Official Video: How Does it Feel to Drive a Rivian (Featuring Preorder Holders)

[jplblue]

My goodness! So much venom and envy. Now I know why I do not normally post on forums.

I was there. I happened to be chosen. For me it was the equivalent of winning the Power Ball. I can assure all the doubters that I am not a compensated spokesperson for Rivian. I am however, a Day One pre-order holder. But not all of us were. I know that because I asked. And the wonderful young folks that put this event together have no reason to lie.

I am sorry that everyone of you could not have been there. This was indeed a special event meant for a few.

The opportunity my daughter and I had to meet with RJ and his wife Megan was without doubt something we will never forget. The top engineering staff were shanghaied when our dinner plans were abruptly changed Wednesday night. Instead of the planned casual dinner in Normal, we were hauled out to the plant by a fleet of R1T's. Not a bad start! And a very fun surprise. Even the engineers had no idea what was up. They were just asked to be at the Delivery Center by 6:00PM.

The people that I spent most of my time with besides RJ (who took my kid and myself on our first ride in a R1T) were Charles, Mason, Rex and Joy.

Charles Sanderson is the the guy from McLaren that is, as far as I understand this, the guy that designed the R1 Platform. He brought the hydro-pneumatic suspension system to it's current iteration. It works extremely well. He also rode shotgun with me when I beat the crap out of the red R1T on and off-road! (I could only consistently hit 129 MPH on the paved track in the wet, it's governed road speed )

Charles helped me find the apex of the tiny horseshoes at the ends of the parallel dragways. Four wheel drift on exit! Only noise was tires screeching, and a bit of my personal "holy crap!"

Mason is the very young genius behind the drive-train/AC Synchronous Motor design. I spent exactly 75 minutes picking his brain before I had a question he could not answer. How do I know this? He was timing me! He had to defer to Charles. He is so fun and excited about his job. He agrees with me that in-board wet brakes should have been on the R1, but Charles nixed them.

Rex is a pro race car driver/ Rivian team member and the guy that dialed in the Rivian suspension
system. RJ asked if I would like to ride with Rex or himself, it wasn't a hard choice, even though RJ said Rex was a lot faster, I still opted for RJ for my first ride.

Joy is appropriately named. She has a permanent smile and a personality that is unsinkable! She has been with RJ for ever. You can thank her for the colors, textures, interior materials, and tactile aspects of everything Rivian. Because that has been her job since she came on board many years ago. Such talent and dedication is awe inspiring.

Keep the faith. You will get your R1. It's worth the wait.

Glad that you, Duck, and others had the opportunity for a close-up look at the vehicles and relay your experience.

As for the negative comments about the event, the participants, their appearances, etc. -- they say far more about the commenters than Rivian or the lucky folks who were selected.

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[SeaGeo]

My goodness! So much venom and envy. Now I know why I do not normally post on forums.

I was there. I happened to be chosen. For me it was the equivalent of winning the Power Ball. I can assure all the doubters that I am not a compensated spokesperson for Rivian. I am however, a Day One pre-order holder. But not all of us were. I know that because I asked. And the wonderful young folks that put this event together have no reason to lie.

I am sorry that everyone of you could not have been there. This was indeed a special event meant for a few.

The opportunity my daughter and I had to meet with RJ and his wife Megan was without doubt something we will never forget. The top engineering staff were shanghaied when our dinner plans were abruptly changed Wednesday night. Instead of the planned casual dinner in Normal, we were hauled out to the plant by a fleet of R1T's. Not a bad start! And a very fun surprise. Even the engineers had no idea what was up. They were just asked to be at the Delivery Center by 6:00PM.

The people that I spent most of my time with besides RJ (who took my kid and myself on our first ride in a R1T) were Charles, Mason, Rex and Joy.

Charles Sanderson is the the guy from McLaren that is, as far as I understand this, the guy that designed the R1 Platform. He brought the hydro-pneumatic suspension system to it's current iteration. It works extremely well. He also rode shotgun with me when I beat the crap out of the red R1T on and off-road! (I could only consistently hit 129 MPH on the paved track in the wet, it's governed road speed )

Charles helped me find the apex of the tiny horseshoes at the ends of the parallel dragways. Four wheel drift on exit! Only noise was tires screeching, and a bit of my personal "holy crap!"

Mason is the very young genius behind the drive-train/AC Synchronous Motor design. I spent exactly 75 minutes picking his brain before I had a question he could not answer. How do I know this? He was timing me! He had to defer to Charles. He is so fun and excited about his job. He agrees with me that in-board wet brakes should have been on the R1, but Charles nixed them.

Rex is a pro race car driver/ Rivian team member and the guy that dialed in the Rivian suspension
system. RJ asked if I would like to ride with Rex or himself, it wasn't a hard choice, even though RJ said Rex was a lot faster, I still opted for RJ for my first ride.

Joy is appropriately named. She has a permanent smile and a personality that is unsinkable! She has been with RJ for ever. You can thank her for the colors, textures, interior materials, and tactile aspects of everything Rivian. Because that has been her job since she came on board many years ago. Such talent and dedication is awe inspiring.

Keep the faith. You will get your R1. It's worth the wait.

Awww that's so awesome. I would have loved to talk to folks in the engineering side of things. Congrats! Sounds like you had a blast.

 

[DuckTruck]

My goodness! So much venom and envy. Now I know why I do not normally post on forums.

I was there. I happened to be chosen. For me it was the equivalent of winning the Power Ball. I can assure all the doubters that I am not a compensated spokesperson for Rivian. I am however, a Day One pre-order holder. But not all of us were. I know that because I asked. And the wonderful young folks that put this event together have no reason to lie.

I am sorry that everyone of you could not have been there. This was indeed a special event meant for a few.

The opportunity my daughter and I had to meet with RJ and his wife Megan was without doubt something we will never forget. The top engineering staff were shanghaied when our dinner plans were abruptly changed Wednesday night. Instead of the planned casual dinner in Normal, we were hauled out to the plant by a fleet of R1T's. Not a bad start! And a very fun surprise. Even the engineers had no idea what was up. They were just asked to be at the Delivery Center by 6:00PM.

The people that I spent most of my time with besides RJ (who took my kid and myself on our first ride in a R1T) were Charles, Mason, Rex and Joy.

Charles Sanderson is the the guy from McLaren that is, as far as I understand this, the guy that designed the R1 Platform. He brought the hydro-pneumatic suspension system to it's current iteration. It works extremely well. He also rode shotgun with me when I beat the crap out of the red R1T on and off-road! (I could only consistently hit 129 MPH on the paved track in the wet, it's governed road speed )

Charles helped me find the apex of the tiny horseshoes at the ends of the parallel dragways. Four wheel drift on exit! Only noise was tires screeching, and a bit of my personal "holy crap!"

Mason is the very young genius behind the drive-train/AC Synchronous Motor design. I spent exactly 75 minutes picking his brain before I had a question he could not answer. How do I know this? He was timing me! He had to defer to Charles. He is so fun and excited about his job. He agrees with me that in-board wet brakes should have been on the R1, but Charles nixed them.

Rex is a pro race car driver/ Rivian team member and the guy that dialed in the Rivian suspension
system. RJ asked if I would like to ride with Rex or himself, it wasn't a hard choice, even though RJ said Rex was a lot faster, I still opted for RJ for my first ride.

Joy is appropriately named. She has a permanent smile and a personality that is unsinkable! She has been with RJ for ever. You can thank her for the colors, textures, interior materials, and tactile aspects of everything Rivian. Because that has been her job since she came on board many years ago. Such talent and dedication is awe inspiring.

Keep the faith. You will get your R1. It's worth the wait.

Nicely stated! I was in the second wave of folks heading to the Engagement Center from the Hotel both days. With later arrivals, I didn't catch the details for the dinner change and missed some of the other details and depth of contacts you've illuminated here. That said, I'm so glad we ended up having the evening event at the Engagement Center. I'm so thankful for everything we were able to do and see. Especially, the people we had the opportunity to visit with! ?

It sounds like you enjoyed it as much, if not more, than I did. Thanks for telling the story of Charles' and Rex's involvement in developing the drivetrain, as well as Joy's unbelievable mastery of the interior surfaces and colors, along with all of the touchpoints. I missed all but a short hello with the three of them. Wonderful work by all.

I remember you said you hit 129, but didn't know of a limitation, as we hit 130 and then stood on the brakes and stopped in plenty of time to make the left turn back to tackle Mt. Rivian. I wish you and I could have visited a little more before the event ended.

Thanks again and enjoy your R1T when it arrives!

 

[Gshenderson]

@DuckTruck and @Sierrita_dweller, did they give any indication on how the lucky few were selected? I’m assuming your interactions with CS may have factored into it? Congrats to you both, and thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us!

 

[CarterGee]

FWIW I think it's great they invited pre-order holders h especially to see what they should focus on for test drives in September! I'm just salty about launch green haha that was a very bad comms / CS fail IMHO

 

[Craigins]

Did you guys get to Avanti's for food while you were in Normal? I'm still hoping for factory pickup so I can grab some gondolas from Avanti's.

 

[jimcgov3]

I'm just salty about launch green haha that was a very bad comms / CS fail IMHO

I did find it interesting that Rivian was totally ok w/ letting the invitees release the images of LG vs. Rivian actually posting clear, media-worthy LG pics...but it is what it is. We still haven't figured out the Rivian ways of doing things.

***EDIT***

And I have no problem w/ that. But as we all know and I have said 100 times before, only Glacier White and LA Silver look as they should in all light conditions. EVERY other color looks ENTIRELY different in different lighting conditions. Rivian put magical fairy dust in that dang paint!

 

[Jay]

only Glacier White and LA Silver look as they should in all light conditions. EVERY other color looks ENTIRELY different in different lighting conditions. Rivian put magical fairy dust in that dang paint!

May be that's why they are free ? and I personally feel upgrade to different color is worth the price?

 

[DuckTruck]

Did you guys get to Avanti's for food while you were in Normal? I'm still hoping for factory pickup so I can grab some gondolas from Avanti's.

No, we didn't, but that sounds great. I got out and explored the Upper Normal neighborhood on foot and loved that stretch along North Street. Great restaurants and a very cool old Record Store with classic rock vinyl in albums and 45's. It's run by Jeff and his brother Jim. Not to be missed for any colkecter of vinyl of all genres.

Thanks for the heads up on Avanti's. Hitting places like that would be part of the beauty of a factory pick-up.

 

[DuckTruck]

@DuckTruck have you had a chance to compare the 22s, 21s and 20s during your test drives or were all the trucks on 20s? How was the road handling of those 20s and the rolli g noise? I’m driving 95% of the time on paved roads and I keep going back and forth between the 20s and 22s for my R1S LE. Really appreciate all the time you’ve put in the last two days to answer our questions and to share your experience.

lg3103,

Great question! RJ was adamant that I vet the 20-inch A/T tires before deciding to get a second set of five mounted 22-inch Summer Performance tires. Here he was saying you can certainly buy them, but that all of the vehicles we'll be in have A/T's on 20's. With the silent running of the propulsion and the acoustic glass all around, if they were going to announce themselves, they'd have every opportunity. They were extremely capable in all conditions and surfaces, and very polite, as well.

In running them up to 130 MPH on the straights and hitting the 20 MPH corners at the ends of the straights (at considerably more than 20 MPH), the A/T's felt composed and handled like a great road tire. None of the expected vibration or noise, and the gentle four-part harmony the Pirelli Sisters sang was far quieter than I would have imagined. Also noteworthy was the neutral steering and very limited body roll around the sharp bends, even with that gentle song playing. Of course much of that great handling was the result of Rivian's suspension tuning, but the tires also made the corners remarkably unremarkable.

I seem to remember RJ saying I might be giving up 2 to 3 percent (or some other very low amount) of road capability compared to the 22's, but I'd be giving up pretty much all of the off-road Adventures with the street tires. I thought that a CEO telling me to not give his company many thousands of dollars was another example of Rivian doing the right thing. As always, that type of culture starts at the top.

I will say that if I knew the R1T was going to be a full-time Pavement Princess, I'd likely put on the 22's with the street tires.

That's not going to happen....

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck and please keep me posted on your choice!

 

[crashmtb]

I seem to remember RJ saying I might be giving up 2 to 3 percent (or some other very low amount) of road capability compared to the 22's, but I'd be giving up pretty much all of the off-road Adventures with the street tires. I thought that a CEO telling me to not give his company many thousands of dollars was another example of Rivian doing the right thing. As always, that type of culture starts at the top.

this is what happens when a company is headed by an actual engineer and not a salesman/showman. Big, big part of why we’re getting a rivian.

Was there any indication as to the range impact of the A/T tires, compared to the all seasons or performance tires?

 

[lg3103]

lg3103,

Great question! RJ was adamant that I vet the 20-inch A/T tires before deciding to get a second set of five mounted 22-inch Summer Performance tires. Here he was saying you can certainly buy them, but that all of the vehicles we'll be in have A/T's on 20's. With the silent running of the propulsion and the acoustic glass all around, if they were going to announce themselves, they'd have every opportunity. They were extremely capable in all conditions and surfaces, and very polite, as well.

In running them up to 130 MPH on the straights and hitting the 20 MPH corners at the ends of the straights (at considerably more than 20 MPH), the A/T's felt composed and handled like a great road tire. None of the expected vibration or noise, and the gentle four-part harmony the Pirelli Sisters sang was far quieter than I would have imagined. Also noteworthy was the neutral steering and very limited body roll around the sharp bends, even with that gentle song playing. Of course much of that great handling was the result of Rivian's suspension tuning, but the tires also made the corners remarkably unremarkable.

I seem to remember RJ saying I might be giving up 2 to 3 percent (or some other very low amount) of road capability compared to the 22's, but I'd be giving up pretty much all of the off-road Adventures with the street tires. I thought that a CEO telling me to not give his company many thousands of dollars was another example of Rivian doing the right thing. As always, that type of culture starts at the top.

I will say that if I knew the R1T was going to be a full-time Pavement Princess, I'd likely put on the 22's with the street tires.

That's not going to happen....

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck and please keep me posted on your choice!

Thanks a ton for the thorough response. This helps a ton with making the choice for the 20s

 

[DuckTruck]

Thanks a ton for the thorough response. This helps a ton with making the choice for the 20s

Good to hear. Again, RJ really convinced me that it's the best way to go if you ever plan to leave the pavement behind.

 

[kanundrum]

Anyway, I remember him telling me (or us?) that the range was pretty consistent with what was first announced for the Launch Edition (I read that to mean ~300 miles). The caveat here is that any energy-intensive activity, like rocketing around a track at 130 MPH and then scaling Mt. Rivian before drifting freely at high speed (all with a cameraman bouncing around the back seat - sorry David!) will simultaneously reduce range and increase the strain on any Perma-Grin muscles of the inhabitants (except maybe David's)

With all that being said did you happen to see what your display was saying? Obviously keeping in mind everyone sending it fully around a on and off pavement course for what was probably a solid few hours.

Would love to know a "figure" if you happen to recall anything when it was at 1/2 etc. No worries if you do not as It doesnt matter much based on driving characteristics which impact everything anyways.

 

[kanundrum]

Thanks a ton for the thorough response. This helps a ton with making the choice for the 20s

X2, I wanted a 2nd set of tires but I think ill see what my range and feel is with the original set and go from there.

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