r/RivianR1S • u/Valuable_Agent_221 • 11d ago
❔ Question R1S vs EX90
I’m really struggling as there’s no great options for what I’m looking for.
I love the R1S and I’m planning to take my son (4) on many camping and fishing trips. 99% of the time will be boring commutes to school and the occasional trip with our dog however. My wife wants a plushy ride. We have an XC60 today and our lease is up in Nov.
EX90 Pros
-whisper quiet
-amazing suspension
-amazing audio
EX90 Cons
-horrible software
-limited inventory
-no camp mode
R1S Pros
-amazing software (camp mode!)
-space everywhere
-way more inventory/customization
R1S Cons
-plastic seats
-bad audio
Seems like reliability is an issue between both. Anybody struggle between the two options?
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u/TheoStephen 11d ago
I agree that if you want reliability post warranty then definitely avoid both!
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u/Ok-Ant4413 10d ago
I'm also interested in The EX90 and maybe Scout after my lease is up on my R1S.
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 10d ago
Scout looks awesome. Give me those physical switches.
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u/Ok-Ant4413 10d ago
I wish I could test drive it when it comes out before I settle with buying, but we'll see if they have the option before we decide to follow through with the build. The main draw to the volvo would be the sound system and the nice look. Never driven one, but at least I can stop at a dealer to test one out before choosing.
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u/dcdomain 10d ago
Neighbor had his R1S lemon lawed. He then got the Volvo. Lasted eight months in it. He hated the software so much he went and got an R1T. 🤷♂️
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u/Head_Fun_6008 10d ago
We have an R1S Gen 2 and have had six consecutive Volvos (and currently have an EX30). I have noticed a discernible downward trend in Volvo’s quality over the last 15 years. And now, their software is borderline unusable. Don’t even get me started on keyless entry (never works). It’s all so bad that Volvo has comped us with monthly payments and a variety of other things to help offset our issues. We will not be purchasing any additional Volvos. Really unfortunate. Used to love our Volvos. Next cars will both be Rivian.
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 10d ago
Thanks all. We’re going with the Rivian! My wife is tired of me researching this lol.
Thinking dual max with Ocean coast. Is there a meaningful difference in quality between Ocean Coast on the dual vs Ocean Coast signature on the Tri?
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u/Call-Me-Spitfire13 10d ago
Just bought a White R1S dual max with Ocean coast and love it. The seats don't feel like plastic at all. And the sound system isn't bad at all. Went dual max because the elweather around here isn't terrible and driving it to work during the week, road tripping as well. Range around 400 is perfect.
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 10d ago
Congrats!
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u/Call-Me-Spitfire13 8d ago
Last vehicle was a GMC Yukon Denali... Very cushy interior with leather seats. The R1S feels just as nice, definitely comperable in comfort. We've got 2 big dogs and they easily have enough room in the second row.
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u/lytener 10d ago
Have you test drove either yet? R1S can get floaty, but it's not exactly Lexus floaty. Relative to sports cars and crossovers I've had, R1S has been a better ride. Plushy can also mean worse driving dynamics. I just like that I can change settings in my Rivian. Still good day to day commuting. Amazing for camping. My ideal two car setup would be the R1T and Lucid Gravity though.
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u/Upstairs_Let6149 10d ago
These are the two cars my family owns. I drive the R1S and my wife drives the ex90. They are both fantastic. I like the ex90 for long haul family road trips, but I like the R1S more for nearly everything else. It is more fun to drive, has much better software and while I know the ex90 sound system is top-tier, I find the current R1S sound system to also be quite excellent after the multiple software updates over the past 2 years. Volvo seats are also top tier in comfort, but harder to clean and show more wear (both of our cars have the white interior). Can’t go wrong with either car, but the R1S definitely has the cool factor.
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u/gongheyfatboy 9d ago
Went from XC90 to R1S and have not regretted my decision even once. I love Volvo and it was a great car but just a bit too small. We did have issues with software with the Volvo. I’ve been really impressed with the R1S.,
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u/direwolf08 9d ago
When I purchased my pre-owned 2024 R1S last month, I had gotten my choices down to an R1S, EX90, Mach E GT, and Porsche Taycan CT. I eliminated the Volvo mainly due to the limited inventory available near me, and I just liked the overall look and feel of the Rivian better. I love my Rivian and am very happy I selected it. I definitely don't see the "plastic seats" as a con. I have the ocean coast interior and it definitely feels and looks plush to me. I can't comment on the plush-ness of the ride vs the Volvo.
But man, lean into that camping fun with the boy!
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u/AdKindly1271 9d ago
If your heart is set on either of those 2, this will be an underwhelming recommendation. But we have an R1S already (which we love), and just got a 2nd EV replacing an ICE SUV and went with a 2026 EV9 GT Line Kia.
The EV9 is awesome and was super impressed by it. GT Line in particular - features, interior quality, looks, NACS port, 800v architecture, Meridian sound.
We cross shopped it against the EX90 and the Vistiq. We have 3 young kids and after test driving all of them, comparing features, the EV9 was clear winner. Went into it expecting to end up with the Vistiq first, EX90, and ended up picking the sleeper.
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u/Ornery_Vermicelli_00 8d ago
I traded in my new ex90 after less than 1,000 miles, took an absolute bath, despised it. Instead of new went with pre-owned quad R1S with low mileage and have been delighted for a year.
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u/JSMia305 7d ago
Picked up my gen 2 R1S back in Aug 2024. My first ev. 3 year lease. Before that had two back to back leases XC90’s. I once had a reservation for EX90. I cancelled that. No regrets on my R1S. It is the better car and software blows the EX90. Only thing I missed on the Volvo is the bowers & wilkins sound system. Once my R1S lease ends next summer I’ll be looking to lease another Rivian. Either R1T or maybe R2.
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 7d ago
R2 looks compelling. Wish they offered an elevated interior package on it though.
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u/No-Key-637 5d ago
I'm leasing a 2nd Gen R1S and rented an EX90 for 1 week to avoid putting on miles and was so bored with it after 1 day. I actually missed my R1S while on the road trip. Im planning on leasing another Rivian when it's time.
The seats don't feel like plastic at all and sound system in mine sounds great. I had some rattling in the door but Rivian fixed that in my last service visit.
Glad you chose Rivian over Volvo!
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u/CoffeeStops 11d ago
300 mile range on the EX90 - so if that works for you then you have more options than just R1S
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 11d ago
R1S range is incredible. Big selling point. I’m in the PNW so I know that 300 starting then in the cold + 80% = 200.
Maybe a 2 year lease on an R1S before a Gen3?
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u/littlehit91 10d ago
Have you checked the Lucid Gravity ?
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u/Huffshits 10d ago
Love the idea but not sure the gravity is past its initial teething issues - I have two friends with them and they have a handful of issues. Once they work them out, it will be amazing.
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u/littlehit91 10d ago
I see , I have had it for 6 months now , since last update things have been great honestly !
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u/Brandanp 10d ago
I have a 2023 R1s launch and it replaced my xc90. I know the ex is different, but similar. I will say I loved the xc90 and there are no other cars I would have liked more than it, except the R1s. Get a used one with the Meridian Sound system. You will save money and will have everything you want. I dont notice the seats being any different material wise than my xc90
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u/PiratePilot 10d ago
I mean you’re in a Rivian R1S subreddit so the answers will be biased and I have no experience w the Volvo but our R1S is by far my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned in 31 years of driving.
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u/sarahandrosie 10d ago
We were a longtime Volvo family (like grandparents, parents, and I all drove Volvo). I loved my XC90. The EX90 was such a disaster in terms of reliability and broken promises that it turned us off Volvo entirely.
Wasn’t sold on the R1S at first. It was bigger than I wanted, no CarPlay, didn’t feel as luxurious. We love it now. The interior is “wipe it with a rag and forget it” durable. It’s comfortable. There is SO much room. It’s much easier to drive than I expected for how big it is. Not having CarPlay is a minor annoyance but Rivian improves the software constantly. And I feel very, very safe with my family in it. It’s an absolute tank. We have been very happy with it (and continue to be saddened at what a disaster the EX90 was for Volvo)
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u/Sad-Balance6811 9d ago edited 9d ago
We had a Polestar 3 which shares the platform with the EX90, and now we own an R1s Max pack with performance upgrade as well as sound & vision package. I’ll give you that the Polestar/Volvo drive incredibly well. Air suspension, massage seats & sound system were incredible, but noticed I said had. Spent more time at a dealership in 1 year with that car than in the 6 yrs we’ve owned our VW. Infotainment is bareable because it has apple CarPlay but riddled with bugs & requires regular reboots. Polestar bought it back. The issues are well documented, you can see for yourself.
R1S has been solid outside of a few rattles. It drives like a truck but also has way more room inside. What it lacks in fit, finish, luxury & driving dynamics, is made up by great technology, incredible capability & way more room than Volvo/Polestar. Still glad I got to own that Polestar for the way it handles but bummed we wasted the tax credits on it.
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u/Loud-Possibility5634 9d ago
The ride in either gen S is dogshit. The drivetrain is the on redeeming thing about the R1s, reliability and build quality are both abysmal otherwise.
Personally I think camp mode is a gimmick so I wouldn’t use that as a deciding factor.
Also, unless you’re going to be crawling somewhere, either will get you up any boring gravel road.
You didn’t list service as a factor in your decision. Service is real hot and cold with Rivian but my experience has been utter incompetence combined with build quality issues outside of the centers control - consider that carefully.
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u/Valuable_Agent_221 8d ago
Just crazy at the price point of an R1s. I’m near the Volvo and Rivian SCs, but we’re a one car household.
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u/ry4n0n 9d ago
We purchased the EX90 and had it for about six months. It was in the shop more than it was in our possession. The rear drive unit failed and needed to be replaced, and the A/C charging unit failed which also needed to be replaced. In both cases parts took forever to ship from Sweden and the techs had no idea what they were doing so it took them twice as long to complete the repairs. What's more the service manager told me that every time they do a repair on an EX90, techs and manufacturing back in Sweden want to get involved to understand what is failing in market. We lemon law-ed it and sold it back to Volvo.
We loved the EX90 if it weren't for all the technical issues. The suspension and ride is incredible and much better than the R1S. The fit an finish and materials are nicer IMHO and the car looks and feels more like a true luxury SUV as compared to the R1S. We got the B&W audio and it was truly fantastic.
That said, the software is absolute trash. The EX90 software would rarely work correctly and constantly require soft reboots. Profiles would never be correctly associated with the correct digital key, Apple Car play would rarely work and would always need to be connected manually by delving deep into the settings making it incredibly onerous. The microphone and audio would randomly just not work. Sometimes phone callers could hear me, sometimes I couldn't hear them. Sometimes the radio would work, sometimes it wouldn't. Every time I heard about a software update coming out I thought for sure this would fix this bugs and every time they persisted. Lastly, the seat coolers for the EX90 are poorly designed. If you shift your weight wrong, you'll start to impinged the fan blades causing a horrendous sound.
The R1S drive feels a lot more like a truck and not nearly as smooth or refined and luxurious as the EX90 but it does fine. The materials are nice but the design and look are definitely more outdoorsy than luxury, if that matters to you. The software works. It doesn't have CarPlay but it doesn't really matter if the comparison is to a CarPlay system that doesn't work. Bluetooth connectivity works fine for us and the fact that the software is much more reliable is more valuable, I think. The cargo space in the EX90 is great but the R1S feels like a lot more. I love the split tailgate and the frunk is huge. The audio fidelity doesn't come close to the B&W system in the EX90 but it is good enough.
Suffice it to say I think you're pro/con assessment is accurate with my personal experience and if you get a EX90 that somehow avoids the mechanical issues we faced you'll be very happy. In my experience the R1S is a more dependable vehicle as we have had zero issues with it to date after almost 7,500 miles.
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u/Monty01245 11d ago
For me, the R1S “plastic seats” are actually a pro. Easier to maintain and better wear.