Teardown Titan Sandy Munro Reviews His Rivian R1T After One Year, Still Not His Favorite

It’s hard to believe Sandy Munro is such a technology geek considering his age, but he is. He talks so passionately about cutting-edge things, not only in electric vehicles but mobile devices and communications too. Nevertheless, he’s the guy to go to if you want an expert opinion on electric vehicles, and he owns quite a few, including a Rivian R1T he bought a year ago. That’s great if you want to know what owning a Rivian means from an expert point of view. Thankfully, Sandy obliged and marked the first anniversary of his electric truck with a proper review.

The Rivian is the daily driver of his wife, Susan, so part of the review is based on her experience. This also explains why it has relatively low mileage, at around 8,500 miles (14,000 km). Sue loves the truck and especially how well it handles Michigan winters, thanks to its Snow Mode. Despite being heavy and powerful, the Rivian R1T remains safe and stable in slippery conditions, whether snow, sleet, or mud.

The R1T is great to have around the house, but not having a ladder frame makes it less suitable for hauling heavy stuff. That’s why Sandy Munro still prefers the F-150 Lightning for serious work, although he admits the R1T is “pretty damn good.” The OTA updates Rivian is pushing to the truck are also a positive experience, especially when they come with an improved range. Sandy says the R1T can now go around 20 miles (32 km) more than when it was delivered, all thanks to these updates.

Sandy and Sue point to different things when it comes to what they don’t like that much. For Sue, it’s the fact that the wood trims in the cabin are easy to scratch. For Sandy, it’s the lack of inductive charging for his phone, as the teardown titan considers cables a thing of the past. Sandy has resorted to an aftermarket solution, especially as he uses inductive charging in his Tesla. As you can see, this is just a mild annoyance, and so are the other things that Sandy wants Rivian to change.

Another sore spot is the lack of AM radio, but this is not something unique to Rivian. Many carmakers, including Ford and Tesla, have dropped the AM radios from their vehicles to save some bucks. However, unlike the tape or CD player, the AM radio is a safety feature, as it is used for emergency announcements during natural disasters. Michigan has many storms, and not having this lifeline while driving can prove dangerous. For other insights, watch Sandy’s video below, as it is both informative and entertaining.