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Just test drove a Model X...

Rivian Jim

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R1S is much more nimble than the model X. Are you kidding me? This review lost all credibility once that was said.

And the software is just at different levels of maturity. For where Rivian’s is, it is written much better and at higher quality.
Re-read the Nimble comment.
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jambaman84

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I had some spare time on my hands today, and on a whim, I decided to go test drive a Model X. Currently I have a R1S Dual Motor Max Pack.

As a little background, I have only driven a Model Y once before, and that was a rental from Hertz. I was throughly unimpressed by it. The ride was harsh and it felt cheap. So I went into the test drive of the Model X with low expectations

Anyway, I dropped by the local Tesla "store" signed up for a demo, was give a key fob and off I went. The Model X in question was a standard 5 seat Model X with a steering wheel and no stalks.

After driving the car on twisty roads as well as on the highway for around 30 minutes, I came away quite impressed - though to be fair I went in with quite low expectations. Here are some of quick observations:

  • Very quiet compared to my R1S. I didn't hear any of the motor whine and the wind noise was practically non-existent. To be fair we are comparing an egg to a boxy shaped SUV
  • The ride was smoother and felt more planted than the R1S. To be expected as the Model X is a CUV vs the Rivian being an SUV
  • As expected, the X felt more nimble and maneuverable than the R1S.
  • Brake regen was far less dramatic on the X than the R1S. I prefer Rivian's implementation as I feel it is more conducive to 1 pedal driving.
  • The Tesla software stack is simply light years ahead of Rivian's.
  • Having the turn signals on the steering wheel didn't bother me... until I had to use them when the steering wheel was turned e.g. signaling out of a roundabout in which case they are utterly maddening
  • This vehicle had the horn in the center of the steering wheel. , where it should be
  • The R1S simply has far more utility than the Model X if you do outdoor activities such as kayaking, surfing etc as the FWD don't allow for a roof rack.
  • Speaking of the FWD, On the one hand they provide amazing access to the rear seats, on the other hand , and as many have reported, they look like trouble waiting to happen. That said, they opened and closed faster than I expected.
  • The interior of the X is certainly more spartan than the R1S, but it is honestly didn't feel as cheap as I expected it to be. I would say it is at the level of a 50K vehicle. Certainly no where near the level of a European car in the same price range and absolutely atrocious at pre-price cut levels.
I came away from my experience torn. On the one hand I really liked the software stack, performance, handling, and quiet of the X vs the R1S; on the other hand, I like the utility, style, and ruggedness of the R1S. Ultimately that isn't surprising when you think about the architecture and goal of each vehicle.

At the end of the day, it comes down to horses for courses.
If it's just software that's making you lean towards the X.. Rivian will get to that point sooner or later. It took Telsa 10 years to get that software.. Rivian is only 2 years into it. I've had 2 teslas and now own 2 rivians and I think Rivian is 100x better.
 
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TheRivian

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Well that post (unsurprisingly) generated a lot of comment and discussion!

I wrote my post about an hour after I drove the Model X and tried to get my honest impressions written down and posted. Some will agree with what I have written, others will not - Which of course is totally fine.

To be clear, I'm not loyal to any brand be it Rivian, Tesla, or any other manufacturer for that matter.

As I said, I currently drive an R1S. It's an amazing vehicle which is well suited for where I currently live (in the mountains) and what I currently do (kayaking, skiing, hiking and lots of driving on fire roads). That said, if I lived in a different location (e.g.more urban) and had different requirements (e.g. transporting kids), I would probably gravitate to the Model X.

In my opinion, neither of these vehicles is perfect, and neither of them is "garbage". This coming from a guy whose first car was a 1977 VW Scirocco that randomly burned oil and had an electrical system that was possessed by satan himself.

At the end of the day, I think both of them are technological marvels and I personally feel blessed to have the choice among them and so many other great offerings in the market.
 

NC-Rivian

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I haven’t driven an X, but I can’t imagine that it isn’t more nimble than an R1S. It handles really well for a truck, but it’s still 7000 pounds. No amount of good engineering can completely hide that.

The X is very efficient compared to the R1s, making it a superior long distance driver.

The Tesla software is also much better overall. It has more features, the games and streaming options are good for bored kids, the navigation is miles better, the voice commands are significantly better, and the self driving isn’t even close. We just got the FSD v12 trial, and it is shockingly good. (I still wouldn’t pay more than $5k for it.) That said, the Rivian software is still pretty darn good for basic organization and functionality. I like it.

I would still take an R1S over an X on looks alone. And the utility and space is much better too. They are very different vehicles.
We own a MY and the R1T. You can “rent” FSD one month at a time for trips without having to pay the full amount.
 

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Rivian Head

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Well that post (unsurprisingly) generated a lot of comment and discussion!

I wrote my post about an hour after I drove the Model X and tried to get my honest impressions written down and posted. Some will agree with what I have written, others will not - Which of course is totally fine.

To be clear, I'm not loyal to any brand be it Rivian, Tesla, or any other manufacturer for that matter.

As I said, I currently drive an R1S. It's an amazing vehicle which is well suited for where I currently live (in the mountains) and what I currently do (kayaking, skiing, hiking and lots of driving on fire roads). That said, if I lived in a different location (e.g.more urban) and had different requirements (e.g. transporting kids), I would probably gravitate to the Model X.

In my opinion, neither of these vehicles is perfect, and neither of them is "garbage". This coming from a guy whose first car was a 1977 VW Scirocco that randomly burned oil and had an electrical system that was possessed by satan himself.

At the end of the day, I think both of them are technological marvels and I personally feel blessed to have the choice among them and so many other great offerings in the market.
I hear you. There are so much hate in this forum if you say any positive things about Tesla. Both are great vehicles that meet different needs. I think the biggest difference for us is FSD. After driving FSD all weekend long, my wife wants to pay for the subscription. She would rather cut cable service, and get FSD. It is that good. I can now drink a few more beers with sushi, and drive home. 🤐
 

Shaggy

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I’ve got both an MS and a R1S, and car pool daily in a MX. They’re all very different vehicles.

The MX is an absolutely fantastic minivan replacement, but really shouldn’t be compared to the R1S. The use cases are just different. The X is certainly more nimble and efficient but, then again; it’s not really a full size, off-road capable SUV.

Because there are still limited EV offerings, we tend to compare them as if they’re all the same. In this case, comparing build quality or tech makes sense, but I don’t see much of a point comparing handling or capabilities. They’re both capable of hauling 7 people but beyond that, they’re not really comparable vehicles.

Would you compare a Toyota Sienna to a 4Runner? Just my $0.02.
 

MountainPassPerformance

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Information from Car & Driver tests of both vehicles:

2022 Rivian R1S Launch Edition
Curb Weight: 6986 lb
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g
Braking, 70–0 mph: 173 ft

2024 Tesla Model X
Curb weight: 5594 lb
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g
Braking, 70-0 mph: 172 ft

The results are very comparable, but the numbers don't fully represent the driving experience. If anything, I think this shows that the R1S carries the additional weight gracefully.
 

bdwalters

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We own a MY and the R1T. You can “rent” FSD one month at a time for trips without having to pay the full amount.
Absolutely. I think that is a great strategy. I still wouldn’t mind owning it, but not for what they are charging. It is mind blowing. It drove in the opposite lane multiple times yesterday to divert around road construction. It was very smooth and natural.
 
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Sold my 2016 Model X (and 2017 Tacoma) and traded up, possibly way up, for my R1T. Had my X for 7+ years and thoroughly enjoyed it, FWD aside. However, my R1T rides better and handles as well as if not better. Got my “ready to build” notice in November for a Cybertruck and passed, thankfully. Love the looks/ design, utility, comfortable interior and ride of the R1T. I may have “drunk the Koolaid” on Rivian (and hope they make it). My only disappointment is that there are no “dealers” anywhere near Philaldpahia (nor were there nearby Tesla dealers in 2016), however, no regrets
 

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It took me awhile to figure out how to handle roundabouts. Once I learned the best hand/finger placement it was a breeze to signal.
You're supposed to use turn signals in roundabouts? Who knew? Not me. To be fair, when taking roundabouts in our Tesla it is typically driving (FSD) so it handles the signaling.
 

hgpayne

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We own both a 2017 X 100D and a 2023 R1T. The ride in the R1T is much smoother than our X, especially on wash board dirt roads. The R1T glides across at 30 MPH. I keep speeds low in the X so our teeth don't rattle out. Maybe that's a difference between an older X and the new ones they sell today. I've heard the suspension has been greatly updated.

For a road trip we'll take the Tesla every time -- unless we are also taking the camper. We used to tow with the X but now tow with the Rivian. The X has the whole supercharger network plus we have free supercharging.Our Rivian dual motor max pack just has more range and works better as an exploration vehicle when camping.
 

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Information from Car & Driver tests of both vehicles:

2022 Rivian R1S Launch Edition
Curb Weight: 6986 lb
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g
Braking, 70–0 mph: 173 ft

2024 Tesla Model X
Curb weight: 5594 lb
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g
Braking, 70-0 mph: 172 ft

The results are very comparable, but the numbers don't fully represent the driving experience. If anything, I think this shows that the R1S carries the additional weight gracefully.
My Quad R1T leans and feels big in daily driving. However if I push it further towards the limit, it's very flat. The initial body roll is all there is. I can clearly feel the torque vectoring too. The limiting factor is the aggressive front bias for regenerative braking. I found the front tires squealing way earlier than I thought they would. Large vehicles typically have rear brake bias to reduce brake dive. All this is in AP mode.
 
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To be fair, when taking roundabouts in our Tesla it is typically driving (FSD) so it handles the signaling.
You use FSD thru roundabouts?!? I haven’t worked up the nerve to try that yet. :oops:
 

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The issue with Tesla is the whole EAP/FSD thing left a lot of customers unhappy.

I purchased EAP and FSD in 2018, but neither one did what they were supposed to do for the four years of ownership.

So I didn't really consider the whole ADAS thing when making my decision to leave Tesla and to get a Rivian. I was also bored of passenger vehicles, and when its all said and done the X is still a passenger vehicle.

Right before I traded in the vehicle I decided to try FSD for one last time, and it immediately turned the turn signals on while in a corner. Haha

So its hard for me to miss FSD.

That being said I don't think Rivians ADAS will really go anywhere. It's been 2.5 years and they still don't have hands free that they promised would be on the vehicle when it was released. It also doesn't have assisted lane changes. If having a strong ADAS was important to me any Rivian would be far down the list. They couldn't even get the driver monitoring camera to work before releasing the vehicle.

From an ADAS perspective I simply won't take Rivian seriously unless they partner with someone with a solid solution.

For me its not a big deal because I'm not really expecting anyone to go anywhere anytime soon. I don't really care for supervised FSD (what they're calling it now) as all the responsibility still falls on you.

It's L3/L4 or go home as far as I'm concerned.

When it comes to L3 MB is the only game in town, but its traffic assist only and doesn't work in my state.

I'll hold onto the Rivian until someone makes an L4 camper van with a toilet.

Probably 2035 at this rate.
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