No way! The Defenders and Broncos look a million times better in person than they do in pictures. What did you think about the Rivian?

 

It was white and spotlessly clean. It had presence — caught my eye while in the middle of a line of parallel-parked cars (mostly similar-size SUVs). The nose is quirky but more “unusual” than “ugly” to my eye.

The design looked clean and purposeful and enough different to make you look twice, without the odd quirkiness that has usually marked EVs to this point.

Wait… I’m sorry — just reviewed in my mind and it was the pickup, not the SUV. Everything else I said is true, and it’s still the first Rivian I’ve seen. But it wasn’t the SUV.

 

First off the OP said "400 mile range". That ain't happening. "Estimated" range is 316 mi and if you add the "all terrain" tires that will apparently drop 8-10% (and another 10-20% in winter driving, and another 10% at highway speeds...). I have an order for an R!S in Canada but will cancel it as soon as my D110 V8 arrives in a few weeks. The price for my R1S just went from $105,000 CDN to $121,000. Big jump. I want to love the truck but I decided to do another ICE for 4-5 years. I'm hopeful they will have a true 400 mi range EV SUV by then.

 

Wow that is a crazy price jump. Back in 2020 when I was vehicle shopping I was debating going the route of Rivian vs getting a defender. I like the idea of going to an electric vehicle but the pricing is now completely out of bounds for that. I am glad I did not wait around.

From a consumer standpoint it feels really crummy to reserve something at a certain price only to be told that due to the companies inability to produce the vehicle quick enough to meet demand you will now have to pay more (and 20% seems ridiculous). I wonder if what ever is going on behind closed doors is why the Ford/Rivian deal fell apart or why amazon is taking interest in Stellantis.

 

It's the Max battery that gets 400. Expected to be available in the R1S in 2023. I planned to get the max pack and see how the original post was misleading and adjusted it.

 

Sorry if I was too aggressive with my reply. Where (and when) is this info from? Currently there is a question if the Max Battery Pack will be available on the R1S. As it stands, the dual motor AWD R1S with the "Large Pack" has a range of 515 KM (320 mi).

From their website today - "From the hottest places to the coldest — from 130ºF to -25ºF — our battery systems were built to explore, delivering between 260 – 320+ miles of range depending on the battery pack and motor that you select. The Dual-Motor and 21" wheel combination is the most efficient, with the 20” and 22” wheels having a range reduction of 10-15% and 5-10% respectively. Estimates will vary depending on driving style and conditions."

All of us on this forum (okay, most. okay, maybe only me) want the quad motor with the 20" wheels and AT tires which drops the range to 270 mi.

 

I didn't find it aggressive at all. I recall seeing notes on the configuration page (now there are none) that mentioned to "upcoming max pack battery details and pricing as we get closer to launch".

Various media outlets like this one have basically said it's expected. My wife already has a Taycan on order so that puts us in the Defender for road trips. No way would I buy an EV with ~300 miles. I need range. If the max pack is really gone, that's just one more reason.

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/43691/...r1s-until-2023

I want quad motor too btw!

 

My two cents, It is a money grab/mispricing disguise as economic conditions. I noticed that you could still get the Rivian close to the original price but you have to forgo the quad engine and the large pack. The original estimate gave you those for free but now they charge. Rivian is hoping that you will still want the all in and willing to spend more. Instead of saying we got the pricing wrong, they said inflation. Inflation is not a one-time thing for example everyone is quoting 7%. Meaning that everything is going up 7%. In reality, Inflation is a rate of change month by month. So when inflation is reported as 7% that means the rate of change from the previous month is 7%. That number can go up or down. The second part of inflation is that it is comprised of many different variables. When you break out the different variables, you will notice that the monthly change of many of the variables is 1 to 2%. But how did we get to 7%, simple, Transportation/Shipping/Warehouse and Rental Housing created the biggest jump in inflation. Transportation and Rent account for about 75% of our Consumer Price Index (this is the index that shows the rate of change month to month) Transportation Costs increased 17% due to labor shortage for example a 40ft shipping container cost about 1000USD in 2017. At end of Jan 22, you are looking at 10,000 USD for the same container traveling East to West.
The problem Rivian creates is that once supply-side economics catches up, will they lower the price when so called inflationary pressures roll off. I doubt it.

 

1) this is a weird comparison (electric vs petrol?)

2) I have a reservation for the long range (400 miles) expected in 2024.

3) even with the price increase, it’s still less than other electric vehicles (GM Hummer SUV, Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, etc)

4) it’s only money

 

I don't think it's a weird comparison at all. EV's are political, dirty, and an environmental disaster waiting to happen but they sure as heck are fun to drive! The torque on that truck is over 900 fp.

I'm with you on it still being less than others but I'm not really sure it is anymore. To get to that 400 mile range you'll need to blow $10,k on a battery upgrade to the Max pack and, don't forget the subscription plan that they said adds $3000 per year for self-driving and free charging.

$106k and that $250/month free charging is more than some Taycans and I would tell you that's a ludicrous comparison but my wife had a Rivian R1S on order and just bought... a Taycan. Arrives in 51 days.