What makes Reddit so great is that it is a forum to discuss anything and everything, with many people giving their unfettered opinions on cars, tech toys and even Costco buys.
So an electric truck designed by Wilfried Kohlbauer, the German designer formerly from Porsche and the lead interior designer of the R1T, will definitely attract a lot of discussion on Reddit.
As of September 2022, we’re looking at the one year anniversary since Rivian rolled out their R1T electric truck. Are buyers happy? Any regrets? Unexpected problems? Surprising joys?
For those not so familiar with the specs of this new electric truck with its friendly design, here’s the rundown:
- Battery range – Up to 400+ miles on a full charge depending on battery pack size
- Around $73,000 K in price and up depending on options.
- Power and performance – Quad motor AWD provides up to 750 horsepower and 0-60 mph in 3 seconds
- Fast charging – Can add up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes at fast charging stations
- Towing capacity – Up to 11,000 lbs towing capacity
- Off-road capabilities – Built on a skateboard platform with up to 14.9″ ground clearance, designed to handle off-road terrain
- Storage – Has a front trunk (“frunk”) and gear tunnel that provides extra lockable storage in addition to the truck bed
- Technology – Large touchscreen display, over-the-air software updates, driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control
- Customization – Available in different battery pack sizes, interior options, and accessory packages to customize
- Sustainability – Rivian aims for carbon neutrality by 2028 through use of sustainable materials and renewable energy in operations
Let’s dig into the Redditor’s comments on the Rivian R1T. It should be noted that many of them also seem to be prior Tesla owners as well.
Mr. Vagabond, who also owns a Tesla Model 3, described his experience with his Rivian truck, “It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of vehicles. It does everything really well. Off road, racing mid-life crisis Porsches, grocery shopping, home improvement, backyard gardening, camping trips, shuttling two kids & gear around, airing up bike tires and inflatable SUPs, fits in parking spots, etc. and does it all in style and comfort.”
Baby Wrinkles was really happy with the towing capacity. “It tows like a dream for that one or two times a year you really need a big trailer too.”
J3ST3Rx is a rural driver who is impressed by the truck’s rugged performance. He was worried it was going to be a “show pony” for urban hipsters. “Have about 20k miles on it now. Absolutely LOVE this truck. I use it like a truck, I don’t baby it…its not garage kept, not a suburbia vehicle (I live rurally). I haven’t had to take it in for service at all tho I do have some suspension creaks I will eventually have them fix. Overall it’s just been such a dream to drive and use.”
And on the other end of the spectrum, Successful_Till906,a luxury car owner compares the R1T favorably to many of the luxury vehicles he has owned. “I owned a Mercedes E350 before I bought my R1T. I received the R1T in Nov 2022 and so far have put on 3000 miles. I can honestly say the R1T is the most awesome vehicle I have ever owned included having previously owned Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Volvo, Nissan, Subaru, and others. What I love about the R1T is it looks nice, has a very plush interior, has great technology (safety and entertainment) rides like its on pillows, drives like a sports car, and has great utility from loading the back at HD to taking it on the beach and offroad. While it is an expensive vehicle, it is well worth it if you have the money. I honestly can’t think of a vehicle I would rather own now regardless of price.”
Since electric vehicles have eliminated the traditional car parts involved with a combustion engine, these zero-emission vehicles are now more software-controlled than hardware driven.
I wondered how people liked the underlying software ecology of the Rivian R1T. One owner who owns both a Tesla and the Rivian truck commented, “Rivian updates their software as often or maybe more often than Tesla does. I’m not worried about obsolescence. The auto steer is better for the Tesla but that’s about it. The Rivian has features Tesla software does not. It has drive modes and Tesla does not. The Rivian has the adjustable height through the screen which is awesome.”
Perhaps in the future, vehicles will be judged by their software, computing or chip power than their horse power? Can’t wait!
By Ariel Penn, September 21, 2023
Photo Credit: Benjamin Hollis from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons