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

[mkhuffman]

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

That is very interesting. I also have noticed that my Rivian is better about switching directions than my MME was. The MME would sometimes get confused and start to go the wrong direction, especially if I switched it from drive to reverse when it was still moving forward. I do that kind of thing all the time with my R1, and it always gets it right. It is nice to see you validated my experience.

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[kurtlikevonnegut]

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

This is one of the reasons I'm very excited to see how the R2 drives.

Lower CG plus a weight reduction of 20-30% and a shorter wheelbase but with the well developed driving dynamics from the Rivian team? Sign me up.

Of course, then you start thinking about the R3X and I'm inclined to think it'll be the most fun you can have with your pants still on.

 

[mkg3]

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.

The thing that help conceal the lack of steering feedback is what you feel in the seat. Rivian does transition directions better than most so one immediately feel the lateral forces in the seat of the pants. This coupled with some feedback from the steering wheel helps the driver take notice of what is happening - to a point and cannot really tell the limits though...

So our R1S with 22" is on the Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. The gen1 suspension is really best at standard height setting set to intermediate stiffness. Sports/low/firm or AP/low/intermediate is okay but in that setting, my two seater is more compliant on uneven surfaces than R1S. The only time we use soft is on the freeway with conserve mode. Since it's a heavy truck SUV, I didn't bother to get the PS S5 used on the new quad models. Traded off softer shoulders and ride for less performance.

I am not a real truck or SUV fan. Never have been. I much prefer a sporty estate/station wagon over two-box SUVs, That said, my wife is a big fan of two-box SUVs. So we have a Rivian.

 

[Great Gatsby]

That is very interesting. I also have noticed that my Rivian is better about switching directions than my MME was. The MME would sometimes get confused and start to go the wrong direction, especially if I switched it from drive to reverse when it was still moving forward. I do that kind of thing all the time with my R1, and it always gets it right. It is nice to see you validated my experience.

I was driving my R1S this morning and switched to the Mach-E during lunch, and pulled this same maneuver and the Mach-E kept rolling back while in drive lol Ford really needs update the Mach-E. It is really showing its age and IMO just needs some buttoning up to make it competitive again.

 

[SwampNut]

It is really showing its age

Everything about Ford EVs is based around old-think and making people comfortable with leftover limitations of gas cars. We spent less than ten minutes at the dealer realizing how awful the Lightning is, and we were in a Rivian less than two hours after that. If you told me that the Lightning was my dad's 1990s F250, I'd believe you.

 

[usulio]

This is one of the reasons I'm very excited to see how the R2 drives.

Lower CG plus a weight reduction of 20-30% and a shorter wheelbase but with the well developed driving dynamics from the Rivian team? Sign me up.

Of course, then you start thinking about the R3X and I'm inclined to think it'll be the most fun you can have with your pants still on.

And R1S has a suspension that probably still suffers even now from being originally designed for the R1T wheelbase. R2 won't have that complication.

That said, as long as the rear window rolls down, R2 will be good enough for me.

 

[Great Gatsby]

The thing that help conceal the lack of steering feedback is what you feel in the seat. Rivian does transition directions better than most so one immediately feel the lateral forces in the seat of the pants. This coupled with some feedback from the steering wheel helps the driver take notice of what is happening - to a point and cannot really tell the limits though...

So our R1S with 22" is on the Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. The gen1 suspension is really best at standard height setting set to intermediate stiffness. Sports/low/firm or AP/low/intermediate is okay but in that setting, my two seater is more compliant on uneven surfaces than R1S. The only time we use soft is on the freeway with conserve mode. Since it's a heavy truck SUV, I didn't bother to get the PS S5 used on the new quad models. Traded off softer shoulders and ride for less performance.

I am not a real truck or SUV fan. Never have been. I much prefer a sporty estate/station wagon over two-box SUVs, That said, my wife is a big fan of two-box SUVs. So we have a Rivian.

Fair enough! I'm the SUV guy, so I'm a lot more forgiving to the Rivian.

Everything about Ford EVs is based around old-think and making people comfortable with leftover limitations of gas cars. We spent less than ten minutes at the dealer realizing how awful the Lightning is, and we were in a Rivian less than two hours after that. If you told me that the Lightning was my dad's 1990s F250, I'd believe you.

Having the car yell at you for opening door while its still "on" because you need to press the "start/off" button on a car with no engine is truly beyond me. I complain about this every time I drive the Mach-E. My wife doesn't mind, but the idea behind it is what truly annoys me. Some things I understand stuck around for familiarly for those going from ICE to EV, but having to crank the frunk open like a gas hood rattles logic.

 

[SwampNut]

because you need to press the "start/off" button on a car with no engine is truly beyond me.

A business associate literally said "no" to the car because of this. He's a software and UX engineer. He was deeply offended, as he should be, by such a ridiculous ancient skeuomorph. It would also make me insane.

I'm just surprised they didn't just include this to "start" the car.

Meanwhile I've forgotten what a "park" button is since it's not needed. Open the door, and the Rivian/Tesla will autopark. One day I'm going to send an ICE car through a wall though.

 

[mkhuffman]

In direct response to the OP, I think my massive R1T handles incredibly well.

I took the drive shown below from WV into VA, across mountainous terrain, and it was insane. I drove way too fast in many places, passing slower moving vehicles at 70-80 mph, hitting the curves like I was driving a Miata. Of course, it does not handle like a Miata, but I bet with the power coming out of turns I could overtake and pass a Miata in a race.

In some of the hairpin turns, I did worry a little about the weight of the truck pushing the tires off the rims in the front. LOL.

And then I put it in Conserve, Standard height and medium firmness, and it drives smoother than anything I have ever driven.

I understand there are differences between the R1T and the S, and one day I need to check out the S for myself. It is very sad that the SUV version of my truck is not as comfortable. Because my T is very comfortable. Until I want to turn it into a sports car.

 

[iansriv]

Agree with OP & other posts. The R1S drives better than most of the SUVs I've driven. RJ is a big Porsche fan so I'm not surprised that the handling is there. I dont drive it like a Porsche 911 though because it's a >7k lbs SUV and I cant get past that.

 

[ozziegt]

Does it handle well for a 7000lb 3 row SUV? Yes. Driver's car? I fail to see how someone can say that with a straight face. I have never felt like it wanted to go fast into a corner.

 

[CarGuyCarl]

Not sure about driver’s car but with the right tires the air suspension and kinetic system really help hide the mass. Also kudos to rivian for allowing you to turn off stability control to a pretty unintrusive level. This is what makes it certainly feel like more of a drivers car compared to similar things in its class. And the R1S is especially keen to rotate.

 

[mkhuffman]

Does it handle well for a 7000lb 3 row SUV? Yes. Driver's car? I fail to see how someone can say that with a straight face. I have never felt like it wanted to go fast into a corner.

If you put it in Sport and lower the suspension to the lowest setting it does feel like it wants to go fast in corners. Or more accurately, I want to drive it fast into and out of corners.

 

[CrazyOne]

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.

Hydraulic steering is fantastic, but leaks after few years and is almost, if not completely extinct for new cars.

 

[derekk4]

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!

Interesting trick for the tight spots, but that sudden change in handling on the main road sounds a bit sketchy.

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