Rivian R1T Review After 1 Week | I Can't Believe I Bought A Truck

Intro Rivian transition from Tesla I've been driving this new 2024 rivan r1t for the past week and let me tell you it's packed with some really interesting and impressive features but before we dive into that I want to give you some context I'm coming from a Tesla Model 3 and yes I still own it it was my first EV and it remains an amazing car that makes driving simple accessible and a lot of fun the model 3 along with the model y are a fantastic choice for anyone looking to break into the EV Market thanks to their Simplicity their expansive and reliable supercharger Network in America and the wealth of content available for Tesla owners but after some time you start to wonder what other electric vehicles are out there and what do they have to offer and that's where rivan comes in rivan's story is similar to Tesla's in many ways and today I want to share with you what it's been like to transition from my model 3 to my new rivan r1t Driving Experience now let's start with the Driving Experience where one of the biggest differences immediately stood out the suspension the r1t suspension is in a completely different League compared to the Tesla Model 3 the r1t features air suspension with multiple levels of stiffness while my model 3 relies solely on coil springs but this difference isn't just about mechanics it's about the feel of the drive and I find that the rough patches on the road the ones that I would usually Dodge in my model 3 are no longer an issue with the r1t it's a smoother ride overall and more customization depending on my mood a soft ride offers a more comfortable trip while a firm ride transforms the truck into a quick and maneuverable sports car and that's something that I truly appreciate in the r1t the ability to choose and enhance my Driving Experience depending on what I feel like and with Cabin Noise this comes an improvement in Cabin noise there seems to be more insulation blocking out the noises from The Real World and that could possibly be due to the air suspension and increased ride height from the ground now this is more noticeable when driving on the highway but either way this isn't something that would stop me from going back to my model 3 what does keep me in the r1t though is the increased performance but Performance let's be real it's not a fair comparison and this video isn't meant to be a comparison between these two different vehicles at two very different price points going from my single motor rear wheel drive model 3 to the Dual Motor Performance r1t just puts an even bigger smile on my face the instant torque that launches you back into the seat will never get old so you could say that I'm more than happy with the overall performance of both vehicles but the r1t takes it but I'm happy to announce Steering and Regen Braking that both rivan and Tesla translate very well between steering Dynamics and regenerative braking I had no trouble when I first started driving the r1c it's a very similar experience to the Tesla both companies really have this dialed in so well that jumping between the two cars is no issue at all but Software where Tesla really continues to lead the pack is in the software department now don't get me wrong rivian software is very good but they're missing some key features that I've grown to love in my Tesla some of these might be added in future updates but this is about my current car not some hypothetical update down the road first off there's no way to view live stream of the cameras in the rivan like you can in a Tesla and to go along with that I can't even check in with my dog when he's in dog mode on the live camera feed then there's also the lack of customizations like changing the horn and the lock sounds which are also missing the entertainment options on the main screen when parked are limited and I wish ravan would assume that Monday through Friday I'm headed to work so the GPS should immediately take me there when I put the car in drive like Tesla does now these are the most used features in my Tesla that I find rivan is currently lacking but I'm sure I'll find more as I continue to drive the rivan however there is one feature in Self driving the rivan that I wish Tesla would pick up in Highway assist rivan does a fantastic job at reentering the vehicle immed immediately when changing lanes Tesla on the other hand requires a manual reactivation of Highway assist after each lane change so thank you for rivan for getting that one right and hopefully Tesla will update this to also include it now that there's more competition now let's take a look at the Exterior of the vehicle exterior of the vehicle where rivan has made some moves that might be a bit controversial but in my opinion they got it right Vision only systems are not the future and I'm incredibly thankful that rivan included ultrason sensors these sensors are so useful helping to detect vehicles around me and providing multiple alerts when something's in my blind spot or when I'm trying to park close to a curb they are significantly more accurate than Tesla's Vision only system giving me added reassurance that I won't accidentally scrape a curb but the number one Improvement for me and it's ridiculous it's the physical rain detector on the rivan it actually works with rain Yes light rain medium rain and even heavy rain where Tesla the vision only system it lacks so much whatever the cost to add this little feature to the vehicle it's worth every penny unlike the vision based system on the Tesla which sometimes struggles to detect rain accurately the rivan's rain detector is spoton making driving in any weather a much smoother experience now Storage storage space in the rivan is another notable upgrade with a truck bed a bigger frunk a gear tunnel and and UND seat storage it's clear that Ravina has put a lot of thought into practicality I never had any issues with the storage in my model 3 until I moved departments and while the increased storage in the r1t is certainly convenient it's not necessarily a game Cher for me that said I've already found some great uses for the gear tunnel and the additional frunk will likely make grocery trips and packing for travel much easier it's great to have extra space and it definitely adds to the overall versatility of the r1t but the model 3 is also enough for me now let's talk Sound System about the sound system in the r1t because it is a standout feature the most recent update adding Dolby Atmos music it's one of the best audio experiences I've had in a vehicle the addition of spatial audio brings a new level of depth and versatility to the cabin making music sounds so much richer and much more immersive upgrading to 17 speakers including a stock subwoofer is a significant step up from the very minimal setup in the model 3 as someone who loves listening to music this enhancement has really impressed me it's clear that rivine has put a lot of thought into creating a topnotch audio Final Talking Points experience and to wrap up my first week with this vehicle there are a few quick final points I want to touch on firstly the ventilated seats are a nice addition but not something that I find essential here in New England the seat and steering wheel heaters are far more crucial for me in Colder Weather the Adaptive Highway assist in the r1t is very similar to what I had in my model 3 and handles all the assisted driving tasks I need I Tri Tesla's full self-driving and it's a cool party trick but I still prefer to drive on back roads because driving's fun next the addition of a rear screen doesn't make much of a difference to me as a driver and while the r1's efficiency won't compete with the model 3 due to its size and absence of a heat pump it's something that I'll have to keep an eye on in future tests the larger battery in the r1t will definitely help with long-distance driving and it's much more accurate than my Tesla Model 3 the all-wheel drive is also a big plus for snow driving and these seats in the r1t are a little bit less comfortable compared to my model 3 but still better than most cars that I've been in overall both vehicles have their strengths and cater to different needs and I'm really excited to continue exploring what each has to offer moving forward the r1t is definitely going to be my daily driver the model 3 will continue to be my city Outro car anyways I really hope that this video was useful for you let me know in the comments if you have transitioned from a Tesla into a rivan or another electric vehicle and what your thoughts are on making the switch please like And subscribe for more rivan content and until next time remember Adventure is always out there [Music]