First Mile: Unsure

[yizzung]

Update: I got a second drive, another hour with the car - not at Venice.

I definitely feel better about the truck, much better. That said I do think it’s been overhyped - more in some areas than others. A good example of that is it’s a capable handler, but it doesn’t drive like a Porsche as some have suggested.

I feel 100x better than I did yesterday about it.

Ha. Maybe it drives like a Porsche SUV but it ain't a GT3. That's definitely overhyping it...

(But try loading two big dogs and 200 pounds of mulch in a GT3, and then drive it over a snowy mountain pass and let me know what you think.)

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[kizamybute']

I left…I’m finding a difficult word for it, underwhelmed? I’m trying to figure out of my experience is unique to the circumstance/location or reality.

It looks exactly how I was expecting it to look. The size was exactly what I was expecting. The features all there. The colors were surprising. The drive? ….

I spent about an hour with it in LA traffic. It’s hard to get excited about the car in traffic. Especially after spending nearly 2 hours in traffic to get there. Handling? Idk…it made right hand turns from a stop ok. Braking? Great from 20 mph.. Ride quality? It’s LA…it was bumpy even on soft. Size of the vehicle? Traffic + construction, it felt tight at some sections. Acceleration? It’s stupid fast.

It left me with more questions than it answered and left feeling like maybe I should have skipped the first mile and just taken delivery. Now I’m going to be fretting over it until my car comes

Did anyone else do their first mile at the Venice hub? What was your take on it? I’ve been waiting for this car for 3 years..did I overhype myself?

Interesting. Different people, different needs, different opinions, different visions. Two people can look at the exact same thing and feel entirely different about it.

I was originally 99.9% convinced I would keep the F-150 Lightning. Had both. Took me all of 5 seconds to change my mind once I drove them both and more importantly, got them side by side.

I LOVE the air suspension. Really absorbs speed bumps like I've never felt before. Much more nimble than the larger Ford. While I prefer many of the interior features the Ford had to offer, the interior of the Rivian just feels more upscale to me. The Ford felt very mass-produced, because it is. Same thing looking at it from the exterior. Ford was nice in its own right and if I didn't have a Rivian next to it, would have been completely happy with it. But, side by side, it felt very generic. The regenerative braking to me, is amazing. Many EV's market "one-pedal driving". Rivian actually accomplishes it.

So for me, it had the completely opposite effect. From not being all that impressed with it via photos and videos. Thought its features were cool, but not enough to outweigh the benefits of the Ford. Then came reality. Auto tonneau cover is great (before they break, LOL), Gear tunnel is cool. Frunk is not as good as Ford's, but still very good. The extra storage in the spare tire space is also nice. I prefer Ford's interior storage spaces and utility, as well as the size of the rear leg room, but sitting in it, while quite comfortable, was very boring. The Rivian just stands out as being upscale and different. Enough so that I can forgive what it lacks in comparison. Had it for about 6 weeks now and don't at all regret not keeping the Ford.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I only read somwone Suggesting it has steering feel like a GT3

It’s not even close. I’ve owned a Cayman, Boxster, Miata, S2000. All of which had fantastic steering feel. The R1T is nowhere close.

Better than a model X? Yes. But the hype model ran away with that one.

 

[shamoo]

I have a GT3, and I'd like to talk to the person who suggested it feels similar.

Could the Rivian steering be tight? Of course. Could it have a low ratio? Of course. Could the steering wheel be smaller? Sure. But steering feel and precision have a lot more dependencies, many of which are in the suspension, alignment specs, tire/offset stagger, and weight distribution. Those things affect turn in and other things. The Rivian is still a truck/SUV and it could be counterintuitive for it to feel like a GT3 because it would be horrible at truck/SUV things.

I've been in an R1T and drove it for maybe a mile a long time ago (a friend works at Rivian) and I can say it drives like a performance SUV. I also have a BMW X5M and I'd venture to say the X5M may do better in terms of performance "feel" because of the type of tires and suspension. The Rivian has thicker tires which allow for significantly more flex, and the added weight doesn't help.

Is the X5M faster on the track (road course) than a Rivian? Hard to say, I guess it depends on the track.

EDIT: Weight is a BIG DEAL. You can try to offset it as much as you can with more power, but weight is bad when talking performance. That's why in a road course situation, so many people love Miatas. Not a ton of power but very light. Performance overall is amazing. Straight line drag racing is a very small part of performance. It is fun and it feels good, but a ton of power and a ton of weight is not a good thing.

Anyway, like I said above. Don't expect a jack of all trades especially if you're an enthusiast. You can get close, but you'll never get it all. I'm sure the Rivian can do 80%, but it won't capture that last 20% where the more extreme/niche vehicles are (extreme off-road and ultra-high performance).

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

It’s not even close. I’ve owned a Cayman, Boxster, Miata, S2000. All of which had fantastic steering feel. The R1T is nowhere close.

Better than a model X? Yes. But the hype model ran away with that one.

Yea, you have to take all the opinions with a grain of salt.

So many people raved about the Meridian sound system, for example. It's okay. It's nothing special. Tons of other options on the market are as good, or better. I don't hate it, but I've owned several vehicles with better sounding systems. Yet, some people's reviews made it sound like a gift from God. Sure, if you're coming from a 1992 Toyota Corolla, probably... But not from other vehicles at this price point.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

It’s definitely about setting the expectations.

It’s a great replacement for my Ridgeline. It is not a great replacement for my Ridgeline, Cayman, Model X all in one shot. The weight is handled well, but it is not hidden in this truck.

If I could only have one car, this would be a great compromise, but it’s still a compromise. But as an enthusiast I think it’s still a 2-3 car life even with the Rivian. I can probably consolidate the truck and suv in one shot. But I’ll still be eagerly awaiting an EV cayman.

 

[crashmtb]

It’s not even close. I’ve owned a Cayman, Boxster, Miata, S2000. All of which had fantastic steering feel. The R1T is nowhere close.

Better than a model X? Yes. But the hype model ran away with that one.

oh I know, just saying I’d seen some writer or other compare the steering to Porsche.
It is certainly better than my other truck which is a Land Rover with recirculating ball steering. ?

definitely not as good as my NA miata.
or any small, nimble car.

but very good for EPAS and big all terrain tires. Not trucklike.
just feels like a big car.

on demo day, I went directly from focus RS(on winter tires) to R1T…and did not feel like I was driving a barge. Car-like handling was a surprise given size and weight.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

definitely not as good as my NA miata.
or any small, nimble car.

The NA holds a special place in my heart. I thought I knew what a sports car was until I bought one. It changed what I though of and how I view handling.

 

[crashmtb]

The NA holds a special place in my heart. I thought I knew what a sports car was until I bought one. It changed what I though of and how I view handling.

Here’s my “yellow buddy”, if you will. I’ll never get rid of this car.

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[zefram47]

If I could only have one car, this would be a great compromise, but it’s still a compromise. But as an enthusiast I think it’s still a 2-3 car life even with the Rivian. I can probably consolidate the truck and suv in one shot. But I’ll still be eagerly awaiting an EV cayman.

I'm very interested to see what happens with the electric 718...could be a replacement for my Corvette, assuming I don't jump on an ICE version first. I'm replacing my 4Runner and EV MINI Cooper with the Rivian and I know it won't really be the same as the MINI. The MINI weighs 3100 lbs vs the 7000+ of the Rivian...as a daily driver the MINI has been the single best car I've ever owned. But it obviously has its own limitations. In my case, having a dedicated fun/race car, the Rivian will still be a great 90%er. But to reiterate, anyone who claims the Rivian handles like a sports car is smoking something good. Yes, for a 7000 lbs truck it handles amazingly well, but a sports car it is not.

 

[moosehead]

First test drive of a Rivian in bumper to bumper traffic is like bringing sand to the beach.

 

[skyote]

@kizamybute' I came away with a very similar impression after spending side by side time in both Lightning & R1T. The Lightning is the best F150 made to date, but it feels/drives/handles very "blah" compared to the R1T. Still a great vehicle, but nothing felt special about it.

Yea, you have to take all the opinions with a grain of salt.

So many people raved about the Meridian sound system, for example. It's okay. It's nothing special. Tons of other options on the market are as good, or better. I don't hate it, but I've owned several vehicles with better sounding systems. Yet, some people's reviews made it sound like a gift from God. Sure, if you're coming from a 1992 Toyota Corolla, probably... But not from other vehicles at this price point.

I agree with you here as well. The Meridian is a very solid system with good clarity, but what I find lacking is the tight, punchy bass I'm accustomed to with aftermarket amp & subwoofer(s) (sealed box & musical drivers for me). I was disappointed to learn that the factory sub is a paper cone 6x9...but I could tell it wasn't anything special. Probably great for most listeners though...

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I agree with you here as well. The Meridian is a very solid system with good clarity, but what I find lacking is the tight, punchy bass I'm accustomed to with aftermarket amp & subwoofer(s) (sealed box & musical drivers for me). I was disappointed to learn that the factory sub is a paper cone 6x9...but I could tell it wasn't anything special. Probably great for most listeners though...

I’m not an audiophile and I noticed the same. The speakers are great, along with the spatial audio. But the woofer…it needs a new one. I don’t need to rattle my teeth but I feel like I should be able to feel a subwoofer.

 

[Dryflyfisher1]

I left…I’m finding a difficult word for it, underwhelmed? I’m trying to figure out of my experience is unique to the circumstance/location or reality.

It looks exactly how I was expecting it to look. The size was exactly what I was expecting. The features all there. The colors were surprising. The drive? ….

I spent about an hour with it in LA traffic. It’s hard to get excited about the car in traffic. Especially after spending nearly 2 hours in traffic to get there. Handling? Idk…it made right hand turns from a stop ok. Braking? Great from 20 mph.. Ride quality? It’s LA…it was bumpy even on soft. Size of the vehicle? Traffic + construction, it felt tight at some sections. Acceleration? It’s stupid fast.

It left me with more questions than it answered and left feeling like maybe I should have skipped the first mile and just taken delivery. Now I’m going to be fretting over it until my car comes

Did anyone else do their first mile at the Venice hub? What was your take on it? I’ve been waiting for this car for 3 years..did I overhype myself?

I did a first mile at an abandoned airport near Santa Clarita. It was on a rough hilly track around it. It was incredible!! Very impressed. No city traffic, however, so I can’t speak to that.

 

[EricT]

As for driving in Traffic: On my way back from some fun accelerations on a "country highway" and some quick "up-to-speeds" onto uphill on ramps (woohoo!), we returned to traffic. While sitting, we got into a proselytizing conversation with someone next to us "What'sthatHow'sitdriveItlooksreallycool!" which made it worthwhile.

As for "Engine sound": Get a pilot's license; you'll still get plenty of that engine sound!

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