Editor’s note: This is a guest editorial from Mark Radanovich, a fellow Rivian owner who drives an R1T. The thoughts and experiences shared here are their own, and I’m always happy to give the community a spot to share their perspective on RivianTrackr.
Finally, after 2 years, the time came to configure my R2… and I couldn’t pull the trigger. It’s no knock against the R2, but the thought of trading in my R1T for it gave me pause, and I decided to hold off for now. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the R2, heck I’m a day-one reservation holder, I was even at the reveal! It’s an awesome vehicle that I hope to own one day, but I have a new-found appreciation for my Gen-1, sub-5k VIN, R1T that I got over 4 years ago.
Thinking back to when I first saw the R1T, I immediately wanted it. I was attracted to Rivian’s design ethos, the truck’s balance of utility and performance, and dat gear tunnel. Mine was one of the first Forest Edge vehicles, even one of the first Rivians in the SF Bay Area. I remember the early days of driving around Pacifica, getting stopped to answer tons of questions at the local coffee shops. It generated so much hype and people were genuinely excited by it.
What’s always stood out most to me has been the sheer amount of cargo space. I know the R2 can’t compete on this, and that’s ok! They’re different sized vehicles with different characteristics. I’m a sucker for a well-designed use of space for storage. The thought of losing that gives both my wife and I pause. We’ve been spoiled by it.
It’s also hard to willingly give up a pickup truck that has 800hp, towing capacity of 11k pounds, and can go 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds. It’s literally insane, and so much better than the R2 in this regard.
I’m not saying the truck is perfect, it’s come with its share of issues. I’ve replaced the struts and half shafts, gone through each iteration of the tonneau (v2 works great!), a frunk not closing three separate times, and plenty of panels have popped off. Luckily these issues were infrequent, short-lived, and relatively painless, with major kudos to the wonderful staff at the Rocklin and Sacramento service centers.
It’s had plenty of software bugs too, but nothing major that made me rethink my decision. It’s maturing software and I believe it takes longer than we all like to think it does. And no, I have no interest in CarPlay. Also, the autonomy capabilities are very limited, but I’m a simple man; it does what I need and I didn’t exactly buy this truck to have a computer drive it – I want to drive it! It’s too damned fun to not drive it myself.
I’ve also recently started taking it off-road. Something I hadn’t had the chance to since I bought it. I even got the underbody shield and it took me nearly 4 years to get it dirty! Yes, you can shame me. I was an avid off-roader before with my FJ, but life got in the way until now. The off-roading has made me appreciate the truck even more than before. Going on day trips into the Sierras with the local RCA chapter is a blast, and it’s incredible I can drive through the forest without any engine noise. It’s impressive how it’s such a beast both on-road and off-road. This is something I think Rivian got right: a truck that’s quick on the highway and capable on a trail, without feeling like it’s truly compromising on either.
I know I’m biased here, I help run the Rivian Reddit pages and Rivian Discord, and I have a desire for them to succeed. Either way, this truck has been just so much fun to drive, and the R2 made me realize I’m not ready to give it up just yet. I’m definitely getting the R2, but I’m going to wait for the next iteration. For now, you’ll have to pry the R1T from my cold dead fingers.
