2023 Rivian R1S

Love it! Except for the ride quality.

Saturday, January 28, 2023

I ordered my R1S in November 2020 and received it in January 2023. I have been driving it for three weeks and I really do love the vehicle. Pros: - great styling inside and out - plenty of room for my family of five - it does not feel like an EV - lots of storage space in the front and back - surprisingly good electronics for an early edition, homegrown software suite - native Spotify and TuneIn integration and the maps/settings/gear guard are all great - fantastic sound system - lots of key types - phone, key card, key fob, wristband Cons: - no CarPlay so you can’t see your iMessages on the screen or use your favorite non-Spotify music app easily, like YouTube Music or Amazon Music or Apple Music; maps are also not as good with traffic showing odd backups in places where there are none - the ride quality is poor. It feels like an off-road vehicle; you feel every bump in the road and it’s got a surprising amount of road noise. My Volkswagen Atlas that I traded up from had far less noise and a much better ride quality. - Driver+ and cruise control feel slightly jerky. I’m assuming that this will be refined in future updates, but they are not smooth now. Overall, though, I’m really happy with the vehicle and I’d but it again!

Ultimate Family EV SUV - Sport Truck - Kid Hauler

Thursday, June 22, 2023

This EV is really impressive. Our family can sit comfortable in any row, (yes even the 3rd row) on long trips. I am 5'9" and I sat in the 3rd row for 4 hours with no issues. The number charging ports, reclining seats, constant software updates, thrill of the drive in sports mode are just some of the reasons this is one of my favorite vehicles of all time. Is it perfect, not but most vehicles are not. Any issue we have had Rivian has gone above and beyond to make sure it is corrected. They even call us after the service to make sure we are happy. The purchase process was seamless. Charging at home is super easy. Charging on the road is easy since it charges really fast. We have over 7,000 miles and after 5 long road trips, we are still happy. We usually are topped off at 321 miles with our 22" wheels based on conserve mode. A reason why we chose this over a Tesla Model X is the true range it provides and more space interior for seating and loading the family gear on our trips. The massive frunk and room in the cargo area above and below (if you opt not to get the spare tire). For a young company Rivian is just super impressive. I am speaking from a vantage point of someone who has owned/leased 50+ vehicles if that helps put things in perspective.. I definitely recommend the R1S.

Pre order R1S

Sunday, June 04, 2023

Pre Ordered R1S in Sep 21 and should be receiving it by this Dec. Test drove it , I can’t agree more with the other reviewer wrt pros/cons. The car looks amazing, way better interior than Model X ( but still doesn’t have the luxury feel of a BMW, Mercedes EVs ), plenty of room, brutal power. But the poor ride quality, annoying road noise leave a lot to be desired. You feel every bump, pothole on the road. I asked the dealer guy sitting next to me if I had been driving in the wrong mode and if the mode needs to be changed , he said this is the smoothest mode available. I never understood Rivian’s obsession with offroading since the beginning, may be R1T could’ve been designed exclusively to do that. R1S could’ve been for daily driving, I need a car to go to work in ATL city conditions. 70% of drivers would be like me who never really drive in the rocks/sand. I had been driving a Model X, test drove BMW iX , the ride is incredibly smooth in both of them, zero noise, great suspension and ride quality that’d put any gas car to shame . I’m still excited to get the R1S and hopefully (if any software updates as they say )could fix the bumpy ride, road noise. If not, will have to sell it .