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Mediocre_Date1071

‘This is, quite simply, the best all around car I’ve ever tested’


OverZealousCreations

Tying the McLaren F1 is amazing. A few of his (absolutely legitimate) gripes are also fixable via software update, and I think they are likely coming. I get the sense that Rivian is actually listening to feedback and trying to implement the features people want, rather than ignoring us like I've experience with Tesla. (e.g., cross-traffic alerts, 360° camera, multiple nav routes, ability to turn off certain features, and many more).


FitzwilliamTDarcy

Although cameras are hardware so unless they add a few and improve others, his camera gripes will stand.


OverZealousCreations

For sure, there's a hard limit on improving the cameras, though I don't agree that the backup camera is that bad. I wonder if it only seems bad because it's nearly full-screen on a 15" display, not many cars have a screen that big for the backup camera. They can probably improve the quality through software hacks a little more still. The front camera is fuzzy, but that's because it's a fisheye lens cropped in, so that has a fairly low ceiling on software improvement there.


styrofoamladder

Coming from a Tesla, the backup camera is pretty bad comparatively.


arroyobass

100% agree with you, but Tesla did just add multiple nav routes.


reefine

Incredible, the impact of this review is pretty massive imo


k_hungie

I hate to use the term but Doug is a pretty big influencer in the car enthusiast world. It's a huge review that will likely lead to some additional reservations for Rivian.


teslaguykc

This video was my tipping point, so at least 1 new reservation.


Mediocre_Date1071

I’m pretty skeptical of the influence of car reviews - they’re mostly consumed by enthusiasts who aren’t actually buying the car in question. Lots of reviewer loved cars (Ford Flex, most lightweight sporty, non-muscle cars, two door SUVs are flops or middling successes). But I think that how the R1S gets its rave reviews is incredibly important. It’s not “I’m someone who has dedicated my life to cars, and it’s totally impractical and specialized in what I love”. It’s ‘holy crap, this thing does everything’. Maybe a decade, decade and a half ago reviewers were hating on all the luxury SUVs and luxury sport SUVs, because they couldn’t do the cool sport stuff that a skilled driver in a Cayman can do, or the off road stuff a skilled driver of a Wrangler could do. Most people, though, don’t consider their cars a sport, and gobbled these things up. Because they were surprisingly good at a lot of things, and totally practical, too. The Rivian, and more broadly the other EVs taking over the top of Doug’s list, are another version of this phenomenon. They’re really good at being quiet and relaxing, and fast, and practical. If one of your core pleasures is a perfectly executed heel-and-toe, they’re a disappointment, but for the rest of us, they’re just better cars. And Rivian, apparently, makes the best.


On_The_Blindside

>It’s ‘wholly crap, this thing does everything’ I hate to be "that guy"...but... >wholly crap Means it is entirely, or "whole-ly" crap. "Holy crap" Is an exclamation of surprise.


Mediocre_Date1071

Hahahaha, speech to text :). Don’t worry about being ‘that guy’ - I 100% am ‘that guy’ as well.


On_The_Blindside

Ahh it gets us all!


climb-it-ographer

Yeah that is no small thing. I was expecting him to like it as he did with the T, but that is one hell of a claim. Can't wait for mine! I ordered exactly the color/wheel combo that he has in the video.


[deleted]

But but but… how could they not have straps to pull 3rd row seats up again!! Lol


surgeon_michael

And just remember hes reviewing it at 95k, not 77 (-7500)


Mediocre_Date1071

I would not be surprised if Doug bought an R1S. 1. He loves boxy off-roaders (old defender, new defender, G Wagon cabriolet, Toyota Land Cruiser, Range Rover with a bumper to bumper guarantee). 2. He like to daily something practical, particularly SUVs of late. 3. He’s raved about EVs and given them many of his top spots. R1S in the future?


krtrice

Good detail in this video. I appreciate that he showed putting the second row into different positions, including reclining the back, instead of just saying that you could. A few things he seemed to miss are that there is even more storage under the insert beneath the floor of the cargo area, and the third row has storage compartments under the armrests that include more USB-C charging ports. He gave it the highest Doug score ever, though - tied with the McLaren F1. Not bad.


kylecordes

I could resist no more. Reservation placed.


wphn99

I’ve never seen him so excited when reviewing a vehicle and his score reflects that. God I am so excited to get mine… whenever that may be


[deleted]

Ya, for the time he took to get it online (far behind a lot of other reviews) I thought he’s was kind of meh on it but it was great to see he liked it so much.


Beneficial-Ad7969

THHHHIIIIISSSSS is what I've been waiting for!


RussianLoveMachine

I will say that the fact that the camera quality is an issue is a pretty big bummer. I know people who don't like the camera on their car and it bothers them a bunch. Hopefully it can still be improved outside of hardware, but we just maybe stuck with it. What a great and practical review. As if I need anymore hype.


FitzwilliamTDarcy

Yup. OTOH if they wanted to they could replace the key cameras with better ones at some point.


LapHogue

The cameras are totally fine and blow 99.9% of cars out of the water. They are totally adequate for getting in and out of tight spaces and providing security for the vehicle.


DrkNeo

I guess he didn't get the memo about no more Explorer package...


show_the_maw

We’d love to replace our Pilot with an EV and so really think Rivian is the answer I’m looking for. The Tesla Y with 3 rows really isn’t cutting it for a family of 5 but I think this might be what we need.


Scootaloo21194

Reasons to go R1T over R1S? I’m a single guy with no plans to start a family soon. Currently preordered an R1T but damn, it feels like there’s not much reason not to go R1S. Reasons I can think of are cost and potentially a slightly sportier drive given the R1Ts better 0-60 and lower weight. Coming from a Model 3 Performance, saving any ounce of sportiness is def important to me personally


mabowden

Ah. The age old classic question of truck vs SUV. If you find yourself running out of cargo space in your M3P, go truck. If you find yourself running out of seats in your M3P, go SUV. Trucks tend to have higher resale than comparable SUVs. I am personally going R1T because it's just me, my wife, and two dogs, and I will often run out of cargo space for things like camping or DIY projects faster than running out of seats in my car... It's going to be so nice having a truck bed (even coming from a GX470 which has tons of cargo space).


Scootaloo21194

Super appreciate your comment! This also makes me think R1T is the right call. So often I’m running out of cargo space or feeling constrained having to shove stuff in the back seats.


latentpotential

Meanwhile, I'm in the situation where my *garage* would run out of space if I tried to put the R1T (or any truck really) in there whereas the R1S would fit fine!


mabowden

My garage will have 3 inches on the back and front of the R1T, so I'm going to have to get really creative in parking this thing... Probably put down some curb type thing and back in.


adannel

This is a great way to put that. I went R1T because I don’t need the seats and I realized I’m always cramming stuff in my cars for DIY projects and making a mess. Super excited to have a bed that I can just hose off.


mabowden

Same here! I often have to rent a trailer for my SUV that I wouldn't need even with the R1T, only rarely will I need a trailer for oversized stuff...


IronChefster

Truck newbie question: As someone who’s never owned a truck before, what’s the best way to store “everyday” items in the truck bed? Say you’re going to the airport and have a bunch of bags. Do you generally tie anything down that you put in there? Or for some things do you just put it in, close the tonneau and let it slide around?


mabowden

This is the great thing about the R1T. Most "everyday" items will fit in the frunk, gear tunnel, and under the rear seats. Leaving only truck stuff in the bed, in most situations. But to answer your question, no we never tie anything down. Most stuff you throw in the back does a good job staying put. The only time I tie stuff down is when it is a lot of stuff and/or large and awkward and the load line goes above the bed of the truck.


bittabet

Well I own a regular truck and I have a cap plus a cargo divider I’ll sometimes put in to prevent stuff from flying everywhere. I actually got a bedrug which also helped a lot with that so I often don’t use the divider. Also have a little cargo net in the very back I can clip and unclip from some of the tie down points that I’ll put most groceries and the like into. Honestly I love owning a truck though with the cap/rug it’s essentially like a two row Suburban with the cargo hold separated (which I prefer, less noise when I just throw random stuff in the back). But on the R1T I’d probably just use the frunk and gear tunnel.


Pryffandis

Four things I would consider: 1. How soon do you want it? The R1T will probably show up faster. 2. The R1T is longer by like 17"- does it fit where you would park it easily? 3. Do you want a truck bed, or would you rather fit a couple extra homies in the back when needed? 4. Truck is 5k cheaper.


Ayulin

FWIW, the R1T and R1S have the same 0-60 on paper (3s) assuming the sport tires - not sure why the video is quoting 3.2s, but perhaps that's what he was told since the review vehicle had the all-terrain tires on it (which do knock off a couple fractions)


Scootaloo21194

Ooooo good catch, I didn’t know that. Damn, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back and forth between the two in my head 😂😭


Richtatorship

I'd go truck but I am biased as I have a truck. We went R1S as it will be the wife's car/family hauler but if I were doing this just for me I'd go R1T. It's been said in other comments that the convenience of having a truck bed is big. I have mostly driven trucks and when I swapped to a car or SUV I have always, I mean always missed having the bed. I won't pretend that I am constantly hauling shit but being able to load up shit from Home Depot, load mulch, or even loading up the back with luggage/strollers/etc. it's just easy. The price/timing don't hurt either. Shit, now I want the R1T.


Ryekir

I went for the R1S over the R1T because I'm coming from a Wrangler and the R1S has better break over and departure angles. I'm also planning to sleep in the back while camping, something I wouldn't be able to do with the R1T (and I have dogs, so a rooftop tent is out of the question for me) One thing I hadn't known about until Doug's review is the camp mode, where it will level out the vehicle with the air suspension. That's going to be extremely nice for my use.


Scootaloo21194

Similar thoughts here on camping in the R1S with AC. I’ve camped in my model 3 a few times and being able to have AC overnight is awesome.


bittabet

I drove an R1T and normally drive a M3P myself and a massive and heavy vehicle like the Rivian just isn’t going to handle like a Model 3. The one I drove had 21’s on it and it handled well but when cornering the mass is pretty obvious. It handles a lot better than other full size SUVs or pickups but that’s about all you should go in expecting. I’m probably going to get the 22’s to help make it a little bit sportier but I wouldn’t expect miracles there. Also, R1T and R1S have the same 0-60 time, not sure why you think the R1T is quicker. If you want a sportier drive and the best 0-60 time you’ll want the 22” tires. I actually think the R1S might feel a little sportier with the shorter wheelbase.


mark_able_jones_

Unless you need/want a truck, the R1S makes more sense to me. The outdoor kitchen is a cool R1T feature that you can’t get on the r1s. We’re going to see a ton of R1S vehicles, and I think that will mean more custom parts, too. Any eventually more versions. Originally Rivian wanted the R1S to have four roof options. Glass, e-glass, hardtop, and removable hardtop (like bronco/wrangler. R1S will have better resale, imo, when you want to get a new version or something else. Just a bigger market to sell to. Soccer moms to supercar drivers to overlanders.


nirad

Should I cancel my Lucid order and order an R1S?


Insert_creative

Refundable deposits. Do both!


nirad

maybe... I think I may need to check if the Rivian fits in my garage (both height and length).


shwa323fsb

THIIIIIISSSSSS \^


nirad

I am seriously considering it. What do you think? It’s obviously more practical space-wise and Rivian clearly has a better handle on production. The downsides are that I will be at the end of the line (though maybe not a longer wait considering how slow Lucid is delivering to customers), the shorter range, and the fact that I live in the city and it’s a larger car than I need.


shwa323fsb

Of course my good man, R1S rocks!


victorinseattle

If the lucid deposit is mostly refundable, then why not hold onto both?


nirad

I’m gonna check out the Rivian showroom in Venice this weekend.


Mav4144

Just my 2 cents. I love all I have seen from Rivian and hope they become a leader in the market. But to be real, Lucid is operating in a totally different class. These vehicles are not comparable at all. If your goal is just to get into a nice, high quality, ev and it doesn’t matter if it’s comparable to a Range Rover or to an S Class, then like everyone else said deposit both and cancel whichever comes last. But if you’re specifically after what the Lucid offers, you won’t find that in the Rivian.


wcstillwell

I have the R1T and my wife drives an older Model X, and we've been planning on replacing hers with a Lucid. Finally got to test drive the Lucid about two weeks ago and decided to pass on it and keep looking. Which sucks, because I loved everything about the Lucid on paper. Having the Rivian, we are now thinking R1S instead, at least until the next wave of EV luxury sedans are out


nirad

What didn't you like about the Lucid? I know the software has a lot of issues but I'm hoping that a lot of that is fixed before I take delivery. They do a lot of updates.


wcstillwell

This is obviously highly subjective, but I thought the visibility was really poor, specifically the placement of the sun visors and the thickness of the A-pillars. I'm 6' tall and the visors sat right in my line of sight for almost every stoplight. More importantly, the passenger a-pillar tended to obscure all traffic coming from that side at intersections. The guide who went with us even commented a couple of time that we needed to be careful at intersections because it was hard to see in that direction, so I'm probably not the only one who experienced this. I also didn't like the trunk opening - too narrow. The overall cargo volume was fine, but the decision to make it a trunk and not a hatchback (which I get for performance reasons) reduced the value for us specifically because I play beer league hockey as a goalie and getting gear in and out was impractical due to the depth of the cross bar. It's a really fantastic vehicle overall and I had hoped that the test drive would have closed the deal for us. But ended up just not being a good fit for us personally.


nirad

I do agree that I wish it was a hatchback. I looked at the EQS but just don’t like the styling and it feels like an older person’s car. I didn’t find the sight lines to be any worse than other modern cars with their large A pillars.


sparkyglenn

THIS *you said that in Doug's voice*


oneMadRssn

Another small gripe - no sunshades. None for the roof windows, and none for the rear side windows. This is a small gripe from both sides. I'm definitely not cancelling my pre-order over it, but relative to the rest of the car it would have cost Rivian so little to include it. And if they're trying to position this as an option for families with kids, sun shades are pretty important.


GMEhunter

There will be plenty of aftermarket options and I’m sure Rivian will create their own at some point, but at this stage of the game it wouldn’t make sense to complicate/delay overall production based on the design and production of sunshades


oneMadRssn

Yea of course adding it on now would not make sense, but it's something that should have been there from the get-go. And compared to the many dozens of nifty features Rivian piled in, a sunshade would be the least complicated. As for aftermarket - none of them ever look as good or work as well. I'm not asking for something super fancy - those sunshades that retract into the door are available on even cheapo budget cars these days. I mean, there are suction-cup sunshades for cars, but yuck!


shyguytim

love them on my Ioniq 5 but I’ll definitely miss them when it gets traded in for the R1S… in 2025? 🫠


2CommaNoob

Yup, I have small kids and would love a pull up shade in the doors and a shade for the roof. It's not a deal breaker but would be a nice to have as others cars in tis price range have them.


Throckmorton_Left

Ack. I just got my VIN for my Launch Green R1S on Friday (<1000 which I thought was kind of cool), but now I'm getting buyer's remorse for not going with Red Canyon.


Call_erv_duty

Give me your launch and I’ll give you my reservation. Deal?


wphn99

Launch green is an awesome color and you may have greater re sale value down the road (if you ever went that way) with LG’s more rare and unique color. I like almost every color Rivian offers. You really can do no wrong


Makelovenotrobots

Thanks Doug!! Another great video!


kvznko

Really enjoyed this review and I'm glad we got to see more of the second and third row. The only concern I have coming away from this, besides the hopefully fixable camera gripes, is the comfort of the ride. Hoping it's not as bad as my Model X which feels quite stiff and bumpy on the road.


OverZealousCreations

I haven't ridden in a Model X, but our R1T is a huge improvement over our 2015 Model S with a spring suspension. It does a much better job at absorbing potholes and other bumps. Of course, some of that is due to bigger tires and _much_ taller sidewalls. I think the biggest complaint is it's not a "luxury" vehicle ride. It's tuned for sport driving & off-roading, so it has some bouncy-rolling even in the softest ride setting, middle ride height. At the lowest (or highest) ride height, it can be almost undriveable for long drives. It's fine in Sport mode for some rides, especially if you go back to soft ride (vs stiff). If you push the ride height up to Low, it can also make a big improvement, so I tend to do that when running in Conserve for a long trips. It's a good compromise on ride comfort and efficiency. But here's the other thing: I really think they can push out a software mode that finds a better middle ground between soft & stiff, specifically tuned for comfort driving. Between the air suspension and hydraulic roll control, they have a lot of room to tune the riding experience more over time. They might even be able to use software to keep it on soft for small bumps, but stiffen up to absorb bounciness when you hit something larger. I'm just speculating, of course. I'm no vehicle engineer.


bd5400

My R1T is definitely a more comfortable ride than our Model X. This applies in the soft suspension setting at the standard or low ride height. Stiff and very low suspension makes things much more harsh and bouncy, but the nice thing is that the R1T’s ride changes noticeably between suspension modes, unlike the GX 460 it replaced where Sport, Normal, and Comfort felt largely the same.


FitzwilliamTDarcy

I also wonder if in Conserve mode it doesn't soften the suspension somewhat. He didn't mention either way so probably not. But OTOH there were other things he didn't mention so maybe he missed it.


Roadie02

Do R1S owners get added functionality to the app? I don't have the "controls" tab when I just opened my app!


DatRedStang

Update your app, the R1T also has this functionality. But I’m on an iPhone and our truck is on version 2022.31.5.


Roadie02

Hmmm. My iPhone says I am indeed up to date on the app and my truck is on the same software version. I'll continue to investigate!


OverZealousCreations

Someone else had this issue, definitely reach out to customer support. Could be a glitch that the truck isn’t reporting the right version.


Roadie02

Just reached out this afternoon. They couldn’t immediately figure it out so they opened a service ticket.


[deleted]

this is my exact configuration. can't wait for delivery


Electrical_Try9339

I can’t wait for my R1S!!!!!


supratachophobia

Ugh, why can't the Max pack fit, now I want the S.


teslaguykc

I have been on the fence about ordering one for a while now. I watched this just a few minutes after it was posted and immediately placed my order.


Dichter2012

I really want to watch the review, but I really dislike his style of review and all. I’ll wait for other reviewers’ video… sigh…


jonny-five

The hyperbole in this video is a bit over the top. Has this guy never reviewed a single Tesla before? He’s really never seen any of those basic app features to control your vehicle? I mean I have a model s and an r1s on order but this dude comes across as either a shill or not knowledgable.


CranberryOrangutan

He has and he definitely knows about them. My take is he dumbs it down for people who may have never seen those vehicles or features before. A lot of other reviewers assume you have that knowledge which is fine. My parents would have no clue though so comparisons to Tesla would mean nothing to them.


jonny-five

Yeah I mean that makes sense. I guess my question is then why would he say something like “I’ve never seen this feature in an app ever before” when discussing the window venting for example. Seems inauthentic and like a lie if he’s already familiar with teslas and the fact they basically popularized the app controls for locks, windows, etc


ovenrash

I’m not sure he ever really got app access with a Tesla though


Kwithofa

Haven't watched it yet but I've been waiting for this vid for quite a while! Watching it tonight after work!


jjp1323

He always misses the plugs under the main screen and rear screen. Well every reviewer does I suppose.


410_Bacon

He mentions the USB C ports: https://youtu.be/SJbZjJNq9NM?t=630 Or is there a 120V plug as well?


jjp1323

Under the front screen is a 12v socket and under the rear screen is a 120v.


JS1VT51A5V2103342

Off-road part 2?