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Farewell - sold my R1T QM and moved to Tesla MY26 - some thoughts and comparison

cardad

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This is simply a matter of familiarity. As you said, it depends on where you started. I test drove a few Teslas when I was looking at switching from my R1T, and I found their system difficult to navigate. I intensely dislike having a button turn signal or having to swipe a screen to drive. There is no overhead camera view, which is probably the view I find most valuable in parking lots and when pulling into parking garages to avoid curbing my wheels. That for me is a deal breaker. The rest of the software looked like a bunch of useless crap bloatware that I had no interest in. ooooooo it has video games, who cares. Fart noises, WOW amirite? Not to mention, both the interior and exterior look like an Ikea showroom, built as cheaply as possible.

For every bit you feel the Rivian software is inferior I feel the Tesla's is.
You definitely didn’t use the interface correctly. It’s just different and less photorealistic. The parking vision sees very flat objects and renders the hazard in color when you approach it. It also sees lines for parking and renders them very clearly. You don’t need parking sensors or cameras.
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Donald Stanfield

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You definitely didn’t use the interface correctly. It’s just different and less photorealistic. The parking vision sees very flat objects and renders the hazard in color when you approach it. It also sees lines for parking and renders them very clearly. You don’t need parking sensors or cameras.
What? I want to see an overhead view when I park. I cannot do this with a Tesla, don't tell me I don't need it because I do need it. That is a basic feature almost all manufacturers have.
 

Donald Stanfield

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Oh, the Netflix, the fart bs, things I never have used, and never will.
I myself found the best protection for not curbing wheels on my glorious Teslas: rimsavers.
Amazon.com: Rimsavers Black Alloy Wheel Protectors – Fits Up to 24" x 4 Rims | 3 Color Options | Easy DIY Install | Protects Against Curb Rash | Car Exterior Accessory : Automotive
They are the sacrificial lambs.
PIN to drive, navigation, PAAK implementation, FSD...Rivian, amateur you, are you listening?
My Teslas do not have the buttons on display for shifting or buttons for turn signals. Or the yoke for a steering wheel. Change is good, but change for the sake of change, I don't know. Rivian seems to excel at the latter, and do it half-assed at best.
Spartan interior for sure. IKEA? seems a bit of a stretch.
And [expletive] [expletive] EV blasphemy, ICE-age key fob need not apply. Phone integration is second to none.
But, apparently, OP migrated to a Tesla in spite of it all. That says a lot, does it not?
What gives?
I will add this, had Tesla made a true SUV like my R1S Gen 1 beast, I sure as hell would not be driving a Rivian today, and that Tesla would be parked in my garage today instead.
But absolutely true. Familiarity, indeed. Reason why I said that were Rivian your fist EV, you might think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that there is nothing better.
I'd rather not curb my wheels in the first place. I do not care about PIN to drive, my PAAK works with my RIvian 99%+ of the time without issue and I think FSD is unsafe anywhere but the freeway, where Rivian has their own implementation that is decent.


Ikea isn't at all a stretch for their interiors. Teslas are ugly and devoid of design. When a Chevy Blazer EV has a nicer interior than you do you are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Tesla's sales are down massively, so one guy moving to Tesla doesn't mean a whole lot people are fleeing Tesla in droves. Again, it isn't that we are misinformed about Tesla, it's that we have different priorities for a vehicle. You're acting as if it is objective truth that Tesla is better, when that is anything but the truth.
 

Donald Stanfield

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Yes. You make valid points. I myself have my reservations about FSD, indeed. I rarely ever use it on city streets, but on the highway, and when you have to drive for hours on end, FSD is amazing. But again, I am always not totally disconnected. Even though I might try to figure out what to do with my hands, I know FSD limitations enough to be on the lookout and have a minimum sense of awareness as to take over as needed.
Again. FSD is not the panacea for self-driving. As far as I am concerned, it may never be. I simply do not subscribe to the proposition that just because of the FSD limitations that it is therefore not good at all.
I'm sure it is, and I would use it on the freeway. Thing is, my gen 2 has hands off on the freeway and changes lanes by just a signal input from me. This is really useful and further automation from there isn't going to make that much difference. Rivian does the bulk of that boring driving, and reduces the load for the driver. The rest FSD does above and beyond that is probably 10% extra, and that doesn't move the needle enough for me to consider a Tesla with all their drawbacks.
 

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I both have Model Y and Gen 2 R1s. Each of them have their own advantages. Long road trips my kids (teenagers)love the Rivian because of the space and Alexa integration (I Know!?). Around the city i prefer the Model Y since its smaller.

I Have had this Model Y since 2020 (Mine is the 2021 year). I bought the FSD. The FSD of Tesla back then was the same level of "FSD" the Rivan has now in the highways. I wish they can autosteer in local roads which was being done in 2020 by my Model Y.

It is not "full self driving" in anyway but for daily commute in Miami Traffic (i95 and Local roads) it does really well.
 

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Every time I see a thread like this with everyone arguing about FSD this, driver+ that, I wonder if I'm the one guy wishing for regular drive me into a wall through a blizzard cruise control... lol
 

Donald Stanfield

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Every time I see a thread like this with everyone arguing about FSD this, driver+ that, I wonder if I'm the one guy wishing for regular drive me into a wall through a blizzard cruise control... lol
Probably. Since adaptive cruise exists, I wouldn't want old school cruise as it is far less capable than adaptive.
 

CarGuyCarl

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Probably. Since adaptive cruise exists, I wouldn't want old school cruise as it is far less capable than adaptive.
I definitely agree with you on like 90-95% of cases. But it sucks when the truck/car denies you cruise due to one or another variable not being acceptable to it. Or if snow covers your radar. I admit this is a rare and arguably first world problem, but I do wish for the choice.
 

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People arguing about the comparison between two vehicles and platforms that have about exactly nothing in common except that they are both electrically powered, ha. One is a first generation truck and the other is basically a sedan from a company with many more years working through production efficiencies. So very surprised to see everyone has found differences. Hold on while I start a new thread comparing my gen 1 R1T to my 1903 Model A, tldr on the review, they are very comparable since they are both first production units and should both have equal comparison metrics.
 

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Donald Stanfield

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I definitely agree with you on like 90-95% of cases. But it sucks when the truck/car denies you cruise due to one or another variable not being acceptable to it. Or if snow covers your radar. I admit this is a rare and arguably first world problem, but I do wish for the choice.
Understandable, although I would argue that you shouldn't be using cruise at all in a snowstorm.
 

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[After I reread my jumble of thoughts/words in my post, I had AI rewrite it for me :p].

Back in 2023, I made the switch in the opposite direction, from a 2022 Tesla Model S Long Range to a 2023 Rivian R1S.

That said, I completely agree with everything the OP mentioned in their first post. While the Model S differs from the Y in some key ways, I found the S more enjoyable for daily driving. It’s faster, and the overall UI is superior. Aesthetically, both the S and the R1S have a great look, though I always felt the Model 3/Y seemed a bit too generic—especially in SoCal, where they’re practically everywhere. The Model S, at least, still maintains some rarity.

Ultimately, I opted for Rivian because of its versatility. It’s still incredibly fast, seats seven, and gives me the freedom to go off-road whenever I want. Plus, I really like its design.

For me, the Model S was an excellent vehicle, but given my family’s overall needs, the Rivian was the better fit.
 

pamalabama

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What? I want to see an overhead view when I park. I cannot do this with a Tesla, don't tell me I don't need it because I do need it. That is a basic feature almost all manufacturers have.
There is an overhead view when you park. It renders parking lines very accurately and shows curbs and other obstacles
 

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I think Gen2 25' uses a different "Premium" stereo system that many reported as much worse than Gen1 stereo. So that explains what you said. Gen1 stereo system was really good IMHO.
I have a 2023 QM R1S, coming from Porsche Bose system and MB Burmiester, the stock Rivian non Meridian sounds awful, my solution was a complete rebuild using the original head control unit but adding Alpine speakers, 8 inch sub in its own cabinet and equalizer Alpine PXE-60, Optim 6. Now my Rivian rocks.. total cost of upgrade $8,000 parts and labor. All doors were insulated and speakers were boxed. I’ll never recoup the investment but I enjoy driving and listening to music.
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