dotlinetriangle
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2022
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- Location
- Kitsap County, WA
- Vehicles
- R1T Adventure, Forest Green / Black Mountain / 21”
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- #1
This is an absurd comparison. The Tesla Model Y and Rivian R1T are such different vehicles on both price and type, you’d never put them head to head. What’s better, a Porsche Macan or Ford F-150 King Ranch? A Mazda CX-5 or Toyota Tacoma? And yet, due to the weird time in the electrification of cars and the Rivian’s genre-busting “all things to everyone” versatility, I’m sure I’m not the only one trading their Model Y for their first pickup. I thought I’d post my impressions coming straight from one.
For context, I owned my Model Y Long Range for 2 years almost to the day. Coincidentally both the Y and R1T were in the ~7000 VIN range.
Everyday driving
The first thing that really stuck out to me wasn’t the acceleration or handling–it was how quiet the cabin was. Wind and road noise isn’t S-Class quiet, but definitely an improvement. The thing that really drove me crazy about the Y though was how it’d creak and rattle over bumps. Any time the frame would flex in a meaningful way (like going over speed bumps), I could hear the chassis flexing. When over about ~60°, I can hear the weather stripping of the doors rubbing. In the Rivian, there’s just none of that. It’s SO much more peaceful.
I’m sure a big contributor to the placid cabin is the suspension. It’s not really fair to compare an advanced hydraulic suspension to coils, but head to head, it’s night and day. The Rivian sails over bumps and imperfections really well, though it doesn’t totally erase them. I’m not sure if I’m imagining things, but it seems like I feel the road texture through the steering wheel. I’m finding that I’m having to recalibrate my sense of speed though–it’s way too easy to get going faster than I think because everything is just so smooth. The only thing I don’t like about the suspension are the constant adjustments. It’s weird enough at stop lights, but just baffling when I’m out of the car. I can’t detect any rhyme or reason to what it’s doing at any given moment.
I don’t remember who, but one of the YouTube reviewer’s wives said the R1T was “like the truck version of her car”, a Model Y. I don’t feel the same–it’s definitely a much taller, longer vehicle. You feel that in corners and in parking lots for sure, though I’m pleasantly surprised that it isn’t as wide as I had feared. The truck lives in a parking lot with relatively narrow spaces. The Y is listed as 75.6” and the R1T at 81.8” wide with side mirrors folded. I think it’s because the Rivian’s mirror stalks are much more prominent, because the actual track of the tires seem only an inch or so wider than the Y. It was actually a huge relief to get home and open the Rivian’s (shorter) doors and see that it wasn’t going to be a problem.
Part of the impression of bigness is that you see the broad, square hood. In the Y, it was basically invisible, which is nice. I’m still getting used to that, as I drove a similarly short-nosed minivan for 15 years before the Tesla. Then there’s the unavoidable reality that the Rivian’s wheelbase is 22” longer. I never felt the Tesla had an amazing turning radius for the size of the car, but Rivian is just longer, hence a bigger radius.
The 360° camera has been absolutely indispensable in getting used to the length of the truck. I always wanted that feature in the Tesla and I’m so happy to have it in the Rivian. I’m starting to be able to wean myself off of relying on it. While it’s excellent in almost every circumstance, it can be problematic when I have a long load with the tailgate down. The graphic of the truck shows the tailgate down, but the ground image is heavily compromised by the tailgate sticking into the camera frame. I’ve caught myself expecting the overhead view to still show an accurate picture (even the cargo I have sticking out, which is impossible). I don’t think there’s much Rivian can do about the 360 view, but I really hope they allow viewing the Gear Guard camera angle (that looks into the bed) while backing up, and maybe even switch to that automatically when the tailgate is down.
Visibility inside the cabin is generally excellent. The mirrors are all much larger than in the Tesla, and of course the rear cab glass is much more expansive than in an aero crossover hatchback. The A pillars also seem skinnier (could be my imagination) and the little triangle window by the mirror is nice.
Handling and acceleration
Much to my kids’ dismay, I don’t really do much spirited driving, so take these impressions for what you will. The Rivian feels less nimble and less tossable than the Model Y, even in Sport mode. I’ve read from others that the Rivian can hold its own against 911s in canyon twisties–and I believe them–but as a non-sporty driver, I’m definitely feeling like I don’t want to take corners quite as quick. Maybe that’s something that’ll change with time, but for now the feeling of largeness the Rivian makes it feel less agile to me. That said, the suspension does a great job of keeping body roll and vehicle mass in check.
As others have observed, the pedal throw is much longer and acceleration isn’t quite as snappy, even compared to the Long Range Model Y without performance upgrade. Even in “launch mode” (Sport drive mode, brake and accelerator down, release brake), the speed builds smoothly–not suddenly. All this suits my style of driving just fine. While I never found modulating speed on the Y hard, it’s super easy on the R1T.
I really like the stronger regen on the Rivian. About halfway through my Tesla ownership, an update appeared to weaken the regen and I found myself on the brakes more than I wanted to be, especially coming up to stop signs and lights. My wife on the other hand misses the ICE-like creep mode Tesla has.
Surprisingly, the steering of the Rivian feels a touch lighter than the Tesla’s normal mode (and MUCH lighter than the Tesla’s Sport steering mode). The steering wheel is also a little less pleasingly chunky. I don’t really mind, but if I had my druthers, I’d take the resistance and wheel thickness of the Tesla. One thing I really do like about the Rivian steering wheel is the hole in the bottom of the center spoke. That’s where I naturally hook my fingers on long drives, and I’m happy to be returning to that in my truck.
Autopilot vs Driver+
I didn’t have full self driving, but I found myself using Autopilot more than I thought I would. Even though I’d always follow the road with my hands with autopilot engaged, it was nice to know that I was dead-centered in the lane and I came to trust the Tesla vision system. I haven’t been able to use Driver+’s Highway Assist as much of course; even on the roads that are mapped, it’ll cut in and out. When its on, it feels pretty good; things track pretty well, and lane keep (even when Highway Assist is off) seems to do its job. I also like the visualization of follow distance in Highway Assist. I really hope Rivian is just playing it super safe with Highway Assist mapping and can make it available everywhere with the flip of a switch. However, this is one area where Tesla blows Rivian out of the water.
Lane Change Assist is one area I prefer in the Rivian. I live in a pretty small town and I have to drive 20 minutes before I hit a multi-lane highway. I’ll go weeks at a time without driving on one. Given that, I appreciate the more active warnings about people in your blind spot, though I can understand if others find it annoying.
Sound system
I’m not an audiophile by any stretch. I like rich, bass-heavy sound signatures, so take my pedestrian taste into account. I think the Meridian sound system beats the system in the Y hands down–and I really liked the Y’s. I think the cabin quietness actually makes the biggest difference, as it’s just easier to hear everything a song has to offer when it’s not competing with squeaks and rattles. However, even at rest, I feel like I can hear more in the Rivian, place instruments in space better, and just lose myself in the music better.
Usually I don’t care for “3D audio” modes, and the one in the Tesla I found to be really unpleasant. I was surprised to find I actually like the one in the Rivian. It seems to broaden the soundstage even more without messing too much with the instrument balance.
Obviously sound is very subjective, and I’ve read opinions on both the Tesla and Meridian systems ranging from “it’s the best system in a car ever” to “meh” to “it’s hollow, boomy low-tier garbage”. Personally I’m having no trouble enjoying the heck out of the R1T’s audio.
Sound design
Speaking of sound, I’m impressed with the thoroughness of the R1T’s sound design. It’s generally much gentler and softer than most cars, including the Tesla. The turn signals, for example, are a nice soft thump instead of the typical clicking. This is of course most famously embodied in the locking bird chirp vs the Tesla’s horn honk. Funnily enough, I discovered a downside to the Rivian’s locking noise–in the morning when the actual birds are in full song, I’ll miss the truck’s chirp even if I’m listening for it!
Controls and Infotainment
As you probably know, the R1T’s control scheme is very Tesla-like. I slightly prefer the rollers in the Rivian, especially since the left/right buttons are easier to press vs the clickable wheels in the Y. Reaching for the buttons isn’t intuitive for me yet, though. In the Model Y, you use the dial to increase/decrease speed and click left or right for follow distance. It’s exactly opposite in the Rivian, which makes way less sense to my brain, especially since I’ll be messing with the speed much more frequently than follow distance. I really wish I could reverse these.
The control stalks are largely the same except for two big additions: the Rivian has wiper speed and lights on the left stalk. Rivian, seriously, from the bottom of my heart: thank you. Tesla’s unwavering confidence in their rain detection system is admirable–or at least it would be if it weren’t complete garbage. Being able to adjust my wiper speed immediately is important here in the Seattle area where we have 18 different types of rain, sometimes all at the same time.
The driver screen is good and definitely a bonus, but I grudgingly admit it’s not necessary. The center-only screen in the Y was completely adequate. It doesn’t help that the top of the steering wheel blocks some of the screen, just like on every other car I’ve owned. I don’t understand why manufacturers don’t put it above the wheel–I would love it if it was adjustable in that way. Or maybe just give me a basic heads-up display and use the middle of the screen for the GPS. I would happily pay $1000 for that feature. I was going to complain that I miss the power output/regen bar on the Tesla, and I only realized the Rivian had one: to the right of the speedometer, completely blocked by the wheel. I wish I could at least rearrange the elements so the speedometer is in the middle.
I find the infotainment interface pretty good–mostly on par with Tesla. Lots of reviewers gripe about lack of hard buttons, and I do wish there were at least a few more here, but I also find a touchscreen to be just fine. (To me iDrive-like systems that use a controller to manipulate the screen are the worst of both worlds.)
The climate is easy to get to and adjust. The ride is much smoother than the Model Y, so it’s easier to tap small icons. (Your finger doesn’t bounce as much) Plus, the screen is bigger. It’s a little hard to switch between heated and cooled seats. You only get one or the other on the bottom bar of the interface. I can’t remember the exact sequence off the top of my head, but I’m pretty sure you need to go into the climate controls screen to switch them. I’d be ok with an auto-select based on the weather; something like “if it’s below 65° outside, show heated seats by default, if above 65°, show cooled seats”. This is less necessary in Summer and Winter of course, but it’d be a cheap and easy feature to implement. I don’t adjust the vents very often–only on long trips where cool air is blowing in one spot for extended periods. Given that we’ve got digitally-controlled air vents, I think it could be really interesting to have an “oscillating fan” mode.
The icon dock in the bottom middle is ok. I have a hard time remembering which is which for the drive modes and vehicle controls, but I think that may just be me. The last icon in the row is a “last used app” slot. I have no problem with this concept, but I HATE that the camera isn’t a permanent icon like music, drive modes, and nav. Even that wouldn’t be so much of an issue, but since Gear Guard is also its own app and opens whenever it’s recorded a video and you return to your car, it will replace the Cameras app in the dock. Since using those two apps is mutually exclusive (you only want cameras when you’re driving or about to drive and you can only view Gear Guard in park), I’d love it if they made one permanent spot for both and switched it out automatically. I.e., the moment I put my foot on the brake, change the icon to Cameras and keep it there. When I put it in park, switch to the Gear Guard icon.
The deficiencies of the nav are well documented–the car’s position on the screen is super twitchy, the routing isn’t very smart, etc. It’s honestly not as bad as I’d heard, but still not great. I hope this all improves with time (I wish they’d do something truly revolutionary like incorporate Waze right in), but for now they’re behind Tesla’s nav by a fair bit. That said, there are some nice things, too. I find the map styling very pretty compared to Tesla’s. Also, at some point on the Tesla’s nav, Native American lands started appearing as pitch black on the map, which was jarring and ugly. (I frequently travel through or past the Squamish tribe’s lands.) I like that when pinching and zooming the map, it stays where you put it, but I wish the default “following the car” view was zoomed out a little. Since there’s a map on the driver display that shows upcoming roads, I would prefer the center map to be a little broader.
The Spotify app is pretty good and seems to have fewer issues playing from a cold start compared to the Tesla. When you’re in other places in the the interface, there’s a mini player window, which is pretty handy, except that it’s on the right side of the screen. You have to lean over to swipe out from the right edge, where it will hover above whatever tab is active. Worse, to get to functions like “shuffle” or “favorite”, you have to tap into a options menu when there’s plenty of room on screen to just put those things on there by default. If I had my way, I’d make the player a persistent part of the interface (think two apps side by side on an iPad) where the main app (nav, controls, drive modes) is slightly compressed horizontally, and have the ability to pin the music app to the left or right side of the screen.
I like that you can get to music services like Pandora through Alexa. I wish I could get Apple Music natively, though. It’s baffling how patchwork music service support is. I know it’s not quite that easy, but every automaker should make it easy to support any music streaming service. (*Stubbornly ignores the Android Auto/CarPlay elephant in the room*.)
I’m really hoping for an update with YouTube and Netflix at least. It seems a tragedy to have such a big screen, great sound system, and long charging stops. Even TikTok is surprisingly fun with good speakers.
Alexa is good for Alexa things like telling you the word of the day or what the capital of Austria is, but isn’t well integrated into the vehicle controls, like, at all. You can’t turn on the headlights or change ride height with it. You can’t even put in an address or dictate a Spotify search as far as I can tell. You couldn’t do a lot of these with Tesla’s voice controls either, Rivian feels even further behind.
Entry/Exit
I miss Easy Entry mode from the Tesla. Because it’s so much taller, I feel it’s even more critical to have a wide opening to jump up into. Even at lowest ride height, my wife has to haul herself up into the cab. I’m hoping this is an easy addition via software.
Tesla’s PAAK (Phone as a Key) is better than Rivian’s for sure, especially with unlocking. I’ve found that clicking the power button with my phone in my pocket works when it doesn’t automatically unlock, but there have been a couple times where I’ve needed to open the app. I’ve never had to use my keycard though, which I can’t say for Tesla. The Tesla would randomly lock me out every couple weeks. I haven’t had the Rivian long enough to say for sure, but with the exception of that one time Rivian had a system wide issue, the connection seems to stay pretty solid.
I love the key fob, though it’s hard to open the car by touch because it’s symmetrical front to back. I also haven’t quite memorized the position of the buttons yet, but they’re a little unintuitive.
Interior Design
I am absolutely blown away by the quality and execution of the R1T’s interior. There’s not really a part of the design I don’t like. (Except maybe the missing glove box. Why do EV makers always mess with the glove box?) The concave sculpt on the wood is such a satisfying shape, and the fabric running in the inserts fits the personality of the truck so well. Everything looks and feels solid and expensive. The metallic finish is satiny and cool, while the wood is warm and rough. The hefty doors close with a solid *whumf*. The window switches are sharp and tactile, and the door handles are nicely contoured (if a little oddly placed). Even the little things that could’ve been cheaper like the hooks on the headrests and the little tambour door to the gear tunnel feel nicely finished and high-quality. Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like the Tesla’s cabin design a lot as well. I had the black interior and I liked the wood in there as well, but the two really on a different level in terms of adornment and budget.
The vegan leather surfaces in the Tesla are very sparse and untextured. I think they’re supposed to be ultra-sleek and minimal, and I think it achieves that in the front seat design, but it comes off as plasticky on the rear seats and armrest covers. Those areas also show dust and other impurities (such as a streak of hand sanitizer or oil from skin or food) really obviously. I also had the original shiny black plastic center console that I never did get around to wrapping. The tragedy is that with different material choices (real leather or even interestingly-textured vinyl on the seats and matte frosted glass on the console), the same physical design could’ve totally pulled it off. It looks good totally new and untouched, but with any amount of actual real-world use, it looks pretty bad.
Not only is the Rivian fabric more textured, but it’s also broken up into segments so that there aren’t vast expanses of smooth material. The amount of sculpted and stitched detail everywhere is really well done. I would’ve bought the truck no matter what the inside looked like, but it’s my favorite of any car I’ve ever seen. It does an outstanding job of being sleek and futuristic without looking like it’s trying to hard–a nice blend of Tesla minimalism without the starkness, German luxury without the fussiness, and Korean futurism, but wearing in Patagonia instead of Louis Vuitton. If I had to pick one spot where the MSRP difference between the two vehicles is really apparent, it’s here in the interior.
Really, the only two things I can find to complain about are minor and aesthetic. For as thoroughly branded as the whole dang vehicle is, the orange clips on the back of the front seats and the key fob seem a really odd decision. I think it’s because it’s basically impossible to anodize aluminum to a Compass Yellow–you end up with gold instead–but they could’ve gone with a Cerakote or powder coated finish. Even a nice high quality glass-reinforced nylon or G10 would have been cool.
The other is the metal trim on the pedals. It’s just a bit of extra busy-ness and contrast that draws my eye down to a place that doesn’t need attention. The other high-trim level pickups like the King Ranch, Denali, Raptor, and even the Hummer EV manage to leave the pedals alone–though they wouldn’t look out of place in a German luxury sedan. The long, horizontal repeating rectangles don’t really call back to other design elements in the car either. The same design would’ve been more attractive in a dark metal, but I would be just as happy with plain black rubber pedals.
Exterior Design
Which do you prefer, a pregnant catfish or chagrined ghost crab?
This is obviously the most apples-to-oranges and subjective part of the comparison, but I think they both look great and are perfect expressions of what they’re trying to be. I think the Tesla Model 3 is one of the best looking “everyday” cars ever, and the Model Y more or less manages to keep most of that design character without looking too bloated… until you look at them side by side at least.
I don’t have too much to add that hasn’t already been said about the looks of either. If I had to pick between the R1T and the Model Y, I think the Tesla looks better from the front and the Rivian looks better from the back and sides.
The Rivian definitely turns a lot of heads. Even when it was brand new, the Model Y looks so much like the Model 3, it was only exciting to people on the waitlist for one. In the time since, the white Model Y has taken the crown from the green Subaru Outback and blue Toyota Prius for official car of Bainbridge Island, WA. While the Rivian will undoubtedly become more common, its size, cost, and fact it’s not a crossover means it’ll never be as popular. I’m 100% ok with this!
Storage and hauling
You’d expect the R1T to blow the Tesla away in this area, and you’d be right to a degree. It’s a pickup truck after all! But compared to direct competitors, both are S-tier for making every single cubic inch of unused space available as storage. The Tesla’s dual under-floor compartments are directly comparable to the spare tire compartment and under bench storage.
The storage reachable from the front seats is actually a bit (or even a lot) better in the Tesla. The lack of a convenient place for everyday sundries like lip balm, gum, coins, cards, sunglasses, etc in the Rivian could have easily been solved by a tray underneath the armrest. Fumbling around blindly in the compartment between my ankles while trying to keep my eyes on the road is no replacement. I also just can’t understand why there isn’t a glovebox-surely whatever components are in that space could’ve been put somewhere else, right? That said, I do like the big empty space below the dashboard between the front seats. It helps the space feel airy and comfortable, and is a great place to stick a purse, backpack, or bag of groceries.
As has been talked to death, the Rivian’s phone chargers, while strong and fast, are just too low-friction to keep charging phones consistently. The Tesla’s weren’t perfect, but at least they worked most of the time.
The frunk on both vehicles are great for their size, but the Rivian’s wins not just for size, but also for features and access. The R1T frunk is almost 3 times as big and can easily hold a week’s worth of groceries. I keep it empty and put the charger and gear guard cables in the spare tire compartment. (I have the charger in a small Seal Line dry bag. I might move it to the under-bench storage, which I honestly forgot existed until writing this review!) You may have heard that it rains in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s nice to have such a large car-like waterproof compartment in my first pickup. I love the two-level divider, though the way I use it I’ll likely keep it upright almost always–the frunk with the divider down is a little too short for grocery bags and boxes.
The thing that really sets the Rivian’s frunk apart is access. The power opener and button in the front to open it makes all the difference in how often I want to use it. It’s also super satisfying to open from across the parking lot using the key fob. On the other hand, it’s almost like Tesla didn’t really want you to use the frunk in the Y–out of the box, you can only open it from the screen inside the vehicle or from the app. Either way, it’s a lot of steps to get it open. Also, closing the Model Y’s trunk always felt like I was going to break something. The aluminum hood flexes disturbingly with the firm push required to latch it, and you’re cautioned to use two hands on both sides of the emblem to avoid damage. It’s not really a problem, but doesn’t feel like a high quality experience. The power close and latch of the Rivian is just head and shoulders better.
Then there’s the gear tunnel. I don’t use it as everyday storage, but it’s great for hauling things for occasional use: cargo crossbars, a bike tailgate pad (RaceFace T2), a tent, emergency food and water, ratchet straps, bungee cords and net, tailgate net, etc. I’ve never had such a good place to put all this stuff–I love it. The hidden storage for the first aid kit and compressor hose tickles me to no end, and like with the frunk, access is easy and convenient. I do wish there was an indention or a stronger spring to make them easier to open, but it’s really no big deal. The only thing I haven’t found a good place for is a two-step ladder that folds about 1.5” flat. This fit perfectly in the secondary under-floor trunk on the Tesla, but is just a little too wide to fit anywhere in the truck. I’m going to have to find another solution, but it shouldn’t be too hard.
The bed is obviously a huge step up in “just-huck-it-in-the-backability”. I’ve already used it to haul around furniture, bikes, mattresses, IKEA loads, grills, all of which would’ve been challenging or impossible in the Model Y. Compared to other pickups though, the bed seems pretty basic, with only 4 tie downs in the corners and the latches on the end of the tailgate. I think this is probably all you really need to secure a load, but it’s a more challenging introduction for a pickup noob like me. Some kind of fastening system like bed rails or even just threaded holes for aftermarket accessories would have been really cool.
The bed is also hard to get into. Since there’s no bumper, there’s no place to step up. Because the tires are so big, it’s hard to get your foot high enough to use that as a step. The gear tunnel doors are a saving grace, but because they’re forward of the bed, you have to make a DC13 athletics check to swing your leg over the edge of the bed. There’s also a sharp corner made by the body panel that I wouldn’t want to jump down into. From the back, you’re looking at the ever dignified fold-at-the-waist and try to get your knee up technique, which can be pretty difficult depending on your height and the truck’s ride height. (I’m 5’10” and feel like I’m at the minimum height for the bed to be just slightly difficult to use.)
I only just got the cargo crossbars (shipped 3 weeks after I took delivery–I don’t understand why the delivery centers don’t just have a pile of them they can deliver with the car.), but I’m already in love. I love that you can take them off when not in use and that you can use the same set on the roof and bed. The versatility is innovative and useful. I had crossbars on my Tesla too, but only used them maybe 6 or 7 times. Don’t get me wrong, they were clutch when I needed them, but having them up there making wind noise and drag when I didn’t for literally 99% of the time seems silly and wasteful.
There are a couple very specific cases where the Model Y is a better tool for carrying stuff, all when you need to keep the following dry: skinny things up to 8ft long, big cube-shaped boxes, and large square-shaped flat things. The tonneau cover (when it’s working) does a decent job on the last one, but you’ll need a tarp or dry day for the other two.
Power & Charging
I’ve only done an EA charge session once and everything worked fine, but I’m definitely going to miss the Supercharger network and the high miles-per-hour charging velocity (due to the smaller battery and more efficient drivetrain). This is by far the biggest con of the R1T. One I’m happy to live with for all the other benefits mind you, but the peace of mind of the “it just works” Supercharger network was definitely nice.
On the other hand, home charging works just as well as it ever did. I’m lucky enough to live in a housing co-op with Lv2 chargers on the PSE Up & Go network. They had no issues dialing right up to 36a (the max our circuit can handle). It of course takes a little longer to charge than the Tesla, but with the amount of daily driving we do, it’s not a problem at all. We drive until we hit 100 miles, then charge back up to 215; typically a couple days. We share 4 EVBox charging pedestals amongst 11 EVs, so it doesn’t really work to stay plugged in all the time.
Vampire drain is about the same as the Tesla, percentage-wise, but given the Rivian’s battery is so much bigger for the same range, it’s using a lot more energy. I’ve never understood what uses so much energy for either, especially since I’ve heard cars like the Mach-e don’t seem to have much drain at all. It’s not much of an issue at home, but I feel like vampire drain really limits the Rivian’s appeal as a off-the-grid adventure truck.
Conclusion
I couldn’t be happier with the R1T. Ok, given all the critique above, that’s obviously not true, but I have no regrets whatsoever. The Rivian is one heck of a vehicle, and does so much so well. The Model Y is great too, but the R1T more than justifies the MSRP difference, even post price increase. In my particular instance, due to a really high trade-in offer ($9k over what I paid for it), pre-March R1T pricing, and tax rebate, the Rivian will only be $about 6k out of pocket. For that kind of money, it feels like I’m getting away with something.
For context, I owned my Model Y Long Range for 2 years almost to the day. Coincidentally both the Y and R1T were in the ~7000 VIN range.
Everyday driving
The first thing that really stuck out to me wasn’t the acceleration or handling–it was how quiet the cabin was. Wind and road noise isn’t S-Class quiet, but definitely an improvement. The thing that really drove me crazy about the Y though was how it’d creak and rattle over bumps. Any time the frame would flex in a meaningful way (like going over speed bumps), I could hear the chassis flexing. When over about ~60°, I can hear the weather stripping of the doors rubbing. In the Rivian, there’s just none of that. It’s SO much more peaceful.
I’m sure a big contributor to the placid cabin is the suspension. It’s not really fair to compare an advanced hydraulic suspension to coils, but head to head, it’s night and day. The Rivian sails over bumps and imperfections really well, though it doesn’t totally erase them. I’m not sure if I’m imagining things, but it seems like I feel the road texture through the steering wheel. I’m finding that I’m having to recalibrate my sense of speed though–it’s way too easy to get going faster than I think because everything is just so smooth. The only thing I don’t like about the suspension are the constant adjustments. It’s weird enough at stop lights, but just baffling when I’m out of the car. I can’t detect any rhyme or reason to what it’s doing at any given moment.
I don’t remember who, but one of the YouTube reviewer’s wives said the R1T was “like the truck version of her car”, a Model Y. I don’t feel the same–it’s definitely a much taller, longer vehicle. You feel that in corners and in parking lots for sure, though I’m pleasantly surprised that it isn’t as wide as I had feared. The truck lives in a parking lot with relatively narrow spaces. The Y is listed as 75.6” and the R1T at 81.8” wide with side mirrors folded. I think it’s because the Rivian’s mirror stalks are much more prominent, because the actual track of the tires seem only an inch or so wider than the Y. It was actually a huge relief to get home and open the Rivian’s (shorter) doors and see that it wasn’t going to be a problem.
Part of the impression of bigness is that you see the broad, square hood. In the Y, it was basically invisible, which is nice. I’m still getting used to that, as I drove a similarly short-nosed minivan for 15 years before the Tesla. Then there’s the unavoidable reality that the Rivian’s wheelbase is 22” longer. I never felt the Tesla had an amazing turning radius for the size of the car, but Rivian is just longer, hence a bigger radius.
The 360° camera has been absolutely indispensable in getting used to the length of the truck. I always wanted that feature in the Tesla and I’m so happy to have it in the Rivian. I’m starting to be able to wean myself off of relying on it. While it’s excellent in almost every circumstance, it can be problematic when I have a long load with the tailgate down. The graphic of the truck shows the tailgate down, but the ground image is heavily compromised by the tailgate sticking into the camera frame. I’ve caught myself expecting the overhead view to still show an accurate picture (even the cargo I have sticking out, which is impossible). I don’t think there’s much Rivian can do about the 360 view, but I really hope they allow viewing the Gear Guard camera angle (that looks into the bed) while backing up, and maybe even switch to that automatically when the tailgate is down.
Visibility inside the cabin is generally excellent. The mirrors are all much larger than in the Tesla, and of course the rear cab glass is much more expansive than in an aero crossover hatchback. The A pillars also seem skinnier (could be my imagination) and the little triangle window by the mirror is nice.
Handling and acceleration
Much to my kids’ dismay, I don’t really do much spirited driving, so take these impressions for what you will. The Rivian feels less nimble and less tossable than the Model Y, even in Sport mode. I’ve read from others that the Rivian can hold its own against 911s in canyon twisties–and I believe them–but as a non-sporty driver, I’m definitely feeling like I don’t want to take corners quite as quick. Maybe that’s something that’ll change with time, but for now the feeling of largeness the Rivian makes it feel less agile to me. That said, the suspension does a great job of keeping body roll and vehicle mass in check.
As others have observed, the pedal throw is much longer and acceleration isn’t quite as snappy, even compared to the Long Range Model Y without performance upgrade. Even in “launch mode” (Sport drive mode, brake and accelerator down, release brake), the speed builds smoothly–not suddenly. All this suits my style of driving just fine. While I never found modulating speed on the Y hard, it’s super easy on the R1T.
I really like the stronger regen on the Rivian. About halfway through my Tesla ownership, an update appeared to weaken the regen and I found myself on the brakes more than I wanted to be, especially coming up to stop signs and lights. My wife on the other hand misses the ICE-like creep mode Tesla has.
Surprisingly, the steering of the Rivian feels a touch lighter than the Tesla’s normal mode (and MUCH lighter than the Tesla’s Sport steering mode). The steering wheel is also a little less pleasingly chunky. I don’t really mind, but if I had my druthers, I’d take the resistance and wheel thickness of the Tesla. One thing I really do like about the Rivian steering wheel is the hole in the bottom of the center spoke. That’s where I naturally hook my fingers on long drives, and I’m happy to be returning to that in my truck.
Autopilot vs Driver+
I didn’t have full self driving, but I found myself using Autopilot more than I thought I would. Even though I’d always follow the road with my hands with autopilot engaged, it was nice to know that I was dead-centered in the lane and I came to trust the Tesla vision system. I haven’t been able to use Driver+’s Highway Assist as much of course; even on the roads that are mapped, it’ll cut in and out. When its on, it feels pretty good; things track pretty well, and lane keep (even when Highway Assist is off) seems to do its job. I also like the visualization of follow distance in Highway Assist. I really hope Rivian is just playing it super safe with Highway Assist mapping and can make it available everywhere with the flip of a switch. However, this is one area where Tesla blows Rivian out of the water.
Lane Change Assist is one area I prefer in the Rivian. I live in a pretty small town and I have to drive 20 minutes before I hit a multi-lane highway. I’ll go weeks at a time without driving on one. Given that, I appreciate the more active warnings about people in your blind spot, though I can understand if others find it annoying.
Sound system
I’m not an audiophile by any stretch. I like rich, bass-heavy sound signatures, so take my pedestrian taste into account. I think the Meridian sound system beats the system in the Y hands down–and I really liked the Y’s. I think the cabin quietness actually makes the biggest difference, as it’s just easier to hear everything a song has to offer when it’s not competing with squeaks and rattles. However, even at rest, I feel like I can hear more in the Rivian, place instruments in space better, and just lose myself in the music better.
Usually I don’t care for “3D audio” modes, and the one in the Tesla I found to be really unpleasant. I was surprised to find I actually like the one in the Rivian. It seems to broaden the soundstage even more without messing too much with the instrument balance.
Obviously sound is very subjective, and I’ve read opinions on both the Tesla and Meridian systems ranging from “it’s the best system in a car ever” to “meh” to “it’s hollow, boomy low-tier garbage”. Personally I’m having no trouble enjoying the heck out of the R1T’s audio.
Sound design
Speaking of sound, I’m impressed with the thoroughness of the R1T’s sound design. It’s generally much gentler and softer than most cars, including the Tesla. The turn signals, for example, are a nice soft thump instead of the typical clicking. This is of course most famously embodied in the locking bird chirp vs the Tesla’s horn honk. Funnily enough, I discovered a downside to the Rivian’s locking noise–in the morning when the actual birds are in full song, I’ll miss the truck’s chirp even if I’m listening for it!
Controls and Infotainment
As you probably know, the R1T’s control scheme is very Tesla-like. I slightly prefer the rollers in the Rivian, especially since the left/right buttons are easier to press vs the clickable wheels in the Y. Reaching for the buttons isn’t intuitive for me yet, though. In the Model Y, you use the dial to increase/decrease speed and click left or right for follow distance. It’s exactly opposite in the Rivian, which makes way less sense to my brain, especially since I’ll be messing with the speed much more frequently than follow distance. I really wish I could reverse these.
The control stalks are largely the same except for two big additions: the Rivian has wiper speed and lights on the left stalk. Rivian, seriously, from the bottom of my heart: thank you. Tesla’s unwavering confidence in their rain detection system is admirable–or at least it would be if it weren’t complete garbage. Being able to adjust my wiper speed immediately is important here in the Seattle area where we have 18 different types of rain, sometimes all at the same time.
The driver screen is good and definitely a bonus, but I grudgingly admit it’s not necessary. The center-only screen in the Y was completely adequate. It doesn’t help that the top of the steering wheel blocks some of the screen, just like on every other car I’ve owned. I don’t understand why manufacturers don’t put it above the wheel–I would love it if it was adjustable in that way. Or maybe just give me a basic heads-up display and use the middle of the screen for the GPS. I would happily pay $1000 for that feature. I was going to complain that I miss the power output/regen bar on the Tesla, and I only realized the Rivian had one: to the right of the speedometer, completely blocked by the wheel. I wish I could at least rearrange the elements so the speedometer is in the middle.
I find the infotainment interface pretty good–mostly on par with Tesla. Lots of reviewers gripe about lack of hard buttons, and I do wish there were at least a few more here, but I also find a touchscreen to be just fine. (To me iDrive-like systems that use a controller to manipulate the screen are the worst of both worlds.)
The climate is easy to get to and adjust. The ride is much smoother than the Model Y, so it’s easier to tap small icons. (Your finger doesn’t bounce as much) Plus, the screen is bigger. It’s a little hard to switch between heated and cooled seats. You only get one or the other on the bottom bar of the interface. I can’t remember the exact sequence off the top of my head, but I’m pretty sure you need to go into the climate controls screen to switch them. I’d be ok with an auto-select based on the weather; something like “if it’s below 65° outside, show heated seats by default, if above 65°, show cooled seats”. This is less necessary in Summer and Winter of course, but it’d be a cheap and easy feature to implement. I don’t adjust the vents very often–only on long trips where cool air is blowing in one spot for extended periods. Given that we’ve got digitally-controlled air vents, I think it could be really interesting to have an “oscillating fan” mode.
The icon dock in the bottom middle is ok. I have a hard time remembering which is which for the drive modes and vehicle controls, but I think that may just be me. The last icon in the row is a “last used app” slot. I have no problem with this concept, but I HATE that the camera isn’t a permanent icon like music, drive modes, and nav. Even that wouldn’t be so much of an issue, but since Gear Guard is also its own app and opens whenever it’s recorded a video and you return to your car, it will replace the Cameras app in the dock. Since using those two apps is mutually exclusive (you only want cameras when you’re driving or about to drive and you can only view Gear Guard in park), I’d love it if they made one permanent spot for both and switched it out automatically. I.e., the moment I put my foot on the brake, change the icon to Cameras and keep it there. When I put it in park, switch to the Gear Guard icon.
The deficiencies of the nav are well documented–the car’s position on the screen is super twitchy, the routing isn’t very smart, etc. It’s honestly not as bad as I’d heard, but still not great. I hope this all improves with time (I wish they’d do something truly revolutionary like incorporate Waze right in), but for now they’re behind Tesla’s nav by a fair bit. That said, there are some nice things, too. I find the map styling very pretty compared to Tesla’s. Also, at some point on the Tesla’s nav, Native American lands started appearing as pitch black on the map, which was jarring and ugly. (I frequently travel through or past the Squamish tribe’s lands.) I like that when pinching and zooming the map, it stays where you put it, but I wish the default “following the car” view was zoomed out a little. Since there’s a map on the driver display that shows upcoming roads, I would prefer the center map to be a little broader.
The Spotify app is pretty good and seems to have fewer issues playing from a cold start compared to the Tesla. When you’re in other places in the the interface, there’s a mini player window, which is pretty handy, except that it’s on the right side of the screen. You have to lean over to swipe out from the right edge, where it will hover above whatever tab is active. Worse, to get to functions like “shuffle” or “favorite”, you have to tap into a options menu when there’s plenty of room on screen to just put those things on there by default. If I had my way, I’d make the player a persistent part of the interface (think two apps side by side on an iPad) where the main app (nav, controls, drive modes) is slightly compressed horizontally, and have the ability to pin the music app to the left or right side of the screen.
I like that you can get to music services like Pandora through Alexa. I wish I could get Apple Music natively, though. It’s baffling how patchwork music service support is. I know it’s not quite that easy, but every automaker should make it easy to support any music streaming service. (*Stubbornly ignores the Android Auto/CarPlay elephant in the room*.)
I’m really hoping for an update with YouTube and Netflix at least. It seems a tragedy to have such a big screen, great sound system, and long charging stops. Even TikTok is surprisingly fun with good speakers.
Alexa is good for Alexa things like telling you the word of the day or what the capital of Austria is, but isn’t well integrated into the vehicle controls, like, at all. You can’t turn on the headlights or change ride height with it. You can’t even put in an address or dictate a Spotify search as far as I can tell. You couldn’t do a lot of these with Tesla’s voice controls either, Rivian feels even further behind.
Entry/Exit
I miss Easy Entry mode from the Tesla. Because it’s so much taller, I feel it’s even more critical to have a wide opening to jump up into. Even at lowest ride height, my wife has to haul herself up into the cab. I’m hoping this is an easy addition via software.
Tesla’s PAAK (Phone as a Key) is better than Rivian’s for sure, especially with unlocking. I’ve found that clicking the power button with my phone in my pocket works when it doesn’t automatically unlock, but there have been a couple times where I’ve needed to open the app. I’ve never had to use my keycard though, which I can’t say for Tesla. The Tesla would randomly lock me out every couple weeks. I haven’t had the Rivian long enough to say for sure, but with the exception of that one time Rivian had a system wide issue, the connection seems to stay pretty solid.
I love the key fob, though it’s hard to open the car by touch because it’s symmetrical front to back. I also haven’t quite memorized the position of the buttons yet, but they’re a little unintuitive.
Interior Design
I am absolutely blown away by the quality and execution of the R1T’s interior. There’s not really a part of the design I don’t like. (Except maybe the missing glove box. Why do EV makers always mess with the glove box?) The concave sculpt on the wood is such a satisfying shape, and the fabric running in the inserts fits the personality of the truck so well. Everything looks and feels solid and expensive. The metallic finish is satiny and cool, while the wood is warm and rough. The hefty doors close with a solid *whumf*. The window switches are sharp and tactile, and the door handles are nicely contoured (if a little oddly placed). Even the little things that could’ve been cheaper like the hooks on the headrests and the little tambour door to the gear tunnel feel nicely finished and high-quality. Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like the Tesla’s cabin design a lot as well. I had the black interior and I liked the wood in there as well, but the two really on a different level in terms of adornment and budget.
The vegan leather surfaces in the Tesla are very sparse and untextured. I think they’re supposed to be ultra-sleek and minimal, and I think it achieves that in the front seat design, but it comes off as plasticky on the rear seats and armrest covers. Those areas also show dust and other impurities (such as a streak of hand sanitizer or oil from skin or food) really obviously. I also had the original shiny black plastic center console that I never did get around to wrapping. The tragedy is that with different material choices (real leather or even interestingly-textured vinyl on the seats and matte frosted glass on the console), the same physical design could’ve totally pulled it off. It looks good totally new and untouched, but with any amount of actual real-world use, it looks pretty bad.
Not only is the Rivian fabric more textured, but it’s also broken up into segments so that there aren’t vast expanses of smooth material. The amount of sculpted and stitched detail everywhere is really well done. I would’ve bought the truck no matter what the inside looked like, but it’s my favorite of any car I’ve ever seen. It does an outstanding job of being sleek and futuristic without looking like it’s trying to hard–a nice blend of Tesla minimalism without the starkness, German luxury without the fussiness, and Korean futurism, but wearing in Patagonia instead of Louis Vuitton. If I had to pick one spot where the MSRP difference between the two vehicles is really apparent, it’s here in the interior.
Really, the only two things I can find to complain about are minor and aesthetic. For as thoroughly branded as the whole dang vehicle is, the orange clips on the back of the front seats and the key fob seem a really odd decision. I think it’s because it’s basically impossible to anodize aluminum to a Compass Yellow–you end up with gold instead–but they could’ve gone with a Cerakote or powder coated finish. Even a nice high quality glass-reinforced nylon or G10 would have been cool.
The other is the metal trim on the pedals. It’s just a bit of extra busy-ness and contrast that draws my eye down to a place that doesn’t need attention. The other high-trim level pickups like the King Ranch, Denali, Raptor, and even the Hummer EV manage to leave the pedals alone–though they wouldn’t look out of place in a German luxury sedan. The long, horizontal repeating rectangles don’t really call back to other design elements in the car either. The same design would’ve been more attractive in a dark metal, but I would be just as happy with plain black rubber pedals.
Exterior Design
Which do you prefer, a pregnant catfish or chagrined ghost crab?
This is obviously the most apples-to-oranges and subjective part of the comparison, but I think they both look great and are perfect expressions of what they’re trying to be. I think the Tesla Model 3 is one of the best looking “everyday” cars ever, and the Model Y more or less manages to keep most of that design character without looking too bloated… until you look at them side by side at least.I don’t have too much to add that hasn’t already been said about the looks of either. If I had to pick between the R1T and the Model Y, I think the Tesla looks better from the front and the Rivian looks better from the back and sides.
The Rivian definitely turns a lot of heads. Even when it was brand new, the Model Y looks so much like the Model 3, it was only exciting to people on the waitlist for one. In the time since, the white Model Y has taken the crown from the green Subaru Outback and blue Toyota Prius for official car of Bainbridge Island, WA. While the Rivian will undoubtedly become more common, its size, cost, and fact it’s not a crossover means it’ll never be as popular. I’m 100% ok with this!
Storage and hauling
You’d expect the R1T to blow the Tesla away in this area, and you’d be right to a degree. It’s a pickup truck after all! But compared to direct competitors, both are S-tier for making every single cubic inch of unused space available as storage. The Tesla’s dual under-floor compartments are directly comparable to the spare tire compartment and under bench storage.
The storage reachable from the front seats is actually a bit (or even a lot) better in the Tesla. The lack of a convenient place for everyday sundries like lip balm, gum, coins, cards, sunglasses, etc in the Rivian could have easily been solved by a tray underneath the armrest. Fumbling around blindly in the compartment between my ankles while trying to keep my eyes on the road is no replacement. I also just can’t understand why there isn’t a glovebox-surely whatever components are in that space could’ve been put somewhere else, right? That said, I do like the big empty space below the dashboard between the front seats. It helps the space feel airy and comfortable, and is a great place to stick a purse, backpack, or bag of groceries.
As has been talked to death, the Rivian’s phone chargers, while strong and fast, are just too low-friction to keep charging phones consistently. The Tesla’s weren’t perfect, but at least they worked most of the time.
The frunk on both vehicles are great for their size, but the Rivian’s wins not just for size, but also for features and access. The R1T frunk is almost 3 times as big and can easily hold a week’s worth of groceries. I keep it empty and put the charger and gear guard cables in the spare tire compartment. (I have the charger in a small Seal Line dry bag. I might move it to the under-bench storage, which I honestly forgot existed until writing this review!) You may have heard that it rains in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s nice to have such a large car-like waterproof compartment in my first pickup. I love the two-level divider, though the way I use it I’ll likely keep it upright almost always–the frunk with the divider down is a little too short for grocery bags and boxes.
The thing that really sets the Rivian’s frunk apart is access. The power opener and button in the front to open it makes all the difference in how often I want to use it. It’s also super satisfying to open from across the parking lot using the key fob. On the other hand, it’s almost like Tesla didn’t really want you to use the frunk in the Y–out of the box, you can only open it from the screen inside the vehicle or from the app. Either way, it’s a lot of steps to get it open. Also, closing the Model Y’s trunk always felt like I was going to break something. The aluminum hood flexes disturbingly with the firm push required to latch it, and you’re cautioned to use two hands on both sides of the emblem to avoid damage. It’s not really a problem, but doesn’t feel like a high quality experience. The power close and latch of the Rivian is just head and shoulders better.
Then there’s the gear tunnel. I don’t use it as everyday storage, but it’s great for hauling things for occasional use: cargo crossbars, a bike tailgate pad (RaceFace T2), a tent, emergency food and water, ratchet straps, bungee cords and net, tailgate net, etc. I’ve never had such a good place to put all this stuff–I love it. The hidden storage for the first aid kit and compressor hose tickles me to no end, and like with the frunk, access is easy and convenient. I do wish there was an indention or a stronger spring to make them easier to open, but it’s really no big deal. The only thing I haven’t found a good place for is a two-step ladder that folds about 1.5” flat. This fit perfectly in the secondary under-floor trunk on the Tesla, but is just a little too wide to fit anywhere in the truck. I’m going to have to find another solution, but it shouldn’t be too hard.
The bed is obviously a huge step up in “just-huck-it-in-the-backability”. I’ve already used it to haul around furniture, bikes, mattresses, IKEA loads, grills, all of which would’ve been challenging or impossible in the Model Y. Compared to other pickups though, the bed seems pretty basic, with only 4 tie downs in the corners and the latches on the end of the tailgate. I think this is probably all you really need to secure a load, but it’s a more challenging introduction for a pickup noob like me. Some kind of fastening system like bed rails or even just threaded holes for aftermarket accessories would have been really cool.
The bed is also hard to get into. Since there’s no bumper, there’s no place to step up. Because the tires are so big, it’s hard to get your foot high enough to use that as a step. The gear tunnel doors are a saving grace, but because they’re forward of the bed, you have to make a DC13 athletics check to swing your leg over the edge of the bed. There’s also a sharp corner made by the body panel that I wouldn’t want to jump down into. From the back, you’re looking at the ever dignified fold-at-the-waist and try to get your knee up technique, which can be pretty difficult depending on your height and the truck’s ride height. (I’m 5’10” and feel like I’m at the minimum height for the bed to be just slightly difficult to use.)
I only just got the cargo crossbars (shipped 3 weeks after I took delivery–I don’t understand why the delivery centers don’t just have a pile of them they can deliver with the car.), but I’m already in love. I love that you can take them off when not in use and that you can use the same set on the roof and bed. The versatility is innovative and useful. I had crossbars on my Tesla too, but only used them maybe 6 or 7 times. Don’t get me wrong, they were clutch when I needed them, but having them up there making wind noise and drag when I didn’t for literally 99% of the time seems silly and wasteful.
There are a couple very specific cases where the Model Y is a better tool for carrying stuff, all when you need to keep the following dry: skinny things up to 8ft long, big cube-shaped boxes, and large square-shaped flat things. The tonneau cover (when it’s working) does a decent job on the last one, but you’ll need a tarp or dry day for the other two.
Power & Charging
I’ve only done an EA charge session once and everything worked fine, but I’m definitely going to miss the Supercharger network and the high miles-per-hour charging velocity (due to the smaller battery and more efficient drivetrain). This is by far the biggest con of the R1T. One I’m happy to live with for all the other benefits mind you, but the peace of mind of the “it just works” Supercharger network was definitely nice.
On the other hand, home charging works just as well as it ever did. I’m lucky enough to live in a housing co-op with Lv2 chargers on the PSE Up & Go network. They had no issues dialing right up to 36a (the max our circuit can handle). It of course takes a little longer to charge than the Tesla, but with the amount of daily driving we do, it’s not a problem at all. We drive until we hit 100 miles, then charge back up to 215; typically a couple days. We share 4 EVBox charging pedestals amongst 11 EVs, so it doesn’t really work to stay plugged in all the time.
Vampire drain is about the same as the Tesla, percentage-wise, but given the Rivian’s battery is so much bigger for the same range, it’s using a lot more energy. I’ve never understood what uses so much energy for either, especially since I’ve heard cars like the Mach-e don’t seem to have much drain at all. It’s not much of an issue at home, but I feel like vampire drain really limits the Rivian’s appeal as a off-the-grid adventure truck.
Conclusion
I couldn’t be happier with the R1T. Ok, given all the critique above, that’s obviously not true, but I have no regrets whatsoever. The Rivian is one heck of a vehicle, and does so much so well. The Model Y is great too, but the R1T more than justifies the MSRP difference, even post price increase. In my particular instance, due to a really high trade-in offer ($9k over what I paid for it), pre-March R1T pricing, and tax rebate, the Rivian will only be $about 6k out of pocket. For that kind of money, it feels like I’m getting away with something.
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