Rear Seat - cargo space/flat floor in the future?

[SharkSisB]

Hi all,

At the NY auto show (April 2019) I asked several Rivian folks about the rear seat design before I paid my deposit, hoping that they could have the rear seats fold up toward the back to expose a flat floor in the back seat area (similar to the Honda Ridgeline). Staff - including one of the "designers" - said that the rear seat design was still being discussed. Unfortunately, in emails of April 27-28, 2020, Rivian staff told me that: "The second row seat cushions fold forward towards the front seats."

I had asked about this because I wanted the flat floor space for either transporting bikes securely (instead of exposed in the truck bed) or having my big mutt join me on road trips. When I nudged Rivian for more specifics about whether the fold-up design would allow for flat floor space in the rear cab the reply was: "The rear cab has some storage space. The underseat storage volume for the rear seats of the R1T is 3.4 cubic ft. For your purposes, the dog won't be able to lay down there."

Is there hope for advocating for a design change? I suggest that the underseat storage is not as important for a vehicle that already has the storage tunnel and front-of-vehicle "frunk" space to store smaller cargo under cover, right? Why not provide that rear flat floor space that allows so much more cargo room inside the cab - a great feature for those who live in climates where we want to carry our cargo inside the cab instead of exposed in the truck bed? And, of course, the big mutts need a place to be with us safely, and sitting up on a rear seat - even if they could fit up there - is not as safe for them as being on the floor of the cab, with a harness latched into a floor-mounted hook.

Thanks in advance to everyone who comments!

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[electruck]

This is why I'm getting the 2 row R1S - plenty of room in the back for the dogs. That said, I think what you're suggesting makes great sense for the R1T. Unfortunately I suspect it is too late at this point for them to make that kind of change. As of the Mill Valley event this year, I was told that most details were already set for production. Of course, that could always be the stock answer given while they go back and consider the possibilities. At this point though, the pilot line is up and running so design is likely frozen and supply chain being staged for full scale production.

Since you had contributed feedback early, there is always an off chance you'll get a nice surprise when production spec is released.

 

[Babbuino]

This is why I'm getting the 2 row R1S - plenty of room in the back for the dogs. That said, I think what you're suggesting makes great sense for the R1T. Unfortunately I suspect it is too late at this point for them to make that kind of change. As of the Mill Valley event this year, I was told that most details were already set for production. Of course, that could always be the stock answer given while they go back and consider the possibilities. At this point though, the pilot line is up and running so design is likely frozen and supply chain being staged for full scale production.

Since you had contributed feedback early, there is always an off chance you'll get a nice surprise when production spec is released.

Same reason why i preordered the r1s....

 

[SleepySheepie]

This is 100%, my biggest disappointment with the truck. I would prefer the R1T a million times over the R1S, except I'm pretty sure the dogs aren't going to fit in the backseat.

I had really hoped the seats would flip up to a flat floor, like the Tacoma. The tacomas have a nice feature of the seat flipping forward, and then the second option of the back of the seat then folding flat forward creating a very large platform space. Something like that was my hope.

Really disappointed.

I agree with you, they didn't need extra storage under the seats with all the other places you can store things in this truck...frunk, gear tunnel, etc.

 

[SharkSisB]

It seems a little odd that Rivian used marketing images of the R1T with a bigger breed dog sitting on the fold down door for the gear tunnel when that same dog seems a bit too big to be harnessed in while sitting safely on the back seats for the drive to that photo shoot ....

 

[Jehorton]

It seems a little odd that Rivian used marketing images of the R1T with a bigger breed dog sitting on the fold down door for the gear tunnel when that same dog seems a bit too big to be harnessed in while sitting safely on the back seats for the drive to that photo shoot ....

I think we are thinking a little too hard on this. And who they hell seatbelts their dog in their car? Lol

 

[electruck]

I think we are thinking a little too hard on this. And who they hell seatbelts their dog in their car? Lol

No, not really. We harness our 2 German Shepherds in to prevent them from flying through the front windshield in the event of an accident.

 

[Jehorton]

No, not really. We harness our 2 German Shepherds in to prevent them from flying through the front windshield in the event of an accident.

Do you have them in the front seat?
This is close to pushing your dogs in a stroller to me.

 

[electruck]

It seems a little odd that Rivian used marketing images of the R1T with a bigger breed dog sitting on the fold down door for the gear tunnel when that same dog seems a bit too big to be harnessed in while sitting safely on the back seats for the drive to that photo shoot ....

You could easily harness 2 dogs that size in the back seat of the Rivian. Both of our girls (60 lb German Shepherds) fit in the back seat of our XC60 which is much smaller than the Rivian.

 

[electruck]

Do you have them in the front seat?
This is close to pushing your dogs in a stroller to me.

No, back seat.

Toy dogs in purses and strollers aren't my thing but there is a big difference between being "cute" (or whatever) and keeping a dog safe.

A Seeing Eye Dog has many man hours and tens of thousands of dollars invested in its breeding, raising and training. They aren't something you want flying through the windshield in the event of an accident. And like most pet dogs, they are also a beloved member of the family - one that we also happen to trust with my wife's life. So yeah, we do our best to keep our dogs safe. But we would also do the same if we had adopted a mutt from the pound - as do many other people.

 

[electruck]

In a car crash at 35 miles per hour, an unrestrained 60-pound dog becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. The force of that impact could kill both the dog and the car’s human occupants. Yet many of us drive around every day with our dogs just sitting on the back seat, or even on our laps.

 

[SleepySheepie]

I'm hopeful mine will fit! My two 100lb Old English Sheepdogs are in my car every single day while commuting. Harnesses are essential for reasons above... And the younger pup always tries to crawl up front while driving. That huge ball of fluff thinks he's a lap dog

 

[Jehorton]

No, back seat.

Toy dogs in purses and strollers aren't my thing but there is a big difference between being "cute" (or whatever) and keeping a dog safe.

A Seeing Eye Dog has many man hours and tens of thousands of dollars invested in its breeding, raising and training. They aren't something you want flying through the windshield in the event of an accident. And like most pet dogs, they are also a beloved member of the family - one that we also happen to trust with my wife's life. So yeah, we do our best to keep our dogs safe. But we would also do the same if we had adopted a mutt from the pound - as do many other people.

I understand your reasoning for securing your dogs, just don’t with mine. They have their head out the windows 90% of the time but I almost never go on the highway with them like that. Never thought to restrain them nor do I think they’d allow it haha.

 

[electruck]

I understand your reasoning for securing your dogs, just don’t with mine. They have their head out the windows 90% of the time but I almost never go on the highway with them like that. Never thought to restrain them nor do I think they’d allow it haha.

That would actually be illegal in some places, such as NJ.

 

[SharkSisB]

Oh geesh - I didn't intend for us to go down a path of measuring each other for how we transport our dogs.

I just wish that Rivian would have designed the R1T rear seats to allow for a lot more cargo space by exposing a flat floor in the rear cab. The Rivian staff I spoke to in April 2019 at the NY auto show said that they had received lots of requests for this option for the purpose of having dogs in the space or carrying bikes or other large sporting gear (SCUBA tanks, etc.). I just wish they had chosen this option, and I would love advice on how we can get them to modify the design in future models.

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