Rivian R1S First Drive from a car guy / Raptor owner

[ggreeneva]

I appreciate the effort to have front cameras to eliminate the blind zone, but it's still not a complete solution. The high, square, front grills on most current vehicles (including the Rivian), also presents a higher likelihood of significant injuries or death when a pedestrian is hit.

100 percent true — but the lower viewpoint from the driver's seat helps a bit, relative to having a high, flat grille _and_ a larger front blind spot.

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[rbr19870445]

As a car guy, I own an R1T, GT4, 3rd gen 4Runner and a 1st gen JDM CRV. All incredibly different and all great in their own settings but this is very much an apples to oranges conversation.

 

[RivnSoon]

I've owned tons of sports/luxury cars and would like to post some of my thoughts after looking over and driving the R1S. I've had one on reserve for a couple years now, with the R1S going to be my primary vehicle. A lot of the comments will be versus my current 2023 Ford F150 Raptor with the 37" Performance Package (Price: $93K for comparison) [see photo next to R1T]:

Pro's:
1. R1S is a good looking SUV.
2. Having owned various Tesla's, I enjoyed the strong 1-pedal/regen driving.
3. SUV was quite quiet.
4. The acceleration is nice.
5. I miss having engine-less air-conditioning for the dogs that you obviously don't get with an ICE.

Con's:
1. In person, the R1S definitely felt smaller than I had imagined. At 6'4"/220, some areas were a bit tight. No way I could sit in the back/camp with the seats down.
2. The Frunk was smaller than it appeared in videos etc.
3. Really the only wheels I ended up liking in person were the 20" Black off-road. Interestingly, for an extra $1,700 over the bright ones, all you get is a tinted clear coat. Yikes.
4. The Driver+ is kinda a joke compared to my Ford. My Ford with Co-Pilot 360 2.0, has adaptive cruise with lane centering that works on ALL roads with zero fuss.
5. The seats in the Rivian were one of the biggest let-downs for me. Quite stiff. My Raptors seats felt completely luxury compared.
6. The Raptor rides far better (it's known as one of the most comfortable riding vehicles due to the baja style long-travel suspension).
7. The steering wheel on the Rivian felt thin, plasticky and cheap. The Raptor steering wheel and overall interior felt higher quality. Ford really has done an amazing job on their latest high end trucks. I was not that impressed with the Rivian interior for the money.
8. The Rivian tires looked absolutely tiny compared to the Raptors. And the Rivian small tires were already filling up the small wheel-wells. (Yes, for aerodynamics).
9. Rivian felt low to the ground in view and seat height. Suspension was on "Normal".
10. Rivian nav/controls compared to Raptor wireless Android Auto with wireless charging... well there is no comparison.

Overall, the R1S is decent but I think it's closer to the value of its pre-price increase cost versus post-price increase cost. I think once the early adopters run out, they will struggle to sell these at near six figures. With myself, fiancé, two German Shepherds, and a bunch of camping gear, the R1S is just too small. We also parked next to and looked at the R1T, and the bed size on that thing was absolutely laughable. It's smaller than my old Jeep Gladiator bed.

I also was quite surprised how I rated the colors in person versus online. The red wasn't near as nice as I had imagines, nor the Forest Green. Me and my fiancé both preferred the white and black. Both with the black 20" off-road wheels.

The R1S doesn't fit the bill for my use, especially against the absolute beast that the 37" PP Raptor is, but I may still proceed with the purchase of a white R1S for my fiancé. But even at the pre-price hike price, we are on the fence.

@Zybane a "car guy" that comments on wheel finish, frunk size, blah blah...
Raptor what???

 

[Donald Stanfield]

@Zybane a "car guy" that comments on wheel finish, frunk size, blah blah...
Raptor what???

Yeah the fact that it beats a Raptor while pulling a syclone is embarrassing. So the OP looks at the Rivian and thinks it's useless because it's small and can't jump over sand dunes as easily I look at the same vehicles and think the Raptor got it's ass handed to it. I love racing Raptors but they don't pull up to me too often around here anymore lol. The last thing to give me a decent race was an M5. That beat me, but he was impressed that I kept up pretty good.

I guess it really comes down to preferences and use case but I use that speed every single day whereas I won't probably ever find myself in a sand dune rally race. Plus I can tow more, granted range sucks in towing with an EV but again for my use capacity matters more than range.

 

[Zybane]

@Zybane a "car guy" that comments on wheel finish, frunk size, blah blah...
Raptor what???

Yes, a car person knows there is more to an overall vehicle than just straight line speed. I've owned both ICE and EV's that thrash a Rivian in both acceleration and certainly turning. The Rivian is "peppy", but by no means anything special this day and age.

Only pedestrians like you who've probably come to a Rivian from a Toyota Highlander or something think Rivians acceleration is something amazing.

And Rivians "top speed' of 110 MPH, I've gone faster than that doing most turns at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Road course.

 

[Belem]

Yes, a car person knows there is more to an overall vehicle than just straight line speed. I've owned both ICE and EV's that thrash a Rivian in both acceleration and certainly turning. The Rivian is "peppy", but by no means anything special this day and age.

Only pedestrians like you who've probably come to a Rivian from a Toyota Highlander or something think Rivians acceleration is something amazing.

And Rivians "top speed' of 110 MPH, I've gone faster than that doing most turns at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Road course.

"Yeah , well, my dad is president of Nintendo and he gave me Super Mario Brothers 7 (which was never released...they only have 1 copy and I have it) and I got to fly an F-14 off the Carl Vinson for my 12th birthday."

You know it's ok to not like a vehicle and just, like, keep it to yourself?

What are you hoping to get out of this thread? Did you want everyone here to agree that the R1S is shit and the Raptor is cool and for everyone to sell their R1S and buy a Raptor? I genuinely don't get it...

 

[Zybane]

Ya I've been on a waiting list for two years just to "bash" Rivian. I can't help it some people can't take criticism of their new toy.

You bought one so ya, it's the greatest thing ever made!

 

[Kieran]

I love racing Raptors but they don't pull up to me too often around here anymore lol. The last thing to give me a decent race was an M5. That beat me, but he was impressed that I kept up pretty good.

An M5 beat you in an R1T? How far did you go off the line? I can't imagine it beat you to 60mph...

 

[Kieran]

Ya I've been on a waiting list for two years just to "bash" Rivian. I can't help it some people can't take criticism of their new toy.

You bought one so ya, it's the greatest thing ever made!

I think most people appreciated your review (as did I) and only criticized the areas where your complaints were really kinda unfounded since they were on subjective things, and compared to a Raptor, which is just a totally different vehicle. Saying wheels too small, it felt too low to the ground, etc. I mean, it's an EV they have to make it low to the ground to maximize efficiency! Comparing seat comfort? That's fair game. Comparing things that you like about the Raptor for largely aesthetic reasons (height, tire size, etc.)? That's where people were critical, and that's fair, IMO.

 

[Belem]

Ya I've been on a waiting list for two years just to "bash" Rivian. I can't help it some people can't take criticism of their new toy.

You bought one so ya, it's the greatest thing ever made!

Nope, just sold it for a Raptor.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

An M5 beat you in an R1T? How far did you go off the line? I can't imagine it beat you to 60mph...

I don't really commit when I'm street racing as I don't want to be a total safety hazard on the road. I'll only really open it up if I can be pretty sure it's a safe place to do so meaning someplace flat an straight and that I can see really far ahead with wide lanes. Not too many places like that here so I don't really send it the way I would at a drag strip.

 

[Zybane]

I think most people appreciated your review (as did I) and only criticized the areas where your complaints were really kinda unfounded since they were on subjective things, and compared to a Raptor, which is just a totally different vehicle. Saying wheels too small, it felt too low to the ground, etc. I mean, it's an EV they have to make it low to the ground to maximize efficiency! Comparing seat comfort? That's fair game. Comparing things that you like about the Raptor for largely aesthetic reasons (height, tire size, etc.)? That's where people were critical, and that's fair, IMO.

The tire size was more about off-roading, which I do a lot of. Tire size actually makes quite a difference when you get into hard stuff. The other part to that is the tires on the Rivian are already basically maxing out the wheel well from factory. A large negative if you wish to go larger tires for off-roading (but yes wreck efficiency).

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I agree that the bed size of the Rivian R1T is a bit on the small size. In fact I think the only truck with a smaller bed is the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

But, the R1T does make up what it lacks in length by having a very handy gear tunnel.

It's more of an adventure vehicle than a truck.

I definitely wouldn't have gotten it if I wanted a Truck.

I do have a long list of negatives which also includes the very problematic driver+, but until there is an EV that's better at what it does then I'll be keeping it.

 

[Chewy734]

I was trying to come up with the most appropriate emoji for this thread, and the best I could come with was….

All joking aside, I feel compelled to share my two cents (not that anyone should really care):

I think that your initial review was appreciated by many Rivian owners and future owners. I tend to agree with many of your points, as I also feel that the R1S isn’t as smooth as the R1T and probably not as smooth as your Raptor (I’ve never driven one). Driver+ certainly has room for improvement and likely doesn’t work as well as in the competitors. Being an early adopter, I purchased my R1S fully knowing there will be some problems, quirks, etc. But, that doesn’t mean Rivian is just sitting back and not trying to fix/improve things. If you feel that isn’t the case, then why even consider a Rivian? There are plenty of other EV/ICE vehicles that may meet or exceed your own personal requirements.

Also, many of us also pointed out to you that you may be comparing apples and oranges (a 3-row R1S versus essentially a street legal monster truck). Many of us have different lifestyles, priorities, constraints, and opinions on such a comparison, and we’re just trying to make that clearer for you. After all, what’s the point of posting on a public forum if not for the discussion?

For example, I’m personally coming from a BMW 3-series, so I thought my R1S drove like a real-life RC monster truck that my son plays with. Does it have the same road feel, steering, and handling as my car? No, and I shouldn’t even expect that! But, the tech and features are eons ahead of my Bimmer, but maybe not of other similarly priced ones in the latest generation. Do I enjoy both vehicles? Hell yes, but in very different ways. I don’t plan on taking my R1S out on the track at Leguna Seca, and I don’t plan on taking my BMW to the sand dunes at Pismo Beach. Why would you even want to do that?

The 0-60 times everyone is alluding to is a valid argument, since most (not all) people tend to accelerate up to that speed often on street roads. I love the acceleration! But, does that mean it’s faster than a McLaren in the quarter mile or faster than a Veyron’s top speed? No, and you don’t need to be a car guy to know that. But, you’d have to admit, it’s kind of silly to make those comparisons too, right?

My R1S is faster to 60 than any non-turbo Porsche (and certainly your Raptor), and that’s plenty good enough for me! But, truth be told, I’d rather be driving a Porsche around any track than my R1S. It’d be pretty nonsensical if I criticized that it couldn’t throw around its nearly 4 ton weight around a hairpin turn as fast as a Miata.

In short, I don’t think anyone here believes that the Rivian makes the best vehicles ever made for everyone. But, in my opinion, they make the best looking and functioning 3-row electric SUV out right now. Clearly, that’s not good enough for everyone, but it doesn’t need to be. Buy what you want and be happy with your decision is all I can really say.

Beyond your initial post, I think the whole conversation kind of just rubbed many people the wrong way with your argumentative tone. Meh… life goes on, as I hope we all have better things to do than mindless bickering on a Rivian forum.

 

[VHRivian]

Beyond your initial post, I think the whole conversation kind of just rubbed many people the wrong way with your argumentative tone.

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