each other out for a conversation even if they aren't the most social folks to begin with. Not sure if this is just my experience or not. Kind of like an extension of this forum to be honest. Vast majority of the dialogue is constructive, useful and civil. There are always going to be a few asshats but I haven't run into any yet.
Cargo Space
I find that since we often have a dog in the back we mostly are using the frunk for day to day cargo needs. The frunk is cavernous enough that this is more than enough for our day to day needs, and on the off day where we need more (Costco Shop for example) the rear cargo space is massive and has more than enough room for a 100 lb dog as well as the flats of goods from Costco.
Updates
Just got the latest update last night and I can confirm that the improvements to Drivers+ are fantastic. Much much less ping ponging back and forth in the lane, really remarkable improvement from the previous iteration. Also 'kneel mode' is a big winner for us as we have a dog who struggled a bit to get into the back, and elderly relatives who needed a bit of help to get in also. Obviously Rivian is listening to customers and are doing a good job of executing on the many priorities that they have.
Sponsored
I actually took ours on a trip to Bainbridge Island (which I believe are your stomping grounds) this weekend (went through Tacoma and took the ferry back from Bainbridge) Was pleasantly surprised to see that Drivers+ worked on the highway over there. The Olympic Peninsula was literally made for driving a Rivian both on road and off road. Can't wait to spend more time over there!
