Rivdog
Well-Known Member
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- #1
So I’m in the airport, having freshly turned in a Suburban rental and have some time to reflect on how great the R1T really is. It’s the first time I’ve ever driven one of the largest size SUV offerings from the big 3, and I wanted one for quite a while. I’ve wanted one for years because I have spent many, many nights sleeping in my vehicles in the woods rather than breaking out the tent, and the Suburban has the most sleeping/storage space available. After using one for a couple nights of camping, I can confirm it’s great for that. It has AA/CarPlay. Surprisingly good audio system. It has a V8 and can go 500 miles between fill ups. Plenty of towing ability. Upper trims are relatively nice, even if not truly luxury.
Despite all that, it pretty much sucked compared to my Rivian. In fact, nearly every car I’ve owned or driven in my entire life pretty much sucks compared to my Rivian. The only thing that comes close are my Mach E’s.
Why? Because of the things I have started to take for granted with my Rivian.
Okay, so there’s no AA/Carplay. I thought I’d appreciate having it again for a couple of days, but I definitely didn’t. It was glitchy and unreliable, just like in the 3 other cars I own/owned that have it. Rivian’s system isn’t perfect, but it’s almost never glitched. Granted, I am a Spotify user so I can use the native app - and that native app is 100 times better than CarPlay integration with Spotify. Oh, and the exceptional screen quality on the Rivian is immediately apparent when going back to the Game Boy display on a GM vehicle.
That V8 smoothness and power? Absolute hot trash after driving the Rivian. Okay, I haven’t driven a supercar or something like that, but the delay in achieving the desired torque was shocking. In the Rivian, if I need to let someone merge, I just speed up like it’s nothing. In the V8 Suburban, it felt like I was driving through molasses if I needed to accelerate.
I absolutely love the Rivian interior quality. I prefer the seat material over certain other brands that might indeed use real leather, but such leather always seems to look like crap after a while. The unique wood trim, IMO, is more aesthetically pleasing than the glossy wood trim in Mercedes, Lexus, etc. The leather on the steering wheel is, well, just freaking nice. After nearly a year, it still feels brand new, unlike some other leather steering wheels. The wood trim on the steering wheel is also really nice to the touch. These are all personal little things that I might care about more than other people, but I’m sure ya’ll have stuff that you appreciate more than I as well.
TL;DR: After a year or so of ownership, once the newness wears off, maybe go rent a vehicle you always wanted to buy. It might help remind you how amazing the Rivian is.
Despite all that, it pretty much sucked compared to my Rivian. In fact, nearly every car I’ve owned or driven in my entire life pretty much sucks compared to my Rivian. The only thing that comes close are my Mach E’s.
Why? Because of the things I have started to take for granted with my Rivian.
Okay, so there’s no AA/Carplay. I thought I’d appreciate having it again for a couple of days, but I definitely didn’t. It was glitchy and unreliable, just like in the 3 other cars I own/owned that have it. Rivian’s system isn’t perfect, but it’s almost never glitched. Granted, I am a Spotify user so I can use the native app - and that native app is 100 times better than CarPlay integration with Spotify. Oh, and the exceptional screen quality on the Rivian is immediately apparent when going back to the Game Boy display on a GM vehicle.
That V8 smoothness and power? Absolute hot trash after driving the Rivian. Okay, I haven’t driven a supercar or something like that, but the delay in achieving the desired torque was shocking. In the Rivian, if I need to let someone merge, I just speed up like it’s nothing. In the V8 Suburban, it felt like I was driving through molasses if I needed to accelerate.
I absolutely love the Rivian interior quality. I prefer the seat material over certain other brands that might indeed use real leather, but such leather always seems to look like crap after a while. The unique wood trim, IMO, is more aesthetically pleasing than the glossy wood trim in Mercedes, Lexus, etc. The leather on the steering wheel is, well, just freaking nice. After nearly a year, it still feels brand new, unlike some other leather steering wheels. The wood trim on the steering wheel is also really nice to the touch. These are all personal little things that I might care about more than other people, but I’m sure ya’ll have stuff that you appreciate more than I as well.
TL;DR: After a year or so of ownership, once the newness wears off, maybe go rent a vehicle you always wanted to buy. It might help remind you how amazing the Rivian is.
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