UHF (Universal Hands-Free) Rivian Autonomy driving videos - real world test

[Katsudon]

Rivian Autonomy+ is launching in early 2026 and priced at $2,500 (one-time) or $49.99 (per month).

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[iamnid]

I only watched the Gjeebs one. I guess it's impressive for a first outing but it isn't doing anything I haven't seen FSD do already, and better. Time will tell.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

I’m probably in the minority but I have no interest in this. All I need is reliable cruise control with lane keep on long highway trips. And if adaptive cruise worked when towing that would be a cherry on top. Otherwise, I just want to drive the truck.

 

[mnewber1]

They say in the Gjeebs video, what you see is the point-to-point driving coming in 2026, not just UHF for those not fully following along.

 

[AlphaSnowbordergirl]

It's still early so I'm not expecting anything great. It's still impressive they are going from not having any autonomy at the beginning of the year to this and even boasting Level 4 soon. Rivian has been rather careful with their promises so it will be interesting. I'm rooting for them, and though I'm not super interested in it, I'm happy just to have the Tesla fanboys to stop saying, "DOES IT HAVE FSD" like its the most important thing in the world.

 

[Pappamoto]

Love watching a Tesla doing the automated parking. That is what I would love to see my R1T be able to do.

 

[mkhuffman]

It's still early so I'm not expecting anything great. It's still impressive they are going from not having any autonomy at the beginning of the year to this and even boasting Level 4 soon. Rivian has been rather careful with their promises so it will be interesting. I'm rooting for them, and though I'm not super interested in it, I'm happy just to have the Tesla fanboys to stop saying, "DOES IT HAVE FSD" like its the most important thing in the world.

It is so funny - every time I talk to a non-BEV person about my truck, they ask if it can drive itself. My answer has become "not yet, but they are working on it".

It seems the popularity of Tesla FSD has gotten a lot of people excited about self-driving. It is why Rivian cannot ignore this capability. They have to have it in order to survive.

Rather than bolt it on, they have integrated AI into everything. I think it is very smart. They are playing catch-up somewhat, but they have created a platform that could lead the industry. Time will tell if it does or not.

I think the reason my friend got his MY was because of FSD. We have a mutual friend who has an older MY and he uses FSD all the time. My friend wanted that, and the rest wasn't important. He doesn't even understand the differences between his MY and the older ones. Because that wasn't important in the decision process. FSD was.

 

[Great Gatsby]

My wife is as disinterested in Tesla or self-driving as one can be. She took a demo recently of a newer Tesla with FSD and was sold immediately. Before anyone hops in to say things like "I'd rather drive the car" or "FSD is dangerous, stupid technology!", I'd like for you to consider some people that aren't that vocal that can really benefit from it. Those who are handicapped, the elderly or those with driving anxiety can be greatly assisted by this technology. My wife is a very anxious driver, so watching her go from being a nervous wreck at first to settling in and enjoying the car doing its thing was honestly heartwarming for me to watch. It changed her life. I do the driving for us 98% of the time because driving is stressful for her and she's been in an accident before, so that still lingers with her. She understands FSD is meant to be "supervised" but it still takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders to watch the car handle the day to day mundane traffic. It really does a good job, IMO and of course I do keep adding the caveat to people of "you are still responsible for what the vehicle does and you need to be prepared to take over", hence the "supervised" part.

Anyway, all that to say, we are now looking at a Tesla. She doesn't care which one, as long as it can drive itself. I know this forum can feel like a strong anti-Tesla echo chamber at times, but the reality is that this technology is important and can make a world of a difference for a lot of people. I'm glad Rivian is joining the party and forward thinking on the self-driving world and not just sitting on its hand while Tesla continues its victory lap. Hoping the UHF is more polished by the time the R2 comes out, as I'd rather get my wife that over a Model Y, but one can't deny how far ahead Tesla is in this technology than everyone else. Is it for everyone? No, but this is why its an option. At $2,500 vs $8,000 for FSD, I see this as a win. Tesla set the price here with no one really competing, so there was nothing to compare it to. Even if Rivian UHD ends up being "good enough", at almost a 1/4 of the price, it would seem like a downright bargain.

 

[Dark-Fx]

She took a demo recently of a newer Tesla with FSD and was sold immediately.
...
My wife is a very anxious driver,
...
driving is stressful for her and she's been in an accident before, so that still lingers with her

Some people will literally do anything but go to therapy

 

[mkhuffman]

My wife is as disinterested in Tesla or self-driving as one can be. She took a demo recently of a newer Tesla with FSD and was sold immediately. Before anyone hops in to say things like "I'd rather drive the car" or "FSD is dangerous, stupid technology!", I'd like for you to consider some people that aren't that vocal that can really benefit from it. Those who are handicapped, the elderly or those with driving anxiety can be greatly assisted by this technology. My wife is a very anxious driver, so watching her go from being a nervous wreck at first to settling in and enjoying the car doing its thing was honestly heartwarming for me to watch. It changed her life. I do the driving for us 98% of the time because driving is stressful for her and she's been in an accident before, so that still lingers with her. She understands FSD is meant to be "supervised" but it still takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders to watch the car handle the day to day mundane traffic. It really does a good job, IMO and of course I do keep adding the caveat to people of "you are still responsible for what the vehicle does and you need to be prepared to take over", hence the "supervised" part.

Anyway, all that to say, we are now looking at a Tesla. She doesn't care which one, as long as it can drive itself. I know this forum can feel like a strong anti-Tesla echo chamber at times, but the reality is that this technology is important and can make a world of a difference for a lot of people. I'm glad Rivian is joining the party and forward thinking on the self-driving world and not just sitting on its hand while Tesla continues its victory lap. Hoping the UHF is more polished by the time the R2 comes out, as I'd rather get my wife that over a Model Y, but one can't deny how far ahead Tesla is in this technology than everyone else. Is it for everyone? No, but this is why its an option. At $2,500 vs $8,000 for FSD, I see this as a win. Tesla set the price here with no one really competing, so there was nothing to compare it to. Even if Rivian UHD ends up being "good enough", at almost a 1/4 of the price, it would seem like a downright bargain.

My wife also hates to drive. She has not experienced FSD yet. Now that my friend has it, I think she will soon. I am wondering if she will react the same way your wife did? Hard to tell, because she has trouble trusting systems like that.

She will be a good "supervisor" of FSD. She certainly supervises me every time we go somewhere. LOL.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Some people will literally do anything but go to therapy

She has! She is also taking medications for her anxiety. Before, driving was downright crippling for her, but with the meds, she does okay.

 

[Engi_Nerd]

Some people will literally do anything but go to therapy

Impressive that people’s $hittiness can still surprise me, even after twenty years of browsing car forums.

 

[Great Gatsby]

My wife also hates to drive. She has not experienced FSD yet. Now that my friend has it, I think she will soon. I am wondering if she will react the same way your wife did? Hard to tell, because she has trouble trusting systems like that.

She will be a good "supervisor" of FSD. She certainly supervises me every time we go somewhere. LOL.

My wife wanted 0 part of Tesla and didn't get the whole FSD thing. I've tried it before and found it helpful, and knew she would find the benefits since she really does not care for driving. She doesn't care for cars either and never initiates conversations about them, but over the last few days she keeps bringing up FSD. Like I dare say...she might be excited about it? lol I'd venture to guess your wife might like it too. I don't think the general public understands how advanced the technology has become and rightfully has a lot of concerns regarding it. It does feel very surreal to watch a car navigate a roundabout or stop at a traffic light and mimic overall human behavior by itself, but it really does a decent job on the latest software. I hope Rivian gets there soon, as I'd rather support them as a company, but hard to ignore the leader in the segment with the technology shipping now.

 

[Honey]

When will it be able to go feet free?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Impressive that people’s $hittiness can still surprise me, even after twenty years of browsing car forums.

I'm similarly not impressed when people can't take a joke.

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