Today is a huge milestone for the channel. We are officially back at the Rivian service center—the same place where I picked up my Limestone R1T “Tomater” just over 15 months ago. But today, one journey ends and another begins as we take delivery of our brand-new Rivian R1S Gen 2.
Moving from an R1T to an R1S is a big shift, but for our family’s current needs, that third row is essential. We’ve gone with the Dual Motor Performance build in a stunning configuration: White exterior with the Ocean Coast interior and 22-inch Bright Sport wheels.
First Impressions: The Gen 2 Difference
As soon as I stepped inside the delivery bay, I could feel the evolution. Rivian has clearly been listening to feedback from Gen 1 owners.
- The Doors: On my Gen 1 R1T, the doors had a specific “heft” that sometimes felt unrefined. These Gen 2 doors open and close with a much more solid, premium thud.
- Ocean Coast Interior: This light interior is a game-changer. It makes the cabin feel massive. While I’ll miss the ruggedness of the darker R1T interior, this feels like a true luxury SUV.
- Electrochromic Roof: One of the standout features of our build is the premium sound and vision package, which includes the opaque “smart” roof. With a tap on the screen, the glass goes from clear to frosted. It’s an incredible tech feature that likely eliminates the need for a third-party roof shade.
The Delivery Inspection: No Car is Perfect
I’ve owned multiple Teslas and Rivians, so I know that no delivery is 100% flawless. During my walkthrough, I spotted a few things that required immediate attention:
- Paint Defect: I noticed what appeared to be a defect on the hood. The Rivian team was great—they took it back to the detail bay immediately. They managed to polish out most of it, but since it was a Sunday and the full body shop was closed, I’ll be filing a service ticket for a final professional correction.
- Interior Stains: I found a couple of small stains near the door handles and in the third row.
- Alignment: On the drive home, I noticed a slight pull to the left. Rivian offers free alignments within the first 12,000 miles or one year, so I’ll be getting that squared away soon.
Drive Quality: Smooth as Silk
The most surprising part of the drive home was the suspension. I’m not sure if it’s the updated Gen 2 hardware or just the difference between the truck and SUV platforms, but the R1S feels significantly smoother than my R1T.
Another technical note for the gearheads: the Gen 2 uses Rivian’s in-house motors instead of the Bosch motors found in early Gen 1 units. In my R1T, I often felt a slight “jitter” or vibration when the rear motors would engage during hard acceleration. In this R1S Dual Motor Performance, that transition is virtually undetectable. It’s seamless power.
Technical Specs & Initial Data
We received the vehicle with just 14 miles on the odometer and an 83% state of charge.
| Metric | Value |
| Model | R1S Dual Motor Performance (Gen 2) |
| Build Date | April 2025 |
| Odometer | 14 Miles |
| Range at 83% | 277 Miles |
| Wheels | 22″ Bright Sport (Pirelli Scorpion MS) |
One thing to watch out for at delivery: my software was incorrectly set to the 20-inch off-road tires even though I have the 22-inch wheels. I had to manually update this in the settings menu to ensure the speedometer and range calculations were accurate.
The Software Experience
While the hardware is a step up, the software still has some room to grow.
- Roaming Profiles: Unlike Tesla, Rivian doesn’t yet support cloud-synced profiles. I had to manually reset all my seat positions, mirrors, and steering wheel settings. Rivian engineers—if you’re watching, this is a must-have feature!
- Wireless Charging: To be blunt, the wireless charger in the center console still isn’t great. It’s slow and prone to overheating. I’ve already moved my charging cables back into the car for a wired connection.
- Gear Guard: I successfully moved my external hard drive from the R1T to the R1S. It recognized all my previous settings and started recording immediately without needing a reformat.
What’s Next for the R1S?
This is just day one. We have a massive lineup of content planned for the “R1S Studios,” including a deep dive into the numbers of the trade-in deal, real-world range testing, and of course, some off-road adventures to see if this SUV can handle the trails as well as my R1T did.
