Some counter-intuitive Demo Drive observations...

[carsly]

If you don't want to read anything critical about Rivian vehicles, then please move along. For some background, I've owned a number of EV's including a Polestar 2, Tesla Model X Performance Ludicrous and currently a Tesla Model S Plaid. I've also owned many mid-sized SUV's the last 15 years primarily BMWs (X3 and X5), and Hondas (1st and 2nd generation Pilots). I've also test driven just about every mid-sized "luxury" SUV on the market in the last year - Acura MDX, Mercedes GLE, Mercedes GLS, Defender 110, Defender 130, BMW X5, BMW X7, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, BMW IX, Honda Pilot (3rd generation), Toyota Highlander, Lexus GX460, Nissan Pathfinder and on and on. As a result, I've got some familiarity with what's available in the market - ICE and EV - but won't ever claim exhaustive knowledge.

My Rivian story began around Jan/Feb 2022, a few years after my Cybertruck deposit, when I was intrigued by the idea of a mid-sized electric SUV that could go toe-to-toe with many on the list above. I was about ready to place a pre-order in late March/early April 2022 and then the brouhaha around pricing took off. As I was a bit perturbed, not by the price increase so much as the waffling and going back and cutting a hard line in the sand on pre-orders, restoring canceled orders, etc. that I lost a bit of trust in the company. The excessive cash burn, delayed time to market and inability to get the supply chain as sorted out as others didn't help but I kept track focusing on the product - which for me was only ever going to be the R1S. Finally, I saw the tide turn last fall and placed my pre-order in Oct 2022. But living in the Northeast, there were simply no Rivian showrooms to be found. I was invited to a First Mile event last spring - in Chicago. WTF? No thanks.

Fast forward to today, Rivian has a showroom open near the High Line in Manhattan and while it's immensely painful to get into town just to see and test drive a vehicle I needed to be in the city for work this afternoon so booked a Demo Drive for this morning. It was to be my first hands-on with an R1S after reading every article and watching just about every YouTube video I could find. Here is what I noticed that I did NOT see mentioned in any content I went through.

Pros:

• Fantastic sightlines and visibility - similar to many two-box ICE SUVs, the A pillars are close to the driver leaving open a big expanse of front glass. Visibility out of the side and rear mirrors is quite good as are sightlines from the side glass on both sides. Bonus for NOT having a steeply tapered hood (I'm looking at you Model X) so you can see the entire hood and know where the front corners of your vehicle are without having to rely on sensors.
• Command seating position - this vehicle, even in its lowest ride height sits higher than a crossover SUV like a Highlander or Pilot. I find it's most similar to a Land Rover Defender or Lexus GX with a similar body-on-frame approach.
• One pedal drive - took zero time to adapt, almost identical to Tesla. And I did a demo drive in Manhattan of all places! Super smooth, I don't think I even used the friction brakes.
• AC - car was sitting in the sun on a 98 degree day, AC fired cold immediately and the cooled seats really helped. It didn't take long for the cabin to cool down at all. This is something I was dreading from some online reviews.
• Pano roof - normally I'm not a fan and would still prefer a shade but the tint is super heavy from the factory. I've got a pop-in shade on my Model S because the light and heat are intense without it during the summer. I could see not using a shade at all in this car, which I did not expect.
• Third row seating is not horrible - let's be honest, in most mid-sized SUV's the third row isn't usable for more than short rides or small to mid-sized children. In this case it's usable IF and only if the first and second row passengers cooperate and move their seats forward a bit. The good news is this is definitely do-able. The bad news is that everyone will have less legroom than they may have in ICE vehicles.
• Ride/handling - my short demo drive included some of Manhattan's finest cobblestone streets. With 20" rims and soft suspension neither I in the driver's seat or my 18 year old son in the second row found the car bouncy. It ate up the bumps much better than I anticipated given the YouTube reviews. Maybe it was the 20's with offroad tires being a bit more compliant, maybe they were running tire pressures a few PSI on the light side but it was quite nice.
• Space behind third-row - sometimes all you get is 12-18" of depth with not much practical storage height given the recline angle of the third row seat. In the R1S, even without digging into underfloor storage (which is quite ample) it's much more than I expected.

Considerations:

• Interior materials quality is a bit too plasticky - I had a 2014 Honda Pilot Touring that seemed to be forged from low quality plastics, generally off-black. The Rivian was very similar in that regard. It's not bad, per se, just that it matches more with a $50-60K car at most, not one that costs ~50% more. This is particularly noticeable in the door cards and window switches. Just a little too low rent.
• The pleather seats are more similar to Honda and Toyota - shiny and slick - than any fake leather you'll find from Mercedes, BMW, Audi or even Tesla. Tesla's refresh seats in the 2021+ Model S/X are much softer fake leather, better graining and more matte in appearance. That noted, the R1S seats are quite comfortable and have a wide range of adjustments.
• The steering wheel is a little smaller than I expected with a slightly smaller grip - not sure why, it just seems a little too small and thin
• Second-row knee and foot room is smaller than it should be. I'm guessing usable second-row knee room is closer to 35" as opposed to the 37-39" available in many three-row mid-sized SUV's. You definitely notice this sitting in the second row, it just doesn't move back enough. The small footwells between the rails under the front seats exacerbate this issue as they aren't very deep or wide. I think you'll find a Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Audi Q7 or comparable vehicle will have much more foot and knee room. If your family is on the shorter side maybe it's not an issue, but it's not something I've seen mentioned often.
• Mass - there is no escaping the nearly four tons that the R1S puts on the road. They've hidden it as best they can, but it's there. You should be aware - particularly in emergency braking or steering maneuvers.

Closing thoughts:

This is an impressive first-run vehicle from a new company. It would be a competitive $75-85K vehicle as it sits. At $90+K it's really pushing it. The best way I can describe it to someone is that it feels like a traditional two-box mid-sized SUV but shrunk to 85% scale. Everything you'd expect is there - just a little smaller. The second-row seats, sure you could fit three across, but not nearly as easily as you can in competitive vehicles - it's just a couple inches too narrow inside despite having the width outside. Second-row legroom? Same thing, there should be another 2-4". Foot space? Another 1-2". Steering wheel could be slightly larger and beefier.

The question I'm left asking myself is if 85% size is enough, or will it be too small for comfortably fitting a family of five (3 teenage boys) and two small dogs. I'm not sure yet.

Oh, and I really like the 22" bright wheels!

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[RexRemus]

There has been far worse criticism leveled at it, nothing here seems unreasonable.

Glad you got to take it out for a spin.

I think the answer is always... it depends... Family of 5 with 3 strapping young lads might be rough unless mom is ok riding in the back seat - shoulders might get a little tight back there - doable, but tight. Short rides not an issue, if you're road tripping there will be trouble.

But if you have doubts, and you have better options you prefer, don't sweat the decision - go with what suits your needs, and leave the regrets behind. Maybe do another visit with the family and have everyone get in, only way to really know. But you seemed to hit on a lot of the good, and have valid concerns for your specific use case. Make the best choice for you, I'd never want to talk someone into a decision they're going to hate