Funny, I bought my 2025 R1T without even driving it. The only EV I've driven is the Cybertruck for a week. I loved driving it, but it would not work in my situation. All the Cybertruck review videos on RUclips were like, "I like the Cybertruck, but I love the Rivian R1T." It sold me.
I did place a deposit on the R2. Having to wait a year+ is tough, but it also gives me time to see if Rivian will be able to pull it together by then. Love my Model YP. Never would have bought it back in 23 if I'd known Musk was going to lose it with a climate denier. My second choice is easily the R1T, which I test drove last week. Much better ride than my MYP even with the coil over suspension I had installed from Unplugged Performance. I could get the R1T on a 2 year lease. But with my Y really losing its value I am about ten grand at least underwater. So I am kind of in a rut. I like the fact that the R2 will have the NACS connection on board. No adapters needed. .It just looks incredibly well thought out. I pray Rivian makes it. Thank you for your review.
I have a model three and I can still appreciate how amazing of a car it is! I would definitely say if I was in your situation I would hold off for the two years and continue putting money towards the R2 as it’ll be a great transition from your model Y! Thank you for watching my video. I really appreciate it.
I appreciate the good and the bad. All the reviews I watch swing hard both ways. Everything, including great things like Rivian, has room for improvement. I wish I would have won the giveaway. Lol! Great content bro!
Omg saw you at the R2/R3 event in Boston! I wasn’t sure it was you at the time and was too nervous to ask! Shoulda said hi! 👋 love your content keep up the good work!
@@EV_OG Lol. You must be psychic. They said it was supposed to still be there today but it actually left the space Saturday night. They claimed it was a miscommunication. Super disappointed, but luckily that wasn't the only reason for being in the area.
@@MikeKantorskiTech I didn't. The R1T and S are just far too big for my two car garage and I know if I drove it I would get one. The one thing that surprised me sitting in it though was I hear mixed things about the seats and I thought they felt amazing.
I really hope Rivian survives and thrives when R2 launches. What’s holding me back from switching from Tesla is honestly the software experience. I don’t want to see any lag , or lack of entertainment apps such as Netflix or even a web browser. I use the browser a LOT to stream games with my BT controller when charging on the go. Other worry is I heard the auto pilot kinda sucks and so does the main nav. Other than that, I’m really hoping they update / improve it more. Every year, I get more and more intrigued. I would love to switch to an alternative to Tesla , considering Elon has lost his mind. Very disappointing
On GEN two I would definitely say the software experience is on par with Tesla, but I understand that it’s lacking some key functionality that we’ve all grown to love with Tesla. Basic auto pilot feels great on highways, but it’ll take some time to bring something like full self driving Rivian’s. It doesn’t bother me since they don’t really use full self driving but I understand a lot of people do. I’m really hoping that they make it. The community feels like an even better Tesla community in the early days.
Don't let the views of one person get in hour head and dictate your choices of products to purchase. Thousands of good people work at Tesla designing, engineering and building the vehicles. Elon isn't the owner of Tesla, he's a CEO. Henry Ford was an anti-semite. Marry Barra of GM lied about having two dozen EVs years ago. Carlos Ghosn of Nissan is a criminal and was smuggled out of Japan in an instrument case. Volkswagen executives lied, cheated and polluted the Earth with Diesel-gate. Toyota is presently being investigated for emissions cheating on industrial engines in the USA. CEOs aren't angels.
I absolutely love both my R1S and R1T. My number one grip that I really think is a miss on Rivian's part is that the dual motor is basically a front wheel drive vehicle in your daily driving unless you use snow mode or set the stability to reduced. I have no need in my city daily driving to be in conserve mode (front wheel drive) all the time and would much rather be in all wheel drive mode. I thought I paid $80k for an all wheel drive vehicle. Instead I am forced to drive a front wheel drive vehicle. It causes pre mature front tire wear, noticeable torque steering, as well as being unsafe in slick conditions as it only uses the front tires for regen braking. Rivian really needs to fix this.
I hear you, I’ll definitely reach out to some of my contacts and see if they plan on doing anything. I understand their goal is efficiency but it has these drawbacks. I can’t stand always having Auto on for the ride height….
@Karlomov love that! There’s nothing like the smell of a rink on a cold morning, well now mostly night. Thanks for watching, if you ever have any questions let me know
Australians are desperate for this to come here. If Rivian doesn't start selling to Australia --- BYD (China) will dominate the sales with their BYD Shark.....Rivian would have a huge market here in Australia. Thanks for the review. Super jealous!
Hey Mike, I was hoping you’d quantify specifically how many OTAs you’ve received and how they improved your R1T in a single month of ownership. That’s a critical aspect of software defined vehicles and Rivian is top 2-3 player in that area…
Technically 4 since I picked up the truck, what I would consider big software updates that made noticeable software changes. This includes the Halloween update. I believe I posted most as a quick video update, so definitely check them out
I'm not sure if bad is the right term. We got our R1S at pre-March 2022 pricing and keeping it forever. The laggy software is not a huge deal and if they can just bring the Driver+ to be like Tesla's basic autopilot, I'd be very happy.
I talked with the head of software in Boston about this. No way currently. I suggested they allow you to opt out. He seemed down so hopefully we will see it in the future
Assisted driving is one of the main software features in the car. I don’t think that meets the bar of a new 70k car even in 2022. Until that happens, I am not buying the software-defined vehicle bullshit that Rivian is trying to pitch. I think the vision of the Gen2 Autonomy platform mentioned in the investor day is interesting but nothing concrete came out of it so far. Rivian still has a long way to go.
@@MikeKantorskiTech Tesla has been leading the way so currently it’s hard to tell if they are still maintaining software improvement speed, until some other OEM starts to catch up (I think Chineses OEMs are close enough with 1-2 years of gap). While Rivian is also playing catch up, I don’t think they are closing the gap (currently I think 3-4 years) because their software features are not differentiating enough to let us forget most of its software are just mimicking Tesla’s.
@@yaoxiongliang9483 it’ll get there, imitation is the best form of flattery. But they’ll hopefully push their adventure branding to help differentiate themselves
@@MikeKantorskiTech thats great for the fraction of people who will take it off road. The hurricane story is impressive. The superiority of Tesla autopilot is a hard one for me. They are Way better looking than Teslas but man FSD/Autopilot is great.
How is Rivian any different than all the other bankrupt bev companies that raised billions of dollars but could never make a profit and eventually went bankrupt? Buying an $80k+ vehicle from a company facing imminent bankruptcy is insane
The mission of the company, the people, the good they are doing to help others. It feels like early day Tesla. It also helps that I love tech and am an early adopter
Dude, have you been watching the news lately? All the ICE OEMs are not making profit. Do you think they are going under water too? You need to chill and Rivian will do just fine. I'm not sure what's your point 😂
Funny, I bought my 2025 R1T without even driving it. The only EV I've driven is the Cybertruck for a week. I loved driving it, but it would not work in my situation. All the Cybertruck review videos on RUclips were like, "I like the Cybertruck, but I love the Rivian R1T." It sold me.
I’m glad it worked out! I’m still loving mine
After a year and a half I still do the “look back and smile” when walking away
What color do you have?
Same here 😊
Love that!
R1T is the best vehicle I have owned out of 36 vehicles. Quality and the passion that Rivian put into designing these vehicles can be felt.
Wow that says a lot!
I did place a deposit on the R2. Having to wait a year+ is tough, but it also gives me time to see if Rivian will be able to pull it together by then. Love my Model YP. Never would have bought it back in 23 if I'd known Musk was going to lose it with a climate denier. My second choice is easily the R1T, which I test drove last week. Much better ride than my MYP even with the coil over suspension I had installed from Unplugged Performance. I could get the R1T on a 2 year lease. But with my Y really losing its value I am about ten grand at least underwater. So I am kind of in a rut. I like the fact that the R2 will have the NACS connection on board. No adapters needed. .It just looks incredibly well thought out. I pray Rivian makes it. Thank you for your review.
I have a model three and I can still appreciate how amazing of a car it is! I would definitely say if I was in your situation I would hold off for the two years and continue putting money towards the R2 as it’ll be a great transition from your model Y! Thank you for watching my video. I really appreciate it.
@ Thank you for your advice. That is the best choice for me. Keep up the videos. Great content!
I appreciate the good and the bad. All the reviews I watch swing hard both ways. Everything, including great things like Rivian, has room for improvement. I wish I would have won the giveaway. Lol! Great content bro!
Thank you so much! I’ll be doing another giveaway s00n so keep an eye out 👀
Omg saw you at the R2/R3 event in Boston! I wasn’t sure it was you at the time and was too nervous to ask! Shoulda said hi! 👋 love your content keep up the good work!
Thank you! If there is another event please don’t hesitate to come up and say hi! 👋 thank you for watching
Traveling to Boston today so definitely going to stop by the store to see the R2. Can't wait.
It’s a great space! Make sure to check out a demo if you have time :) also Newbury street right next door
@@patrick7228
Have you confirmed the R2 is at the space in Boston?
@@EV_OG Lol. You must be psychic. They said it was supposed to still be there today but it actually left the space Saturday night. They claimed it was a miscommunication. Super disappointed, but luckily that wasn't the only reason for being in the area.
@patrick7228 ohh shoot… I thought it was leaving tonight :/ did you test drive?
@@MikeKantorskiTech I didn't. The R1T and S are just far too big for my two car garage and I know if I drove it I would get one. The one thing that surprised me sitting in it though was I hear mixed things about the seats and I thought they felt amazing.
Nice! 2000 miles in a month. Congrats and enjoy
Thank you! 😊
I really hope Rivian survives and thrives when R2 launches.
What’s holding me back from switching from Tesla is honestly the software experience.
I don’t want to see any lag , or lack of entertainment apps such as Netflix or even a web browser. I use the browser a LOT to stream games with my BT controller when charging on the go.
Other worry is I heard the auto pilot kinda sucks and so does the main nav.
Other than that, I’m really hoping they update / improve it more. Every year, I get more and more intrigued.
I would love to switch to an alternative to Tesla , considering Elon has lost his mind. Very disappointing
On GEN two I would definitely say the software experience is on par with Tesla, but I understand that it’s lacking some key functionality that we’ve all grown to love with Tesla. Basic auto pilot feels great on highways, but it’ll take some time to bring something like full self driving Rivian’s. It doesn’t bother me since they don’t really use full self driving but I understand a lot of people do. I’m really hoping that they make it. The community feels like an even better Tesla community in the early days.
Don't let the views of one person get in hour head and dictate your choices of products to purchase.
Thousands of good people work at Tesla designing, engineering and building the vehicles.
Elon isn't the owner of Tesla, he's a CEO.
Henry Ford was an anti-semite.
Marry Barra of GM lied about having two dozen EVs years ago.
Carlos Ghosn of Nissan is a criminal and was smuggled out of Japan in an instrument case.
Volkswagen executives lied, cheated and polluted the Earth with Diesel-gate.
Toyota is presently being investigated for emissions cheating on industrial engines in the USA.
CEOs aren't angels.
Just get a Gen 2. Leaving Leon behind might take a short term sacrifice but you will sleep better at night.
I absolutely love both my R1S and R1T. My number one grip that I really think is a miss on Rivian's part is that the dual motor is basically a front wheel drive vehicle in your daily driving unless you use snow mode or set the stability to reduced. I have no need in my city daily driving to be in conserve mode (front wheel drive) all the time and would much rather be in all wheel drive mode. I thought I paid $80k for an all wheel drive vehicle. Instead I am forced to drive a front wheel drive vehicle. It causes pre mature front tire wear, noticeable torque steering, as well as being unsafe in slick conditions as it only uses the front tires for regen braking. Rivian really needs to fix this.
I hear you, I’ll definitely reach out to some of my contacts and see if they plan on doing anything. I understand their goal is efficiency but it has these drawbacks. I can’t stand always having Auto on for the ride height….
Rotating tires is a must no matter what mode you live in.
@@cbracerx Agreed, tire rotation is very important! Have the mobile service team has helped a lot of people be more compliant with this I think
Great content bud!! You play hockey eh??
Give or take 20 years 👀
@@MikeKantorskiTech same!! I’m getting too old now but still lacin’ em up!! Looking hard into getting into this Rivian!! Keep up the great work bud!!
@Karlomov love that! There’s nothing like the smell of a rink on a cold morning, well now mostly night. Thanks for watching, if you ever have any questions let me know
Australians are desperate for this to come here. If Rivian doesn't start selling to Australia --- BYD (China) will dominate the sales with their BYD Shark.....Rivian would have a huge market here in Australia. Thanks for the review. Super jealous!
They’ve been spotted in Australia doing testing… so maybe one day! I imagine they’d be very popular. Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞
Hey Mike,
I was hoping you’d quantify specifically how many OTAs you’ve received and how they improved your R1T in a single month of ownership.
That’s a critical aspect of software defined vehicles and Rivian is top 2-3 player in that area…
Technically 4 since I picked up the truck, what I would consider big software updates that made noticeable software changes. This includes the Halloween update. I believe I posted most as a quick video update, so definitely check them out
Can you share the exact tire you have on that R1T?
275 / 65 / R20 Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus
is this a silver or limestone ? Looks cool
Mine is the LA silver!
I'm not sure if bad is the right term. We got our R1S at pre-March 2022 pricing and keeping it forever. The laggy software is not a huge deal and if they can just bring the Driver+ to be like Tesla's basic autopilot, I'd be very happy.
I hope we won’t be left behind anytime soon in software
How do I remove auto ride height?
I talked with the head of software in Boston about this. No way currently. I suggested they allow you to opt out. He seemed down so hopefully we will see it in the future
Assisted driving is one of the main software features in the car. I don’t think that meets the bar of a new 70k car even in 2022. Until that happens, I am not buying the software-defined vehicle bullshit that Rivian is trying to pitch. I think the vision of the Gen2 Autonomy platform mentioned in the investor day is interesting but nothing concrete came out of it so far. Rivian still has a long way to go.
How do you feel about Tesla then? Same thing pretty much. Just some years down the road
@@MikeKantorskiTech Tesla has been leading the way so currently it’s hard to tell if they are still maintaining software improvement speed, until some other OEM starts to catch up (I think Chineses OEMs are close enough with 1-2 years of gap). While Rivian is also playing catch up, I don’t think they are closing the gap (currently I think 3-4 years) because their software features are not differentiating enough to let us forget most of its software are just mimicking Tesla’s.
@@yaoxiongliang9483 it’ll get there, imitation is the best form of flattery. But they’ll hopefully push their adventure branding to help differentiate themselves
The look of the headlights is the worst part of the truck.
I've driven an R1T. I liked it a lot.
Haha some love them, some hate them. Smart that they are so unique and recognizable
90K Tacoma
Offroading capabilities are unmatched
@@MikeKantorskiTech thats great for the fraction of people who will take it off road. The hurricane story is impressive. The superiority of Tesla autopilot is a hard one for me. They are Way better looking than Teslas but man FSD/Autopilot is great.
@jjwalker8682 just remember Tesla sold their first vehicle in 2008, Rivian sold their first in 2021.
@@MikeKantorskiTech I get it, just don’t want to pay 90k to beta test their cars.
How is Rivian any different than all the other bankrupt bev companies that raised billions of dollars but could never make a profit and eventually went bankrupt? Buying an $80k+ vehicle from a company facing imminent bankruptcy is insane
The mission of the company, the people, the good they are doing to help others. It feels like early day Tesla. It also helps that I love tech and am an early adopter
@@MikeKantorskiTech ... profits be dammed
Profits will come, patience young padawan
Volkswagen's $5 Billion investment will keep them going a while longer....
Dude, have you been watching the news lately? All the ICE OEMs are not making profit. Do you think they are going under water too? You need to chill and Rivian will do just fine. I'm not sure what's your point 😂