Have had the Lightning for 2 months; Take delivery of Rivian or no?

[Simpso57]

Like a few people, I put in reservations for the Lightning and Rivian (pre-price hike in March). Have had the Lightning for 2 months, but just got the Rivian email to start the final sale process (so about 2-3 months away from delivery). My initial plan was to take delivery of the Lightning, then get the Rivian and see which one I like more. Before taking delivery of the Lightning, I expected to like the Rivian more. However, after the first two months with the Lightning I am really enjoying it and I am not sure I want to even bother with the Rivian:

1. Size: I am a "weekend warrior" and I never tow so I don't need a full sized truck. But the extra size hasn't bothered me and I love having all the space. I think I would miss it going to the Rivian, which is noticeably smaller.
2. Reliability. I have been monitoring the Rivian forums and I have no doubt that the R1T has more issues than the Lightning. I love the fact that I can take my truck to the local dealership if I have issues. I worry about the Rivian's reliability and customer service.
3. Options. Ford was smart to make the Lightning mostly compatible with existing F-150 accessories, and I have taken advantage of that. I really like my bedrug and tuxmats. Rivian's options are very limited, and I am not sure that will change in the next couple of years.
4. Tech. While Rivian appeals to my tech side, it lacks Android Auto and Blue Cruise has been working great for me. While it has many cool tech features, the lack of Andriod Auto and so-so reviews of the self driving are discouraging.
5. Vampire Drain. I also worry about the Rivian's vampire drain. Alex's latest video was not encouraging on this.

There are things I really like about the Rivian (speed, easier to park, nicer interior, looks nice), but now I am leaning towards keeping the Lightning. I am interested to hear opinions from people who made a similar decision after living with one of the electric trucks. I could try to flip the Rivian, but I am not sure it is worth the hassle....

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[hikinbengal]

I was able to rent an R1T for an extended amount of time and found that ride is harsh. The Rivian suspension lets you hung turns but the rest of the time is stiff and jerky. I agree with all of your points above as to why you'll like the Lightning better. If you have a chance to test drive it I would, it might reaffirm your opinions as it did with me.

 

[bwcbwc]

I was next to a Rivian at an Electrify America station during a recent road trip. It looked very nice, but made me glad to have the Lightning. Way too small for me. I'm a big dude so I really appreciate the space in the Lightning. Can't imagine going back to a smaller vehicle tbh.

 

[adoublee]

I love that the Lightning is roomy inside for 4, even 5. If having 2 or 3 kids at home, it would be enough for me to keep Lightning or at least consider it a different class of vehicle.

The vampire drain is no joke IMO. I don't have to keep Lightning on the tit if not otherwise draining battery by driving. I have other EVs to rotate through charging, etc. Don't want to worry about it sitting at the airport and dying if I am traveling.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Appreciate the ping on PM. I was in a very similar situation so I can understand it. I also recognize what forum we're on, but if you would have posted this over at rivianforums.com I would say the same things.

The short version: For me, my preferences and my situation. If I had to do it again I'd buy my F-150L Pro (with tow tech!) and call it a day.

That statement is for my situation having a day 1 deposit and 2022 pricing, but I've been pretty happy so far with my expensive decision to keep both the F-150L and th R1T.

What I think you should do? You've been happy with the F-150L. Cancel the Rivian and call it a day.

What would I do in your situation? I'd take delivery of it, fully loaded at pre-price hike dollars. I'd drive it for a while, take the tax credit. Peel off every single option and sell them privately. That will net you several thousand dollars. Except for the spare, you should send that my way as a token of your appreciation Once it's down to "base" sell the truck for exactly what you paid for it. I think it will sell in a week. You won't net much per say, but you'll net the tax credit (stressing '"drive it for a while" before @TaxmanHog yells at me) you'll net the little bit of reselling the accessories and between the two it's not an insignificant amount. You can even rent it out on Turo.

But be warned. If you do that, you run the risk of this being a perpetual question. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about getting rid of one or the other and I come back to replacement cost. I can't get either truck for the prices I got them at, the value in that makes it hard to get rid of either rone.

Specifically addressing your comments...

• Size: I am a "weekend warrior" and I never tow so I don't need a full sized truck. But the extra size hasn't bothered me and I love having all the space. I think I would miss it going to the Rivian, which is noticeably smaller.

Interior:
I owned Teslas and a Ridgeline before. I never owned a full sized truck and certainly don't NEED a full sized truck. That said, my wife put it best. She said to me "If you went from the Model X to the R1T, I think you would have been happy." But I didn't. I went from the Ridgeline to the F-150L and then to the R1T. It was a short period of time, but it was enough to make me VERY unhappy with the interior space of the Rivian and I'm not sure that will ever change now.

Exterior:
Specifically to sizing and ease of handling, I've been disappointed in the exterior of the R1T. It's smaller, but it's not. The Ford is easier to drive, and yes I've parallel parked it. It's gone down back country 1.5 lane rural road. The dimension are easier to gauge resulting in a vehicle that while larger is easier to handle. The R1T is a direct contrast of that in that it's smaller but I have a really tough time placing the truck. A good way to put it is I can gauge the Ford to inches, I can only gauge the Rivian to feet.

• Reliability. I have been monitoring the Rivian forums and I have no doubt that the R1T has more issues than the Lightning. I love the fact that I can take my truck to the local dealership if I have issues. I worry about the Rivian's reliability and customer service.

Recalls aside for both vehicles. My Ford has the air dam issues, otherwise it's been trouble free and the dealer is 10 miles away. My R1T has had more than ten service tickets opened so far and has...well not been to service yet because the earliest appointment was 3 months after I put in the ticket. For reference, both are first year models. I know my Ford was within the first 6000 produced (due to earning calls & production numbers) and the R1T had produced more than double that run by the time I took delivery.

• Options. Ford was smart to make the Lightning mostly compatible with existing F-150 accessories, and I have taken advantage of that. I really like my bedrug and tuxmats. Rivian's options are very limited, and I am not sure that will change in the next couple of years.

Don't forget cheaper. Because everything is so specific the pricing is more expensive. But to be fair, I do think accessories will come. It's a matter of accessories now vs accessories in 1-2 years.

• Tech. While Rivian appeals to my tech side, it lacks Android Auto and Blue Cruise has been working great for me. While it has many cool tech features, the lack of Andriod Auto and so-so reviews of the self driving are discouraging.

If you're heavy into the Amazon echo system the R1T will be pretty good, but even then it's about as good as a TV that has Alexa built in and not as good as a TV that's made by Amazon with native Alexa, and at the end of the day..it's still Alexa.

I used CarPlay in my F-150L and I can't really speak to any of Ford's built in things because I mostly stayed in CarPlay. On the R1T, it works really well. The screens are smooth, it scroll well. It all works...just not well. I've resorted to mounting my phone up by the windshield so I can pull Waze up. as an example.

Other than that, what tech? Everyone says tech but I'm not sure what tech my R1T has that the Ford doesn't have or can't accomplish. Drivers +? Bluecruise. Spotify? CarPlay take care of that. TuneIn? CarPlay. Nav? CarPlay. Power Tailgate? Oh wait.

Now there are certainly features that I like better.
Gear Tunnel - like it better than I thought I would. Love it actually.
Frunk - Like that it opens fast, no beeping but it's a big size and accessibility trade off.
Rear cover - the powered cover is nice. Never had one before, went back and forth about configuring it and glad I did.


Suspension - this is probably the only piece of tech that I would say is missing. You gain reliability, modability, but that suspension is slick.

• Vampire Drain. I also worry about the Rivian's vampire drain. Alex's latest video was not encouraging on this.

Vampire drain on the R1T, I'm seeing roughly 5-7% per day if unplugged which is ~15 miles or so and that's out in the cold. I really don't see any on the Ford. Is it a dealbreaker? Not really, Teslas see the same. Is it worrisome? Not really. You keep the truck on a charger generally and there's enough range to even go several days w/o it plugged in. It's really only a big deal if you park it for a week+ unattended and unplugged.

There are things I really like about the Rivian (speed, easier to park, nicer interior, looks nice), but now I am leaning towards keeping the Lightning. I am interested to hear opinions from people who made a similar decision after

In my experience I would have to say the R1T is objectively better looking. 95% of the time the F-150L goes unnoticed. In that 5% that notices, there's 3 types of folks who tend to notice and the general comments that go with it:

1. Existing F-150 owners. The comment tends to be - I couldn't go electric.
2. Existing Ford Mach-E owners. There seems to be excitement as we're electric brethren.
3. Existing reservation holders. They want to know how in the world I got a Pro.

The R1T gets about as many comments as I used to get with my Model X (once the doors are opened). I've been told it looks really good, it's gorgeous, looks expensive, etc etc. Everyone wants to know what is it, who makes it, and every stat about it. This is a truck that certainly looks better in person than in any picture you've seen. But be ready to start working for Rivian's marketing department for free.

As for "nice" the quality of materials and design is quite nice on the Rivian. It gives you a really good first impression when you jump in and there's some good attention to detail in it.

For easier to park - you'd be surprised. I don't find a difference in navigating the parking lot in either truck. I do find a minor difference in pulling head first into a spot with the Rivian slightly easier. Backing in to a spot? No difference. Parallel? The Ford is easier despite being longer. Note: My Rivian has fender cameras, front and rear cameras, and a 360 Birds Eye view. My Ford has a reverse camera only.

Last comment. Both are great trucks. The Rivian has surprised me in many situations of being able to be used as a real truck as an example, it's closer to an F-150 than it is a Ford Maverick in terms of what it's capable of and should be respected as such. The F-150L in the same light should be very well respected as a luxury vehicle, performing far better as a luxury cruiser than the Rivian does.

In the end they're just very different trucks and you're going to have to decide which use case fits you the best.

Hope the helps.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I was able to rent an R1T for an extended amount of time and found that ride is harsh. The Rivian suspension lets you hung turns but the rest of the time is stiff and jerky. I agree with all of your points above as to why you'll like the Lightning better. If you have a chance to test drive it I would, it might reaffirm your opinions as it did with me.

When I first got the Rivian, I found it harsh coming from the F-150L. It took me a while to play with the suspension to find my mosts preferred mode.

I found the "Off Road/All Purposes/Soft" setting mimicked the F-150L the best. It'll soak up gravel roads pretty well. I recently took a video while testing some 3D printed parts (it's uneventful) but you can see just how well it does at speed on a pretty boring gravel/dirt road:

 

[YankeeCP]

Yeah after seeing Rivian in person glad I am waiting on the Lightning. The size/space make it an easy call for me. The bed gets filled up quick traveling with a family of 4 and sports equipment

 

[Oneand0]

If I were in your shoes, I would do it in a heart beat. I’ve had my Lariat ER since August and kick myself in the pants for not throwing the 1k down. If you do off roading that is too much for the Lightnings clearance and like to camp to destinations the Lightning might not get to, you might wish you had the Rivian. I have a Bronco for that stuff.

But, if I had the chance to buy the Rivian and test it out for a month, it would satisfy my curiosity on wether I would want to sell the Bronco and Lightning, and keep the Rivian. I don’t know what I would do, without the opportunity you have. That being said, I absolutely love my Lightning.

 

[Simpso57]

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this write-up @Yellow Buddy . It seems very fair, and I agree with a lot of it.

What would I do in your situation? I'd take delivery of it, fully loaded at pre-price hike dollars. I'd drive it for a while, take the tax credit. Peel off every single option and sell them privately. That will net you several thousand dollars. Except for the spare, you should send that my way as a token of your appreciation Once it's down to "base" sell the truck for exactly what you paid for it. I think it will sell in a week. You won't net much per say, but you'll net the tax credit (stressing '"drive it for a while" before @TaxmanHog yells at me) you'll net the little bit of reselling the accessories and between the two it's not an insignificant amount. You can even rent it out on Turo.

I will put a spreadsheet together and price it out. If I think it is worthy I will post it on the forum for review.

I went from the Ridgeline to the F-150L and then to the R1T. It was a short period of time, but it was enough to make me VERY unhappy with the interior space of the Rivian and I'm not sure that will ever change now.

I came from a VW eGolf, and I don't think I can go back to something smaller in the near future. If I got the Rivian first, it probably wouldn't have been an issue.

Don't forget cheaper. Because everything is so specific the pricing is more expensive. But to be fair, I do think accessories will come. It's a matter of accessories now vs accessories in 1-2 years.

Good point, I agree.

I used CarPlay in my F-150L and I can't really speak to any of Ford's built in things because I mostly stayed in CarPlay. On the R1T, it works really well. The screens are smooth, it scroll well. It all works...just not well. I've resorted to mounting my phone up by the windshield so I can pull Waze up. as an example.

Other than that, what tech? Everyone says tech but I'm not sure what tech my R1T has that the Ford doesn't have or can't accomplish. Drivers +? Bluecruise. Spotify? CarPlay take care of that. TuneIn? CarPlay. Nav? CarPlay. Power Tailgate? Oh wait.

The scrolling on the Lightning isn't great. As for Rivian tech, I think the cameras are better, sentry mode, camp kitchen, power tonneau (not anymore), key, and just the overall feel of the car. It feels like Rivian would push the future tech more as well, but I could be wrong. But the more I look at it, the harder time I am finding a significant difference on the tech front.

Vampire drain on the R1T, I'm seeing roughly 5-7% per day if unplugged which is ~15 miles or so and that's out in the cold. I really don't see any on the Ford. Is it a dealbreaker? Not really, Teslas see the same. Is it worrisome? Not really. You keep the truck on a charger generally and there's enough range to even go several days w/o it plugged in. It's really only a big deal if you park it for a week+ unattended and unplugged.

That would be really hard for me. I live in CA and power is expensive. I have three EVs so I can go days without plugging in the truck.

In my experience I would have to say the R1T is objectively better looking....As for "nice" the quality of materials and design is quite nice on the Rivian.

I agree with both of these points. The nicer interior in the Rivian is a strong selling point for me, but the Lightning isn't terrible.

For easier to park - you'd be surprised. I don't find a difference in navigating the parking lot in either truck. I do find a minor difference in pulling head first into a spot with the Rivian slightly easier. Backing in to a spot? No difference. Parallel? The Ford is easier despite being longer. Note: My Rivian has fender cameras, front and rear cameras, and a 360 Birds Eye view. My Ford has a reverse camera only.

Very helpful. Parking is one of the hardest things coming from a small vehicle. If the Rivian is just as difficult, that is important to me. I wonder if it has to do with what Alex said: the wheel base is closer on the Rivian, but the body width is close to the same.

 

[TaxmanHog]

What would I do in your situation? I'd take delivery of it, fully loaded at pre-price hike dollars. I'd drive it for a while, take the tax credit. Peel off every single option and sell them privately. That will net you several thousand dollars. Except for the spare, you should send that my way as a token of your appreciation Once it's down to "base" sell the truck for exactly what you paid for it. I think it will sell in a week. You won't net much per say, but you'll net the tax credit (stressing '"drive it for a while" before @TaxmanHog yells at me) you'll net the little bit of reselling the accessories and between the two it's not an insignificant amount. You can even rent it out on Turo.

Pray tell, why would I ever do such a thing , LOL

I will put a spreadsheet together and price it out. If I think it is worthy I will post it on the forum for review.

Spreadsheets ...... Now you're talking!

As far as the credit goes, if you are technically able to claim it and benefit from it, great, but ~just make it look good~ ie. hold the truck a reasonable [I will not define reasonable] period of time to fully evaluate each of their benefits and weaknesses, then sell which ever does not fill the bill.

The economy is in a down turn, unloading one or the other truck could be an issue the longer you hold them, a double edged sword, TBH, Yellow Buddy and others gave great advice, but in the end it's your call.

 

[F150ROD]

Vampire drain might be due to their version of Sentry mode and what not. All I know is unlike a couple of months ago, right now is not a good idea to take delivery if you are planning to flip one of them. The used car market is down to normal levels again. Maybe rent one on Turo to see if you like it.

 

[Arthur]

Just another possibility: have you thought about switching your R1T order to R1S? That way you don't need to struggle between 2 truck choices since R1S is in a different category and also R1S will take longer time to deliver (i.e., more time for you to make the choice). This, of course, assumes you are able to afford both vehicles.

Like a few people, I put in reservations for the Lightning and Rivian (pre-price hike in March). Have had the Lightning for 2 months, but just got the Rivian email to start the final sale process (so about 2-3 months away from delivery). My initial plan was to take delivery of the Lightning, then get the Rivian and see which one I like more. Before taking delivery of the Lightning, I expected to like the Rivian more. However, after the first two months with the Lightning I am really enjoying it and I am not sure I want to even bother with the Rivian:

1. Size: I am a "weekend warrior" and I never tow so I don't need a full sized truck. But the extra size hasn't bothered me and I love having all the space. I think I would miss it going to the Rivian, which is noticeably smaller.
2. Reliability. I have been monitoring the Rivian forums and I have no doubt that the R1T has more issues than the Lightning. I love the fact that I can take my truck to the local dealership if I have issues. I worry about the Rivian's reliability and customer service.
3. Options. Ford was smart to make the Lightning mostly compatible with existing F-150 accessories, and I have taken advantage of that. I really like my bedrug and tuxmats. Rivian's options are very limited, and I am not sure that will change in the next couple of years.
4. Tech. While Rivian appeals to my tech side, it lacks Android Auto and Blue Cruise has been working great for me. While it has many cool tech features, the lack of Andriod Auto and so-so reviews of the self driving are discouraging.
5. Vampire Drain. I also worry about the Rivian's vampire drain. Alex's latest video was not encouraging on this.

There are things I really like about the Rivian (speed, easier to park, nicer interior, looks nice), but now I am leaning towards keeping the Lightning. I am interested to hear opinions from people who made a similar decision after living with one of the electric trucks. I could try to flip the Rivian, but I am not sure it is worth the hassle....

 

[Yellow Buddy]

The scrolling on the Lightning isn't great. As for Rivian tech, I think the cameras are better, sentry mode, camp kitchen, power tonneau (not anymore), key, and just the overall feel of the car. It feels like Rivian would push the future tech more as well, but I could be wrong. But the more I look at it, the harder time I am finding a significant difference on the tech front.

That's the unquantifiable. It feels like it should. The cameras aren't that great..nor very usable. It's useful for off roading, or see how closes you are to the curb. The usability of Ford's bed camera is better. The camp kitchen isn't available and they took away the power cover. The key...PAAK is available on Ford too. Otherwise the Fob is just a fob. A neat fob, but still a fob.

I'll give you sentry mode, but I have it on both the Tesla and the R1T. I rarely review the videos. It's nice to have if your car gets damaged, but I haven't needed a video off of it in 5+ years.

Very helpful. Parking is one of the hardest things coming from a small vehicle. If the Rivian is just as difficult, that is important to me. I wonder if it has to do with what Alex said: the wheel base is closer on the Rivian, but the body width is close to the same.

It's exactly that. The width is the same and it's actually worse because it's not a box. The Ford you know you're square so you know where it ends. The Rivian, you're guessing on the rear arches. There's also little things, the F-150L is actually easier to drive than the F-150. Because of the hood the way it curves down, you can see and judge spacing a little better in the front as an example. So subtle..kudos Ford.

Start at 15:30 if you’re not interested in the rest. Watch how he gushes about the F-150L and everything he says is true. And nothing screams luxury like putting a 2nd screen up like it’s a TomTom from 1999…

 

[hikinbengal]

When I first got the Rivian, I found it harsh coming from the F-150L. It took me a while to play with the suspension to find my mosts preferred mode.

I found the "Off Road/All Purposes/Soft" setting mimicked the F-150L the best. It'll soak up gravel roads pretty well. I recently took a video while testing some 3D printed parts (it's uneventful) but you can see just how well it does at speed on a pretty boring gravel/dirt road:

The cabin noise isolation on the R1T I had was bad compared my lightning. You can hear the rumbling of the suspension, motors, and “fake” acceleration noise at even low speeds in this clip. I agree it soaks up speed bumps/uneven terrain very well, but paved road and highway speeds were not what I was expecting for such a sophisticated suspension. This was on the 21” road tires not AT

This clip you can hear a crunching noise of the motors or suspension just after accelerating. Didn’t seem like a good sign to me

This last clip is the sound of the loud compressor kicking on after you change the ride height. Not a problem if you stick to one, but again I feel the noise isolation is not the same as my Lightning.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

the cabin noise isolation on the R1T I had was bad compared my lightning. You can hear the rumbling of the suspension, motors, and “fake” acceleration noise at even low speeds in this clip. I agree it soaks up speed bumps/uneven terrain very well, but paved road and highway speeds were not what I was expecting for such a sophisticated suspension. This was on the 21” road tires not AT

This clip you can hear a crunching noise of the motors or suspension just after accelerating. Didn’t seem like a good sign to me

This last clip is the sound of the loud compressor kicking on after you change the ride height. Not a problem if you stick to one, but again I feel the noise isolation is not the same at my Lightning.

The noise isolation is absurd on the Ford. Everytime I switch back to the Rivian or the Tesla I look for air leaks because the Ford makes me swear there is one. This is something that Ford has clearly set the bar on, nobody else comes close. I had this very conversation with someone today. When it comes to being in a bubble like you would be in say a Lexus or a Mercedes, Ford is there with the Lightning. Rivian and Tesla? They’re not luxury cars if that’s what you’re going by.

The suspension noise is a common problem. It’s not normal, I have an open ticket for that as well, goes back to reliability. But man when it works that 10% of the time, it’s amazing. With a caveat, it’s amazing for a truck. The folks who say it drives like a Porsche or like a sports car…have never owned a Porsche or driven a sports car. It drives very sporty…for a truck.

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