180 degree tailgate

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

What’s the institutional memory around here on the fabled 180 degree tailgate? With the gooseneck on the hinge I would think it would be extra nice.

Was it ever a thing? Like a plan or promise or a legit hope? Does it appear to be coming at a later date? Would you choose it as an option, say for $1500?

Here’s what I’ve dug up:

"Illustrations of the new tailgate patent from Rivian show the door having the ability to open much like a traditional tailgate, but also the ability to swing down behind the rear of the vehicle. This would give a person trying to gain access to the bed the ability to get closer to the truck, allowing for easier loading and unloading of items on the R1T’s primary cargo area."

"Rivian’s “Swing and Drop Tailgate” design ultimately allows the R1T’s tailgate to move in multiple different ranges of motion. This design brings several advantages, with its different movements and trajectories allowing users to not worry about the space available around them. Rivian discusses these advantages further in its patent."

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[nc10]

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...ms-powered-tailgate-has-now-been-killed.1099/

Discussion about the powered tailgate mentions this also. I think I would have gotten it if also powered, even up to $2500 or so

 

[COdogman]

I personally wouldn’t want this drop design, although it would make it easier to reach into the bed. Depending on the mechanism I would be worried it might release itself if I was hauling a longer, heavier item. I’d also be concerned about damaging the tailgate or the bumper while it’s in the down position.

I would rather have a tailgate like the Ridgeline, which can open down in the traditional way, or open to one side like a gate. Although they probably couldn’t use the gooseneck hinges with that.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

I personally wouldn’t want this drop design, although it would make it easier to reach into the bed. Depending on the mechanism I would be worried it might release itself if I was hauling a longer, heavier item. I’d also be concerned about damaging the tailgate or the bumper while it’s in the down position.

I would rather have a tailgate like the Ridgeline, which can open down in the traditional way, or open to one side like a gate. Although they probably couldn’t use the gooseneck hinges with that.

The patent sounds like it's for a "swing and drop" tailgate. So it would perhaps -ahem- go both ways. I'd like this very much. I can imagine it would take some extra work to power it all, but as a manual system it shouldn't be too difficult. Make it an option and let us decide if the cost is worth it.

 

[moosetags]

I do not think that I would care for this option either. Some folks have had trouble with the GM drop down tailgate. If it gets dropped with a hitch bar in the receiver, it can damage the tailgate.

Brian

 

[jjswan33]

I personally wouldn’t want this drop design, although it would make it easier to reach into the bed. Depending on the mechanism I would be worried it might release itself if I was hauling a longer, heavier item. I’d also be concerned about damaging the tailgate or the bumper while it’s in the down position.

I would rather have a tailgate like the Ridgeline, which can open down in the traditional way, or open to one side like a gate. Although they probably couldn’t use the gooseneck hinges with that.

I did like the tailgate on the Ridgeline very much when I had one. With the amount of overhang on the R1T it may be difficult to engineer with a disconnecting gooseneck for the swing that is strong enough.

 

[weathermission]

The silver prototype they had at the Manhattan preholder event in early 2019 had the full swing down tailgate but that got dropped as noted above. It's too bad.

But that's also when they were saying the truck would have removable soft and hard top versions and dimming ceiling glass. They also dropped grocery hooks in the frunk.
Sad how even after dropping all those expensive options they still have to raise the price drastically. And yet their still the most kickass truck I've been seen !

 

[SASSquatch]

The silver prototype they had at the Manhattan preholder event in early 2019 had the full swing down tailgate but that got dropped as noted above. It's too bad.

But that's also when they were saying the truck would have removable soft and hard top versions and dimming ceiling glass. They also dropped grocery hooks in the frunk.
Sad how even after dropping all those expensive options they still have to raise the price drastically. And yet their still the most kickass truck I've been seen !

I was a fan of the 180 degree hinge and especially the fact that it was powered. Every person is going to have a different use case for the vehicle and for those of us who never owned a truck, and absent an R1T would never own a truck, the flexibility of accessing the bed was something I really wanted.

Can someone explain to me why RIVIAN axed the grocery hooks?? That feels below the belt. How expensive would that have been as an option vs how much utility it would have provided?

 

[kylealden]

What’s the institutional memory around here on the fabled 180 degree tailgate? With the gooseneck on the hinge I would think it would be extra nice.

Was it ever a thing? Like a plan or promise or a legit hope? Does it appear to be coming at a later date? Would you choose it as an option, say for $1500?

Eh. It was cool but I have a hard time getting excited about it as more than a gimmick. Power up would be nice - I don't miss it that much except when someone else closes the tailgate and it doesn't latch all the way. The 180 degree drop seems nice in theory but in practice I don't really care and haven't missed it, but I am pretty tall so it's an easy reach.

That said, of all the things they could easily have axed (gear tunnel, camp kitchen, interior quality/design, full size spare, range, four-motor drive, air suspension range, water fording depth, crazy mclaren roll/sway, etc.) - I'm pretty happy with the ones they settled on. If I could pick one thing to bring back, it would be the original frunk dimensions (including flat floor), or maybe the in-bed crossbar mounts for a cool bike rack/accessory option - not the tailgate.

Can someone explain to me why RIVIAN axed the grocery hooks?? That feels below the belt. How expensive would that have been as an option vs how much utility it would have provided?

I imagine it's about the cascading impacts to manufacturing complexity - the trunk bin is a big molded plastic bucket (see the Munro teardowns), so any hook with meaningful durability is going to have to screw into something else (like a cross brace in the firewall) - which is yet another thing that needs to be aligned (probably by a human), yet another fastener, etc. Added parts cost but also added steps and potential for things to go wrong on the assembly line. (Or they could just have put in a cheap plastic hook that breaks easily and we'd all be complaining.)

It's always worth remember that what you see is just scratching the surface - it's really edifying to watch the Munro teardowns to get a sense of the delicate interplay of all these decisions and the razor's edge between complexity and profitability they have to walk.

I actually think the included net is a pretty good compromise - you can still hang bags off of the plastic pegs, the net is a great place for a few loose things, and it doesn't block the operation of the false floor. You can always grab some cheap velcro blocks if you'd like a bit more structure up front.

 

[SASSquatch]

Eh. It was cool but I have a hard time getting excited about it as more than a gimmick. Power up would be nice - I don't miss it that much except when someone else closes the tailgate and it doesn't latch all the way. The 180 degree drop seems nice in theory but in practice I don't really care and haven't missed it, but I am pretty tall so it's an easy reach.

That said, of all the things they could easily have axed (gear tunnel, camp kitchen, interior quality/design, full size spare, range, four-motor drive, air suspension range, water fording depth, crazy mclaren roll/sway, etc.) - I'm pretty happy with the ones they settled on. If I could pick one thing to bring back, it would be the original frunk dimensions (including flat floor), or maybe the in-bed crossbar mounts for a cool bike rack/accessory option - not the tailgate.


I imagine it's about the cascading impacts to manufacturing complexity - the trunk bin is a big molded plastic bucket (see the Munro teardowns), so any hook with meaningful durability is going to have to screw into something else (like a cross brace in the firewall) - which is yet another thing that needs to be aligned (probably by a human), yet another fastener, etc. Added parts cost but also added steps and potential for things to go wrong on the assembly line. (Or they could just have put in a cheap plastic hook that breaks easily and we'd all be complaining.)

It's always worth remember that what you see is just scratching the surface - it's really edifying to watch the Munro teardowns to get a sense of the delicate interplay of all these decisions and the razor's edge between complexity and profitability they have to walk.

I actually think the included net is a pretty good compromise - you can still hang bags off of the plastic pegs, the net is a great place for a few loose things, and it doesn't block the operation of the false floor. You can always grab some cheap velcro blocks if you'd like a bit more structure up front.

Very thoughtful response to a post I had forgotten about. Thanks for the insight about the plastic pegs. Looking forward to testing that out whenever I take delivery.

 

[Davethadog]

Find me a chevy with a mutli function tailgate, a ball hitch and the reciever, and without a dent right in the middle of that tailgate and I'll give you a gold star.

 

[Heimat]

Very thoughtful response to a post I had forgotten about. Thanks for the insight about the plastic pegs. Looking forward to testing that out whenever I take delivery.

This is my solution to keep groceries and whatnot from moving around in the front trunk. Works well, even during spirited driving. The pegs work great to hold the Drive Auto Organizer in place.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I always thought it was weird that the patent and prototype had the tailgate come down in opposite directions.

 

[SASSquatch]

This is my solution to keep groceries and whatnot from moving around in the front trunk. Works well, even during spirited driving. The pegs work great to hold the Drive Auto Organizer in place.

Very nice. That belongs in the Official Unofficial Rivian Accessories Thread.

Do we know what the intended function of the plastic pegs is? Is it holding the netting in the front of the frunk?

 

[Heimat]

Very nice. That belongs in the Official Unofficial Rivian Accessories Thread.

Do we know what the intended function of the plastic pegs is? Is it holding the netting in the front of the frunk?

Yes, the pegs hold the netting

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