R1S - Underrated Driver's Car (Rivian Driving Dynamics Appreciation Thread)

[Great Gatsby]

Been driving a lot of different cars lately, and can't help but feel like the R1S does not get enough love as a legit driver's car. In a garage of 3 cars and occasional rentals and driving friend's vehicles, I'm always stunned to get in the R1S and realize how well done the driving experience overall is. At least, this is my experience with my 2023 Gen1 R1S Quad.

So what do I mean? The steering is nicely weighted. Not too heavy for slow speed maneuver and not too light for more spirited driving. Feedback from the wheel is also pretty good, you know what the wheels are doing and what is going with the road without it feeling too shaky. This might be due to the four motors, but the R1S feels very sure of itself and I have maybe slipped once? And I floor it often and even on tight curves. The vehicle never seems bordered by its own weight and power, which is amazing considering both. Body roll is there, but for a vehicle of this weight with air suspension, it is borderline magic how composed turns feel and can even get away with some higher speeds on a curvy road. The motor whine, IMO, is great as it gives you a sense of speed and feedback that people miss from an ICE vehicle. Downside, it can probably lead you to a felony speeding ticket if you aren't careful.

Did I say its fast? A lot of people dismiss EVs as just go fast machines with one party track that gets old fast. LOL. Okay, sure. Let's all pretend that going fast wasn't the main goal for cars until EVs showed up. Dodge Challenger Demon, anyone? Anyway, I never get tired of the power from a stop and the passing power in general. I never question "do I have it?" but rather "should I show mercy?" It is intoxicating. Once you get used to this speed, its hard to consider anything slower. Heck, I wouldn't mind something faster.

On another note, my wife hates it, but 3 point turns and parking lot maneuvers are easy due to the vehicle shifting quickly from Parking to Reverse. It never rattles around or feels lost. You shift gears, and the R1S follows suit, no complaints or alerts telling you to slow down or wait to shift. Well done, Rivian. It also hides it size well. U-turns and driving around the city does not feel as claustrophobic as one would imagine for an SUV of this size. Not intimidating at all. Excited to see how this translates to the R2 and its smaller size.

Is it a Porsche 911? No. I'm not comparing it to a dedicated sports car (though I do find it more fun to drive than some sport cars out there). I'm comparing it to other SUVs. For a performance 3 row SUV, I don't think I see any real competition out there (outside of the Lucid Gravity). Obviously, just my opinion and wanted to share how much I love driving my R1S. Car and Driver having this as 6th in its class feels like a joke. They've lost the Driver side of the name for me a while ago, but their review of the R1S certainly feels like a nail on the coffin.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Does anything impress you about how the R1S drives? Or does any other 3 row SUV do the driving thing better?

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[kanundrum]

Can confirm, own an Alfa Giulia Quad and it amazes me the way this hippo handles

 

[TyeeMike]

The only time i have found the R1T quad that i have feel sloppy when driving is if i had accidentally left it in ECO mode. when going into UG parking i switch to eco so the truck drops to lowest height and you get less wheel squeaking when turning corners down the ramp. leaving the parking still in eco mode, back on the street, the 2 wheel drive feels like what an old front wheel drive car drives like. oversteer and sloppy handling. unless i am on a long straight stretch of hwy, i never engage it.

otherwise i agree with all you comments above. Great fun to drive!

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Couldn’t have said it better myself. My wife has an i4M50 and while it does handle better it’s almost too good for the road. I have to be taking turns at a way too high speed to get the same thrill I can in my Rivian at a much safer speed. It still feels dynamic and the torque coming out of turns is where the real fun is.

Only thing I’ll add is between the regen and the massive friction brakes I always feel confident that I’m going to be able to stop even though the Rivian is so heavy. I’d wager that Rivian makes the best handling vehicles in their towing class.

 

[mkg3]

R1S Quad gen 1:

Steering is too light and has no real feedback (i.e., variable steering weight as a function of cornering forces, including tire behavior) as it is an electronic power steering (vs hydraulic). I have over 31K miles on the clock so plenty of driving time in all different drive modes. Sure, you get used to how it communicates but in the absolute terms, its feedback is worse than many others.

I own a vehicle with a hydraulic power steering, another with electronic power steering, as well as R1S that I drive on a regular basis and there are noticeable differences.

It's quick enough on the straight line (though there is a slight torque steer) to about 90mph but that's the easiest thing for most vehicle. Powering out of a corner is where the steering feedback falls most short to communicate the limits of tire adhesion. Being too heavy makes matters worse.

There is no point comparing to any dedicated sports car - agree. And also comparing with most SUVs, excluding few (e.g., Macan EV, Audi SQ8), R1S holds its own compared to regular SUVs, given significant unsprung weight.

 

[Dark-Fx]

R1S Quad gen 1:

Steering is too light and has no real feedback (i.e., variable steering weight as a function of cornering forces, including tire behavior) as it is an electronic power steering (vs hydraulic). I have over 31K miles on the clock so plenty of driving time in all different drive modes. Sure, you get used to how it communicates but in the absolute terms, its feedback is worse than many others.

I own a vehicle with a hydraulic power steering, another with electronic power steering, as well as R1S that I drive on a regular basis and there are noticeable differences.

It's quick enough on the straight line (though there is a slight torque steer) to about 90mph but that's the easiest thing for most vehicle. Powering out of a corner is where the steering feedback falls most short to communicate the limits of tire adhesion. Being too heavy makes matters worse.

There is no point comparing to any dedicated sports car - agree. And also comparing with most SUVs, excluding few (e.g., Macan EV, Audi SQ8), R1S holds its own compared to regular SUVs, given significant unsprung weight.

I think anyone being critical needs to mention what tires they are running. They all feel so different. My R1S with K02's on it drives like garbage if I'm comparing directly to the UHP Michelins. It's still pretty quick in straight lines. Rivian's traction control in these situations is great.

With the UHP tires on and good pavement, I can push it way harder into corners than is comfortable. Any other tire would have already came loose and sent me off the road.

 

[Audiotek]

Gen 1 R1S Quad 2023

Spec: reinforced underbody shield, 22" Sport Dark Wheels

My R1S Quad is quiet and stable with the added weight from reinforced underbody shield.

I have two R2 reservation and will not purchase if a reinforced underbody shield option is not offered.

I read almost 5 years of driving dynamics about Rivian skateboard platform and believe my R1S drives as well as it does and as quiet because of the reinforced underbody shield.

No complaints since ownership.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

This is a big reason why I'm sold on Rivian for the forseeable future. The driving experience is just better than anything that I've driven that's comparable. Any time I have a rental or drive another vehicle I find myself quickly missing my Rivian.

I attribute this largely to RJ's obsession with racing. He clearly puts a huge emphasis on driving dynamics and how it affects the overall driving experience.

 

[SwampNut]

I ride motorcycles fast, but cars mostly bore me, and I have barely pushed the on-road sportiness of my R1T. But something that hasn't been discussed yet is the off-road ability. Now, for rock crawling, have had decently built Jeeps, it's just never gonna be that. Too heavy, too big, too low.

BUT!!! Put it on sand and interesting dirt trails, and HOLD THE FUCK ON. I have spent a lot of time in the Ocotillo Wells (Anza Borego) area on all of its many types of surfaces, with some very good quality sand machines. And this smokes them. The first time driving there with my brother, who has driven $200k sand rails and buggies, he said he thinks it beats anything that is not ridiculously built. It accelerates on sand better than most vehicles on pavement, corners perfectly, pulls from a turn with full authority (torque vectoring), and the electronic sway bars mean perfect stability without harshness. It corners flat and with great feel. It will actually squeal rubber on dirt.

 

[usulio]

The power, regen, and suspension make it feel so light on its feet even on steep uphills and downhills. It's not till limited regen kicks on and you realize that you are actually driving a 3.5-ton vehicle, that you realize how much momentum this thing has.

I try to always remember the weight now the roads are icy and drive like a grandma, but with dedicated winter tires, it's still so planted. The other day I was waiting at an uphill green light when I realized the truck at the front of the line was spinning its tires trying to go. The Rivian drove like the road was made of glue. Yes a lot of this is good tires, but on a day where I saw a bunch of vehicles in various ditches (including a bus), it was really confident and controlled.

 

[Great Gatsby]

R1S Quad gen 1:

Steering is too light and has no real feedback (i.e., variable steering weight as a function of cornering forces, including tire behavior) as it is an electronic power steering (vs hydraulic). I have over 31K miles on the clock so plenty of driving time in all different drive modes. Sure, you get used to how it communicates but in the absolute terms, its feedback is worse than many others.

I own a vehicle with a hydraulic power steering, another with electronic power steering, as well as R1S that I drive on a regular basis and there are noticeable differences.

It's quick enough on the straight line (though there is a slight torque steer) to about 90mph but that's the easiest thing for most vehicle. Powering out of a corner is where the steering feedback falls most short to communicate the limits of tire adhesion. Being too heavy makes matters worse.

There is no point comparing to any dedicated sports car - agree. And also comparing with most SUVs, excluding few (e.g., Macan EV, Audi SQ8), R1S holds its own compared to regular SUVs, given significant unsprung weight.

All fair points! I originally thought the steering was light, but after getting used to it, I find it adequate for most maneuvering and not sure if you've driven the new quad, but an even bigger improvement there in sport mode as far as steering weight and feel. Electronic power steering will never beat hydraulic steering as far as feedback, but my point was compared to what we have nowadays, this is pretty darn good. Compared to other vehicles I've driven whose steering feels downright dead and give you no idea what is going with the roads and tires, I feel like the Rivian is communicative enough. Not perfect, but way better than one would expect, IMO.

I have a M240i as my more dedicated sports car, but honestly, I find myself just grabbing my Rivian even on those days where I just want to go for a more spirited drive. The weight is a problem for sure, but I do enjoy driving it. I'm hoping the R2 can drive even better given its slightly smaller size and weight, but we shall see.

 

[Great Gatsby]

The power, regen, and suspension make it feel so light on its feet even on steep uphills and downhills. It's not till limited regen kicks on and you realize that you are actually driving a 3.5-ton vehicle, that you realize how much momentum this thing has.

I try to always remember the weight now the roads are icy and drive like a grandma, but with dedicated winter tires, it's still so planted. The other day I was waiting at an uphill green light when I realized the truck at the front of the line was spinning its tires trying to go. The Rivian drove like the road was made of glue. Yes a lot of this is good tires, but on a day where I saw a bunch of vehicles in various ditches (including a bus), it was really confident and controlled.

I think I say at least once a day to my wife when I'm driving that "blindfolded, I would never know I'm driving a 7,000lb car". It certainly does not brake or get out of its way like one would expect a 7,000lb car to. I had a Ford Explorer ST before this, and that felt heavier despite being 2,000lbs lighter than the R1S. What Rivian has done with the R1 line feels like downright sorcery. Hard to appreciate nowadays how impressive it is to have a 7 seat family SUV that is so heavy that can also destroy supercars off the line and can brake without any drama. 10 years ago, this was downright sci-fi. Nowadays, people are seldom impressed. Kind of sad, but also kind of awesome that we have come such a long way.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

On another note, my wife hates it, but 3 point turns and parking lot maneuvers are easy due to the vehicle shifting quickly from Parking to Reverse. It never rattles around or feels lost. You shift gears, and the R1S follows suit, no complaints or alerts telling you to slow down or wait to shift.

Do people have cars who rattle on reverse or tell you to wait to shift? Never heard of this.

 

[SwampNut]

Do people have cars who rattle on reverse or tell you to wait to shift? Never heard of this.

I don't know about "rattle," but many cars with slushboxes or DCT have delays and jerkiness when shifting between drive and reverse. I always took this for granted and worked around it, but just this weekend I drove an ICE car that was unhappy when I did a Rivian/Tesla-style quick shift during a five-point turn. It was jerky and noisy.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Do people have cars who rattle on reverse or tell you to wait to shift? Never heard of this.

In ICE cars, best practice is to wait for the car to come to a full stop before shifting from Drive to Reverse to avoid transmission issues. Other EVs seems to have similar safeguards that either don't let you shift quickly from P to D, or the car seems to struggle to know what you just did if you do it too quickly. In the Rivian, you pull the shifter up and down and the car does it immediately. Fantastic for getting out of parking spots and other tight maneuvers. Good regen helps with this as well, as the car doesn't keep going forward or back, even after shifting. My wife's Mach-E has this issue. The "rattle", if you will, is sometimes the car trying to figure out whether it should keep going forward or back while slowing down or speeding up. It kind of jerks in place as it sorts it out. I chuck it to poor low speed calibration or they didn't foresee psychos like me doing a 3 point turn in like 2 seconds from a stop lol

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