Official Video: How Does it Feel to Drive a Rivian (Featuring Preorder Holders)

[flabyboy]

lg3103,

Great question! RJ was adamant that I vet the 20-inch A/T tires before deciding to get a second set of five mounted 22-inch Summer Performance tires. Here he was saying you can certainly buy them, but that all of the vehicles we'll be in have A/T's on 20's. With the silent running of the propulsion and the acoustic glass all around, if they were going to announce themselves, they'd have every opportunity. They were extremely capable in all conditions and surfaces, and very polite, as well.

In running them up to 130 MPH on the straights and hitting the 20 MPH corners at the ends of the straights (at considerably more than 20 MPH), the A/T's felt composed and handled like a great road tire. None of the expected vibration or noise, and the gentle four-part harmony the Pirelli Sisters sang was far quieter than I would have imagined. Also noteworthy was the neutral steering and very limited body roll around the sharp bends, even with that gentle song playing. Of course much of that great handling was the result of Rivian's suspension tuning, but the tires also made the corners remarkably unremarkable.

I seem to remember RJ saying I might be giving up 2 to 3 percent (or some other very low amount) of road capability compared to the 22's, but I'd be giving up pretty much all of the off-road Adventures with the street tires. I thought that a CEO telling me to not give his company many thousands of dollars was another example of Rivian doing the right thing. As always, that type of culture starts at the top.

I will say that if I knew the R1T was going to be a full-time Pavement Princess, I'd likely put on the 22's with the street tires.

That's not going to happen....

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck and please keep me posted on your choice!

Did he happen to mention how much range would be lost with the 20 inch AT tires while you guys were having this discussion? That’s one of the things I have been waiting to hear about.

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[jessefive]

Firstly, thank you @DuckTruck for all the info you've shared so far! We're lucky to have you here posting and sharing so much.

Nextly, I know you said you didn't pay much attention to the UI, but was there anything besides current speed on the driver's screen? From the videos posted to Instagram (rivianmom and irontann), that screen looked pretty blank. It struck me as a little odd. I'm hoping they'll have something akin to tesla: road info, obstacles, other cars, etc. Though it did appear that the UI was in "developer" mode, so maybe that's it?

 

[echerod]

Hi @DuckTruck, thanks for all your responses to this over eager crowd. One other question, did you happen to see the phone app? What about the key fob? Any comments on those would be appreciated.

 

[AltaTruck]

I have been looking at the different Rivian Blue photos and would like your opinion DuckTruck. Thank you, in advance, since you recently saw it up close and have been very helpful to everyone asking their many questions. Which picture is closest to what you saw, top or bottom picture

?

 

[SCA]

So, let me preface with my comments by saying I think my conversation with RJ was rather informal, possibly while we were getting out of the R1T that we toured the test facility in (I think...).

Anyway, I remember him telling me (or us?) that the range was pretty consistent with what was first announced for the Launch Edition (I read that to mean ~300 miles). The caveat here is that any energy-intensive activity, like rocketing around a track at 130 MPH and then scaling Mt. Rivian before drifting freely at high speed (all with a cameraman bouncing around the back seat - sorry David!) will simultaneously reduce range and increase the strain on any Perma-Grin muscles of the inhabitants (except maybe David's)

Furthermore, I remember him telling me that as they monitor our usage and charging habits from their facilities, they can provide OTA updates to extend, or unlock the range a little bit, if doing so is merited.

My take was that they're trying to protect those batteries that may be routinely overcharged or fast-charged excessively and/or discharged routinely to a near-zero available state by not unlocking more range. If good habits by the owner merit releasing a little more range, it may happen (truly out of the clear blue sky). Since they are providing a warranty for the battery, it makes sense to mete out any range increases judiciously

I'd feel a lot better if someone with more knowledge on the subject, including a Rivian rep, would weigh in on this and either confirm or correct my recollections. I think my recall is sound, but I still think my Oregon Ducks beat Auburn in the BCS Championship Game in January of 2011....

From an OSU Beaver... You guys won that game. Dyer was down. Now how was the back seat room?

 

[DuckTruck]

With all that being said did you happen to see what your display was saying? Obviously keeping in mind everyone sending it fully around a on and off pavement course for what was probably a solid few hours.

Would love to know a "figure" if you happen to recall anything when it was at 1/2 etc. No worries if you do not as It doesnt matter much based on driving characteristics which impact everything anyways.

That info, if I even noticed it, was a blur, just like the view out of every window. Nothing I did during my test drive would give helpful range numbers. I think that goes for pretty much everyone. We were driving and drifting these things hard, as well as ambling up, down, and over obstacles, including Mt. Rivian. Honestly, that mound may be the tallest land mass in McLean County. In short, little of what we did would translate to everyday driving.

I honestly thought of all of the things we've talked about in the Forums over the last few years and lost track of them as soon as we were handed the R1Ts. It kind of reminded me of Mike Tyson's line that "Everyone has a plan, until they get hit in the mouth." ?

If others noted the range numbers from their test drives, I hope they weigh in here. I was so focused on putting it through it's paces that I didn't pay attention to anything inside the R1T, other than Brian and David.

 

[SeaGeo]

That info, if I even noticed it, was a blur, just like the view out of every window. Nothing I did during my test drive would give helpful range numbers. I think that goes for pretty much everyone. We were driving and drifting these things hard, as well as ambling up, down, and over obstacles, including Mt. Rivian. Honestly, that mound may be the tallest land mass in McLean County. In short, little of what we did would translate to everyday driving.

I honestly thought of all of the things we've talk about in the Forums over the last few years and lost track of them as soon as we were handed the R1Ts. It kind of reminded me of Mike Tyson's line that "Everyone has a plan, until they get hit in the mouth." ?

If others noted the range numbers from their test drives, I hope they weigh in here. I was so focused on putting it through it's paces that I didn't pay attention to anything inside the R1T, other than Brian and David.

The other folks who went and who have addressed this all seemed to have the same rough numbers as what's on the website. 300+ and 400+ for range estimates from what the saw.

I have noticed a few interesting tidbits from them about the truck responding to the driver and getting better or something like what @DuckTruck hinted at, but it's probably not really worth reading too much into it until we get some formal info from Rivian themselves.

 

[DuckTruck]

Heck yeah! Thanks for looking out for us too. Heh. So excited to see the actual yellow. As most have already expressed, you are phenomenally entertaining, positive, and engaging in your writing. Keep up the good work, sir!

Matt,

Thank you for your kind words. They mean that much more coming from an educator.

I thought of you when I saw the Compass Yellow for the first time. While photos don't do it justice, I can tell you it truly is a mellow yellow by comparison to the view in the Configurator. RJ mentioned something to the effect that it really pops when you see it rolling through a forested area. It really looks good. More rich than bright.

You're going to love it!

It's kind of funny, but the first time I saw Canyon Red on-line, I thought "Uh oh...Wisconsin Badgers!" and again, thought of you. After seeing it in the real world, it has more of a burnt flavor to it. It's very robust. I don't know what to compare it to, but damn, it looks great as well! I know I'm sounding like I think all of the colors are great, but Launch Green wins the day for me, hands down.

I can't remember if Joy is the one to credit for all of the paints, in addition to the interior design, textures, colors and touch-points, but I can say everything I saw with my own eyes looked and felt absolutely great, and better than anything looks in the Configurator. Congrats to the Design Team that picked out such great colors, materials, and textures!

As we get close to the new school year, I hope you, your family, and all of your students and fellow teachers are on your way to returning to a more normal way of life. Of course I hope that for everyone, but the disruption to our kids and schools has been really tough. Likewise for all of the parents of school-aged kids out there.

Be well and enjoy your Compass Yellow R1T!

 

[DuckTruck]

@DuckTruck and @Sierrita_dweller, did they give any indication on how the lucky few were selected? I’m assuming your interactions with CS may have factored into it? Congrats to you both, and thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us!

Clearly, for the two of us, it was our good looks and charming personalities. Of course, sense of humor might have come into play.

(edit: Attempting sarcasm when using the written word is warned against by many subject matter experts. Even when spoken, sarcasm doesn't always work. Below is one of the better examples I've seen in writing. Still one of my favorite T's.)

To be honest, I wasn't told specifically why I was selected, but I'd guess your guess is spot on. I was afraid to ask, out of fear that they'd realize their mistake and send me home early.

 

[DuckTruck]

X2, I wanted a 2nd set of tires but I think ill see what my range and feel is with the original set and go from there.

Good call. The second set of five 22's with the Performance tires would be spendy and I really appreciate RJ setting me straight as to the limited improvement they'd give me over the 20 inch A/T's. I love that guy!

 

[DuckTruck]

The other folks who went and who have addressed this all seemed to have the same rough numbers as what's on the website. 300+ and 400+ for range estimates from what the saw.

I have noticed a few interesting tidbits from them about the truck responding to the driver and getting better or something like what @DuckTruck hinted at, but it's probably not really worth reading too much into it until we get some formal info from Rivian themselves.

I don't know how much this might help, but I went back and found this from the Rivian website under the "Postcard from South America". Of course there have been changes, and the experience during the filming of "The Long Way Up" may not equate well to normal usage here, but it stuck with me that they have had good results that they were comfortable posting in the recent past. I really loved seeing "314 miles (still had juice)" for the 135 kWh battery. I'm really hoping we're in for one of those "under-promise, over-deliver surprises when these arrive. That said, I'm guessing range will suffer with sustained runs at 130 MPH. One of these days, I'll stop bringing that up. One day soon....

 

[DuckTruck]

Man, now I am even more happy with my choice of LG. Now, I want to know what the green interior looks like in person. I have black now but might change if it would play well with this.

Launch Green with the Forest Edge interior is an awesome combination, but I'm predisposed to say that, as that is what I've configured (with the original 20's in A/T).

 

[Mjhirsch78]

As we get close to the new school year, I hope you, your family, and all of your students and fellow teachers are on your way to returning to a more normal way of life. Of course I hope that for everyone, but the disruption to our kids and schools has been really tough. Likewise for all of the parents of school-aged kids out there.

It is going to be a big adjustment for everyone. Let’s just hope everyone remembers to breathe as we get back into it. After a stressor like this past year, compassion has to be the driver not emotion. It will be awesome to see almost all the kiddos again (some still won’t be able to be in person due to medical issues; amazing how many young folks fight cancer, immune systems that don’t work as intended, and many other things that might limit vaccine viability for them). Thanks, @DuckTruck, for thinking of us.

 

[bajadahl]

@DuckTruck - and here I was thinking I was the lucky one spending 2 weeks in Hawaii away from the rat race.... Congratulations on such an awesome experience! It's taken me a while to catch up on all that I missed while I was on vacation. I guess if I was member of the month for my pictures of the truck in April... you have to be member of the year! I guess my only question is were there any R1S sightings on your trip?

 

[Jarico75]

Lol, poor guy didn't realize he was signing up to be our unofficial guide. ?

In the land of the blind........ The man with one eye is king!

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