Mustang Mach-E vs Rivian R1T - Owner Comparison

[phidauex]

I know it is still total vaporware, but anyone comparing truck options in the next few years looking at the Alpha Wolf/Wolf+/Superwolf trucks? https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf-plus

The Lightning is way too big for the urban environment I live in, the Rivians generally too big as well, and there just aren't a lot of "small truck" options planned as far as I can tell. If I could get a credible EV replacement for my '97 Tacoma I would. The alpha nails the old Tacoma size and look, but I don't know if they will ever get to manufacturing.

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[Kamuelaflyer]

Personally it was Rivian that first got me excited about getting a BEV. I followed them closely, day after day, month after month, until the MME caught my attention. I wish Rivian delivered on their promise to have a removable roof. And they took forever to deliver a max pack truck. I might still get a Rivian, but it will mean selling my MME. I am not ready to do that.

The point is, I appreciate the comparison because I am still thinking about getting a Rivian. And it would be a transition from MME to Rivian, just like the OP describes.

Thanks Todd!

Well.... There's actually a lot of people from this forum who compared the two and ended up switching to Rivian. I leveraged many of them in my original decision. So, while there are obvious differences, some people are open minded and considering either or wanting to switch to something a little more versatile. The more I drive the truck I've found that it actually rides much better than the GTPE when it's in all purpose mode. I need to revise some of my OP.

As for the size of your bed, I think you should consult with your wife on that one and not the forum. We might get you in some hot water.

I think it's a matter of perspective as to a truck as a work vehicle (which I need for the ranch) or as a general-purpose vehicle. I can't have a truck that can't haul a full scoop plus of gravel, dressing, humus, multiple bales of hay, etc. So none of my trucks here have been anything other than work-oriented that could also do other items occasionally. When I was still living in the Bay Area or San Joaquin County, it was exactly the opposite. I'm so long removed from that now, that such differences don't often cross my mind any longer. That's also one reason why a Platinum trim Lightning is out of the question.

I appreciate the comments, both of you.

 

[ARK]

I’m not trying to be funny or sarcastic (for a change) @DevSecOps , but one of these vehicles is an electric SUV/CUV and the other is a pickup. Why would people want that particular matchup? I’d be interested in the Rivian if not for their (lack of business) status in the 50th state and the too small bed for my needs. But I don’t see the comparison beyond the obvious like general observations about paint, panels, etc. I do, however, genuinely appreciate the immense amount of effort you put into that post and the sheer volume of information contained in it.

This forum has shown me that a lot of people have quite a bit of flexibility in the type of vehicle they could live with. I think I’d fall in this bucket too, I love my Mach-E but love my Mustang coupe too and could live solely with the coupe form factor without sacrificing too much.

I think even more than the R1T, which is a real truck, we will see many comparisons between the Mach-E and the Cybertruck, essentially appealing to people who are looking to drive something interesting as the overriding factor driving their purchase decision making.

 

[Mach1E]

I know it is still total vaporware, but anyone comparing truck options in the next few years looking at the Alpha Wolf/Wolf+/Superwolf trucks? https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf-plus

The Lightning is way too big for the urban environment I live in, the Rivians generally too big as well, and there just aren't a lot of "small truck" options planned as far as I can tell. If I could get a credible EV replacement for my '97 Tacoma I would. The alpha nails the old Tacoma size and look, but I don't know if they will ever get to manufacturing.

Never heard of them. Some VERY interesting designs.

However, based on the fact that their only car they are building is “starting at $499,000,” I doubt anyone is considering this manufacturer.

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/montage

 

[phidauex]

Never heard of them. Some VERY interesting designs.

However, based on the fact that their only car they are building is “starting at $499,000,” I doubt anyone is considering this manufacturer.

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/montage

I think that is an unfortunate typo, should be $49,000, which is in line with other materials I’ve seen from them. Still mysterious though, nothing to test drive, reserve or even look at yet.

 

[DevSecOps]

I think that is an unfortunate typo, should be $49,000, which is in line with other materials I’ve seen from them. Still mysterious though, nothing to test drive, reserve or even look at yet.

$450,0000 typos don't instill much confidence. Their one and only objective is to sell vehicles and they can't even get that right.

 

[Mach1E]

I think that is an unfortunate typo, should be $49,000, which is in line with other materials I’ve seen from them. Still mysterious though, nothing to test drive, reserve or even look at yet.

Doesn’t seem to be a typo. It starts at half a million dollars.

https://www.topspeed.com/alpha-motor-corporation-unveils/

https://www.motor1.com/news/622334/alpha-motors-montage-electric-coupe/amp/

https://hypebeast.com/2022/11/alpha-motor-corporation-montage-electric-coupe-info

Doesn’t make me think their fancy Tacoma will be anything remotely reasonable when it comes to a price.

 

[voxel]

Doesn’t seem to be a typo. It starts at half a million dollars.

https://www.topspeed.com/alpha-motor-corporation-unveils/

https://www.motor1.com/news/622334/alpha-motors-montage-electric-coupe/amp/

https://hypebeast.com/2022/11/alpha-motor-corporation-montage-electric-coupe-info

Doesn’t make me think their fancy Tacoma will be anything remotely reasonable when it comes to a price.

Yeah highly doubt it is a typo given how other cars they sell are also $499K

 

[voxel]

I had a flat rear tire and called (!!!) for Rivian service as no local tire dealer had the 116 load index rated tire. Visited the SC the next day and it felt more personal than Tesla - I was given a Lyft ride to a local mall and a Lyft ride back while being updated on the status.

EDIT: FYI Rivians use special jack pucks (https://evsportline.com/products/rivian-r1t-r1s-billet-aluminum-heavy-duty-lifting-jack-pad-pucks). Rivian SC told me they don't even sell them and you have to buy third party ones like the above.

I think as Rivian expands and sells 3x more cars... the service will become less friendly like Tesla but so far they are as competent as Tesla (who always fixed issues immediately but the whole process was robotic - you can't call or talk to anybody on the phone). Legacy dealership service departments near me - do not inspire confidence. They know squat about EVs and often don't even have any parts in stock.

 

[phidauex]

Doesn’t seem to be a typo. It starts at half a million dollars.

https://www.topspeed.com/alpha-motor-corporation-unveils/

https://www.motor1.com/news/622334/alpha-motors-montage-electric-coupe/amp/

https://hypebeast.com/2022/11/alpha-motor-corporation-montage-electric-coupe-info

Doesn’t make me think their fancy Tacoma will be anything remotely reasonable when it comes to a price.

Here is the price list on their reservation page - most models are between $36k-$68k, including the Wolf trucks. The Montage is the only model I'm seeing with a price >$100k.

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/vehiclereservation

Of course there is a long way to go from some nice renders to a functional car company, but if they do it, then some of the models look appealing for the space.

 

[mkhuffman]

Here is the price list on their reservation page - most models are between $36k-$68k, including the Wolf trucks. The Montage is the only model I'm seeing with a price >$100k.

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/vehiclereservation

Of course there is a long way to go from some nice renders to a functional car company, but if they do it, then some of the models look appealing for the space.

I don't believe the range numbers they are publishing, especially the trucks with the big off-road tires. Those tires look great, but kill range. Have they provided the battery capacity in a news release or any other place? I didn't see that on their web site. If they have 120+ kWh batteries, I will believe the range numbers. If they have 80 kWh batteries? No way they will even get close to those range estimates.

 

[Mach1E]

Here is the price list on their reservation page - most models are between $36k-$68k, including the Wolf trucks. The Montage is the only model I'm seeing with a price >$100k.

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/vehiclereservation

Of course there is a long way to go from some nice renders to a functional car company, but if they do it, then some of the models look appealing for the space.

Interesting.

And yet the only car they are actually building is $500k.

Then again, at this point, the other cars are just pictures. So you can assign whatever price you want to a car that doesnt exist.

They are good looking pictures though. Reminds me of 1960s British cars. Maybe a real company will buy the designs and build them.

 

[phidauex]

Interesting.

And yet the only car they are actually building is $500k.

Then again, at this point, the other cars are just pictures. So you can assign whatever price you want to a car that doesnt exist.

They are good looking pictures though. Reminds me of 1960s British cars. Maybe a real company will buy the designs and build them.

Oh, sure, I'm not holding my breath for them or anything. But hey, there was a time when Rivian had nothing more to show than Alpha, and surprised me by actually making cars. Hopefully some more new comers make it to market. In the meantime, I'm just keeping my eye out for anything in the small truck/light offroad category over the next 5-7 years.

 

[breeves002]

Man I am late to this party but I bought an R1S 2 weeks ago and wanted to give a few of my opinions since Todd wrote this.

Interior Materials:

• Advantage MachE:
  • Better door side pockets
  • Interior door handle that's easier to access
• Advantage Rivian:
  • Better floor mats
  • Qi Wireless charging actually works and doesn’t turn the phone into a toaster
  • Telescopic steering column that moves out of the way on entry/exit along with the seat
  • Air-conditioned seats are standard - hallelujah

-The door side pockets in the rivian aren't very useful agreed. The interior door handle is really awkward to grab too. I've gotten used to it but the Mach E one is so perfectly placed.
-The Rivian factory floor mats I hated. I put the all weather ones in the second I got home from the plant. They're very similar in quality to Fords all weather mats.
-Wireless charger in the rivian does not work with my iPhone 14. This is a known issue.
-The steering wheel moving is very nice and gives it a more luxury feel for sure, I like how you can set exactly how you want the seat/wheel to move and its not just generically out of the way.
-Thank god for AC seats...

Audio

• Advantage MachE:
  • SiriusXM
• Advantage Rivian:
  • Better quality sound than the B&O system in the MachE
  • When you approach the Rivian the audio system and infotainment are on and ready to go, no boot up.

-SiriusXM I do miss slightly but I just use the app. Just easier when it's built into the car. I do however find that the B&O is sometimes better. Rivian's new system is odd and some songs sound funky and where you sit in a cabin can make a big difference on frequencies. This may be an R1S vs R1T thing. Reviewers say WILDLY different things about it.
-The screens being on when you open the door is incredibly amazing and being able to see charge status without turning the car on is too. Seeing current charge rate too!

Cruise Control & Associated Safety Features:

• Advantage MachE:
  • BlueCruise hands on is available everywhere whereas Rivian just has Adaptive Cruise everywhere. This means that the Rivian doesn’t do lane centering or steering unless on “Driver +” roads. Rivian will still do lane departure.
• Advantage Rivian:
  • No ping ponging and it handles expansion joints smoothly
  • No right line hugging
  • Allows for Driver + over 80mph

This is my biggest negative of the Rivian. Driver+ works GREAT when enabled where it can be. However not having normal lane centering is frustrating. I can live without hands free but I want it to work on 2 lane highways too or non-limited access highways. I believe it probably is coming in the future though. I also dislike how it won't let you reposition in the lane without disabling or making you nearly go into the other lane from tugging on the wheel.

Technology, Screen and Controls:

• Advantage MachE
  • Auto switching to cameras while parking (forward only – Rivian does in reverse and it does proximity on forward, just no cameras)
• Advantage Rivian
  • A UI that makes sense and was designed by people who know what they are doing
  • Quick response, no boot up, no lag
  • Can view all cameras while in motion
  • Integrated dash cam and “sentry mode” which they call Gear Guard (using 10 cameras)
  • Monthly updates with pre and post release notes that are actually good
  • Better LTE signal strength than any car I've ever owned

-The auto switching to the camera is something I wish the Rivian did for sure. I'm sure they could easily add that in the future though.
-100% agree on a much better UI. So much more intuitive, especially in settings menu's, etc. So much snappier feeling too.
-Gear Guard works very well along with the Drive cam (built in dash cam)
-I agree that this car has better working LTE than any vehicle I've owned. It works in my neighborhood where my AT&T phone will not work at all.

Performance:

• Advantage MachE
  • Better throttle response
• Advantage Rivian
  • Quicker high-end acceleration
  • No jail bars unless you are in Conserve Mode, which disables 2 of the 4 motors (understandable)
• Differences - You decide the advantage:
  • Rivian doesn’t have the option to disable 1pd. I always use 1pd anyway, so I have no opinion
  • I don’t know where to put this but it’s definitely something to note. When the Rivian is in Conserve Mode (aka FWD) the ride is worse than the GTPE with Magnaride. When the Rivian is in any other mode (aka AWD) then the ride is close to the same as the GTPE.

-The Rivian's throttle pedal feels legitimately "heavy". Like you have to push really hard for some reason. I hate this and wish the response was improved.
-80-110mph is so quick in the Rivian it is unreal after coming from the Mach E
-It doesn't have jail bars but I'm not sure if you've noticed it will not always use the full power, especially if SoC isn't very high. It will stop the bar just short of maximum unless it's like 85%+ SoC.
-I believe Rivian is like Tesla and doesn't use an Electronic Brake Booster like the Mach E. Therefore to get any regeneration you must use 1PD. Therefore they don't disable it. I do which you could set it to "low" in all drive modes though as I do believe the standard is slightly too aggressive. "Low" regen in snow mode is much better but still enough to completely stop like Mach E's 1pd in whisper mode.
-Todd set the ride height to "low" instead of "lowest" in conserve - it rides way better. It will remember you want low as well so next time you go to conserve it will just put it on low. It's like 1" higher but rides way better.

Mobile Apps:

• Advantage MachE:
  • Ability to charge to 100 as a temp override
• Advantage Rivian:
  • PaaK that works – Every.Single.Time.
  • Frunk opening that works for everyone
  • Schedule service with pictures and video, right from the app
  • Vent window option

-The button to temporarily set to 100 is nice and would be easy for Rivian to add. Though it isn't hard to set it manually then change it back later in the Rivian app. It is MUCH harder to do that with the FordPass app. I have no idea who designed the charge locations part of the car but its so bad on the Mach E.
-PAAK on Rivian connects to 4 different devices. Versus a ton of different antennas that connect to one device on the Mach E. It does work well.
-Service scheduling is super nice. Screw Ford dealers and their BS service departments. They're all horrible.
-I love the vent window option please add this Ford.


My bottom line is the Rivian is a great vehicle, especially at the old pricing I paid. There are a few things I genuinely like better about the Mach E and about the Rivian. It really is tough for me to pick which one is better as they really are different for different reasons. Rivian is better at some things Mach E is better at others. Overall, I've put over 40,000 miles on 2 Mach E's in 2.5 years and they've been a joy. We'll see how the Rivian takes the miles!

 

[Neil4Real]

Man I am late to this party but I bought an R1S 2 weeks ago and wanted to give a few of my opinions since Todd wrote this.


-The door side pockets in the rivian aren't very useful agreed. The interior door handle is really awkward to grab too. I've gotten used to it but the Mach E one is so perfectly placed.
-The Rivian factory floor mats I hated. I put the all weather ones in the second I got home from the plant. They're very similar in quality to Fords all weather mats.
-Wireless charger in the rivian does not work with my iPhone 14. This is a known issue.
-The steering wheel moving is very nice and gives it a more luxury feel for sure, I like how you can set exactly how you want the seat/wheel to move and its not just generically out of the way.
-Thank god for AC seats...



-SiriusXM I do miss slightly but I just use the app. Just easier when it's built into the car. I do however find that the B&O is sometimes better. Rivian's new system is odd and some songs sound funky and where you sit in a cabin can make a big difference on frequencies. This may be an R1S vs R1T thing. Reviewers say WILDLY different things about it.
-The screens being on when you open the door is incredibly amazing and being able to see charge status without turning the car on is too. Seeing current charge rate too!


This is my biggest negative of the Rivian. Driver+ works GREAT when enabled where it can be. However not having normal lane centering is frustrating. I can live without hands free but I want it to work on 2 lane highways too or non-limited access highways. I believe it probably is coming in the future though. I also dislike how it won't let you reposition in the lane without disabling or making you nearly go into the other lane from tugging on the wheel.


-The auto switching to the camera is something I wish the Rivian did for sure. I'm sure they could easily add that in the future though.
-100% agree on a much better UI. So much more intuitive, especially in settings menu's, etc. So much snappier feeling too.
-Gear Guard works very well along with the Drive cam (built in dash cam)
-I agree that this car has better working LTE than any vehicle I've owned. It works in my neighborhood where my AT&T phone will not work at all.


-The Rivian's throttle pedal feels legitimately "heavy". Like you have to push really hard for some reason. I hate this and wish the response was improved.
-80-110mph is so quick in the Rivian it is unreal after coming from the Mach E
-It doesn't have jail bars but I'm not sure if you've noticed it will not always use the full power, especially if SoC isn't very high. It will stop the bar just short of maximum unless it's like 85%+ SoC.
-I believe Rivian is like Tesla and doesn't use an Electronic Brake Booster like the Mach E. Therefore to get any regeneration you must use 1PD. Therefore they don't disable it. I do which you could set it to "low" in all drive modes though as I do believe the standard is slightly too aggressive. "Low" regen in snow mode is much better but still enough to completely stop like Mach E's 1pd in whisper mode.
-Todd set the ride height to "low" instead of "lowest" in conserve - it rides way better. It will remember you want low as well so next time you go to conserve it will just put it on low. It's like 1" higher but rides way better.


-The button to temporarily set to 100 is nice and would be easy for Rivian to add. Though it isn't hard to set it manually then change it back later in the Rivian app. It is MUCH harder to do that with the FordPass app. I have no idea who designed the charge locations part of the car but its so bad on the Mach E.
-PAAK on Rivian connects to 4 different devices. Versus a ton of different antennas that connect to one device on the Mach E. It does work well.
-Service scheduling is super nice. Screw Ford dealers and their BS service departments. They're all horrible.
-I love the vent window option please add this Ford.


My bottom line is the Rivian is a great vehicle, especially at the old pricing I paid. There are a few things I genuinely like better about the Mach E and about the Rivian. It really is tough for me to pick which one is better as they really are different for different reasons. Rivian is better at some things Mach E is better at others. Overall, I've put over 40,000 miles on 2 Mach E's in 2.5 years and they've been a joy. We'll see how the Rivian takes the miles!

Great further insights! Are you still keeping your MME?

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