[Everdean65]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

 

[MtnRIVN]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

 

[MtnRIVN]

Thanks for the intell…I hope to be doing a similiar trip to Moab after I receive my R1S.
Good to know I may have to go to Denver from the mtns.
Were charging stations readily available in Moab?

 

[Cactus]

@Everdean65-
What exactly do you mean by cruise control? You mentioned highway assist and cruise control. Different systems? I don't intend to use auto pilot (I enjoy driving), but I do like regular cruise control, even adaptive cruise if it's done properly.

 

[Pfeinber]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

Great write-up Everdean65. Thanks for posting. One question... Isn't the "Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3" because the battery is 2x the size (about 75kw v 135kw)? Or is the number of miles per minute average half of what you get at a Tesla Supercharger? Can you clarify? Thanks again.

 

[Cactus]

Charging is usually faster with a larger battery when starting with <50% charge. It tapers as the battery gets full of electrons.
But if the charging station is level 1 or level 2 and not direct DC level 3, charging will be pretty slow no matter what.

 

[Everdean65]

@Everdean65-
What exactly do you mean by cruise control? You mentioned highway assist and cruise control. Different systems? I don't intend to use auto pilot (I enjoy driving), but I do like regular cruise control, even adaptive cruise if it's done properly.

Adaptive cruise control is the system that was seeing errors with bright lights/setting sun. Sorry, I am mixing Tesla terminology with Rivian. Rivian doesn’t have Auto Pilot, it has highway assist. Similar functions as it steers the vehicle for you. I love it on the highway, and I appreciate the way it works in my R1T as compared to my Model3. Unlike theTesla’s Auto Pilot, the R1T is only available on major interstate highways, at least here in CO. They say it will be continuously expanding and improving. I am not a technology geek, but I believe they were explaining that it will expand as more of the roadways are mapped out, perhaps as they are more frequently driven by Rivian owners?

 

[Everdean65]

Charging is usually faster with a larger battery when starting with <50% charge. It tapers as the battery gets full of electrons.
But if the charging station is level 1 or level 2 and not direct DC level 3, charging will be pretty slow no matter what.

Makes sense. Also, as they advised, it seems to be speeding up now and charging faster than it did in the first few days.

 

[Jhawk]

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.

As a fellow reservation holder living on the I70 corridor on the KS side, I would love to hear more about your real range experiences. Based on my Model S experiences I was expecting 20-45% less depending on wind and weather when traveling 75-80mph.

 

[Everdean65]

Thanks for the intell…I hope to be doing a similiar trip to Moab after I receive my R1S.
Good to know I may have to go to Denver from the mtns.
Were charging stations readily available in Moab?

I saw a lot of charging options in Moab online. Even better, Rocky Mountain Power across from Swany Park has a free ChargePoint DC fast charger in their lot, as well as a slower one (level 2?). I was there daily. It took maybe an hour to get from 20 something to 70% on the fast charger, and on my last day I let it sit on the level 2 for about 5 hours to get the same amount of charge while I went for a bike ride.
FYI they didn’t make me go to Denver, but advised that they would likely have my truck delivered by a third party. I said hell no and told them I’d come get it, which is not their normal delivery style. I didn’t want any delays once I knew it was in Denver. I was about ready to camp out at their door step if they hadn’t let me come get it ASAP.

 

[SpenceCO]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

‘congrats!

hope to see ya around town in that beast. Great choice blacked out

 

[Everdean65]

As a fellow reservation holder living on the I70 corridor on the KS side, I would love to hear more about your real range experiences. Based on my Model S experiences I was expecting 20-45% less depending on wind and weather when traveling 75-80mph.

Before putting my bike and carrier on the hitch in Boulder, Utah..(yes…a different Boulder), I was experiencing just about 3 miles range for every 1 percent of battery spent, equaling 300 miles range. When I put the bike on the back, wheels both extending past the sides a bit and adding drag, that dropped to about 2.4 miles for every 1 percent. That was both on I70 and on Hwy 50 between Grand Junction and Montrose.

 

[rajiv.shahi]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

Did you get the Off-Road package too?

 

[Jhawk]

Before putting my bike and carrier on the hitch in Boulder, Utah..(yes…a different Boulder), I was experiencing just about 3 miles range for every 1 percent of battery spent, equaling 300 miles range. When I put the bike on the back, wheels both extending past the sides a bit and adding drag, that dropped to about 2.4 miles for every 1 percent. That was both on I70 and on Hwy 50 between Grand Junction and Montrose.

What a beautiful area! Gunnison, Blue Mesa Lake, Black Canyon, Cimarron, Tin Cup….. many memorable vacations out there with my grandparents in my younger days. I need to get my kids out there. You’re very lucky!

 

[Yossarian]

Congrats @Everdean65! Thanks for the write-up, with special thanks for the detail regarding towing.

Before putting my bike and carrier on the hitch in Boulder, Utah..(yes…a different Boulder), I was experiencing just about 3 miles range for every 1 percent of battery spent, equaling 300 miles range. When I put the bike on the back, wheels both extending past the sides a bit and adding drag, that dropped to about 2.4 miles for every 1 percent. That was both on I70 and on Hwy 50 between Grand Junction and Montrose.

Every data point about range impact is helpful to planning for life with an EV for those of us planning to tow. Your data kind of gives us an important starting point for range loss, as youre experience is with a very light, not particularly high drag load. The Rivian testing at max capacity with a bulky trailer gives us the other end. The couple of towing videos posted give us some idea of what to expect between those extremes. I ballparked a 40% range loss for towing my teardrop with an R1T Max, and it's great to have some information to help validate that estimate.

Again, all the best with your R1T.

 

[MilesK]

Rivian Blue, black mountain interior, 20” black off road wheels and tires. My pre-order was January 2020. They estimated April-May delivery window, and I got my first call from my guide in early March. I am outside of their delivery area (Crested Butte, Colorado), so they said they’d let me arrange for pickup at their service center. Within a week, the dummy VIN they gave me for insurance quoting changed to my actual VIN, and my guide said my vehicle had arrived in Denver with about 40 others. I took the first available “delivery” date after changing my delivery address to the address of the service center (had to do some detective work to find them as they weren’t officially open). I took the daily bus to Denver at 5am and at 11:00am I was staring at my truck.

The delivery team was super-friendly, and went over as much as I wanted them to. I planned to immediately drive it 500 miles to southern Utah, so they let me out of there after a brief walk through, but were willing to show me everything if I had wanted to stick around. Driving through the city, I had numerous folks pulling out phones to video me passing by.

After a quick stop at my primary home deep in the desert to grab camping gear, pack-rafts and my mountain bike, I headed to Moab for the weekend. I couldn’t have been more conspicuous had I been driving the Batmobile. I realized I truly was the first live R1T almost anyone had seen.

Almost 1,200 miles in the first five days, it has exceeded my expectations in just about every way. To keep this post from being a book filled with repeat praise, I will mention the few challenges and/or quirks I’ve noticed, but in no way am I the least disappointed in this amazing machine.

Observations so far:

1. Even with the off road wheels and tires, I am truly getting close to 300 miles of range on the highway. Amazing, as my long range Tesla gets about 65-70 percent of its claimed range with normal driving.
2. Adding an XL 29er mtn bike on the back on a hitch mounted carrier affected the mileage by 10-15%, so I will be experimenting with ways to get around the 70” max for “over the bed” mounting of a bike carrier. I don’t want to lose any of the already compromised bed space.
3. The “frunk” and the gear tunnel make up for some of the small bed, but it will still take some getting used to after having a full sized Tundra with a topper for the last 15 years. Can’t just toss in everything without a second thought.
4. The cruise control was glitchy driving directly into sunset and when a vehicle with bright lights was headed toward me in the opposite lane. I had numerous errors and paused using it again until the sun was down.
5. The highway assist (auto-pilot) is definitely not as developed as Tesla, and was only available on the one major interstate highway I drove. I loved that it doesn’t restrict you to under 80mph or max 5 over speed limit like Tesla. No “punishing” you by cutting the feature off if you try to exceed 80mph. I70 has an 80 mph speed limit and I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you come upon a truck doing 70 something, hit the accelerator to pass them in the left and get all the alarms and a spanking from Tesla when you hit 81 mph on the passing move. Good job Rivian.
6. My camp speaker isn’t working properly and immediately disconnects and shuts down after successful pairing. They have a trouble ticket set up for me and I hope to hear back soon.
7. Overall, great customer support every time I called them to ask a question or report a glitch. I am confident they will correct the issues I have had with both cruise control and the camp speaker.
8. The build quality and finish puts my Model 3 to shame. Unbelievably luxurious in every way. Driving in all purpose mode over wash boarded double tracks, I could easily sip a glass of wine and never splash a drop (although I’m not much for wine). It is very easy to not realize how fast you are going in this truck, as it is soooo smooth and quiet.
9. Charging is taking twice as long as my long range Model3, both on a DC fast charger on the road (a little over an hour for going from 20 to 70%), and at home on a Tesla wall charger with adaptor (12-13 hours for 20-70%). They said this will speed up after I own it for a few weeks. I am guessing their charging network will also be faster once it is built out. I certainly hope so.

As stated before, I am very happy with the truck and I am willing to give them time to work through these issues. Even with these quirks, I am one happy camper. Hail Rivian!

Great writeup @Everdean65! Thanks for all the info about your time with the R1T so far. For your camp speaker, do you have to send it back to Rivian to get it fixed?

 

[eHauler]

@Everdean65 are driving dynamics of the R1T what you expected them to be before taking delivery? I noticed in a lot of first drives that journalists were surprised by how car-like it felt.

 

[Everdean65]

Did you get the Off-Road package too?

I have the launch edition, and I hate to say I’m not positive what the difference is between that and the specific off road package. When I configured I don't believe that was an option, and mine came with everything they were offering at the time. Only additions I made were the Rivian Blue paint, the 20” black off road wheels and tires and the camp kitchen, which I was advised to remove if I wanted any chance of getting my truck soon. Those are delayed. I’ve got the tow hooks, so maybe someone else who’s dove even deeper can tell us if I’m missing anything that is now part of the off road package. It seems like they took a lot of the included launch edition features and broke them up into packages or options for future configurations.

 

[Everdean65]

‘congrats!

hope to see ya around town in that beast. Great choice blacked out

Are you in the valley? I’ll be at the Brick Friday evening for their going away party.

 

[Everdean65]

Great writeup @Everdean65! Thanks for all the info about your time with the R1T so far. For your camp speaker, do you have to send it back to Rivian to get it fixed?

I’m waiting to hear from them. I hope not!