R1T 12 Month Review @ 15K Miles

[HAL]

Delivered 03-31-22 = 130 miles
Current 03-31-23 = 15,000 miles
R1T - Launch Edition, El Cap Granite, Black Mountain interior

Observations:
Pre-order, trade in, drop off, customer service, and training have been excellent
Rentals and Uber/Lyft credits are nice

This is the most over engineered vehicle that I’ve ever been in. It’s not really a truck or a car but some combination of vehicle, robot, charging station, power station, hotspot, AI. This is a high end luxury sport/adventure vehicle better compared to a Range Rover than an American pickup. It works for me because I own a home and charge here. The 300 mile range is plenty for me. The truck is very, very fast and very heavy. That makes it quite dangerous if you’re not in control. It’s really important to spend a lot of time going through the screens, reading the onboard, onscreen manual, and testing everything before testing the vehicle’s limits. It’s important to focus on the windshield rather than the screens and the more comfortable you are with the OS the more alert you’ll be driving. The driving assist mode(s) are not what they could be and the vehicle itself with so much aluminum can bend pretty easily. Behold all the Rivian owners who will drop the tailgate without checking to see if the area is clear and those who slam the doors so often they fall out of alignment. There are some sharp corners you will meet with gentle scrapes along your calves but, by and large the ergonomics are excellent.

It is a mistake to buy this vehicle if you don’t own a home. It’s already north of $100k and fast chargers are not that much of a deal next to gas pumps that are right now probably more than 4x faster. It won’t save you money on the short term. It’s also a mistake to buy it to tow trailers large distances as range will be swallowed up. But as an overall performance vehicle on and off-road it is an absolute game changer that will out accelerate a, (insert almost every super car here), and ford a river 3.5’ deep without a snorkel. It powered my house during an outage for about five hours and still left plenty of room to drive where I needed to go. I’ve owned 6 trucks, all 4x4, whatever that is, and two MBZ’s. This is better than all of them for performance alone. It’s just so much fun you can’t wait to go somewhere, anywhere. It attracts a lot of attention, “Now you know how it feels to be the hot girl,” said my kid. People will gawk, smile, race you, and generally do unpredictable things and that can be dangerous. There’s also a large group of haters which I just didn’t expect. Still, regardless of what happens with Rivian, these Launch Edition vehicles are absolute unicorns. No one needs an 835 hp pickup.

Practically speaking the R1S makes more sense to me. You can carry more people and without the gear tunnels it is shorter and handles better and parks more easily. You can also recline the 2nd row seats. I do like the gear tunnel for loading groceries and as a seat to change shoes and boots. But the back seat in the R1T is not a place you want to be for too long. It’s not for everyone but for me right now it is an absolute blast.

As for the company, I am in even as the stock slides farther downhill. This is the first vehicle from this company and it’s so impressive that both Ford and MBZ invested money or tried to partner with them. They fill a niche Tesla isn‘t in yet and the word is the Cyber Truck has already incorporated some build features the R1T already has. Even if the brand itself stumbles, there’s just too much to like about these vehicles. Most owners I think probably feel the same way. These trucks make people happy!



Options:
All terrain off road package with extra underbody rock guard panel
Full size spare
All weather floor mats
Cargo rack
Yakima ski rack

After market items:
Xpel clear film body wrap for hood, front end, front quarter panels, mirrors, gear tunnel doors
Twraps 3 screen protector kit, center console organizer, and gear tunnel door sill covers
Grounding plug
Magnetic jack pucks
Iceco refrigerator
Tie downs
Reflective tape
> Receiver hitch w/2”ball
> Receiver hitch recovery hitch
> Recovery rope

Issues:
White solvent? stains on truck bed > RESOLVED
FAST CHARGER cable locked on vehicle > RESOLVED
Front unit leak > RESOLVED
Chemical smell > RESOLVED
Compressor noise > RESOLVED
Clicking and grinding on front left wheel > RESOLVED
Wind noise around windows > RESOLVED
Electric window up/down issue > RESOLVED
Front suspension recall > RESOLVED
Buckled plastic vent behind rear seat > RESOLVED
Electric system recall > RESOLVED
Chewed up rubber tonneau cover guides > RESOLVED

DRIVING MODE does not complete to full driving settings until after 3-4 x after switching back and forth from ENTRY/EXIT mode at beginning of day
Phone as a key fails

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[Gilly]

After 1 month, similar config w/ dark wheels, I agree! Tons of fun, an engineering marvel. Enjoying my unicorn. Hope they figure out how to simplify & survive.

 

[HAL]

They will and they are I think. They’ll go to a two motor option,, battery tech will get to 500 miles soon, lower priced options will rule the day. GM, Stallantis, Toyota Will crater soon I expect. I like Kia/Hyundai to make it and VW with EA to also grow. I like MBZ over BMW. The thing I just can’t get past is the fact that the vehicle, their first production model, while sometimes annoying due to Bluetooth and internet interruptions, is a marvel. They need a $40k option and a boatload of experts that know how to scale. I also think they need to act more like a premium brand and less like a tech company when it comes to customer service. Be present, available and honest and stop with the “vegan leather” Bs. ?

 

[tscanjr]

Delivered 03-31-22 = 130 miles
Current 03-31-23 = 15,000 miles
R1T - Launch Edition, El Cap Granite, Black Mountain interior

Observations:
Pre-order, trade in, drop off, customer service, and training have been excellent
Rentals and Uber/Lyft credits are nice

This is the most over engineered vehicle that I’ve ever been in. It’s not really a truck or a car but some combination of vehicle, robot, charging station, power station, hotspot, AI. This is a high end luxury sport/adventure vehicle better compared to a Range Rover than an American pickup. It works for me because I own a home and charge here. The 300 mile range is plenty for me. The truck is very, very fast and very heavy. That makes it quite dangerous if you’re not in control. It’s really important to spend a lot of time going through the screens, reading the onboard, onscreen manual, and testing everything before testing the vehicle’s limits. It’s important to focus on the windshield rather than the screens and the more comfortable you are with the OS the more alert you’ll be driving. The driving assist mode(s) are not what they could be and the vehicle itself with so much aluminum can bend pretty easily. Behold all the Rivian owners who will drop the tailgate without checking to see if the area is clear and those who slam the doors so often they fall out of alignment. There are some sharp corners you will meet with gentle scrapes along your calves but, by and large the ergonomics are excellent.

It is a mistake to buy this vehicle if you don’t own a home. It’s already north of $100k and fast chargers are not that much of a deal next to gas pumps that are right now probably more than 4x faster. It won’t save you money on the short term. It’s also a mistake to buy it to tow trailers large distances as range will be swallowed up. But as an overall performance vehicle on and off-road it is an absolute game changer that will out accelerate a, (insert almost every super car here), and ford a river 3.5’ deep without a snorkel. It powered my house during an outage for about five hours and still left plenty of room to drive where I needed to go. I’ve owned 6 trucks, all 4x4, whatever that is, and two MBZ’s. This is better than all of them for performance alone. It’s just so much fun you can’t wait to go somewhere, anywhere. It attracts a lot of attention, “Now you know how it feels to be the hot girl,” said my kid. People will gawk, smile, race you, and generally do unpredictable things and that can be dangerous. There’s also a large group of haters which I just didn’t expect. Still, regardless of what happens with Rivian, these Launch Edition vehicles are absolute unicorns. No one needs an 835 hp pickup.

Practically speaking the R1S makes more sense to me. You can carry more people and without the gear tunnels it is shorter and handles better and parks more easily. You can also recline the 2nd row seats. I do like the gear tunnel for loading groceries and as a seat to change shoes and boots. But the back seat in the R1T is not a place you want to be for too long. It’s not for everyone but for me right now it is an absolute blast.

As for the company, I am in even as the stock slides farther downhill. This is the first vehicle from this company and it’s so impressive that both Ford and MBZ invested money or tried to partner with them. They fill a niche Tesla isn‘t in yet and the word is the Cyber Truck has already incorporated some build features the R1T already has. Even if the brand itself stumbles, there’s just too much to like about these vehicles. Most owners I think probably feel the same way. These trucks make people happy!



Options:
All terrain off road package with extra underbody rock guard panel
Full size spare
All weather floor mats
Cargo rack
Yakima ski rack

After market items:
Xpel clear film body wrap for hood, front end, front quarter panels, mirrors, gear tunnel doors
Twraps 3 screen protector kit, center console organizer, and gear tunnel door sill covers
Grounding plug
Magnetic jack pucks
Iceco refrigerator
Tie downs
Reflective tape
> Receiver hitch w/2”ball
> Receiver hitch recovery hitch
> Recovery rope

Issues:
White solvent? stains on truck bed > RESOLVED
FAST CHARGER cable locked on vehicle > RESOLVED
Front unit leak > RESOLVED
Chemical smell > RESOLVED
Compressor noise > RESOLVED
Clicking and grinding on front left wheel > RESOLVED
Wind noise around windows > RESOLVED
Electric window up/down issue > RESOLVED
Front suspension recall > RESOLVED
Buckled plastic vent behind rear seat > RESOLVED
Electric system recall > RESOLVED
Chewed up rubber tonneau cover guides > RESOLVED

DRIVING MODE does not complete to full driving settings until after 3-4 x after switching back and forth from ENTRY/EXIT mode at beginning of day
Phone as a key fails

how did you resolve this "Wind noise around windows > RESOLVED"?

 

[HAL]

In some of these earlier models, the flashing around the windows was not sitting flush. The replaced those pieces I think.

 

[HAL]

also:

Electric system recall > RESOLVED was actually Passenger Seat belt recall > RESOLVED

 

[Goose]

If they can get a $60k model with 400 miles (assuming Na-ion battery tech gets them there) they won’t be able to make them quick enough.

 

[COdogman]

Nice write up.

I only disagree that it's only advisable to own a Rivian (or any EV) if you own a home. I am an apartment dweller (with a garage) and I plan to plug in the slow charger when it's parked at night and that 2-3 miles per hour will add enough miles to cover my daily commute. I will stop at a DCFC 1-2 times per month if necessary. No matter how I add it up I still will spend less than I currently am on gas for my Tacoma (2 fill ups at $65-$80 each depending on the price of gas at the time).

There is even a free L2 charger at a Harley dealer near my apartment complex I can use to save even more if I feel like it. Yes, it's slower but I need more reasons to slow down in life

 

[HAL]

That's fair. My condo with circa 1980s electric required a new panel, a load manager from Canada, and the Rivian charger which does about 13 mi/hour. At about 500-1000 miles/month traveling my electric bill is about $140 more/month or $35/week. Fast chargers are almost that much off peak. Also, I drive hard. Don't care for CONSERVE mode and with AT tires SPORT is just out. Some apartments will let you install the L2 charger. I would do it if you can.

 

[waitinUntil2024]

Wind noise around windows > RESOLVED

Details?

 

[Rivianation]

Delivered 03-31-22 = 130 miles
Current 03-31-23 = 15,000 miles
R1T - Launch Edition, El Cap Granite, Black Mountain interior

Observations:
...

Great observations!
Congrats on solving the equation:

FAST + HEAVY = DANGEROUS​

More owners need to realize this before my insurance rates go up!

 

[shizumaat]

It powered my house during an outage for about five hours and still left plenty of room to drive where I needed to go

Did you just run an extension cord from the truck outlets to power a few things, or did you figure out some way to tap into your house panel? My understanding was Rivian has not enabled a way to do Vehicle to Grid yet?

 

[mikehmb]

Nice write up.

I only disagree that it's only advisable to own a Rivian (or any EV) if you own a home. I am an apartment dweller (with a garage) and I plan to plug in the slow charger when it's parked at night and that 2-3 miles per hour will add enough miles to cover my daily commute. I will stop at a DCFC 1-2 times per month if necessary. No matter how I add it up I still will spend less than I currently am on gas for my Tacoma (2 fill ups at $65-$80 each depending on the price of gas at the time).

There is even a free L2 charger at a Harley dealer near my apartment complex I can use to save even more if I feel like it. Yes, it's slower but I need more reasons to slow down in life

FWIW, we got away with L1 charging on the i3 forever until we picked up the eGolf. Then, the garage simply couldn’t handle both charging at max amp so fuses would blow. That was the primary reason we switched to L2s (did 2 of them, because it was only incrementally more expensive than a single drop).

I was commuting 100 miles round trip at that point in the Golf.

 

[mikehmb]

Did you just run an extension cord from the truck outlets to power a few things, or did you figure out some way to tap into your house panel? My understanding was Rivian has not enabled a way to do Vehicle to Grid yet?

I’m having a transfer switch installed to power the garage and kitchen, both of which will be powered by the on-board inverter. This is so we can at least have light, laundry, heat, hot water, and keep the food cold in the frig and freezer. That combined is a pretty low load. (hot water and heater are gas, but require 120v to activate)

This will be dramatically improved once V2H is implemented on the Rivian, assuming it’s enabled on existing HW. Otherwise, my redneck solution will be adequate for the outages we get here.

 

[shizumaat]

I’m having a transfer switch installed to power the garage and kitchen, both of which will be powered by the on-board inverter. This is so we can at least have light, laundry, heat, hot water, and keep the food cold in the frig and freezer. That combined is a pretty low load. (hot water and heater are gas, but require 120v to activate)

This will be dramatically improved once V2H is implemented on the Rivian, assuming it’s enabled on existing HW. Otherwise, my redneck solution will be adequate for the outages we get here.

Interesting! So you can put a transfer switch on your home electric panel that's powered by a 120V extension cord and just powers a few selected circuits?

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