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R.I.P.

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This experience will be a moving target, as both companies and their vehicles evolve, but this is how the vehicles compare today. I am going to try to avoid nit-picking, because frankly, that would be unfair to the Rivian, as the newer, less "mature" vehicle.

-Driving experience:
I am a truck guy. I love my trucks and Jeeps and "guy" vehicles. I have driven them less and less, however, as getting hooked on the EV experience has soured my taste for pumping gas. I am THRILLED to again be driving a truck. It is having my cake and eating it too. I want to pick the "truck driving experience" every time.

That said, I actually don't. The Rivian uses more than double the number of electrons in a given trip than one of the other EVs. That in mind, I will take one of the more efficient cars (often the Spark EV) to town if all I am doing is making a beer run.

In addition to having all the good things about driving like a truck, the Rivian has another great thing about it's experience; It drives a lot like a _Tesla_ truck. Happily, Rivian did not try to re-invent the wheel with the experience the way some other companies have. If you are coming from a Tesla, it all feels very familiar. PAAK senses you approaching and can unlock the vehicle (glitchy still, but I am sure it will get better). There is no "ON/OFF" button, it "starts" the same way we are used to. I often accidently leave my other EVs "on", because I forget that dumb "off" button. The Rivian's shifter is in the same place, and it works the same way. The UI looks like copy-and-paste on many of the screens, and is all very familiar. This is extremely nice, having both brands in the stable.

-Interior:
The interior of the R1T is gorgeous. I travel on a lot of unpaved roads (Mexico), so my personal preference is biased toward the simple, easy-to-clean surfaces that Tesla is known for. That said, the Rivian is so beautifully appointed that I don't mind so much cleaning all those crevices.

-Suspension:
The Rivian's air-ride is impeccable. This is subjective, and I will resort to just putting out a preference here. I prefer Rivian's "Soft" mode over the Tesla's more sport-tuned suspension. Chalk it up to being an old, disabled VET that really feels the bumps these days.

Even those that prefer a sportier ride are not left out with the Rivian, however, as you can adjust that. To be fair, I am comparing the Rivian to a Model Y, not one of Tesla's air-ride models.

-Power:
The Rivian puts more power to the ground, and you can sure feel it. Again, preference, I wish it didn't. Going back & forth between the vehicles, power delivery in the Rivian can feel jerky; especially in reverse in tight spaces. I think this will get refined, but at the end of the day I really have no need for that much power. That, combined with the quad-motor's struggles on slippery surfaces, has me looking forward to trading this truck in for a dual motor variant once they become available.

-Charging:
This is the elephant in the room. Nobody with an IQ of shoe-size or above would argue that Tesla still has a lock on this technology. I know this, I have a couple of GM EVs in the garage that are also the CCS1 standard. Still, with the Rivian it seems worse. I _expect_ the Spark to be tied to a welfare charging standard, it just feels wrong in the Rivian. This achilles heel quickly soured my wife on the truck.

Initially, I was left with her Y any time she went someplace; she loved the driving experience of the R1T. On her first forrey out of town in it I went to lengths to explain the differences from what she was used to; Tesla holding her hand & doing all the work for her. She was equipped with Plugshare, ABRP and all the apps, and I made sure she knew how to use them. The trip still ended up in a $500 tow bill when the nav routed her to an EA station where they had just pulled out all of the chargers to replace them with new ones. She was incensed. "why wouldn't the vehicle tell her this the way her car does?" She will no longer drive the Rivian; win for me. 😉

It is ironic to me that Tesla holds the key to unlock Rivian's biggest handicap: Opening up the Supercharger Network.

-Driver Assist:
Yeah, not really going to delve into this one too deep. Tesla is stumbling on some stuff for sure, but Rivian is still in diapers here.

-Software:
This is another area I am not going to really dive in to deep, except to say that if you are coming from a Tesla, give Rivian a break & some time to catch up. The NAV is a disaster, it will not do any of the things you are used to. Once you do get a route in it will not accept the updates and mods you are used to, and you cannot trust it (keep your AAA tow card handy if you do). I expect it to improve over time, much the way we saw Tesla's improve. For those of us that are self-sufficient and have no problem out-thinking its shortcomings with apps and math, this is not a problem. It does mean that I would never send my mother-in-law on a trip in the truck the way I would in the Tesla. The Tesla will take care of her, even knowing nothing about EVs. The Rivian just won't. Yet.

-Conclusion:
I love this thing. I am a fan of Rivian and what they are doing, and I am rooting for them to fly smoothly through the challenges of 2023 and bring us new, and exciting products.

One last note, is to the posts that float around the forums stating things like "I am buying a Rivian because it is better quality/better tech/better vehicle" etc. Rivian is an infant, it is _just_ getting off the ground, and cannot really be considered a mas-produced vehicle yet. I could have filled pages with niggles, and there are growing pains ahead. Those statements are not an accurate depiction when comparing an established, mass produced vehicle to one such as the early edition models Rivian is currently making. Such expectations are unfortunate because it often results in a disappointing experience, and bad-mouthing of the company because of it; much the way many of them currently bad-mouth Tesla.

Here is hoping all of you still waiting get yours s00n.
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For those transitioning out of a Tesla, Rivian is the vehicle that will make that transition the smoothest. As noted above, it's in its infancy, but Rivian clearly is following Tesla's playbook. The Rivian, after coming from 9 years with Tesla's is a smooth transition and feels like a familiar place. Going to any of the big manufacturers, as good as their cars might be, takes you back to mass-market interiors and controls. If you like the Tesla UI and not a fan of UI from Ford or Chevy or Hyundai, etc, then the Rivian will be the one vehicle that lets you feel at home.
 

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It’s crazy how two people could have the same vehicle and come to hugely different conclusions about them. Like the power thing, that’s the reason I bought the truck and it is what I love most about it.

I also find sport mode with high regen to be the most accurate translation of my brain to what the vehicle does sensitivity wise out of anything I’ve ever driven. I feel connected to the vehicle in a way I don’t with any other. It’s effortless.

With that said I can see how someone would have an issue with jerkyness. I have absolutely no problem with it but today I had an itch on my leg as I was driving. Just the force of scratching my leg translating to the pedal was enough to feel some mild surging.

You know you have a responsive system when you can feel that. Personally I love that level of connection to my truck, but I can see how people might struggle modulating the throttle accurately enough to take advantage of that.
 

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This experience will be a moving target, as both companies and their vehicles evolve, but this is how the vehicles compare today. I am going to try to avoid nit-picking, because frankly, that would be unfair to the Rivian, as the newer, less "mature" vehicle.

-Driving experience:
I am a truck guy. I love my trucks and Jeeps and "guy" vehicles. I have driven them less and less, however, as getting hooked on the EV experience has soured my taste for pumping gas. I am THRILLED to again be driving a truck. It is having my cake and eating it too. I want to pick the "truck driving experience" every time.

That said, I actually don't. The Rivian uses more than double the number of electrons in a given trip than one of the other EVs. That in mind, I will take one of the more efficient cars (often the Spark EV) to town if all I am doing is making a beer run.

In addition to having all the good things about driving like a truck, the Rivian has another great thing about it's experience; It drives a lot like a _Tesla_ truck. Happily, Rivian did not try to re-invent the wheel with the experience the way some other companies have. If you are coming from a Tesla, it all feels very familiar. PAAK senses you approaching and can unlock the vehicle (glitchy still, but I am sure it will get better). There is no "ON/OFF" button, it "starts" the same way we are used to. I often accidently leave my other EVs "on", because I forget that dumb "off" button. The Rivian's shifter is in the same place, and it works the same way. The UI looks like copy-and-paste on many of the screens, and is all very familiar. This is extremely nice, having both brands in the stable.

-Interior:
The interior of the R1T is gorgeous. I travel on a lot of unpaved roads (Mexico), so my personal preference is biased toward the simple, easy-to-clean surfaces that Tesla is known for. That said, the Rivian is so beautifully appointed that I don't mind so much cleaning all those crevices.

-Suspension:
The Rivian's air-ride is impeccable. This is subjective, and I will resort to just putting out a preference here. I prefer Rivian's "Soft" mode over the Tesla's more sport-tuned suspension. Chalk it up to being an old, disabled VET that really feels the bumps these days.

Even those that prefer a sportier ride are not left out with the Rivian, however, as you can adjust that. To be fair, I am comparing the Rivian to a Model Y, not one of Tesla's air-ride models.

-Power:
The Rivian puts more power to the ground, and you can sure feel it. Again, preference, I wish it didn't. Going back & forth between the vehicles, power delivery in the Rivian can feel jerky; especially in reverse in tight spaces. I think this will get refined, but at the end of the day I really have no need for that much power. That, combined with the quad-motor's struggles on slippery surfaces, has me looking forward to trading this truck in for a dual motor variant once they become available.

-Charging:
This is the elephant in the room. Nobody with an IQ of shoe-size or above would argue that Tesla still has a lock on this technology. I know this, I have a couple of GM EVs in the garage that are also the CCS1 standard. Still, with the Rivian it seems worse. I _expect_ the Spark to be tied to a welfare charging standard, it just feels wrong in the Rivian. This achilles heel quickly soured my wife on the truck.

Initially, I was left with her Y any time she went someplace; she loved the driving experience of the R1T. On her first forrey out of town in it I went to lengths to explain the differences from what she was used to; Tesla holding her hand & doing all the work for her. She was equipped with Plugshare, ABRP and all the apps, and I made sure she knew how to use them. The trip still ended up in a $500 tow bill when the nav routed her to an EA station where they had just pulled out all of the chargers to replace them with new ones. She was incensed. "why wouldn't the vehicle tell her this the way her car does?" She will no longer drive the Rivian; win for me. 😉

It is ironic to me that Tesla holds the key to unlock Rivian's biggest handicap: Opening up the Supercharger Network.

-Driver Assist:
Yeah, not really going to delve into this one too deep. Tesla is stumbling on some stuff for sure, but Rivian is still in diapers here.

-Software:
This is another area I am not going to really dive in to deep, except to say that if you are coming from a Tesla, give Rivian a break & some time to catch up. The NAV is a disaster, it will not do any of the things you are used to. Once you do get a route in it will not accept the updates and mods you are used to, and you cannot trust it (keep your AAA tow card handy if you do). I expect it to improve over time, much the way we saw Tesla's improve. For those of us that are self-sufficient and have no problem out-thinking its shortcomings with apps and math, this is not a problem. It does mean that I would never send my mother-in-law on a trip in the truck the way I would in the Tesla. The Tesla will take care of her, even knowing nothing about EVs. The Rivian just won't. Yet.

-Conclusion:
I love this thing. I am a fan of Rivian and what they are doing, and I am rooting for them to fly smoothly through the challenges of 2023 and bring us new, and exciting products.

One last note, is to the posts that float around the forums stating things like "I am buying a Rivian because it is better quality/better tech/better vehicle" etc. Rivian is an infant, it is _just_ getting off the ground, and cannot really be considered a mas-produced vehicle yet. I could have filled pages with niggles, and there are growing pains ahead. Those statements are not an accurate depiction when comparing an established, mass produced vehicle to one such as the early edition models Rivian is currently making. Such expectations are unfortunate because it often results in a disappointing experience, and bad-mouthing of the company because of it; much the way many of them currently bad-mouth Tesla.

Here is hoping all of you still waiting get yours s00n.
😎
Thanks for sharing! It's interesting to see how rivian stacks up against a Tesla. So glad you've been enjoying your truck so far. We are also excited to see what developments we might see in the future.
 

mkennedy1996

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-Charging:
On her first forrey out of town in it I went to lengths to explain the differences from what she was used to; Tesla holding her hand & doing all the work for her. She was equipped with Plugshare, ABRP and all the apps, and I made sure she knew how to use them. The trip still ended up in a $500 tow bill when the nav routed her to an EA station where they had just pulled out all of the chargers to replace them with new ones. She was incensed. "why wouldn't the vehicle tell her this the way her car does?"
Tesla is no better at this! I was towing from Ohio to Georgia and routed to a Supercharger in Northern Kentucky. The car showed stalls available as the nav routed me there, only to find the entire location was down and had been for two days (found this out later). I had to leave the trailer and back track through Cincinnati at rush hour to the closest charger and arrived with 2 miles of range. I reported the issue to Tesla while charging and that evening, they still had not updated the nav to show that location offline.
 

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virgnia_rivian

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We’ve had our truck 1mo and put 2,000 miles on it from two long road trips. One from the factory back to Virginia and last week we went to S. Carolina for work. Regarding charging, you need to do your homework. It’s not just use ABRP and hope for the best. We mostly aim for EA chargers. We check the EA app for charger status (which we have found to be accurate) and we back it up with PlugShare reports. We even called EA once to confirm a station was online (with the new chargers) because Google Maps showed it was closed, but PlugShare had recent check ins. We have not had a single issue charging, but you have to plan.

Side note on charging, last week we ran into a MachE owner with the small battery pack driving from NYC to Florida. He couldn’t go more than 150mi between charging and he had no idea how to use his car’s nav system. He was just going off of the EA app and that’s all he knew about charging. There’s definitely a learning curve for new EV drivers or even Tesla folks who are just used to Superchargers.

One other note, we have found the nav system to be quite good. There are some route planning things we wish it did, but I’m sure that will come with updates. We back up the mapping with Google and have found the vehicle’s system to be almost identical, down to the minute.
 
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R.I.P.

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Tesla is no better at this! I was towing from Ohio to Georgia and routed to a Supercharger in Northern Kentucky. The car showed stalls available as the nav routed me there, only to find the entire location was down and had been for two days (found this out later). I had to leave the trailer and back track through Cincinnati at rush hour to the closest charger and arrived with 2 miles of range. I reported the issue to Tesla while charging and that evening, they still had not updated the nav to show that location offline.
Wow, that is super weird. I have had Tesla reroute me a couple of times to avoid Superchargers that were down. I have 100k coast-to-coast miles on this latest Tesla, and have never seen it miss like you did.
 

mkennedy1996

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Wow, that is super weird. I have had Tesla reroute me a couple of times to avoid Superchargers that were down. I have 100k coast-to-coast miles on this latest Tesla, and have never seen it miss like you did.
I have just shy of 700 charges at Tesla Superchargers and find that the car is horrible at reporting stalls that are down (which I have been seeing at an increasing rate). The nav will show stalls available that turn out to be out of service. At least in those cases, it is just a matter of increased wait rather than being stranded.

For what it is worth, I find it much, much worse that my Tesla does not report this correctly since they own the entire process. It is more understandable that the Rivian nav does not know that the EA site has issues as that is a third party.
 

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"That, combined with the quad-motor's struggles on slippery surfaces, has me looking forward to trading this truck in for a dual motor variant once they become available."

THis was surprising to read - I though one of the major benefits of quad motors is they could work independently and deal with various traction levels...
 
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R.I.P.

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THis was surprising to read - I though one of the major benefits of quad motors is they could work independently and deal with various traction levels...
Yeah... Surprised me too, getting hung up in stuff a Subaru was getting through because the motors' can't "feel" the ground the way a differential does. Oh well, I did not buy it for off-roading lol.
 

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Love your avatar. Finally have something visual to share with the verbally impaired learners I try to explain this simple concept to. Especially after I give them my stock answer to the inevitable question of "How long does it take to charge?". My answer: 10-20 seconds, 5-10 to plug it in and 5-10 to unplug it. Very close to 100% true and I just tell them to rephrase the question to "How much of MY time it takes to charge". 99% of the time I'm engaged in other productive activities and not in the truck - eating, going to the bathroom, walking a dog on trips. Even more true at home.
 
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R.I.P.

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Lover your avatar. Finally have something visual to share with the verbally impaired learners I try to explain this simple concept to. Especially after I give them my stock answer to the inevitable question of "How long does it take to charge?". My answer: 10-20 seconds, 5-10 to plug it in and 5-10 to unplug it. Very close to 100% true and I just tell them to rephrase the question to "How much of MY time it takes to charge". 99% of the time I'm engaged in other productive activities and not in the truck - eating, going to the bathroom, walking a dog on trips. Even more true at home.
Thank you, yeah, the "verbally impaired" can be a challenge lol. And thank you for your service. I was Army.
 

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I also came from a Model Y and now use my R1T as my daily driver.

Haven't had the truck a full week yet and super happy to report literally no flaws found!!!

Things I liked better in the Model Y:
1) Built-in native voice commands, Rivian makes you use Alexa if you want to use voice control commands. Don't like/use Alexa... she's as dumb as dirt!
2) Proximity Fob locking an unlocking- approach your Tesla w/the Fob in pocket and vehicle unlocks and locks when you walk away.
3) Tesla converts text messages to speech and vice versa natively.
 

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What's your power generation profile like down there in OR? For me, something like 95% of the electricity I consume is generated via green sources (mostly hydroelectric). That fact is how I stomach the R1 being pretty inefficient, esp for short trips around town. Maybe others don't view it that way, but to me that's a net win vs using an ICE for the same trip (and I don't have a choice since I currently only have the R1T and my motorcycles).
 
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R.I.P.

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What's your power generation profile like down there in OR? For me, something like 95% of the electricity I consume is generated via green sources (mostly hydroelectric). That fact is how I stomach the R1 being pretty inefficient, esp for short trips around town. Maybe others don't view it that way, but to me that's a net win vs using an ICE for the same trip (and I don't have a choice since I currently only have the R1T and my motorcycles).
Oregon is a lot of hydro/wind, but I make my own; solar.
:cool:
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