[EricW]

I am pretty concerned (like everyone else it seems) about the lack of CarPlay. I am sure that there are apps you can integrate, but what I am most concerned with is read and respond to texts via voice. Will the truck read my texts out loud to me? If not, as silly as it sounds, it's a dealbreaker for me. I am not gonna pay over 80k for a vehicle and have to pick up my phone while driving. It's kinda insane.

Also, is there one damn comprehensive review out there of the infotainment system with phone integration. Yes, we all know there is nav, but what about the rest?!?!

 

[kcsf]

Have you reached out to Rivian with this question?

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I’ve asked on multiple occasions. The answer is “no” rivian does not have this functionality. At best they give a wishy-washy “maybe in the future” but refuse to even commit to doing it at any future point.

plan on not having it available, imo.

 

[NY_Rob]

I wouldn't sweat it... by the time "most" of us get our vehicles it will be implemented via OTA update. This is just something that vehicles "need" in 2022.

 

[camaroz1985]

I wouldn't sweat it... by the time "most" of us get our vehicles it will be implemented via OTA update. This is just something that vehicles "need" in 2022.

As much as I would hope that would be the case, I don't bet on anything being added OTA. If it isn't available when you buy the vehicle, and Rivian has not specifically said it will be added on (insert date here, and no, "soon" doesn't count as a date), you should ask yourself if that feature is a deal breaker. If it truly is something you cannot live without, this might not be the vehicle for you. To buy a vehicle of any price with the speculation that something will be added because it is something that vehicles "need" is reckless speculation, with a huge potential for a disappointed buyer and ownership experience.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I wouldn't sweat it... by the time "most" of us get our vehicles it will be implemented via OTA update. This is just something that vehicles "need" in 2022.

if that is true, then great... but Rivian has said they have no current plans to add it. So I wouldn't bank on it.

 

[NY_Rob]

if that is true, then great... but Rivian has said they have no current plans to add it. So I wouldn't bank on it.

Well you're getting that from the almost useless reps that read from the owner manual. None of us have access to actual decision makers, so we really don't know where they stand on the matter.

 

[lefkonj]

This is the price we pay for driving these non-standard manufacturer EVs. I don't believe a Tesla does this either, just an alert.

While I will miss CarPlay I am hoping it just will be something to get used too.

 

[SANZCO2]

This is the price we pay for driving these non-standard manufacturer EVs. I don't believe a Tesla does this either, just an alert.

While I will miss CarPlay I am hoping it just will be something to get used too.

Tesla added it as an OTA a couple of years ago.

 

[lefkonj]

Tesla added it as an OTA a couple of years ago.

Tesla has CarPlay and Texting from through the system? I have never read about that. Always been told that doesn't exist just an alert you have a text.

 

[SANZCO2]

Tesla has CarPlay and Texting from through the system? I have never read about that. Always been told that doesn't exist just an alert you have a text.

No they do not have CarPlay, they do have the ability to read the text messages and respond through the Bluetooth connection. They display it on the driver display As well.

 

[TT97]

No they do not have CarPlay, they do have the ability to read the text messages and respond through the Bluetooth connection. They display it on the driver display As well.

They did, however, decide to make the text in tiny font on the last update.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Have you reached out to Rivian with this question?

yes.

I’ve asked on multiple occasions. The answer is “no” rivian does not have this functionality. At best they give a wishy-washy “maybe in the future” but refuse to even commit to doing it at any future point.

plan on not having it available, imo.

 

[NoVAMC]

I've been asking about this since putting my deposit in Feb of '20.

IMO, this is a hole in the Tesla and Rivian strategy but (at least I thought) a place for optimism for Rivian given their relationship with Amazon.

I drive a Model Y and their infotainment system is years behind what my daughter has in her Ford Escape. There are so many reasons why that is that i won't list here but it's the result of Tesla's walled garden approach - which Rivian seems to be copying. And yes, as one example, it can read text messages but it gets confused a lot with alerts, the UI is horrible and the voice processor is way below average.

With Rivian, I keep waiting to hear about an "Alexa Inside" approach. There is no way a lone group of engineers in Normal or San Francisco can come close to what Apple, Google, or Amazon has already done. And I don't see the revenue/margin math that tells Rivian that's the smartest thing to do either. But maybe it'll never happen.

For me, the Tesla is by far the best car I've ever driven. But the interior is so plain and infotainment so bad that i will switch to any other EV as soon as something is competitive with the car part. (As mentioned, Tesla got a major UI upgrade last week. IMO it's really bad for any number of reasons. It just doesn't seem like something Tesla is putting their best and brightest to work on).

Let's all hope for better news from Rivian over the next year.

 

[rickydsc]

As much as I would hope that would be the case, I don't bet on anything being added OTA. If it isn't available when you buy the vehicle, and Rivian has not specifically said it will be added on (insert date here, and no, "soon" doesn't count as a date), you should ask yourself if that feature is a deal breaker. If it truly is something you cannot live without, this might not be the vehicle for you. To buy a vehicle of any price with the speculation that something will be added because it is something that vehicles "need" is reckless speculation, with a huge potential for a disappointed buyer and ownership experience.

I completely agree. I did a First Drive at my home a few weeks ago and I wanted to test the Alexa functionality and navigation to see if it could compete with CarPlay. Unfortunately, it wasn't available in the truck I had so I couldn't test it. When I asked about it, the guy who brought the truck couldn't answer the question, which isn't surprising. The nav system didn't even have Electrify America stations in it, which I'm sure will be added at some point. At this point, I'm 50/50 on whether I move forward with the Rivian. I'm not willing to give up CarPlay unless the replacement is just as good or better. My VW ID 4's infotainment system sucks, but the car is wonderfully easy to live with because of CarPlay.

 

[R99]

I completely agree. I did a First Drive at my home a few weeks ago and I wanted to test the Alexa functionality and navigation to see if it could compete with CarPlay. Unfortunately, it wasn't available in the truck I had so I couldn't test it. When I asked about it, the guy who brought the truck couldn't answer the question, which isn't surprising. The nav system didn't even have Electrify America stations in it, which I'm sure will be added at some point. At this point, I'm 50/50 on whether I move forward with the Rivian. I'm not willing to give up CarPlay unless the replacement is just as good or better. My VW ID 4's infotainment system sucks, but the car is wonderfully easy to live with because of CarPlay.

Hey @rickydsc thanks for sharing this about your first drive. Were you able to test out the rest of the infotainment system? How did it feel aside from the lack of Alexa?

 

[NoVAMC]

Btw, Polestar building their car from ground up with native Google integration:. Volvo shows off the Polestar 3’s sweet new Android Automotive interface

 

[rickydsc]

Hey @rickydsc thanks for sharing this about your first drive. Were you able to test out the rest of the infotainment system? How did it feel aside from the lack of Alexa?

I didn't look at it that closely. I was mostly focusing on driving. But in general it looked like it worked well for the car functions. The nav system clearly isn't ready for prime-time, which is why I think CarPlay is mandatory. I doubt we'll proceed unless Alexa's addition can duplicate or improve upon what CarPlay offers. No way we're going to spend this much on a vehicle that doesn't work as well for us as the one we already have.

 

[eHauler]

I completely agree. I did a First Drive at my home a few weeks ago and I wanted to test the Alexa functionality and navigation to see if it could compete with CarPlay. Unfortunately, it wasn't available in the truck I had so I couldn't test it. When I asked about it, the guy who brought the truck couldn't answer the question, which isn't surprising. The nav system didn't even have Electrify America stations in it, which I'm sure will be added at some point. At this point, I'm 50/50 on whether I move forward with the Rivian. I'm not willing to give up CarPlay unless the replacement is just as good or better. My VW ID 4's infotainment system sucks, but the car is wonderfully easy to live with because of CarPlay.

Do you have any reservations in for other new cars?
Putting the probabilities in your favor by doing that is probably the best move.

 

[rickydsc]

Lucid Air