Techtennisone
Active Member
- First Name
- Brian
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2021
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- 3
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- 30
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- 82
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Vehicles
- Toyota RAV4
- Occupation
- VP, Technology Enablement
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- #1
Went for my scheduled test drive at the Normal, IL plant today. I live in Chicago which is probably how I got an early invite. For others driving down from Chicago, there’s quite a bit of road construction FYI.
Recap:
My appointment was 1pm. The address on the reservation is the main plant. I arrived a few minutes early and didn’t see any signs pointing to the test drive area. I parked by the main entrance and went in to inquire. They said to go back towards the expressway and turn right on the first road after leaving the main Rivian plant entrance. Just a warning, as it wasn’t obvious where to go.
After turning down the correct road, you come to a security gate. They checked my name on the reservation list and gave me a biodegradable parking pass and said I could plant it in the dirt if I wanted, and flowers would grow. Nice touch! They pointed me to drive behind the main plant and look for the First Mile Event parking. Once parked, there was a huge area fenced off and with sawdust where they had a few tents set up and 3 different colored R1Ts. I checked in at the first tent. They check my reservation, took photos of my drivers license, and had me sign a waiver. I then got pointed to another tent to check in for the test drive.
Once checked in at the test drive tent, I was introduced to my driving guide. He led me to the parking lot where they had 6 or 7 different colored R1Ts. I didn’t get a choice of color to drive, although I didn’t ask. Mine was the arctic white. He showed me around the outside of it and then we got in. First impressions were that the outside and inside were everything and more and so much better in person. The inside struck me immediately as very high-end finishes and such attention to detail. The seat was so comfortable and of course could be adjusted a million different ways to dial it in for your comfort. It was particularly hot today, so he showed me how to turn on the in seat cooling. Immediately I felt cool air blowing up my back. Next he showed me the 2 displays and what appears on each. He showed me how to put the car in drive, reverse and park since it’s a bit different than most cars. Putting it in reverse made the rear view camera appear on the center display, very crisp and large. He even advised me on keeping two hands on the wheel at all times and not to wrap my thumbs around the wheel. I knew this was more of a safety thing given that we were about to go on the track.
After this brief overview, we were ready to drive. The test track was right beside the parking lot. First up was a straight stretch of asphalt where we did 0 to 60 in a blink. Just as we’ve all heard, it took off like a cheetah, pressing my head against the head rest. At the end of the straight stretch were 3 obstacles to drive around at 10 mph, showing how it can take tight turns. Next was an off road portion. I’ve never been off road driving before, so I didn’t know what to expect. First was a short stretch of dirt and gravel. You could feel the tires gripping. Traction was awesome. We went up a bit of an incline at 25 mph and then slowed down to 3 mph to drop 7 feet or so into a creek bed of sorts. It was then another 40 feet or so of good size boulders. The truck never struggled at all. Once out of the boulders, we did what I’d call stunt man driving. They had mounds of dirt on a curve that were about 3 feet or so high. He had me drive the driver side tires on the mound around the curve and then immediately after the passenger side tires ….so basically you were driving on 2 tires like we were in an action movie. After this we went up about a 45 degree hill. It was crazy since you couldn’t see what was in front on the truck. Again, no struggle at all. Finally, we got back to asphalt and another long straight stretch. I punched it up to 70 and also got the feel of switching lanes multiple times. At the end of the straight stretch were 3 more obstacles to drive around and then to the parking lot. What a drive!!
Post Drive:
After the test drive was over, I was pointed back to the fenced in area to look more closely at the trucks and accessories they had on display. The trucks on display were blue, forest green and yellow. One was set up for camping with the kitchen and tent. One was set up with a lot of the other accessories like bike racks, all weather floor mats, etc. the third truck as set up to show all the color and trim colors on a display beside it. I spent about 1.5 hours just carefully looking at everything. Nobody cared how long you stay and there were very few other people there….maybe 10-12 including me. They had multiple staff at each truck answering questions. They were all super knowledgeable and you could tell excited to be working at Rivian. I’m planning to buy the R1S, but much of what I saw on the R1T will be the same or very similar. In the bed of the truck, there is the integrated air compressor and another 2 electric outlets. I also noticed to LED lights under the rails of the truck bed that I hadn’t noticed in photos. The frunk was spacious with a second hidden compartment under the frunk floor where the charging cables and extra space were. The interior was very high end with tremendous attention to detail. The wood trim was beautiful, and the head liner is made of a suede-like material. It was a very sunny day, so I was curious to see what a full panoramic roof would be like. It blocked out the bright sun just as advertised. The sound system was incredibly great sound quality no matter where I sat in the car. The subwoofer is under the 2nd row seats along with some additional storage area. I’m 6’3” so I was paying attention to leg and head room. No issues at all. I had lots of room in all seats. The infotainment system is very large and sharp. I didn’t really spend much time shuffling between the screens, but I saw others doing it. It seems very intuitive and the guides told me that Alexa will be able to control most anything you’d want to do. That’s a game changer in my opinion. I was told that everything in front row and dash are exactly the same between R1T & R1S. Just as advertised there is a hidden flashlight in the drivers side door using one of the same battery cells as the truck (very clever). There is also a removable Bluetooth speaker under the front seat console.
As I mentioned, I’m getting the R1S, but I did peek at the kitchen. It’s pretty sweet! Made me wish the R1S could have it too. The tent was set upon the back of the truck. I had not intended to buy the tent, but I think I will now after seeing it in person.
The only disappointment for me was that they didn’t have every exterior color and interior trim combination there. They did have some samples, but I don’t think it’s easy to get a real sense of it unless you see it on a truck. They didn’t have launch green or the green interior on any of the trucks that I saw.
Once done with the trucks, they had another tent with charging info. I had a great discussion with a really smart guide there about charging options and in home chargers.
Last, they did have a swag tent selling 5 or 6 different tshirts I’m adult and kid sizes, a sweat shirt, a cloth tote bag, cloth COVID masks with the Rivian logo, 3 or 4 hats, a metal coffee mug, and a metal water bottle. They limit you to only 3 items per person. I bought the masks, coffee mug and a black tshirt that says First Mile on it. I asked if they would be selling any of it online, and they said these items were for these test drive events only and didn’t know if or when Rivian may sell any swag online.
Conclusion:
I strongly considered purchasing a Tesla X a couple years back. As much as I love Tesla as a company, I didn’t like the interior of Teslas very much and didn’t find it very comfortable. A friend told me about Rivian, and I held out hope that it would be everything I found lacking on the Tesla X. Even though I still haven’t seen an R1S in person, I saw more than enough of the R1T to sell me on Rivian. It was everything and more, and trust me, photos and video don’t do it justice. Seeing it in person was amazing. Hope you all get a reservation to test drive soon too!
Recap:
My appointment was 1pm. The address on the reservation is the main plant. I arrived a few minutes early and didn’t see any signs pointing to the test drive area. I parked by the main entrance and went in to inquire. They said to go back towards the expressway and turn right on the first road after leaving the main Rivian plant entrance. Just a warning, as it wasn’t obvious where to go.
After turning down the correct road, you come to a security gate. They checked my name on the reservation list and gave me a biodegradable parking pass and said I could plant it in the dirt if I wanted, and flowers would grow. Nice touch! They pointed me to drive behind the main plant and look for the First Mile Event parking. Once parked, there was a huge area fenced off and with sawdust where they had a few tents set up and 3 different colored R1Ts. I checked in at the first tent. They check my reservation, took photos of my drivers license, and had me sign a waiver. I then got pointed to another tent to check in for the test drive.
Once checked in at the test drive tent, I was introduced to my driving guide. He led me to the parking lot where they had 6 or 7 different colored R1Ts. I didn’t get a choice of color to drive, although I didn’t ask. Mine was the arctic white. He showed me around the outside of it and then we got in. First impressions were that the outside and inside were everything and more and so much better in person. The inside struck me immediately as very high-end finishes and such attention to detail. The seat was so comfortable and of course could be adjusted a million different ways to dial it in for your comfort. It was particularly hot today, so he showed me how to turn on the in seat cooling. Immediately I felt cool air blowing up my back. Next he showed me the 2 displays and what appears on each. He showed me how to put the car in drive, reverse and park since it’s a bit different than most cars. Putting it in reverse made the rear view camera appear on the center display, very crisp and large. He even advised me on keeping two hands on the wheel at all times and not to wrap my thumbs around the wheel. I knew this was more of a safety thing given that we were about to go on the track.
After this brief overview, we were ready to drive. The test track was right beside the parking lot. First up was a straight stretch of asphalt where we did 0 to 60 in a blink. Just as we’ve all heard, it took off like a cheetah, pressing my head against the head rest. At the end of the straight stretch were 3 obstacles to drive around at 10 mph, showing how it can take tight turns. Next was an off road portion. I’ve never been off road driving before, so I didn’t know what to expect. First was a short stretch of dirt and gravel. You could feel the tires gripping. Traction was awesome. We went up a bit of an incline at 25 mph and then slowed down to 3 mph to drop 7 feet or so into a creek bed of sorts. It was then another 40 feet or so of good size boulders. The truck never struggled at all. Once out of the boulders, we did what I’d call stunt man driving. They had mounds of dirt on a curve that were about 3 feet or so high. He had me drive the driver side tires on the mound around the curve and then immediately after the passenger side tires ….so basically you were driving on 2 tires like we were in an action movie. After this we went up about a 45 degree hill. It was crazy since you couldn’t see what was in front on the truck. Again, no struggle at all. Finally, we got back to asphalt and another long straight stretch. I punched it up to 70 and also got the feel of switching lanes multiple times. At the end of the straight stretch were 3 more obstacles to drive around and then to the parking lot. What a drive!!
Post Drive:
After the test drive was over, I was pointed back to the fenced in area to look more closely at the trucks and accessories they had on display. The trucks on display were blue, forest green and yellow. One was set up for camping with the kitchen and tent. One was set up with a lot of the other accessories like bike racks, all weather floor mats, etc. the third truck as set up to show all the color and trim colors on a display beside it. I spent about 1.5 hours just carefully looking at everything. Nobody cared how long you stay and there were very few other people there….maybe 10-12 including me. They had multiple staff at each truck answering questions. They were all super knowledgeable and you could tell excited to be working at Rivian. I’m planning to buy the R1S, but much of what I saw on the R1T will be the same or very similar. In the bed of the truck, there is the integrated air compressor and another 2 electric outlets. I also noticed to LED lights under the rails of the truck bed that I hadn’t noticed in photos. The frunk was spacious with a second hidden compartment under the frunk floor where the charging cables and extra space were. The interior was very high end with tremendous attention to detail. The wood trim was beautiful, and the head liner is made of a suede-like material. It was a very sunny day, so I was curious to see what a full panoramic roof would be like. It blocked out the bright sun just as advertised. The sound system was incredibly great sound quality no matter where I sat in the car. The subwoofer is under the 2nd row seats along with some additional storage area. I’m 6’3” so I was paying attention to leg and head room. No issues at all. I had lots of room in all seats. The infotainment system is very large and sharp. I didn’t really spend much time shuffling between the screens, but I saw others doing it. It seems very intuitive and the guides told me that Alexa will be able to control most anything you’d want to do. That’s a game changer in my opinion. I was told that everything in front row and dash are exactly the same between R1T & R1S. Just as advertised there is a hidden flashlight in the drivers side door using one of the same battery cells as the truck (very clever). There is also a removable Bluetooth speaker under the front seat console.
As I mentioned, I’m getting the R1S, but I did peek at the kitchen. It’s pretty sweet! Made me wish the R1S could have it too. The tent was set upon the back of the truck. I had not intended to buy the tent, but I think I will now after seeing it in person.
The only disappointment for me was that they didn’t have every exterior color and interior trim combination there. They did have some samples, but I don’t think it’s easy to get a real sense of it unless you see it on a truck. They didn’t have launch green or the green interior on any of the trucks that I saw.
Once done with the trucks, they had another tent with charging info. I had a great discussion with a really smart guide there about charging options and in home chargers.
Last, they did have a swag tent selling 5 or 6 different tshirts I’m adult and kid sizes, a sweat shirt, a cloth tote bag, cloth COVID masks with the Rivian logo, 3 or 4 hats, a metal coffee mug, and a metal water bottle. They limit you to only 3 items per person. I bought the masks, coffee mug and a black tshirt that says First Mile on it. I asked if they would be selling any of it online, and they said these items were for these test drive events only and didn’t know if or when Rivian may sell any swag online.
Conclusion:
I strongly considered purchasing a Tesla X a couple years back. As much as I love Tesla as a company, I didn’t like the interior of Teslas very much and didn’t find it very comfortable. A friend told me about Rivian, and I held out hope that it would be everything I found lacking on the Tesla X. Even though I still haven’t seen an R1S in person, I saw more than enough of the R1T to sell me on Rivian. It was everything and more, and trust me, photos and video don’t do it justice. Seeing it in person was amazing. Hope you all get a reservation to test drive soon too!
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