Model X vs R1S

[Madsen203]

I’ve had a first mile test drive in a R1T. Overall, it was a good experience. Only issue was the wind noise which sound like is a common issue and could be remedied. The display and ability will always pale in comparison to Tesla but this is focused more on drive experience.

I test drove a Model X today for fun. No intent spending $100+k on a car but the opportunity arose, so I took it for a spin. It had 800 miles on it so it should have been “broken in” by this point.

With the suspension in various settings from comfort to auto and set at various heights, it seemed like the front end was planted but the rear was very loose having poor rebound control. The seats were much less comfortable than my model Y. The yoke was a non-starter. If it was narrower, probably not as big of a deal but if you make a turn on a road, that 2x4 turning around in front of you is difficult to manage. It’s great for highway cruising though.

Overall, I was unimpressed given it was 2x the Model Y but hardly felt it was worth double the price. The windshield is pretty cool but also gives feeling you’re driving a box truck.

For those who have had a MX and have driven the R1S, what are your thoughts on the R1S? I liked the driving characteristics of R1T but I much prefer the utility of an SUV for my use case.

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[DuoRivians]

The MX drives like a stodgy boat that has two features : 1/ it can go fast straight and 2/ falcon doors if that’s your thing.

Hard pass after having driven one for a month—loaner while we were having our MYP serviced

 

[johnking]

Plz search this forum. We have a couple threads on this forum on this topic.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

The display and ability will always pale in comparison to Tesla but this is focused more on drive experience.

Lost me here. Didn't bother with the rest.

 

[astonius]

You’re going to have a hard time finding an objective opinion on a Rivian forum, so to play devil’s advocate here’s a review from someone on Tesla Owner’s Club who had a Model X Plaid, sold it to buy an R1T, then sold the R1T to repurchase their MXP: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...ian-comparison-my-personal-experience.293566/. I know the request was for R1S, but maybe there’s some detail here that’s relevant.

 

[Hilbe]

My wife will be going from MX to R1S. Been trying to be optimistic, but there are some unique things about the MX she loves that she won't have on the R1S:

- Self presenting doors. She thought this was the stupidest feature when I told her about it when purchasing. Now she loves it since she doesn't have to swing open or swing close the drivers door.
- Falcon Wing Doors. She too thought they were a bit showy, but after having them with kids and hitting a button on her console to close them it's convenient. A minivan door would also work.
- Road trips. She likes that she really doesn't have to worry about "will there be a charger", "will it work", "do I need to swipe a card or use an app", etc. Everything just works with the Tesla and there are plenty of chargers. Plus hers has lifetime free supercharging. She has repeatedly mentioned that she likes that road trips are free.
- Easy 3rd Row Access. We've got the 6 seater. We need the 7th seat, which is why we're getting the R1S. 3rd row is tight in the X. Waiting to see how this one plays out.

 

[NineElectrics]

I've owned two Xs and one R1S.

The first Xs were terrible. Door issues, latch failures, headliner issues, spoiler paint swapping, so many many rattles, window issues, half shaft shuddering, suspension creaking, infotainment screen yellowing, windshield halos, EPA range lies, a half dozen flat tires, you name it. The falcon wing doors are actually pretty slow to use. When I returned the last one, I actually had to give Tesla my bike rack, because the hitch receiver was welded-on crooked at the factory, and for some reason it fused with my rack and nobody could get it off.

The R1S has a ton of crooked panel gaps, etched glass, unplugged wires, rattles, and other issues (heck, one side of the car tilts permanently an inch lower than the other side) but, overall, it is in better condition than the initial X.

If the R1S were completely repaired it would be heads and shoulders above the X. Better acceleration, more room, no ridiculous and flaky doors, more comfortable, more storage, more visibility, quieter. The dash material doesn't reflect into the driver's view on the windshield on a sunny day. It doesn't look like an egg. It has slightly more real world range. It has a spare tire. It has real cross traffic assist, blind spot monitoring, and 360 view. The rain sensor actually works. You can mount things on the roof! Such luxury! The only thing the X did better was audio. Spatial audio processing on Teslas is divine.

I will never buy another Tesla again.

 

[seanocono]

I've owned two Xs and one R1S.

The first Xs were terrible. Door issues, latch failures, headliner issues, spoiler paint swapping, so many many rattles, window issues, half shaft shuddering, suspension creaking, infotainment screen yellowing, windshield halos, EPA range lies, a half dozen flat tires, you name it. The falcon wing doors are actually pretty slow to use. When I returned the last one, I actually had to give Tesla my bike rack, because the hitch receiver was welded-on crooked at the factory, and for some reason it fused with my rack and nobody could get it off.

The R1S has a ton of crooked panel gaps, etched glass, unplugged wires, rattles, and other issues (heck, one side of the car tilts permanently an inch lower than the other side) but, overall, it is in better condition than the initial X.

If the R1S were completely repaired it would be heads and shoulders above the X. Better acceleration, more room, no ridiculous and flaky doors, more comfortable, more storage, more visibility, quieter. The dash material doesn't reflect into the driver's view on the windshield on a sunny day. It doesn't look like an egg. It has slightly more real world range. It has a spare tire. It has real cross traffic assist, blind spot monitoring, and 360 view. The rain sensor actually works. You can mount things on the roof! Such luxury! The only thing the X did better was audio. Spatial audio processing on Teslas is divine.

I will never buy another Tesla again.

I’m curious if you owned, or have driven, one of the refreshed Model Xs? They are a big improvement over the first gen X despite not doing enough to distinguish the exteriors of the new models.

I have a Model X Plaid, and it’s a great vehicle for my family. My wife actually prefers it over the R1S.

I’m partial to both Rivian models, but I also understand how someone would prefer the refreshed X. Different strokes…

 

[NineElectrics]

I’m curious if you owned, or have driven, one of the refreshed Model Xs? They are a big improvement over the first gen X despite not doing enough to distinguish the exteriors of the new models.

I have not tried a refreshed one. I thought I would miss the FWDs, but I don't. It's some combination of the children being older and the R1S being higher off the ground, so there's less need to become a human cantilever. How do you like the stalk-less interface? Do the windows still rattle when the front doors close? I think I would quite enjoy the new sound system with ANC.

At one point during some weird Elon drama, my wife said she didn't think we should drive a car made by someone mentally unstable. I had to admit, that one was a zinger.

There was also a fear, shared by both of us, that in the unlikely event of a severe accident or water immersion, any children in the back rows would be unable to get out of the car, because there is no mechanical latch. Similarly, emergency responders would be unable to get in. The emergency release is in a speaker and no child could find it. Heck, even if I found it I don’t know if I could open it. In collisions Teslas can be… flammable. The kids wouldn’t have much time to get out. This fear is probably not rational, but we bought glass breakers and stashed them around the car.

 

[Monkey]

We owned a Model X P90D - first gen in every way, one of the first couple delivered in our state, VIN just over #1000. Had it for 4 years... It's an amazing car, people don't give it enough credit, especially on non-Tesla EV forums. My wife and I got to test drive a '22 Model X Plaid a few months ago for most of a day and wow... Same car, but lots of improvements. Obviously the Plaid was more efficient, quicker and the updated suspension was nicer and handled better.

We sold our X after getting the Y... With prices on the used market being over-inflated, it was definitely time to let it go and I figured the Y would make a nice stop-gap vehicle until we bought whatever came next... My wife really misses the X. She liked the Y a lot at first, mostly the smaller size now that we're not hauling kids, but the Y just doesn't do it for us. I like that it's more agile and the smaller size is nice at times, but it rides like shit. As of right now my wife wants to replace the Y. She's considering the R1S or another Model X. We don't really want to spend $140K on a single car though, so the X is probably out since the R1S would be practically half of that with our pre-March pricing. We haven't been able to get an R1S test drive yet. I was waiting to let them get some of the bugs worked out and fix some of the early reported ride issues. That and Rivian hasn't been that willing to help us get a test drive since my reservation is for an R1T. Max Pack, so I don't want to convert it to an R1S just yet until updates come out (now April)...

As great as the X is, it's not perfect by any means and has some real flaws. The biggest issue, IMO, is the 3rd row. It's child-sized. There's no other way to say it. You'll find plenty of Tesla fan-boys that will deny this. They love to reference a picture of John Cena and others in a Model X where Cena is seated in the 3rd row of a 6-seater Model X. He's sitting on the edge of his seat and leaning forward uncomfortably, if you look closely. Something he said about the car later -- he thought he might get stuck if he wedged himself into that seat. I can't sit upright in the third row and have to awkwardly slouch or lean forward. Like if I sit normal in the seat, my head has to be tilted almost completely to one side or the other. I have short legs, yet 3rd row leg room is terrible. My wife and kids have much longer legs and can't sit back there for more than just a quick trip. We haven't encountered these issues in other three-row SUVs, or at least not to the same extent. Ours was the 6-seater with captains chairs, which is the layout we'd prefer and that also helps with 3rd row leg room. However, it's unfortunate the 2nd row seats don't recline or fold flat in the 6 seat configuration. They rock back as whole unit, which we all found a bit awkward at times.

And that's really it for the negatives of the X that we found over the years we owned it. Most of the 3rd row issues presenting themselves as our kids grew a bunch.

Lots of other good stuff about the X though. The falcon doors are more than just a gimmick if you can benefit from the spacious 2nd row opening. Hauling my elderly grandparents was great. If you need to deal with people that have mobility issues, the X is great. People who are dealing with car seats rave about the X.

I actually prefer the vertical display in the older Teslas vs. the landscape design that came along with the Model 3 that they all have now... Which we've owned in our Y for 2 years now. I have the vertical display now in my Lightning and it's great. But whatever. It's cool the new cars have the additional screen for the 2nd row

If I were to buy another Model X, I'd probably get the 7-seat version. Then I have the option to haul more people. I'd lose the captains chairs, but at least everything behind the front row would fold flat. The fold-flat 7-seater was not an option way back when we bought ours. Back then, the 7-seater just had the 3 pedestal seats across the 2nd row, middle one with now arm rests, and it honestly sucked.

Sorry I'm rambling on here... Just some thoughts as a former Model X owner. We're definitely interested in the R1S. It's at the top of the list of what my wife wants to look at. Like I said, we haven't got a test drive of one yet.

 

[zipzag]

It doesn't look like an egg.

Major point. Egg influenced vehicle design has limited appeal. The X and S are selling at very low volumes now relative to Tesla's size and position in the market. 'Incremental improvement" can't go on forever. Many longer time Tesla owners would like to see something new. The R1S is particularly well positioned. And not egg shaped.

 

[HarisonAltDelete]

You’re going to have a hard time finding an objective opinion on a Rivian forum, so to play devil’s advocate here’s a review from someone on Tesla Owner’s Club who had a Model X Plaid, sold it to buy an R1T, then sold the R1T to repurchase their MXP: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...ian-comparison-my-personal-experience.293566/. I know the request was for R1S, but maybe there’s some detail here that’s relevant.

It seems like a large portion of these complaints come from a guy switching from a minivan to a pickup truck rather than a MX to an R1T

 

[moosehead]

Comparison.

One is a 4 door sedan, the other is a SUV.

 

[Zorg]

2019 X and 2022 R1T owner. We love both, but for different reasons. My wife loves her X. She's short and the ability to close doors from the screen is a big plus. Seats in the X are really comfy, more so than the Rivian. r1T seats are nicer but a bit too firm to my taste. Definitely a preference thing. I wouldn't buy an X a today's prices though as those are ridiculous. We bought the truck for summer off roading, and carrying bikes/stuff when needed.

 

[echerod]

https://electrek.co/2023/03/06/tesla-drops-model-s-x-prices/

Competition just got more challenging, with Model X starting at $100k.

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