Rivian, after multiple delays, began serial production of the R1T pickup last month at a retooled assembly plant in Normal, Ill., making it the first electric truck out of the gate as the industry begins a seismic shift to electrification.
The electric vehicle startup’s first R1Ts off the line — all Launch Editions — start at $73,000, with a 314-mile range from a 135-kilowatt-hour battery and a 1,760-pound payload capacity.
A larger battery pack is coming designed to give the truck a range of about 400 miles. We’ve scoured the web for some early reviews.
“If you’ve never had 826 lb.-ft. of instant, electric torque under your right foot, I can solidly say that you haven’t lived. The R1T might not have locking differentials, a two-speed transfer case or any kind of tough-guy wizardry you’d associate with off-road prowess, but none of that matters when you’ve got an absolute ton of torque. I can slowly pick my line up a steep, rocky hill, never worrying about keeping momentum. The sophisticated traction control system moves the torque where it’s needed most, and before I know it, the R1T hits the top of a peak while the Jeeps behind me are still switching into low gear.
“Of course, that torque is only useful if you’ve got the traction to put it to the pavement — or, in my case, the dirt. It’s super easy to spin the tires, meaning it’s also super easy to get dug in and stuck in the softer, hotter sand of Glamis, California, home to North America’s largest dunes.”
— Emme Hall, Road Show by CNET
“The R1T pulls away with all of the strength you’d expect from over 800 horses backed by more than 900 lb-ft of torque and you’d never guess the aluminum-bodied vehicle weighs nearly 7,000 pounds. Batteries are a burden, but the R1T carries it well.
“Sitting low in Sport mode, the R1T carved its way up and down the winding Loveland Pass more like a sports car than a pickup in the sort of silence you expect from an electric vehicle, despite the quartet of motors at work, and there wasn’t a squeak or rattle to be heard.
“The regenerative braking system, which turns those motors into generators to slow it down as they recharge the batteries, has three settings and the strongest is effective enough to make the disc brakes an afterthought most of the time.”
— Gary Gastelu, Fox News
“The moment I knew the Rivian R1T was a true contender in the now-exploding electric truck market came while bracing myself in the passenger seat while a fellow journalist guided the e-beast up a treacherously rocky, narrow 30-degree grade near Breckinridge, Colorado — all with shocking ease and comfort. There was none of the violent jostling you get in traditional four-wheelers scrambling to solve a technical trail. There was little-to-no slippage from the four all-terrain-tire shod wheels. And the best part was the silence — all you could hear while this 7,000-pound pickup deftly darted up, up, up was the sound of tires crunching over rocks, and our own joy-filled hollering.”
— Adam Bible, Men’s Journal
“Laden with vegan-leather seats and an all-glass panoramic roof, the R1T is no workhorse. Its front end will not sustain a snow plow; its 16-inch center touchscreen should not get wet and won’t respond to input from gloved fingers; and its stiff, not-very-adjustable seats lack the comfort of the premium work rigs that double as offices and conference rooms for contractors on the move.
“Part of the R1T’s charm is its cleverness: The standard removable Bluetooth speaker stored in the center of the console doubled as a lantern as we ate tacos off the camp kitchen at night. The driver’s side door holds a torch flashlight like the umbrellas that Rolls-Royce first installed in its coaches.
“The rear contains a standard air compressor that I used to refill my tires after coming off the rocks we crossed on the trail near Lake Dillon and the Old West town of Montezuma. (We had let some air out earlier to help improve traction.)
“The ground covered was not the most extreme I’ve had for an electric vehicle or off-roader. Leave that distinction to the boulders I climbed in Moab in the electric and hybrid Jeep Wranglers and the week I spent in Death Valley dunes in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. But the R1T proved capable enough in its Off-Road, All-Purpose, Sport, and Conserve modes, which adjust the power, braking, ride height, stiffness, and handling to enhance the truck’s ability.”
— Hannah Elliott, Bloomberg
“Despite weighing 6,950 pounds, the R1T accelerates on pavement with relentless alacrity. With the drive mode set to Sport, it doesn’t take much of a prod to awaken the more than 800 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque. The experience is akin to mashing the throttle in a Bentley Mulsanne — a physics-defying jaunt that reaches triple digits without so much as a whisper.
“Bend the R1T into a corner and the same dissociative effect occurs. At 217.1 inches, the R1T is slightly longer than a Mercedes-Maybach S-class, yet still hustles with an impressive amount of grace. Even more apparent is the lack of body roll. Part of this poise comes from the low center of gravity, but the R1T also features a hydraulic roll-control system in lieu of anti-roll bars. Each corner and axle is connected through a hydraulic network, which keeps roll in check without adversely affecting the ride.”
— Derek Powell, Car and Driver
“Trucks as unstoppable as the R1T was off-road are rarely pleasant on it, but the Rivian is the exception to the rule. Hunkering down on its air suspension to reduce drag and lower its center of gravity, the R1T rode smoothly and quietly, its noise cancellation suppressing wind at highway speeds. There’s a range-extending Conserve mode, which disconnects the rear axle, but I spent most of my time in Sport, with stiffer damping and sharper pedal response.
“Not that response matters much when you flatten the R1T’s accelerator, unleashing a sound like the Millennium Falcon as it dumps 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque, almost lifting you out of your seat as 7,000 pounds (give or take) recoil under supercar-like acceleration. Six-piston front brake calipers, single-piston rears, and dual-axle regenerative braking slow the R1T in time for corners, where the Rivian basically doesn’t roll at all thanks to the electro-hydraulic anti-roll system.”
— James Gilboy, The Drive