Tacoma Vs. Rivian

A simple problem with a simple solution.

Sure it should have come with one but not having a spare, or figuring out what to do if you have a flat you can't repair, isn't some insurmountable hurdle.

 

I think the problem with a lot of vehicle reviews is that they are loaned the vehicle and are nervous that if they say too many negative things than the manufacturer won’t give them anymore vehicles to review.

 

Nope. I’m just prepared for simple inconveniences like flat tires and I can deal with things myself instead of throwing money at people to help me.

 

That’s exactly what I would do. It’s just annoying that you lose a lot of trunk space because the manufacturer couldn’t provide you with a basic item that’s been part of vehicles for 100 years.

 

If bitching about a spare is an argument, then I don’t care if I win.

For what it’s worth I did order a spare for my R1T because there is plenty of storage even with the spare.

 

Well said and I hope that you sensed the sarcasm in my posting of the video.

 

The truck has a space under the bed for the full size spare so it doesn’t impact cargo space. The SUV has a compact spare that is under the cargo area, also doesn’t impact space. The compact spares are weird but the one time I used one it inflated fine and did the job.

 

Why not just buy a full size spare when ordering?

 

There are more than just EV vehicles that don't provide spares. My M3 doesn't have spares due to staggered size wheels from front to back. Plenty of other manufacturers do this as well. This isn't the "aha" moment you're making it out to be.

If I were taking any vehicle off-road I'd carry a spare. That still doesn't help you if you have two tires go down like I did in my F-250 several years ago (neither flat was fixable as both had sidewall cuts). Had to hike a couple of miles to get cell service to get a buddy to bring me a second spare. It took hours. Should I now carry 2 or 3 spares?

 

If you order from the R1T shop, you don’t necessarily get the accessories you had in your original order.

 

I know the Rivians can fit a spare. I was complaining about Teslas and lots of new small vehicles that have no spare tire space, even ICE vehicles. It was too hard for the designers so they just eliminated it.

 

Same could be said about gloveboxes.

 

That is another weird design choice by Rivian. They could have fit one but chose not to.

 

How are the under seat cubbies in the front for stuffing stuff?

 

Big enough for insurance, registration and stuff like that. If you wanted you could probably stuff a pair of gloves in there. I don’t know that I will use mine for much of anything.

 

I was just hoping to get the normal documents in there.

 

I consider a spare tire to be a little more important than a place to keep your registration and some napkins.

 

Some vehicles have neither

 

Many modern vehicles do not include spare tires or a jack. They add 60+lbs of usually unnecessary weight to a vehicle, and additional design constraints, when the vast majority of time they are not needed. That can easily be a 1.5%+ vehicle weight savings, without using much more expensive aluminum body panels etc to save smaller amounts of weight. The spare and jack is an easy weight savings target, which is why so many manufacturers are dropping them. There are a few aftermarket ones available, including one that mounts to the internal roof of the truck deck to minimize usable space loss.

In a Tesla you just click the road service button, and Tesla brings you a new wheel and tire if you have a flat. Obviously the convenience of this will vary depending on your location and proximity to urban areas. If it is a deal breaker, pick up an aftermarket one.

In a truck intended to be taken off road, a spare is an obvious must have. If you get a flat on a trail or somewhere in the wilderness, you need the ability to resolve the issue yourself.

In the last 20+ years, the only time I’ve gotten a true flat is off road. If you have a slow leak, the TPMS should give you adequate warning to get a repair. As passenger vehicles continue to push for better efficiency, spares are going to continue becoming less common.

 

This is wacky. I just went to pick up pizza and there was a Tesla pulled over with his hazards on. Flat rear tire. He was still there on my way home. No help arrived yet…