I need to test drive R1S gen 2

[irvineboy]

Currently driving 2024 Gen 1 quad. The upgrade to a gen 2 tri is quite a bit more. 30% more than what I paid for mine. I’ve read that the suspension has dramatically improved so I want to test it out myself. Ultimately I don’t know if spending $40,000 more is worth it and plus I love the turn signals on the GEN one over the GEN two. But GEN two technology is massively improved. Love to hear from the owners that sold their GEN one for GEN two

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[ndmiller]

Interesting to hear the differences from real people not articles.

With trade and increase I'd be out of pocket $40-50 on my Gen1 R1T. Just now worth it as I could buy another vehicle for that price.

Feels like these rolling computers will always be left behind when the new version comes out as technology and ideas are moving so fast.

 

[DuoRivians]

If you already have a Gen 1, not sure if it’s worth spending another $40K to get a Gen 2.

But if choosing between a Gen 1 and 2, hands down Gen 2.

I have one of each

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I traded my gen 1 quad for a trimax. The only thing my quad had over my new one was the Meridian sound. That was hands down the best sound system in any vehicle I’ve ever had.

Was it worth it? I say it was and if I could do it again I’d make the same choice. The gen 2 ADAS is pretty good and the camera and suspension upgrades plus the added range and improved efficiency was worth the added cost for me as the Rivian is my road trip vehicle.

 

[Jonger1150]

I traded my gen 1 quad for a trimax. The only thing my quad had over my new one was the Meridian sound. That was hands down the best sound system in any vehicle I’ve ever had.

Was it worth it? I say it was and if I could do it again I’d make the same choice. The gen 2 ADAS is pretty good and the camera and suspension upgrades plus the added range and improved efficiency was worth the added cost for me as the Rivian is my road trip vehicle.

What upgrades?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

What upgrades?

They made R1S-specific suspension components for Gen 2 to get the handling close to the R1T standards. I had an R1T gen 1, and from what I've heard the Gen 1 R1S didn't handle as nicely.

 

[DayTripping]

While I would say the new G2s are better in some ways, I would be hard pressed to spend the extra money for one as I don't see the value. I drove them all extensively before buying and ended up buying a used Gen 1. It wasn't an affordability issue as I don't think it is worth the extra $40-50k that it would cost. If you were to sell/trade yours, you'd likely be out a lot of money out of pocket. It might be worth it if you were an early buyer and got the original pricing so you wouldn't take that much of a hit on depreciation relative to your purchase price. The upgrade cost would still be there though.

I think, across the board, the latest SW update seemed to improve it for almost everyone. Is there a Rivian store nearby you can drive one? Or maybe find someone selling a used one and try it.

For some, the heatpump might be an upgrade. For me, it wouldn't be. Really, the only 2 things I'd want from the G2 trucks are the matrix lights and launch mode. At least until the new quad is actually released. Most of the other "upgrades" helped Rivian with profitability more than the typical owner. The vampire drain seems to be better, but I have a good workaround now for that, so it's less of an issue.

The G2 suspension is better on the R1S. If I really liked my G1 truck, I'd look at retrofitting the parts as it would be far cheaper than upgrading to a G2 truck if that was the thing you liked the modt.

You have the autonomous driving upgrades but Rivian will charge for them soon. For my G1 truck, I went with OpenPilot and have better autonomous driving than what is offered on the G1 trucks by using it, and it also works on more roads than either G1 or G2 does. It is also hands free as well.

On the Tri, some like the new interior and cloth back seats. I am fine with the G1 interior. I have a kid and a dog and the last thing I want is cloth back seats.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Go book a demo drive…they may even let you keep it overnight.

I would say it’s worth it….but this will be subjective. The big things to me are the Rivian autonomy platform, higher res cameras, relocated turn signal cameras, better suspension, more efficient enduro motors, tri is quicker than gen 1 quad (not by much though), and the adaptive lighting (headlights work better).

Tri comes with a lot of extras including a nicer ascend interior, premium audio, and the dynamic roof. The California Dune model trades the ascend interior for the all terrain package.

If your goal is to save as much $$ as possible then probably not. Worth every penny though

 

[DayTripping]

This topic comes up a lot. I thought of another way to approach it. Let's assume you have a G1 truck or are considering it. You are considering buying/upgrading to a G2. List out all the supposed improvements and assign a dollar value to each one. I"ve taken a stab at the key ones and how I value them. In this case I am comparing a G1 quad vs G2 trimax.

These are my subjective responses.

• Heatpump - $0 I live in Texas and heatpumps aren't as efficient in hot weather as traditional AL.
• Matrix lights - $3k
• Max pack's 10 kWh larger battery (Tri isn't available without the Max pack) - $3k, I don't need it and it isn't really enough of an upgrade over my large to really matter but there is some value to me
• Degraded sound system - ($2k) The sound quality went down in my experience so this is a minus
• Ascend interior - $0 - some people like the upgrade, for me with a kid and dog, I don't want cloth backs
• RAP+ (Rivian Autonomy Platform driver aid) - $2k, would also depend on the subscription cost when it is no longer free. OpenPilot on my G1 meets my needs and I have Teslas if i want FSD.
• Better cameras - $500 - There is some value but honestly, the G1 work fine. I am not reading a newspaper with them
• Consolidated computer architecture - $1k
• Upgraded suspension - $0 as my R1T is one of the later builds with some updates and works well, on an R1S though I think there is more value. For that I'd say $2k
• Lightbar charge indicator - $0 - total gimmick to me and I have my lightbar turned off anyway
• Hazard pattern lights - $0 - could be useful for someone who works out of their truck though
• Fog lights - ($500) This was a step backwards even with the matrix lights. Fog lights need to be low.
• New turn signal design - ($1k) Again, another step backwards, I like the G1 style much better and very visible and unique. So again a minus
• Dynamic tinted roof - $0 - I was very excited about this until I saw it in-person. Then it became meh and I wouldn't buy it
• Electric door handles - ($500) - I hate them on my Tesla, I hate them here. I Iike the G1 mechanical ones and no issues in a crash if you lose power. So again a minus
• Launch mode - $1k - This is the thing I want the most from the G2s for my G1
• Better acceleration - $1k - it isn't that much quicker, and that is mainly when in launch mode anyway
• More future proof platform - $2k - By now it is pretty obvious they have totally checked out on the G1 platform, which means they'll do it on the G2 when the G3 (or R2) is out. In the interim the G2 will be more future-proof with more updates coming. As an aside, how they treated the G1 platform has greatly reduced my likelihood of buying another Rivian. Tesla has been much better at supporting earlier models.
• Enduro motors - $0 - The jury is still out how the new Tri's will hold up in my mind.
• Improved efficiency - $? - I think this is still open to debate. Some people are saying they get better efficiency, some say they don't. I think it might be more how they program the drive modes and if people with G1 quads drove more in Conserve mode it might more closely match the G2's numbers based on my testing by running my truck in Conserve mode a lot. Not to say there still might not be some efficiency increase in G2's but I don't think it is amazingly better.
• Newer model year - $4k per year.

That is how I'd break it down with my rationale. The grand total for me is I'd assign an additional value of about $17,500 more than a G1 as there were some deductions from the G2 value. Others may think some of the "upgrades" or "downgrades" have different values. Perhaps there is something intangible that holds value for you. Some people just have to have the newest/greatest thing. I don't care that much about that.

So if I could have purchased a G2 Trimax for about 20k more than I bought my 2023 for, I likely would have gone that route. At the time, a new Trimax was about $50k more than mine was when I factored in taxes and fees. So for me I'd have to pay an extra 30k over and above the roughly 20k (being generous) in perceived value that I felt a 2025 might hold for me. Even on my most impulsive day, I wouldn't drop an extra $30k to get a Tri. YMMV.

I wasn't able to drive a Trimax before buying mine but drove a bunch of new G1s and G2s. That is how I approached it and in hindsight it was absolutely the right decision now that I've driven a Trimax twice and had more time with my truck as well.

 

[socaladam]

I’ve not owned the Gen 1, but I have driven one for a short while. Everyone that thinks the Gen 2 suspension is so much better need to go test drive an Audi eTron if you want to know what a great suspension feels like.

Rivian has a long way to go in this department.

 

[bigsky]

If starting from scratch, I might have purchased an R1S G2, the best one of the bunch. Just to be made "obsolete" by the G3, the G3 by the G4, etc. It is never-ending.

Plenty happy with my R1S G1. EVs like these are high-tech, computers on wheels. Technology improves year after year. The pursuit of the latest and greatest tech becomes a very expensive and futile proposition for me. Not a battle I choose to fight. Heck, my personal computers are easily 5 year-old tech and still do the job just fine. So my R1S G1 will satisfy me plenty for years to come.

So is my 2020 Tesla Model S Raven still an amazing car regardless of how obsolete it might be considered toiday. Could have traded it for a Plaid, but for what, so I can go 0-60 in less than two seconds vs. 2.5 sec. Big deal.

Better suspension in R1S G2, more hp, matrix headlights (gimmicky), etc. All fine, but so is my R1S G1 fine with what it has, and will be for a long while.

 

[SDEVOwner]

I upgraded my Gen1 R1S to the Gen2 for one primary reason - my wife could not stand the suspension on the Gen1. She is short (5' 4") and her head would constantly hit the head rest when we went over bumps that our other cars and SUVs handled more smoothly. The Gen2 solved that issue completely. Now my wife loves the car. Ride quality is somewhat subjective and I never had a problem with the Gen1 suspension. So for me, a $40K upgrade wouldn't have been worth it except for the important fact that that I now have a much happier wife!

As for all the other upgrades or changes, they are basically in the noise for me. I don't use the ADAS features so the improvements there are not a big plus for me. Better cameras, sure they are nice but the difference isn't that important to me. I do hope that newer and fewer parts, along with several years of experience producing cars, will mean fewer repairs years down the road but I have no idea if that will be true or not.

I should add, I do really miss the wrist band. I used that whenever I would go surfing or kayaking. I can't take my phone surfing and the card keys really don't fit in a wetsuit. Once Rivian gets the Apple Watch app up and running that will make up for this slight negative on the upgrade so hopefully that comes soon.

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