Just Finished NY First Mile Drive. My R1T impressions & Review

[Frankie]

Frankie,

I love your feedback! From all of the personal and professional reviews I've read, along with on my own experience, I have yet to hear any significant complaints about the seating position, the view, or the driving dynamics of the R1T. I hope @Sacagawea and family find it as comfortable and enjoyable as most all others have.

I'm not including Bloomberg because, well, they're Bloomberg. The one Perma-frown in the crowd. For those who don't rely on mass transportation or limos, those who have to get around in the real world on their own, these vehicles are going to amaze.

Once these things start landing in customer's hands, the news will really spread. When neighbors, friends, and family start getting ride-alongs and (for the lucky ones) test-drives, watch the reservation numbers climb. At best, they'll go up faster than an Endurance on its maiden voyage. At worst, they'll experience a steady climb upward, just like Bloomberg himself stepping up into an R1T. Of course, he'd be climbing into the back seat. Even with self-driving features, you are required to have a valid driver's license.

Thanks, DuckTruck....

Sponsored

 

[ESTRUCK]

Well today was my first drive of the R1T with team person Pat. I am not a great reviewer but I was blown away with the truck. It was whisper quiet, stupid fast, cornered like a sports car and the interior was very roomy ( I am 6'1" ) and beautifully appointed with quality materials and fine accents. I was also shocked by the 20" wheels and off road tires which gave the truck a very muscular feel. The display screens were bright and very easy to read and understand within a few minutes of driving the vehicle. I would like to thank Pat the Rivian Team person who was great and a fine representative for the Rivian Brand. I hope all the team members that interact with customers are at the same high standard as Pat ! Here are a few pictures from this afternoon in Edgewater, NJ.

Me and Pat from Rivian

 

[Jehorton]

Well today was my first drive of the R1T with team person Pat. I am not a great reviewer but I was blown away with the truck. It was whisper quiet, stupid fast, cornered like a sports car and the interior was very roomy ( I am 6'1" ) and beautifully appointed with quality materials and fine accents. I was also shocked by the 20" wheels and off road tires which gave the truck a very muscular feel. The display screens were bright and very easy to read and understand within a few minutes of driving the vehicle. I would like to thank Pat the Rivian Team person who was great and a fine representative for the Rivian Brand. I hope all the team members that interact with customers are at the same high standard as Pat ! Here are a few pictures from this afternoon in Edgewater, NJ.

Me and Pat from Rivian

What color rivian is that? Can’t tell if it’s the LA Silver or the ever-eluding Limestone

 

[CMR]

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to drive the R1T today. It’s crazy fast, handles the curves as well as a Porsche 911 4s that I owned in the past, is faster than my current AMG convertible, is able to haul my bikes and kayaks, and it fits in my small 1970’s garage. What more could you want?

 

[ESTRUCK]

LA Silver

What color rivian is that? Can’t tell if it’s the LA Silver or the ever-eluding Limestone

LA Silver I believe. The photos were taken late in the day so the lighting distorted the color a bit.

 

[protamine]

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to drive the R1T today. It’s crazy fast, handles the curves as well as a Porsche 911 4s that I owned in the past, is faster than my current AMG convertible, is able to haul my bikes and kayaks, and it fits in my small 1970’s garage. What more could you want?

Delivery.

That being said as a 911 owner and an Anesthesiologist I work with who has a 911 and R1S on order, he postulates that since the Riv is superlative that he'll want to sell his 991.1 S.

 

[Speedrye]

Delivery.

That being said as a 911 owner and an Anesthesiologist I work with who has a 911 and R1S on order, he postulates that since the Riv is superlative that he'll want to sell his 991.1 S.

I suspect my boss will want to sell his 911 Turbo once he tries out my R1S as well. He prefers a bigger vehicle (6'-6") but enjoys acceleration and handling. There haven't been many vehicles that can give all of the above.

 

[Pherdnut]

I suspect my boss will want to sell his 911 Turbo once he tries out my R1S as well. He prefers a bigger vehicle (6'-6") but enjoys acceleration and handling. There haven't been many vehicles that can give all of the above.

It's really a whole new category of vehicle that also happens to be a pickup. I think Motortrend joked that it was like a supercar El Camino. I was a little bewildered by my First Mile experience. The handling is that unreal.

 

[CMR]

It's really a whole new category of vehicle that also happens to be a pickup. I think Motortrend joked that it was like a supercar El Camino. I was a little bewildered by my First Mile experience. The handling is that unreal.

I agree. The acceleration is well beyond that of my last two cars. The Porsche hit 60 in 4.3 seconds, and my current Mercedes does it in 4.4.

Of course, it’s not just about straight line acceleration… I drove the R1T through some tight local turns at speed, and it handled better than my Mercedes. I was very surprised.

And it will carry my bikes on trips upstate.

 

[DB-EV]

All - I had my test drive today. Summary: This thing is going to be worth the wait. Here are my impressions:

-Insane performance. I am coming from a 2011 Honda CRV. I drove on Ocean Parkway on Long Island, which has little traffic. Did 0-60 and the first time, my wife and daughter were literally squealing with (I think) delight. I am not that dramatic, but the first time, I shouted out Holy ____. It literally feels like a roller coaster.

-Insane turning radius. I had a great 'guide'. I told him I would drive aggressively. Gave him the heads up and the first thing I did was jam the steering wheel to the side in sport mode in a large parking lot to get it to skid. It held a perfect turn in a small radius (relatively speaking). Because they did not allow me to go onto the beach, I did the entire test in sport mode. WOW.

-the AT tires are so cool looking. If in doubt, get the 20s

-Info:

--they were not aware of any nonemployee deliveries in NY yet.
--they are driving about a month in NY with 5 vehicles with a handful of appointments a day per a week, two or three days a week.
--Alexa integration - you will be able to control some features by voice, but they did not know if for example, you could say, Alexa, turn up my heat to my house, and it would work. Would seem like an eventual no brainer to me.
--The fit and finish is amazing. I opened the gear tunnel cabin area slot door thing, and the stiches in the seat were great.
--Ridiculous visibility - I am 5/9; the front is curved down. I don't think I have been in a vehicle with that much visibility
--People talked about the plastic roll thingies. They actually look quite nice in person.
--Conserve mode will come on all vehicles. It switches between front wheel and rear wheel motors when you are driving to minimize energy. Confirmed the higher mileage we saw in offroad videos was on conserve mode.
--Very, very comfortable seats. Rear seat more comfortable than most front seats I'd say, but i don't drive fancy cars much.
--Second room has more leg room than my 2011 crv has front row leg room.
--This thing is a beat.
--Employees are working in Brooklyn but it is not open to the public yet.

 

[Friscorays]

Bummer about March 1, 2022.

 

[SeaGeo]

--People talked about the plastic roll thingies. They actually look quite nice in person.

For those curious, yes, that's a technical term.

 

[DB-EV]

For those curious, yes, that's a technical term.

I posted a kind of write-up review on a ski blog I frequent:

https://nyskiblog.com/forum/threads/my-rivian-first-mile-drive-review.1090/#post-25967

 

[DB-EV]

I posted a kind of write-up review on a ski blog I frequent:

https://nyskiblog.com/forum/threads/my-rivian-first-mile-drive-review.1090/#post-25967

With pictures : )

 

[DuckTruck]

Well today was my first drive of the R1T with team person Pat. I am not a great reviewer but I was blown away with the truck. It was whisper quiet, stupid fast, cornered like a sports car and the interior was very roomy ( I am 6'1" ) and beautifully appointed with quality materials and fine accents. I was also shocked by the 20" wheels and off road tires which gave the truck a very muscular feel. The display screens were bright and very easy to read and understand within a few minutes of driving the vehicle. I would like to thank Pat the Rivian Team person who was great and a fine representative for the Rivian Brand. I hope all the team members that interact with customers are at the same high standard as Pat ! Here are a few pictures from this afternoon in Edgewater, NJ.

Me and Pat from Rivian

ESTRUCK,

You are too modest when you say you're "not a great reviewer". Based on all I've read, I'd say Bloomberg should hire you to handle all of their automotive reviews going forward. I especially loved hearing "It was whisper quiet, stupid fast, cornered like a sports car and the interior was very roomy".

From your profile and the fact you testdrove the R1T in Edgewater, you must be close to the city, yes? Bloomberg needs a car enthusiast to fill that position!

Seriously, I loved your take on the R1T. I feel the same way about it and hope to continue hearing from others as these events go forward. I love the enthusiastic take most have raved about.

As a side note, at least on my phone, your first two pics appear to show the Rivian in a nice Baby Blue. I like the look!

Sponsored