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Two days after I pulled into Demise Valley, California, to check the Rivian R1T, a sandstorm rolled by way of. Not fairly biblical, extra Mission: Unattainable Ghost Protocol. So intense was the climate, mobile towers give up working and no person was in a position to preserve their eyes open lengthy sufficient to search out the slat-board basic retailer that was offering refuge. Worse, we could not discover the one saloon. It seems these have been excellent circumstances for testing a rugged EV from a beginner model trying to make its mark.
Not lengthy after my California sojourn, I used to be cruising round lush, forested upstate New York in an R1S, the SUV model of Rivian’s truck. This mannequin has its sights firmly set on Vary Rover’s prospects, and it’ll arrive earlier than the British model even will get its first reputable hybrid out of the gate.
The R1T begins at $67,500, and the R1S begins at $72,000, and the choices add up quick. The loaner R1T that I drove got here out at a cool $90,000, however in fact the $22,500 value of choices have been simply gravy on an already stellar truck. You could possibly purchase the base-level mannequin with none choices or upgrades in any respect, and also you’d nonetheless get all the very best elements of the R1T.
I put 1,300 miles on the R1T in every kind of circumstances—from Los Angeles rush-hour site visitors to open freeway, chilly mountain roads to off-road desert trails. Later I drove one other 100 miles on an R1T and an R1S by way of rural New York, ending on a muddy off-road path simply to make certain. Right here’s why it’s, up to now, the highest-rated EV I’ve reviewed.
House From House
Tent tenting wasn’t going to occur the primary evening the sandstorm hit, clearly. Cruising on the final 30 miles of juice within the Rivian’s 300-mile battery vary, I discovered Demise Valley’s solely charging stations—4 gradual chargers powered by an array of photo voltaic panels—and bunked down for the evening.
I by no means sleep properly in automobiles, however with the motive force’s seat leaned all the best way again and the charging station pulsing slowly because it fed the Rivian’s batteries, I nodded off very quickly. Automakers have gotten awfully good at creating artificial leather-based that may be mistaken for the actual factor. The R1T’s faux-leather seats might’ve fooled anybody, and even after a number of 12-hour days driving (and sleeping in) the Rivian, I by no means as soon as felt a pang of discomfort.
I did not spend a lot time using within the again seat, however with a touchscreen for the rear-facing local weather controls and a snug fold-down armrest, the second rows of each the R1T and R1S have been as comfy because the entrance seats. The R1S has a 3rd row of seats for a complete of seven passengers. There is no choice for second-row captain’s chairs (two particular person seats) as a substitute of the three-person bench. Each rows fold flat, as is typical, and ought to be anticipated in an SUV as of late.
As a part of the $5,500 Journey package deal, you achieve ash-wood inside panels. They’re accessible in three colours: tan, brown, and black. What impressed me most is that they weren’t coated in a thick layer of plasticky varnish, just like the wooden trim of most automobiles. The stain used on the wooden is simply sufficient to paint it, and if you run your finger over the floor you’ll be able to really feel the wooden grain. The carpeting on the Journey Trim is equally tactile and consists of woven ground mats from Chilewich. They offered a pleasant, distinctive design element, whereas most ground mats are plain previous carpet or rubber.
You may retailer no matter you want within the pass-through gear tunnel that runs horizontally under the entrance of the truck mattress. It serves as a second lockable trunk, along with the entrance trunk underneath what we’d usually name the hood in an internal-combustion-engine (ICE) truck. There’s loads of room for a load of groceries within the frunk, and I carried round a few massive duffel baggage and a backpack in there with room to spare. There’s even a useful devoted Bluetooth speaker with subwoofer, tweeter, and two mid-range audio system that shops underneath the middle console and could be eliminated totally from the cabin. If solely all automotive producers had such consideration to element.
Exemplary Inside
{Photograph}: Elliot Ross/Rivian
The consumer interface of the oblong 15.6-inch touchscreen is the very best of any all-screen infotainment middle I’ve seen but. It’s all of the extra spectacular as a result of a towing, hauling, off-roading, commuting truck just like the R1T has so many extra driving configurations than, say, the Polestar 2, which has a equally industry-leading and intuitive UI, however isn’t as aesthetically pleasing or full of as many driving screens and settings. The touchscreen interface is a weak spot for a lot of automotive firms, and it’s astonishing that they do not have a look at programs like this for worthwhile classes. On the rear of the middle console, back-seat passengers get their very own 6.8-inch touchscreen to regulate the heating and air-conditioning vents.
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