Demo Drive : Tri R1S, Quad R1T, Dual R1T : Very different ride/handling, trying to understand

[EV-by-the-Sea]

We have a Gen 1 R1S dual and a Gen 1 R1T quad on 20” OEM AT’s. I’m not sure if it is the lower CG, wheelbase, motor configuration or suspension decisions by Rivian, but the R1T is much more fun to drive. It seems to settle and be ready to drive out of corners better. Both are driven in All purpose medium.

Exact same setup (Dual R1S, Quad R1T, both on 20s) and feelings here. The R1T ride quality is much better (I chalk it up the extended wheelbase + the fact that the suspension seemed to have been tuned for the R1T and poorly adapted for the R1S) and handling is somehow better too (I attribute that in part to the torque vectoring the quad can do in the corners).

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Exact same setup (Dual R1S, Quad R1T, both on 20s) and feelings here. The R1T ride quality is much better (I chalk it up the extended wheelbase + the fact that the suspension seemed to have been tuned for the R1T and poorly adapted for the R1S) and handling is somehow better too (I attribute that in part to the torque vectoring the quad can do in the corners).

Gen 1s have same exact suspension and tuning. Difference in ride quality has to do with concept of frequency. Picture both driving over the same parking lot speed bump at exactly the same speed. In the longer wheelbased T, it’s thump-pause-thump. In the shorter S, it’s thump-thump. With gen 2 revision, Rivian finally had time to tune the S’s suspension to match and counter inherent harmonics of the shorter wheelbase—so it doesn’t seesaw as much going over the same bumps. And that was done through revision of bushings, tuning of spring rates (air pressure) and compression/rebound damping of shocks.

 

[cyclingkk]

2026 R1S Gen 2 Quad 22” Sport mode is a rocket go-cart'ish with lowest Sport suspension on smooth tight twisties. It destroys the feelings I had with what I thought was awesomeness in BMW X3 M40i and BMW 328i for 8 years. I've pushed the new R1S hard with four wheel sliding in the mountain corners and no 22" sidewall snap-back... Just response from those Michelin's... Woohoo! On not-smooth roads you'll feel the road more than preferred in lowest Sport suspension. All-Purpose mode is really nice but you'll feel more than 20", for sure.

All that aside, I prefer all-terrain 20" tires, even with all the sidewall, for smoother ride over bumps, taller tires feels better sitting an inch or so higher, and they handle speed bumps like they barely exist. When I turn quickly into a corner the rubber-banding of the tire sidewalls is prevalent with snap-back... For some this feeling could be uneasy.... But it's controlled, for sure.

I REALLY wanted the R1T, so much so I hadn't even considered the R1S until the 6 hours of test drives between the Dual, Tri, and Quad I year drove in one afternoon. The 2025 R1T Gen 2 Dual 20" I drove back then was planted moreso than the 2026 R1S Gen 2 Quad 20" because of the longer wheelbase regardless of drive mode. I had two issues with the R1T... It barely fits in my garage (I've had it in there with inches to spare) and the R1S does fit with enough room to spare to get into the overhead cabinets while parked. The R1T turning radius, for me, was so poor (truck-like and accepted by those who've owned trucks) for u-turns or making simple turns in a parking lot and even parking it that I had to go with the R1S. The R1S cabin has more storage behind the second row of seats.
I'll get an R1T one day when I get a new house and I'm much older to not care about turning radius and twisties, but for now I'll suffer with the R1S Quad unicorn... Hehehe.

 

[Dark-Fx]

2026 R1S Gen 2 Quad 22” Sport mode is a rocket go-cart'ish with lowest Sport suspension on smooth tight twisties. It destroys the feelings I had with what I thought was awesomeness in BMW X3 M40i and BMW 328i for 8 years. I've pushed the new R1S hard with four wheel sliding in the mountain corners and no 22" sidewall snap-back... Just response from those Michelin's... Woohoo! On not-smooth roads you'll feel the road more than preferred in lowest Sport suspension. All-Purpose mode is really nice but you'll feel more than 20", for sure.

Did you have the supersport tires? I put a square front setup on my R1S Tri motor, and it's amazing how much I can push in the corners before they start to bark. Especially if the corners are properly banked for tight turns. They are way stickier than the standard 22 sport tires.

 

[badger4149]

Hi. New to the forums. Been looking in at Rivian for a while now and decided to take some demo drives this past weekend.

I was very surprised at how different the three vehicles (R1S Tri, R1T Quad, R1T Dual Performance) handled. I drove the same route over 30-40mins covering side roads, highway and even a twisty back road. I believe all of these vehicles were on 22" wheels. I was driving in All Purpose, Firm (although didnt feel much difference between the various modes) and lowest setting on regen - my current EV coasts and doesnt really do one peddle driving. I wasn't used to the regen on high but figured I would end up liking it over time.

R1S (Tri) : the car felt undamped over every bump in the pavement, it felt very boat like. It was wallowy on anything other than perfect pavement. I didnt think any of the pavement I drove was 'that bad'.

R1T (Quad) : Same route, same settings, this just blew me away was a totally different experience. Was super smooth, little body roll even on the twisties. I could not believe I was in a truck. It drove as good as my wife's Cayenne.

R1T (Dual Perf) : This was way better than the R1S but somewhat worse than the R1T quad. It drove more like a regular truck.

Performance was great across all and I had no issues there, and I was prior to the demo that the R1T dual performance would suit my needs. But the quad performance I dont need, but it was a different vehicle in terms of handling at all speeds and surfaces.

Rivian guy said they do all drive a bit differently, but the difference was large. My question is was this expected - I hear in review folks love how the R1S handles, but for me it was a no. Is it possible there was something wrong with alignment or something, or I should have put the cars into other modes / ride height? Looking for some advice here on whether this was normal or perhaps something was amiss.

I have an R1S Tri-motor on factory 20" rims and tires. I keep the ride setting on "Soft" and I find it to be an extremely smooth, comfortable ride. This is especially noticeable when the road is not good.

 

[bfilippo]

I generally drive my R1T Tri on AP, Standard, Soft on 20” AT Pirelli’s. Regen on Standard. Perfect blend of performance, reliability and range for everyday use, to me. My wife usually drives her Gen1 Quad R1S on Conserve, Standard, Low Regen (gen 1 quads only have 2 settings, or mine does at least), on 22” Michelin LTX sport wheels.

I had a Dual Standard before my Tri and can definitely confirm the lack of punch above 60. This might be modified by the performance software upgrade, but I do think the Dual is an awesome everyday truck or SUV, but not going to blow you away if you’ve driven a Tesla or sports car before.

 

[oakhill5]

Hi. New to the forums. Been looking in at Rivian for a while now and decided to take some demo drives this past weekend.

I was very surprised at how different the three vehicles (R1S Tri, R1T Quad, R1T Dual Performance) handled. I drove the same route over 30-40mins covering side roads, highway and even a twisty back road. I believe all of these vehicles were on 22" wheels. I was driving in All Purpose, Firm (although didnt feel much difference between the various modes) and lowest setting on regen - my current EV coasts and doesnt really do one peddle driving. I wasn't used to the regen on high but figured I would end up liking it over time.

R1S (Tri) : the car felt undamped over every bump in the pavement, it felt very boat like. It was wallowy on anything other than perfect pavement. I didnt think any of the pavement I drove was 'that bad'.

R1T (Quad) : Same route, same settings, this just blew me away was a totally different experience. Was super smooth, little body roll even on the twisties. I could not believe I was in a truck. It drove as good as my wife's Cayenne.

R1T (Dual Perf) : This was way better than the R1S but somewhat worse than the R1T quad. It drove more like a regular truck.

Performance was great across all and I had no issues there, and I was prior to the demo that the R1T dual performance would suit my needs. But the quad performance I dont need, but it was a different vehicle in terms of handling at all speeds and surfaces.

Rivian guy said they do all drive a bit differently, but the difference was large. My question is was this expected - I hear in review folks love how the R1S handles, but for me it was a no. Is it possible there was something wrong with alignment or something, or I should have put the cars into other modes / ride height? Looking for some advice here on whether this was normal or perhaps something was amiss.

I agree with you on the tri R1S. On highway / smooth surfaces it’s as good as a Range Rover. On side streets / uneven roads I question it even has air suspension /let alone regular suspension. Yes mine has 22’s. You know what else has 22’s? My ford lighting. My ford lighting is twice as smooth in certain situations as my R2S tri. Going over a speed bump just hallows out the back and seems to hit bump stops or something.

Wondering if the air suspension is only used to lower/higher the car and not actually do anything when in drive. However my wife loves it so I’m not going to bring it up

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I agree with you on the tri R1S. On highway / smooth surfaces it’s as good as a Range Rover. On side streets / uneven roads I question it even has air suspension /let alone regular suspension. Yes mine has 22’s. You know what else has 22’s? My ford lighting. My ford lighting is twice as smooth in certain situations as my R2S tri. Going over a speed bump just hallows out the back and seems to hit bump stops or something.

Wondering if the air suspension is only used to lower/higher the car and not actually do anything when in drive. However my wife loves it so I’m not going to bring it up

What you describe is classic long vs short wheelbase. Pretty sure the air springs aren't just for height. Varying air pressure changes spring rate. And varying hydraulic pressure of shocks change damping rates (as well as amount of body roll).

 

[oakhill5]

What you describe is classic long vs short wheelbase. Pretty sure the air springs aren't just for height. Varying air pressure changes spring rate. And varying hydraulic pressure of shocks change damping rates (as well as amount of body roll).

Not to “compare” but we are coming from a 25’ Range Rover. The air suspension actually works with the terrain. I feel the rivians is more for show than actually working with the terrain. And our Range Rover had 23” perellis scorpions as well so I’m thinking I’m comparing apples to apples no?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Not to “compare” but we are coming from a 25’ Range Rover. The air suspension actually works with the terrain. I feel the rivians is more for show than actually working with the terrain. And our Range Rover had 23” perellis scorpions as well so I’m thinking I’m comparing apples to apples no?

Eh. It's a matter of Rivian tuning all of those mentioned attributes to find the right balance. And they did so once already, on the hardware side, from gen 1 to gen 2 R1S.

 

[oakhill5]

Eh. It's a matter of Rivian tuning all of those mentioned attributes to find the right balance. And they did so once already, on the hardware side, from gen 1 to gen 2 R1S.

That’s what I’m hoping as well. I’ll take a few potholes over $2500 yearly maintenance and gas any day.

 

[Yota2R1T]

Not to “compare” but we are coming from a 25’ Range Rover. The air suspension actually works with the terrain. I feel the rivians is more for show than actually working with the terrain. And our Range Rover had 23” perellis scorpions as well so I’m thinking I’m comparing apples to apples no?

25' Range Rover?
Rivian suspension for show?
WTF you smoking?

 

[oakhill5]

25' Range Rover?
Rivian suspension for show?
WTF you smoking?

Not sure what you are implying.

I had a 25’ Range Rover
Sold it and got a 26 rivian R1s tri. Both have air suspensions - both on 22’s or larger.

 

[Yota2R1T]

Not sure what you are implying.

I had a 25’ Range Rover
Sold it and got a 26 rivian R1s tri. Both have air suspensions - both on 22’s or larger.

Oh... You had a '25 Rover, as in 2025, not 25' as in 25 - foot, as you indicated.

Also, implying your comment about Rivian air suspension being for show was dumb.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

For show like this?






And...


Repeated over and over. Want more compliant ride? Wheel/tire choice matters. Ride height selection matters.

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