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rivianguy

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Others have done a great job of providing detailed reviews of their vehicles so I won't attempt that here. Instead I'll just give a few thoughts for those who are still awaiting delivery.

Background
Took delivery of my R1S yesterday. LE, 22' Sport Brights w Underbody. First EV so my impressions are going to be flavored not only by Rivian but also EV ownership in general.

I'll start with "The Bad" (though not really bad, just stuff to be aware of)...

Air Compressor: Like some others on this forum the air compressor hose doesn't fit on the coupling due to cargo mounted coupling being too recessed. I strongly recommend that anyone taking delivery make this part of their inspection. Rivian has already scheduled an appointment to address this.

Touch Screen: A bit finicky in places, particularly in adjusting passenger side temperature. The 'activation zone' (at least in my unit) is a bit to the left of what the screen would indicate which can give you the impression that it isn't working (adjusting passenger temp up and down) but it's just offset to the left a bit.

Cooled Seats: I'm not entirely sure mine are working as intended. If they are it's pretty low power which is different than what I've read on some of the forums. Going to get this checked out and if you are taking delivery you might want to do this with your delivery specialist.
See update on AC below.

AC: Not overwhelming so far. Takes a fair bit for the cabin to cool down and I live in Seattle so it's not exactly the hottest place in the world. Also the 'vent' on the drivers side seems to be less responsive to the touch controls (positioning) than some of the other vents.
Update: Now that I'm more familiar with the climate controls I was able to make a few adjustments (activated a few vents which weren't on, also activated rear floor vents) and the cooling (both AC and cooling seats) are working much better.

Ride Height: For those of you who have shorter family members I will warn you that this vehicle sits pretty high, even at it's lowest settings. Not an issue for average sized folks but for shorter folks or people with dogs you may find that they have a bit of trouble accessing things at the bottom of the frunk, or jumping up (in the case of dogs) into the back.

Cargo liner: If you are living an active lifestyle or especially if you have dogs you'll probably want to get a cargo liner straight away. I purchased one from Canvasback who worked with an R1S owner in Minnesota to custom measure and design a solution. I didn't think I would need the lift gate cover but after seeing the vehicle I realize that I will. https://www.canvasback.com/rivian-r1s-cargo-liner.html Note: I am not an employee nor do I get kickbacks from Canvasback.

Stalks: I'm reasonably tech saavy but I would say one of the steeper learning curves in the first day is figuring out how to properly use the right and left stalks on steering wheel. Tons of important functionality on these packed into a small amount of real-estate. Definitely still learning here.

Seats: Like some others have said it would have been nice to see powered fold down on all the seats in the back. Not a deal breaker by any stretch but I can see this being a bit tedious over time.

Charging: I also have the Rivian charger installed at home. Seemed to work as advertised (plug and charge with no fuss) but I'm still figuring out what the different flashing/light ups etc. on the front charge bar mean. Might write more on this later.

Alexa: Excited about the prospects here but did have quite a few issues getting it to work properly, especially with phone calling. Be careful about importing all of your contacts from your phone as it appears as if Alexa can get confused quite easily if there are also 'Alexa specific' contacts with the same name.

Now here's "The Good"...

Performance: Hard to describe how good this is. Honestly I'm not the 'fanboy' type so I'm not going to gush but the drive of this vehicle is simply exceptional. The power, the handling, the visibility etc. is unlike anything I've ever experienced. This bullet point alone justifies the cost of the vehicle.

One foot driving: For those of you like me who are first time EV owners you are in for a treat. I have yet to use the brake and it will be difficult to go back to an ICE after this. Qualitative estimate would be 30% reduction in overall 'driver fatigue' from this alone.

Self-driving: My previous vehicle had adaptive cruise control so used to this. Did get a chance to try the full 'drivers assist' experience on the highway yesterday and it's the real deal. Definitely wouldn't crawl into the back and have a nap (nor would the vehicle let you) but it performed very well and I can see this being a huge asset on long road trips. Will be unbelievable when full autonomous comes online (game changer)

Range: Drove it a good chunk of the day yesterday (mostly city driving) and only managed to get it down to about 80% (took delivery at 100%). Really pleased with the range I'm seeing on the 22'

Charging: Nothing new to long time EV owners, but for a first timer like me it's really something to just plug in and be topped up at home. Was painless and fast (I think it took about 30 mins or something on my home charger). Really transformational if you grew up knowing nothing but ICE.

Size: There has been a lot written about the size of this vehicle. For reference my previous vehicle was an Acura MDX. From a driving perspective I find this vehicle very similar in terms of external dimensions (how it feels on the road). Internally however there seems to be significantly more room. I'm about 6'2 and the internal height of the vehicle is really nice. Tons of head room.

Lights: The 'strip' at the front of the vehicle is more than just cosmetic. When driving last night I'd say the road was lit about 40% better than with my previous vehicle. Really nice for eye fatigue.

Cameras: I find myself driving with the cameras active on the touch screen which gives you a tremendous amount of situational awareness of who is around you. This in addition to the great visibility of the vehicle and the blind spot detection gives you a pretty solid feeling of safety.

Sound System: Haven't seen a lot written about this, but the sound system is exceptional (at least from my experience) Really clear, immersive sound that traverses the mundane (cell phone calls) to the sublime (rocking out with your son to 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons :)

Service: Rivian called me not 30 minutes after my taking delivery to schedule a service appointment to get the Air Compressor housing fixed up. I've never seen that level of service from anyone, let alone an automotive dealer so hopefully that bodes well for the future, and future owners.

Overall a 12 out of 10 so far.
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moosehead

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Congrats and enjoy your new S. Concerned that your phone camera is busted?

Nice review. The MDX size comparison is interesting, now I need to go see an S live as that is smaller than envisioned (in a good way). Agree with the stalks as those are even harder for me to get used to than the touch screen hvac for this dinosaur. Still hunting for a quick one swish wiper mode and can't seem to get the hang of a quick non-locked lane changing blinker.
 

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Agree with the stalks as those are even harder for me to get used to than the touch screen hvac for this dinosaur. Still hunting for a quick one swish wiper mode and can't seem to get the hang of a quick non-locked lane changing blinker.
Just tap the button on the end of the left stalk to get a single wipe. Holding the button down will get you washer fluid.
 

R1Sky Business

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Others have done a great job of providing detailed reviews of their vehicles so I won't attempt that here. Instead I'll just give a few thoughts for those who are still awaiting delivery.

Background
Took delivery of my R1S yesterday. LE, 22' Sport Brights w Underbody. First EV so my impressions are going to be flavored not only by Rivian but also EV ownership in general.

I'll start with "The Bad" (though not really bad, just stuff to be aware of)...

Air Compressor: Like some others on this forum the air compressor hose doesn't fit on the coupling due to cargo mounted coupling being too recessed. I strongly recommend that anyone taking delivery make this part of their inspection. Rivian has already scheduled an appointment to address this.

Touch Screen: A bit finicky in places, particularly in adjusting passenger side temperature. The 'activation zone' (at least in my unit) is a bit to the left of what the screen would indicate which can give you the impression that it isn't working (adjusting passenger temp up and down) but it's just offset to the left a bit.

Cooled Seats: I'm not entirely sure mine are working as intended. If they are it's pretty low power which is different than what I've read on some of the forums. Going to get this checked out and if you are taking delivery you might want to do this with your delivery specialist.

AC: Not overwhelming so far. Takes a fair bit for the cabin to cool down and I live in Seattle so it's not exactly the hottest place in the world. Also the 'vent' on the drivers side seems to be less responsive to the touch controls (positioning) than some of the other vents.

Ride Height: For those of you who have shorter family members I will warn you that this vehicle sits pretty high, even at it's lowest settings. Not an issue for average sized folks but for shorter folks or people with dogs you may find that they have a bit of trouble accessing things at the bottom of the frunk, or jumping up (in the case of dogs) into the back.

Cargo liner: If you are living an active lifestyle or especially if you have dogs you'll probably want to get a cargo liner straight away. I purchased one from Canvasback who worked with an R1S owner in Minnesota to custom measure and design a solution. I didn't think I would need the lift gate cover but after seeing the vehicle I realize that I will. https://www.canvasback.com/rivian-r1s-cargo-liner.html Note: I am not an employee nor do I get kickbacks from Canvasback.

Stalks: I'm reasonably tech saavy but I would say one of the steeper learning curves in the first day is figuring out how to properly use the right and left stalks on steering wheel. Tons of important functionality on these packed into a small amount of real-estate. Definitely still learning here.

Seats: Like some others have said it would have been nice to see powered fold down on all the seats in the back. Not a deal breaker by any stretch but I can see this being a bit tedious over time.

Charging: I also have the Rivian charger installed at home. Seemed to work as advertised (plug and charge with no fuss) but I'm still figuring out what the different flashing/light ups etc. on the front charge bar mean. Might write more on this later.

Alexa: Excited about the prospects here but did have quite a few issues getting it to work properly, especially with phone calling. Be careful about importing all of your contacts from your phone as it appears as if Alexa can get confused quite easily if there are also 'Alexa specific' contacts with the same name.

Now here's "The Good"...

Performance: Hard to describe how good this is. Honestly I'm not the 'fanboy' type so I'm not going to gush but the drive of this vehicle is simply exceptional. The power, the handling, the visibility etc. is unlike anything I've ever experienced. This bullet point alone justifies the cost of the vehicle.

One foot driving: For those of you like me who are first time EV owners you are in for a treat. I have yet to use the brake and it will be difficult to go back to an ICE after this. Qualitative estimate would be 30% reduction in overall 'driver fatigue' from this alone.

Self-driving: My previous vehicle had adaptive cruise control so used to this. Did get a chance to try the full 'drivers assist' experience on the highway yesterday and it's the real deal. Definitely wouldn't crawl into the back and have a nap (nor would the vehicle let you) but it performed very well and I can see this being a huge asset on long road trips. Will be unbelievable when full autonomous comes online (game changer)

Range: Drove it a good chunk of the day yesterday (mostly city driving) and only managed to get it down to about 80% (took delivery at 100%). Really pleased with the range I'm seeing on the 22'

Charging: Nothing new to long time EV owners, but for a first timer like me it's really something to just plug in and be topped up at home. Was painless and fast (I think it took about 30 mins or something on my home charger). Really transformational if you grew up knowing nothing but ICE.

Size: There has been a lot written about the size of this vehicle. For reference my previous vehicle was an Acura MDX. From a driving perspective I find this vehicle very similar in terms of external dimensions (how it feels on the road). Internally however there seems to be significantly more room. I'm about 6'2 and the internal height of the vehicle is really nice. Tons of head room.

Lights: The 'strip' at the front of the vehicle is more than just cosmetic. When driving last night I'd say the road was lit about 40% better than with my previous vehicle. Really nice for eye fatigue.

Cameras: I find myself driving with the cameras active on the touch screen which gives you a tremendous amount of situational awareness of who is around you. This in addition to the great visibility of the vehicle and the blind spot detection gives you a pretty solid feeling of safety.

Sound System: Haven't seen a lot written about this, but the sound system is exceptional (at least from my experience) Really clear, immersive sound that traverses the mundane (cell phone calls) to the sublime (rocking out with your son to 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons :)

Service: Rivian called me not 30 minutes after my taking delivery to schedule a service appointment to get the Air Compressor housing fixed up. I've never seen that level of service from anyone, let alone an automotive dealer so hopefully that bodes well for the future, and future owners.

Overall a 12 out of 10 so far.
12 out of 10 sounds about right
 

ravian

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the comment about the AC(and to some extent the set cooling) is a bit concerning especially for Phoenix.
Does it take longer to cool down compared to the Acura.?
 

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rivianguy

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the comment about the AC(and to some extent the set cooling) is a bit concerning especially for Phoenix.
I hear you, and I'll provide updates as I have them (I'll update the main thread) Some of these issues will be due to 'user error' (me) and the cooling aspect fits into this category. Now that I'm more familiar with the climate controls I was able to make a few adjustments (activated a few vents which weren't on, also activated rear floor vents) and the cooling (both AC and cooling seats) are working much better. I'll update my original post with this type of information as I learn more about the vehicle.
 

ravian

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I hear you, and I'll provide updates as I have them (I'll update the main thread) Some of these issues will be due to 'user error' (me) and the cooling aspect fits into this category. Now that I'm more familiar with the climate controls I was able to make a few adjustments (activated a few vents which weren't on, also activated rear floor vents) and the cooling (both AC and cooling seats) are working much better. I'll update my original post with this type of information as I learn more about the vehicle.
Awesome! Thanks for the in depth no-BS write up on your initial impressions.
 

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Congrats and enjoy your new S. Concerned that your phone camera is busted?

Nice review. The MDX size comparison is interesting, now I need to go see an S live as that is smaller than envisioned (in a good way). Agree with the stalks as those are even harder for me to get used to than the touch screen hvac for this dinosaur. Still hunting for a quick one swish wiper mode and can't seem to get the hang of a quick non-locked lane changing blinker.
Pics or it didn't happen! :cool:
 

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Don’t update the main thread. Add a new entry. I don’t go back to read the first post to find changes 🙂
 

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There must be something wrong with your AC/seats because mine are the coldest I've ever been in. It's like sitting on a block of ice when I have it full blast.
 

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Picking mine up tomorrow, thx for the heads up on the compressor.
 

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Range: Drove it a good chunk of the day yesterday (mostly city driving) and only managed to get it down to about 80% (took delivery at 100%). Really pleased with the range I'm seeing on the 22'
My goal for taking the plunge into an EV was to be able to go from Seattle to western Montana with only a single stop for charging in Spokane - about 270 miles. However with the pass and driving 70 mph, I don't think the R1S with large pack will quite make it. It's not a deal breaker but that's my ultimate success for an EV. Please share your experience if you ever make that cross-state trip.
 
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If it stops raining long enough in Seattle for me to grab some decent videos/photos I'll do so and post them. I will say however that similar to other posters these things look better in person than they do in the photos. Best look I got prior to taking delivery was through the fence at the Seattle Service Center. Obviously heavy post decisional justification bias in play here but in my humble opinion the lines are really nice and the 'boxy' look is a really refreshing departure from the increasingly commoditized look of most EV's which has a softer, rounded look. Also like many others we vacillated on many colors before finally settling on the El Cap Granite. I will say that many of the colors also look really great in person, and totally different than online. The red looks nothing like the photos online when you see it in person. El Cap might be a bit 'plain' for some peoples taste but in person it's a really 'deep' grey with some nice 'flecking' that just doesn't show up in the photos. But will post some photos/videos shortly weather permitting.
 
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rivianguy

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My goal for taking the plunge into an EV was to be able to go from Seattle to western Montana with only a single stop for charging in Spokane - about 270 miles. However with the pass and driving 70 mph, I don't think the R1S with large pack will quite make it. It's not a deal breaker but that's my ultimate success for an EV. Please share your experience if you ever make that cross-state trip.
Funny you should say this as that is one of our 'goals' as well. We have friends who have a place in Montana (what a beautiful drive). From what I'm seeing so far it looks very doable (at least on the 22's) to have only one stop in Spokane. I plan to make a road trip up to Northwestern BC in the not too distant future (about a 20 hour drive from Seattle) so that will give me excellent real life perspective on range as well as making trips through areas with relatively spartan charging infrastructure. I'll give a report back on this when I do it.
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