dotlinetriangle
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2022
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- Location
- Kitsap County, WA
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- R1T Adventure, Forest Green / Black Mountain / 21”
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- #16
A couple more things I thought of while driving last night:
Noise comparison
My vehicle was probably a worst-case scenario in terms of noise. It was a relatively early build using their brand new mega casting. I wouldn’t be surprised if German and Texas-built Model Ys have some changes that make a number of things better. This was also before Tesla added double-glazed glass to the car in Dec 2020. Knowing Tesla and their continuous improvement mindset, I’m sure there are other little things they’re done to improve as well. That’s not taking anything away from the Rivian’s outstanding build quality, but your later-build Model Y may not have as dramatic a difference in noise as mine did.
Heated wheel
Believe it or not, we’re still having cool, gloomy days here in the Pacific Northwest. I remembered to turn on the heated steering wheel for the first time yesterday. Wow–what a nice bonus feature! I wouldn’t call it a necessity here as it doesn’t get TOO cold, but I could see it being a must-have in colder climates.
Hand detection
I’m not 100% sure, but I think Rivian uses a non-resistive for Highway Assist. Not sure if this is capacitive thread or some other sort of impedance sensor, but unlike Autopilot, you won’t get constant reminders to “apply slight turning force to the wheel”, which is great. In the Tesla, I was constantly accidentally taking myself out of autopilot because the hand detection wouldn’t activate. I just wish Highway Assist was more generally available so I can take advantage of it!
Paint quality
The paint on my Tesla was pretty terrible. As delivered, I think there were 6 small spots where you could see down to the metal, and the entire front lip of the bumper appeared to be missing the final layers of paint and/or clear coat. There was also a hand-sized thin patch on the hood you could see on cloudy days. Like everyone’s white Teslas, the bumpers were significantly more yellow than the rest of the car.
On the Rivian, there’s definitely orange peel, but no more so than on other cars. I did a pretty thorough inspections for chips, scratches, and other imperfections, but I couldn’t find any. I’m not going to torture myself by looking for swirl marks and other imperfections–ignorance is bliss! The paint is definitely more than good enough for me.
Curb rash
I only managed to curb my 20” Induction wheels 3 times in 2 years, but man was that an ever-present anxiety. It’s actually not that hard to touch them up with some sandpaper and a paint marker, but still, there’s nothing more demoralizing than pulling into a curb and hearing your wheels grind. No such problem in the Rivian–even though the 21” road wheels don’t have as much sidewall as the 20” ATs, there’s more than enough height and pudge for curb rash to officially not be a problem.
Noise comparison
My vehicle was probably a worst-case scenario in terms of noise. It was a relatively early build using their brand new mega casting. I wouldn’t be surprised if German and Texas-built Model Ys have some changes that make a number of things better. This was also before Tesla added double-glazed glass to the car in Dec 2020. Knowing Tesla and their continuous improvement mindset, I’m sure there are other little things they’re done to improve as well. That’s not taking anything away from the Rivian’s outstanding build quality, but your later-build Model Y may not have as dramatic a difference in noise as mine did.
Heated wheel
Believe it or not, we’re still having cool, gloomy days here in the Pacific Northwest. I remembered to turn on the heated steering wheel for the first time yesterday. Wow–what a nice bonus feature! I wouldn’t call it a necessity here as it doesn’t get TOO cold, but I could see it being a must-have in colder climates.
Hand detection
I’m not 100% sure, but I think Rivian uses a non-resistive for Highway Assist. Not sure if this is capacitive thread or some other sort of impedance sensor, but unlike Autopilot, you won’t get constant reminders to “apply slight turning force to the wheel”, which is great. In the Tesla, I was constantly accidentally taking myself out of autopilot because the hand detection wouldn’t activate. I just wish Highway Assist was more generally available so I can take advantage of it!
Paint quality
The paint on my Tesla was pretty terrible. As delivered, I think there were 6 small spots where you could see down to the metal, and the entire front lip of the bumper appeared to be missing the final layers of paint and/or clear coat. There was also a hand-sized thin patch on the hood you could see on cloudy days. Like everyone’s white Teslas, the bumpers were significantly more yellow than the rest of the car.
On the Rivian, there’s definitely orange peel, but no more so than on other cars. I did a pretty thorough inspections for chips, scratches, and other imperfections, but I couldn’t find any. I’m not going to torture myself by looking for swirl marks and other imperfections–ignorance is bliss! The paint is definitely more than good enough for me.
Curb rash
I only managed to curb my 20” Induction wheels 3 times in 2 years, but man was that an ever-present anxiety. It’s actually not that hard to touch them up with some sandpaper and a paint marker, but still, there’s nothing more demoralizing than pulling into a curb and hearing your wheels grind. No such problem in the Rivian–even though the 21” road wheels don’t have as much sidewall as the 20” ATs, there’s more than enough height and pudge for curb rash to officially not be a problem.
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