Skip The Cybertruck: 2024 Rivian R1T Review

It’s December 2023 and it’s tough to be heard above the din of Cybertruck chatter however I’ll provide it a shot.

I’ve now driven the Rivian R1S SUV and R1T pickup– both for a week. This previous week it was the 2024 R1T.

Like the Tesla Cybertruck, it’s a pickup. And like the Cybertruck it’s developed with off-road strength. And like the Cybertruck– a minimum of the existing model– it’s pricey.

Alas, it’s not a Cybertruck. Some would state it does not have the sharp, steely “cool edge” (through WSJof the Cybertruck. Let me press back and state that Rivian has a visual edge. I choose the R1T. Plus the truth that you can in fact get one. No waiting in line for a year or more.

What I like most about the R1T (the R1S too) is the marital relationship of charm and monster. A sensation that you can do anything and go throughout design.

I put the R1T to the test. Not the supreme test (see this YouTube video for thatI did take it deep into the Mojave Desert in California to a location where if you get stuck you’re out of luck– as in no cellular signal and no neighboring human civilization.

Initially some more ordinary, however essential, things about the pickup.

(Keep in mind: what follows is a brief first-take evaluation– not a thorough evaluation– and discuss the functions of the R1T that I utilized the most)

Highway help: The R1T is loaded with the sort of innovation you would anticipate in a costly electrical car, not unlike a Tesla Model Y (which I’ve likewise driven thoroughly).

Highway Assist is a lot like Tesla’s Autopilot. The automobile will basically drive itself on significant highways. It’s not ideal (nor is Tesla’s Autopilot) however I discovered it important on the long journey to the Mojave Desert where long, unlimited, ruler-edge straight highways can evaluate your awareness.

Highway Assist does not constantly work when you desire it to. It errs on the side of care. If it deals with a scenario it does not acknowledge it closes down instantly and makes you reclaim control.

Sometimes, it will wander to the ideal side of the lane, i.e., does not center totally, which can get dicey when you’re passing a big truck. I needed to shut it down by hand a couple of times since of this.

Quick: for a 7,000 pound automobile it’s quick. If you require immediate torque, no issue. It’s not rather as quick as a dual-motor Model Y however, once again, for a heavy truck the torque is outrageous. Faster than a Mustang Shelby GT500It does not injure that I had the quad-motor design (which puts the cost near $90,000). I did not get to check the more affordable dual-motor variationwhich begins at around $74,000 and is brand-new this year.

Charging: when you own an EV (like I do), you rapidly discover to “constantly be charging.” No, it’s not like the very first generation of EVs such as the 80-mile-range Chevy Spark EV (which I drove for 6 months back in 2017) where you deal with a continuous sneaking worry of the vehicle passing away on the highway.

The ABC guideline still uses. With the 3rd generation of EVs it’s the worry of not having access to a public battery charger. In the Mojave Desert that’s genuine. There’s the worry that some charging areas will be undependable or totally broken. (In Santa Clarita, Calif., where I typically charge, it’s a crapshoot if a public CCS quick battery charger will work or not.)

Fortunately, the Electrify America quickly charging station in the town of Mojave, Calif. did work. And it was quickly. The R1T revealed peak charging rates above 40o mi/hr. And I got a complete charge in a little over 30 minutes– simply over 300 miles from a beginning point of about 50 miles.

(As an aside, charging beside me was a similar R1T. The owner was carrying a huge trailer. The owner informed me that the R1T had no issue transporting around huge loads.)

Off-road: this is what impressed me one of the most. In my wasted youth, I invested an out of proportion quantity of my summer season getaways at my household’s summer season home in Nantucket, Mass. driving a Jeep Wrangler on really soft sand. (Certain parts of the island are just available by 4WD lorry.) And I suggest soft and deep. The Mojave Desert sand, in areas, is comparable.

The R1T raked through soft sand like a hot knife through butter. That provided me the self-confidence to go deeper into the desert and never ever stress over getting stuck. I invested the rest of the day driving into the remote desert (see pictures at bottom). Up high slopes and often at frightening angles. And great deals of soft sand. I was never ever fretted. And the R1T emerged at the end of the day untouched regardless of really difficult off-road conditions in some locations.

Summary: what Rivian has actually finished with its very first fracture at an electrical lorry is absolutely nothing except a wonder. When you drive it, you feel that it’s screwed together well. It’s peaceful inside the cabin and the suspension deals with rough, severely preserved paved roadways (Los Angeles has no scarcity of these) with aplomb. Simply put, a durable, premium cars and truck. I extremely suggest it based upon my experience above.

There’s one major downside: cost. Just a small minority of American cars and truck purchasers can pay for a $75,000 – $90,000 lorry. That makes it an elitist vehicle available just to wealthy Americans. That appears to be in dispute with what Rivian professes to desire:”We’re constructing for a future that consists of everybody” (Though I believe that you can make it work if you’re prepared to make severe sacrifices or handle financial obligation or a costly lease.)

The lower-cost R2 platform is due in 2026. That’s a long period of time to wait on a budget friendly Rivian. I’m hoping that the CEO RJ Scaringe under pledges and over provides on this objective.

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Notes: Full specifications of the R1T I drove: Red Canyon, Quad Motor, Large Pack R1T with Black Mountain Interior and 22″ Dark Sport Wheels.