Rivian SUV Owner Shares First Impressions

Darrell Woo has beforehand shared with us about his Teslas and his father’s Ioniq 5. He additionally uploads loads of movies about EVs on his YouTube channel. Not too long ago, he changed his Mannequin Y with a Rivian SUV. It appeared like a very good alternative to get some inside info on this intriguing EV, so I reached out to him and he shared his first impressions beneath.

First, here’s a fast R1S snapshot:

• All-electric SUV
• Three seat rows
• 260 miles of vary for the usual battery pack, over 300 for the bigger non-compulsory pack
• Massive frunk and rear cargo space
• Costs — $79,800 and up
• 0–60 mph in about 3.1 seconds with the quad motor powertrain
• Weight: a bit over 7,000 kilos

Why did you select to get the Rivian?

They’re similar to Tesla in loads of methods, from the direct to client mannequin to their very own charging community. I’m assured this firm will make it as a result of they’ve merchandise that no one else available in the market is providing proper now. At the moment they’re promoting each SUV they’ll construct and have a backlog effectively into 2024. And even when they do begin to stutter, they’re Amazon backed, so they’d in all probability soar in and purchase Rivian if it got here all the way down to that.

Did you contemplate comparable EVs such because the Tesla Mannequin X?

We did. However since we’ve had this preorder in since July 2021, my closing value was fairly a bit cheaper than right now’s pricing. Moreover, the Mannequin X was nonetheless costlier than right now’s Rivian pricing and actually not a lot larger than a Mannequin Y. We had been on the lookout for a real SUV, not an outsized crossover.

Was there a federal tax credit score obtainable? Any California incentive?

As a result of we ordered so early, we had been capable of reap the benefits of the “outdated” EV federal credit score for automobile firms who hadn’t bought 200,000 items. We had been sadly not capable of reap the benefits of any CA credit or rebates although.

Which model of the Rivian did you get and the way a lot horsepower does it have?

At the moment solely quad motor R1Ts and R1Ss can be found. The quad motor variants have about 835 HP and about 900 ft. lb of torque. That’ll shoot you to 0–60 in 3 seconds! In a 7,000+lb SUV!

How lengthy have you ever had it and what do you want about it to this point?

We took supply a bit over 3 weeks in the past. The scale and space for storing. Tons of room within the hatch for our 2 canine plus gear. And an enormous further area within the frunk for much more storage. No joke, a full dimension grownup would have the ability to match into the frunk. That’s how huge it’s.

How spacious is the frunk?

There may be precise utilization room to retailer a ton of stuff. Not simply 2 grocery baggage or a pizza, haha. I imagine it’s measured out to 11 cu ft.

How spacious is the inside in comparison with your Teslas?

Enormous. To be truthful, the Mannequin Y was comfy as a 5 seater. Nothing fallacious with it. However the R1S has a ton more room and you’ll match 7 adults within the automobile with no issues. The third row is a lot sufficiently big for any grownup on a protracted street journey. Sadly, you probably have a 7-seater Mannequin Y, you’ll be able to’t say the identical.

How are the dealing with and construct high quality?

Dealing with and construct high quality are glorious. No loopy panel gaps. Automotive handles nice for an SUV. Tesla house owners would want to know that this isn’t a crossover on a automobile chassis, however a full on SUV constructed on a truck platform (physique on body). So the automobile will not be going to be as nimble. But it surely additionally has rather more room, so there’s that.

What’s the car’s guarantee?

As with many issues Rivian, it’s fairly just like Tesla. 5 12 months bumper to bumper or 60,000 miles. 8 12 months battery pack and drivetrain or 175,000 miles. 8 12 months physique corrosion guarantee as effectively.

Did it is advisable to get a special residence charger?

No. Though the NEMA 14-50 solely will get you 15 MPH on a Rivian, we don’t drive that a lot. So it’s completely wonderful for us. Nonetheless, it’s possible you’ll need to improve to a 48A on 60A breaker charger just like the Rivian wall charger or Tesla wall charger. It relies on your state of affairs and the way a lot you drive. A median commute would nonetheless be wonderful on a NEMA 14-50 if charged each night time. I’m contemplating getting a Tesla wall charger (J1772 model) only for enjoyable for the coolness issue, however we’ll see.

The place do you cost the Rivian exterior of your house?

Proper now I’d have to make use of Electrify America for DCFC (Rivian DCFC aren’t in our space but). Nonetheless, the cherry on prime of me was that Rivian can be leaping to the Tesla plug/community subsequent spring. So as soon as the SC community is open to Rivian, I plan on utilizing that solely for DCFC. Rivian has introduced that for us early adopters which have J1772/CCS cost ports, they may present us adapters to cost on Tesla’s community totally free.

 

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