When the Bugatti Veyron launched in 2005, a production car with 1,001 horsepower was earth-shattering, obscene, mesmerizing, something that would make you drop your jaw so hard, it would shatter as soon as it hit the ground. Surely, we thought, this was Concorde. This was the largest conceivable expression of the car ever to be produced. Well, nearly twenty years later, here we are with a pickup truck and an SUV that have a comma in their power outputs. Yes, the Rivian R1T and its R1S SUV brother have been updated for the 2025 model year, and they’re looking to line up at the tree with the Tesla Cybertruck.
On the outside, it’ll take an eagle eye to distinguish the new Rivian R1T and R1S from the old one. Sure, the new models get a slew of fresh wheel designs including 22-inch rollers with aerodiscs that cut the drag coefficient of the R1T down to 0.297 and new matrix LED headlights now that this advanced technology is legal in America, but that’s about it, visually.
A new tri-motor model gets the yellow badge and caliper accents previously reserved for quad-motor Rivians, which means that the quad-motor model needed a new accent color to distinguish itself. Rivian calls this new shade Laguna Beach Blue, and it comes paired with a windswept sasquatch emblem. How charming.
Speaking of the quad-motor model, it now makes a whopping 1,025 horsepower. Do electric trucks need more horsepower? Absolutely not. Is it objectively hilarious to watch something the size of a double-wide run zero-to-60 mph in 2.5? Absolutely. If you’re not looking for that much speed, Rivian also offers dual-motor and new tri-motor configurations with 665 horsepower and 850 horsepower, respectively. Those ought to still be plenty potent enough, with the tri-motor configuration reportedly good for a sub-three-second zero-to-60 mph time. As a bonus, Launch Mode briefly relaxes the top speed limiter from 110 mph to 130 mph, which should make the quad-motor Rivian R1T quicker than a tri-motor Tesla Cybertruck down the quarter mile. Rivian claims 10.5 seconds, which ought to earn these things the Dominic Toretto seal of approval.
Of course, in the real world, range trumps speed, so the optional Max Pack battery pack sees an increase of 10 miles of range for a total of 420. At the same time, the base battery pack now uses lithium iron phosphate chemistry, which offers the same 270-mile range as the old standard pack but should see improved durability and reduced manufacturing costs. Speaking of manufacturing costs, Rivian’s removed 1.6 miles of wiring from each revised R1T and R1S and simplified ECU count from 17 to 7, removing 44 pounds of weight. Despite this, Rivian’s managed to fit both CCS and NACS DC fast charging connectors on each vehicle, so there will be no need for owners to go hunting for adapters. In addition, new air springs ought to improve ride quality, while a new suite of 11 cameras and five radar units aims to improve advanced driver assist suite functionality.
On the inside, Rivian’s infotainment system gets a massive re-skin featuring whimsical cel-shaded images and increased focus on user-friendliness. Despite this substantial infotainment system revamp, Rivian isn’t offering Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, a miss when you can plug your iPhone into a Lucid Air and it’ll just work. If other startups can do it, why not Rivian? Mind you, a new premium audio system now features Dolby Atmos surround sound, so that’s a neat consolation prize, as is the new electrochromic glass roof.
Speaking of the interior, tri-motor and quad-motor models start with upgraded interior trimmings, and while the green interior is no more, but it’s been replaced by a fabulous blue cabin with walnut trim. Wood is excellent, and it’s about damn time it made a comeback in car interiors. At the same time, Rivian will sell you an R1T or R1S with a black or grey interior, but the blue really is where it’s at.
With more range, more speed, more drivetrain options, and more tech, the 2025 Rivian R1T and R1S seek to improve on an already desirable package. When both start shipping later this summer, the R1T pickup truck will start at $69,900, while the revised R1S will start at $75,900. Of course, both models can be loaded up into the six-figure range, but such is the nature of luxury EVs, right? Then again, low six-figure pricing for something with 1,000 horsepower isn’t bad when the Veyron stickered for a million.
(Photo credits: Rivian)
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I love horsepower. I love speed. But this much power in such heavy vehicles is pure irresponsibility. We really need tiered drivers licenses or something like it to drive anything like this.
Hopefully, someone will show up and whine about too much HP and the need fo-SHAAAAADDDUUUUPPPPPPP!!!!!!
Why exactly do you want 1000hp on a truck? To deplete that battery in like 10 minutes?
What number should we cap it at? is 200hp enough? Should we limit all vehicles to a 0-60 time of no less than 10 seconds? Who among us gets to make that call? I will never own one, but I think pushing the boundaries of performance is cool.
I don’t mind to put some sort of hp/kg car on cars. Why not?
20 years ago a 220 HP Subara Impreza WRX was considered really fast ; doing 0-60 in less than 6s or something.
Now things need to move from 0-60 in 2 seconds or less. I think that is just too fast for most people.
Or we introduce a special driving license if you want to drive such cars.
Because I honestly think we’re going to see a lot of ugly accidents with all these (too) high powered cars and trucks.
I’d be interested to see a cost and margin per additional HP comparison between some flagship gas and electric cars. Seems like adding HP for electric vehicles is very cheap, leading to these outrageous numbers (which feels even more ridiculous where Rivian is losing money hand over foot…).
Here’s the thing. In ICE vehicles,the power is determined by the size of the engine, and the range by the size of the fuel tank. In BEVs, the range and power are determined by the size of the battery. The size (and cost) of the motor is almost an aftethought; electric motors can easily produce 2x their continuous output for short bursts.
This was Tesla’s fundamental insight. If you have enough battery to give a useful range, the car is expensive and powerful — so make a sports car. All the other manufacturers thought BEVs would only appeal to tree huggers, so they made compromised cars that only appealed to tree huggers: the Leaf, i3, Bolt, eGolf,…
Why? Why do you need 1000 hp in a street driven car/
Have you confirmed they have NACS built in? Because the other articles I’ve read have said it works with NACS with an adapter since Rivian has been approved on the Tesla network
Id just like for them to make all the cool knick knack stuff to work and be more like a truck, rather than have tesla like issues such as the retractable bed cover.
Did they make it a bit cheaper to repair ?
Can’t wait for 2029 when daddy upgrades and gives this to sonny boy to drive to school. Sixteen years old and 1k HP, 3 ton sled. What could possibly go wrong?
Rivian is the only modern vehicle I would love to own. I can’t explain that other than I admire the design excellence, feature choices, and aesthetics.
I personally cannot stand EV’s but I like Rivians.
Wait, when was this?? I feel like I missed this news?
From my understanding, it is now legal, but you have to qualify your product and application, which Rivian is now in the process of doing. They are expected to be the first to market with matrix headlights that qualify.
I hope no one is buying these because they think they’re “green” becuause they’re electric.
But they are green. A really cool color of green to me
Green with a Blue interior
I don’t mind EVs having 1000hp like a Lamborghini, if they also have the same handling and braking performance as said Lamborghini.
Yet I feel these trucks aren’t going to do 60 to 0 in 2 seconds.
Will they be able to evade some unexpected object on the road (Aka the Moose test) without topping over or annihilating everything left and right with their weight?
*Lamborghini Urus has entered the chat*
2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performente (3400 pounds) 70-0 stopping distance : 135 ft (Car & Driver)
Gen 1 Rivian R1T (7200 pounds) 60-0 stopping distance: 126 ft (although in their testing, Edmund’s found it was actually 117 ft)
2023 Ford F250 w/ Power stroke V8 (8100 pounds) 60-0 stopping distance: 245 ft (Car & Driver)
Note that the Lamborghini number I found is 70-0, while the two trucks are 60-0
Hopefully, someone will show up and whine about trucks not handling like lambos and the need fo-SHAAAAADDDUUUUPPPPPPP!!!!!!
The next federal safety regulations ought to limit acceleration.
Tire manufacturing lobbyists will swat that down real quick.
Seriously. Younger me would be appalled by me saying this but it’s time for some driver’s license tier structures/endorsements and age limits to be imposed based on things like acceleration, weight, footprint, and hood height.
I can’t tell what the difference is with the ” Facelift”…
I read the article hoping for a surprise reveal where Rivan reworked the front so the lights don’t look so goofy. Was let down.
I think they look good compared to many other vehicles on the road. The Santa Cruz has ~50 lights on the front and looks way worse. For a new company like Rivian that has no existing branding to adhere to, I think the look they came up with is good. It sets their own identity without looking like they are copying another company.
Yeah, I find Rivians to have a reasonably pleasant, non-offensive face. Considering how many cars have angry face syndrome these days, a truck that doesn’t look like it wants to kill my entire family is a positive step in automotive design.
I prefer “Goofy” to “And you thought Christine was cranky…”
I respect that Rivian gave the quad motor version 200+ more HP by designing and building their own motors. It’s like if Toyota threw BMW’s engine out of the Supra and gave it the LFA’s V10.
I believe loads of vertical integration has always been a goal of Rivian. It’s just that it is a long path and obviously you can’t entirely start off that way. So you make the things you can, while you source others, and then you slowly start making things that you used to source as time goes on.
I know the goal was to bring as much manufacturing in-house to lower costs but its not everyday when the (likely cheaper) in-house product ends up as a huge performance boost over the supplier’s product.
I love driving my 3,300 pound hatchback and sharing the road with 1,000 horsepower, 8,000+ pound behemoths. What could possibly go wrong?
It’s a good thing semi’s don’t exist.
Those drivers theoretically have specialized training and licensing requirements. It is insane to me that you can buy a 1,000hp vehicle the day you turn 16 and nobody can do anything about it.
Wait ’til you hear the size of a Uhaul vehicle you can rent with a standard North American driver’s license.
There’s a Uhaul with 1000hp? Sweet.
No, but they are hoonable
https://youtu.be/l5Yjv-eCrNY?si=D-g848z38uvq6h1Y
Uhauls aren’t daily driven, they can’t do 0-60 in 2 seconds, and they aren’t SILENT.
Sure aren’t. I wouldn’t put much stock in the brakes, handling, or steering being top notch to help get them out of a bad situation either.
A Uhaul is not as statistically prevalent on the road nor does it get to 60 in 3 seconds
I would wager that there are more u-hauls on the road than Rivians
I meant Uhauls aren’t as prevalent as commercial trucks. This thread has a lot going on, size, weight, acceleration, special licensing
The stupidest accident i was involved in was with a semi. I was stopped at a red light in the center lane at an intersection with a semi parked in the left lane. I noticed the semi backing up and thought to myself, “I hope he isn’t going to change lanes”. He then started driving over my Civic while I laid on the horn and prepared to bail out the passenger side. Driver said that he didn’t see me. I had to inform him that you can’t go into lanes if you can’t see what is or isn’t there.
Yet we don’t seem to be facing an apocalypse because of it. I mean, I get it, and we all had that freak out when Dodge released the Hellcat. Yet it’s Mustangs and Cars and Coffee we all fear, so I’m going to check the “Lighten up Francis” box and move on.
Somehow I don’t think your attitude will stay the same if your family gets killed by one of these
Yet I taught my kid to look out for cars, so it’s not going to be because they were stupid enough to walk into traffic. Other things? I can’t control that.
They also have meth.
“Rivian: as safe as a methed-out truck driver”
I’m not sure that is the marketing win they are looking for, but I’m fine with it if it makes people start considering if we really need these things on public roads.
Not sure if serious.gif
Are you intentionally overlooking the fact that the behemoths being referred to by the poster you replied to can accelerate to 60mph in under three seconds, whereas the behemoths you refer to take up to ten times as long?
Acceleration is sort of a key factor in the whole discussion of “how likely is this 4+ ton vehicle to slam into me unexpectedly and cause death”.
This is the exact argument we’ve heard when other high powered vehicles came out, yet here we are doing fine. Semi’s are more of a threat — they’re everywhere, they stay on the road longer and they usually aren’t babied so major system failure is more likely. In theory a 16 year old could get one of these, but the reality is most are purchased by people like us. If you want to clutch pearls about something, semi’s are a greater danger.
It is some degree of pearl clutching for sure, but it’s also just irritating from an enthusiast’s perspective.
How can Miata always be the answer if they are getting crumpled like tissue paper when rear-ended by a driver of a 4 ton wrecking ball? Why make new motorcycles if everything else on the road is huge and even faster than your new liter bike? Do you dare drive your classic Fiat, Mini, or MGB when they don’t even reach the beltline of modern vehicles?
You can’t buy a machine gun, you shouldn’t be able to buy a 1,000hp car. It’s unnecessary and wasteful and it makes the road a worse place to be for everyone. Pedestrian deaths are up almost 70% since 2011 btw.
https://smartgrowthamerica.org/pedestrian-fatalities-at-historic-high/
But what else changed in that time frame?? Oh yeah, smart phones followed by lots of ear buds. I’ve personally seen pedestrians walk right into a crosswalk without even looking up from their phones, and I’m sure that many folks here have also seen this. If you want to bring down the ped accident stats, put airbags on the walkers.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.
I’ve seen plenty of drivers on their phones. When a pedestrian can total a car and kill a driver simply from walking in a crosswalk (a designated pedestrian crossing area – holy shit I feel like I’m living on clown world that I have to say pedestrians should be safe in crosswalks), then I’ll start worrying about pedestrians on their phones. Until that starts happening, the fault and the onus of responsibility will be with the drivers for me.
It’s unrealistic to assume that pedestrians shouldn’t also be responsible for their safety. We all have roles to play. But assuming that passing a law and painting some likes on a road negates the laws of physics is insanity. We need to be training pedestrians too.
For the above, semi’s don’t usually drive through my neighborhood where people are walking and children are playing.
As for bad pedestrian behavior, I don’t condone it, but they also aren’t an active threat to the lives of others. I’ve been nearly flattened in crosswalks by unattentive drivers in my town plenty of times. Nearly every time it’s a truck that where the driver can barely see out of the thing.
I really don’t need something so large, heavy, fast and quiet sneaking up on my children trying to cross the street.
And we don’t condone driving fast through residential neighborhoods either. So if everyone follows good practices, we should be okay. If we don’t it’s not going to matter if it’s a truck or a hatchback EV, children are at very nearly equal risk. Perhaps we can mandate GPS enabled noise makers for neighborhoods?
People in hatchbacks can see my children. People in trucks cannot. People in trucks putting their 0-60 in under 3 seconds acceleration to the test, even up to the 30mph speed limit (still too high and everyone exceeds it anyway) definitely don’t see them.
I’m not saying that the concept of a fast-as-hell Rivian should be banned, but I am saying that based on anecdotal evidence, the sort of person that buys something like this tends to be the sort of person who couldn’t give a shit about pedestrian safety.
I understand that nobody condones murdering children with their murder-trucks. But it would be nice if we had some legitimate standards in place for people who are piloting such massive and brutally fast machines.
It actually does matter. Higher hood height directly correlates with increased pedestrian deaths.
SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45 percent more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile.
https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/vehicles-with-higher-more-vertical-front-ends-pose-greater-risk-to-pedestrians
For kids? Your source didn’t net that out. I believe it for adults because one of two things are going to get you in this type of crash: head injury, or bursting the aorta. Give the height of children I’d bet this nets out with a hatchback. But we don’t appear to have data for that. I still think we’re going to end up with forward external airbags, after which folks will now complain that they get thrown into traffic. There will always bo something to clutch pearls about, other than, “Look before you cross the street idiot!”
Blaming the victim is a bad look. Blame the perpetrators.
It is so much easier to legislate away 1000hp, 7,000# vehicles for soccer moms than it is to legislate away walking, and conveniently it is also the correct thing to do.
If you walk out in front of a truck without looking, there two people at fault: the walker and the driver. Period. You can pass all the laws you want, but Newton’s laws always win and will always be enforced. The fantasy that you’re “safe” in a crosswalk is the problem. The universe doesn’t care if the sun was in the drivers eyes, the semi is having a bad brake day, or some altered 16 year old in a truck just happened to chose that street. You ain’t regulating away random chance, and no “ban” or such on a truck will change that.
Agreed. I’m not sure why I’d want to make the odds worse though.
It’s like Bart and Lisa punching and kicking the air, saying “if you get in the way it’s your fault.” It is an argument for children. Sorry Bart, sorry Lisa, it is the fault of the person punching and kicking the air.
Driving is a privilege. You have to use your privilege responsibly or you get it taken away.
It’s not an argument for children, it’s an argument for taking responsibility for your own safety. If Bart and Lisa are in a yard designated for punching and kicking — like the road is for your car — and you walk into it without looking and get kicked it’s on you. Your logic doesn’t hold up to even cursory scrutiny.
The crosswalk is the safe zone! They are in the special area specifically designated for not getting punched or kicked, but if I’m understanding you correctly it’s still their fault if they get walloped by Drederick Tatum since might always makes right.
Honestly I’m my opinion any area with a speed limit of 25mph or less (neighborhoods, school zones, city cores) should be completely open for pedestrians to cross wherever the heck they want, but I’m not even arguing that at this point. I’m just asking for some bare minimum responsibility for the people piloting their big, heavy, fast metal vehicles around fragile human bodies.
The crosswalk is the road. You are assuming a step function of “Oh, I’m driving, oh wait it’s not my road anymore.” As I stated earlier, a pedestrian is depending on a fully functional vehicle with a fully aware driver to work. My assumption at a crosswalk is, “What if something goes wrong?”, which is realistic. The laws that will determine your fate are set by the universe, not by painted lines and a possible fine. THAT is what I taught my kid, and it seems to be working. So yes, I’m arguing that teaching folks that a crosswalk is safe is the height of stupidity. Darwin always has the winning vote.
We both want to see vehicles operated safely and pedestrians not impacted. I’d like to see 25 mph areas like you’re proposing as well, as long as they are properly set by the 85% rule and not Joe-Bob looking for more enforcement revenue. Since we live in this world and not an ideal one, I have doubts on this.
Ultimately, our disagreement centers around this: You appear to believe the law of man overides the laws of nature. (This is based on your arguments. It’s possible you don’t, so I’m just assuming here.) We can’t get rid of high fronted cars: I’ve successfully demonstrated that you need them to operate current society (delivery trucks in all forms are flat faced. Them’s the breaks). My solution is to not get worked up by a vehicle that nothing more than a few deranged bloggers will dangerously abuse because our straw man 16 year old is in no way going to be able to buy one ($100k+). So teach folks that a crosswalk isn’t safe and/or surrounded by a force field and the problem lessens. Or you can ban types of trucks and effect nothing.
Not in either state I live in. Both have laws saying drivers must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. If a pedestrian gets hit in a crosswalk, , the driver is, in the eyes of the law, both at fault and liable.
81% more deadly for kids.
A higher front-end increases the fatality risk in women, children, and the elderly more than in men. “A 4 in. increase raises the death probability of 18- to 65-year-old pedestrians by 21%,” according to the authors, “while it raises the probability a child pedestrian will die by 81%, roughly four times the effect among adults.”
https://ssti.us/2024/01/29/vehicle-hoods-are-now-four-inches-taller-and-22-percent-more-deadly-for-pedestrians/
Anecdotally I see a lot more fuckery on the road now than before as cheap horsepower becomes more prevalent. In the end it’s a number’s game.
As much as it sucks to be on the road near a semi at least they are a necessary entity, the country relies on them to function and enforcement/adherence aside at least they are regulated with special licenses and rules about tired driving, chaining in winter conditions etc
Cheap horsepower has been around for quite a while — hell, from the 50’s we’ve been loaded with it. Let’s just go with “stupid will do what it does”. Given how many semi trucks are out there and how often we hear about an “oops” moment with them, I argue they are much more of a threat. Super cars/trucks are far less of an issue.
I didn’t start driving until 2003 so I’ll accept if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure cheap horsepower existed but was not around like it is now. 450hp was pretty special back in the day, yes muscle cars existed with that kind of output but they weren’t something you’d see every day. Now my unassuming wagon has that. And yea “stupid will do what stupid does” I totally agree which is what makes it concerning, because stupid has access to 400-750 hp vehicles now and lives in a culture where doing dumb shit gives them fame.
Oops moments with trucks get a lot of attention when they happen as they should but no way statistically are they causing more harm than regular idiots in high powered cars. Also, again, we need semi trucks for the country to function, we don’t need Hellcats. Now I’m glad things like Hellcats exist but maybe you should get a next tier driver’s license and get your social media scrubbed to make sure an immature jackass isn’t getting the keys.
Power has been trending up but so has weight, so the older stuff was faster than you’d think. It *is* true that something like a Hellcat was doable but ridiculously spendy and not at all reliable. In concert with this has come some better safety features like automatic emergency braking that have benefited pedestrians — at least when it’s implemented properly. Still, determined stupid has had access to power for a long time. There’s nothing new about street racing. You are correct in the fact social media amplifies the stupid but banning power isn’t the cure for that issue. Aggressive enforcement is.
I’d just be happy to see a one semester/quarter drivers-ed class be made mandatory for all high school students. You can fold in the normal/higher performance driving bits in simulation (A room of PS5’s and driving setups isn’t that expensive) and do a required safe driving track day for all students. My drivers-ed included on the road training. Why do people feel that college prep is more important than this?
Enforcement and driver’s ed would definitely help
Or diesel pickups.
7,000~7,200 lbs, but who’s counting.
I rounded up from the 7,700 pounds I saw listed for a loaded R1S because I wanted to include the monstrosities from GM in the conversation. Regardless, it can be simplified further as “too goddamn heavy”.
7,700 lbs is the towing capacity I believe.
Heaviest I can find for a curb weight is ~7,200 lbs for the Quad-Motor Max.
Yeah, I have a Mach-E GT, and it is kind of nuts how EVs have make 0-60sec times irrelevant.
That said, Tesla started that EV acceleration trend in response to ICE owners mocking EVs for being slow golf carts. Now that a $48k Model 3 can run a quarter mile on pace with a Huracan, you get dumb apologist comments like:
“Well, a microwave might cook faster, but nobody wants a microwaved steak.”
To that I say: “get over it”.
The far more worrying thing to me is exactly what you pointed out: EVs are very quick and very heavy, and drivers are no better trained for that kind of mass and power than they ever were (which I’d already say is very lacking). That is going to take a toll on traffic safety.
What I don’t get is everyone br.nging up semi’s here. I work as a calibration tech on semi’s and buses do people not understand while yes they are massive and heavy that also means much bigger air brakes and also they also engine brake (yes I get EV’s Regen brake). Also semi’s are going to be governed and watched by GPS. And as others have pointed out semi’s are most likely not driving or speeding through residential areas. Also semi’s don’t go 0-60 under 3s. The ones I work on are at most 515hp and 1850lbs of torque for as big and heavy as they are that isn’t much. Yet these Rivians have 1k of each and weigh that much? Bobtail semi’s weigh up to 20k so these can weigh half of a bobtail with that much power and acceleration it is concerning same with the Hummer EV which is even heavier. I have the same issues with new pickups and their tow ratings and I have seen pickups on tbe road pulling a trailer that should be towed by a semi just scary to see. Just because it can pull that weight doesn’t mean it can stop it as well. Sorry for the long rant all. And if someone has more scientific reasons why some of these concerns are have are non issues I would love to see the data behind it. I don’t like spreading fear or misinformation and like being informed and having correct data.
I fully agree. Maybe we need to start mandating 60-0 braking distances?
You can’t say something like this and not post the emblem!
Seconded!
I too looked through to find pictures of this.
Did you pose for the image?
Yes but they came out all shaky and blurry
Elon Musk feels conflicted about this.
….until the Ketamine kicks in.
He may be wary of 420 jokes after that whole “taking Tesla private” idiocy.
I’ll bet $69 he doesn’t have the self-awareness to even recognize his own mistakes, much less feel wary of repeating them. He’s sharted out half-apologies now and then, but continues right on crusading against that nanny state FTC, or those really unfounded claims mean jerks make up like the Model Y shattering its own window if you open it without power, or do him dirty by providing factual accounts of past events.
Honestly, it’s like Rivian doesn’t understand what buyers need in trucks.
Where are the angry eyes? Why doesn’t the grill have a flimsy plastic shield to make the radiator opening look like teeth? Speaking of which, where’s the radiator? Don’t tell me this thing isn’t even a diesel, or lacks 4 inch exhausts and an 12-inch lift to accommodate 36-inch tires so you can barely fit under the Chik-Fil-A drive through.
I bet it doesn’t even come with a sticker of an AR-15 or Calvin pissing on a CyberTruck. Do better, Rivian.
It also doesn’t have a badge on the front large enough to make a belt buckle out of
Most of those belt buckles would be bigger than my head.
You had me in the first part there. 😀
Perhaps that’s in the next refresh, with a way to individually control the portal DRLs to portray angry eyes
Also the branding isn’t anywhere near redundant enough. Where’s my Rivian Avian Vivian?
I’m waiting for the amphibian Rivian River Vivant Avant myself.
Balls I say, it needs balls.
I really hope Rivian survives. I know things have been up and down with them, but if they can push through another couple of years I think they will be safe.
Also, unpopular opinion, but the price is accurate IMO for those ponies that come with it. How much was that Bugatti in 2005? I bet more than fucking 60-70 grand. Get your heads out your butts folks. New-tech, new engines etc…. This isn’t some shitty fucking Toyota or GMC they are just decided to add 15k to for no reason.
Having been in Rivians before, I will say they feel like the expensive cars they are. Everything was well-made, felt high-quality, and it was very comfortable. You certainly don’t get the impression it’s an economy car plunked on top of a very, very expensive battery.
Actual truck capabilities aside, it felt more premium inside than an F-150 Platinum for about the same money.
Agree. I have a friend with one and she uses it for real deal truck stuff and loves it. Fills the bed with soil and sheets of plywood, the whole 9. But you get inside and its comfortable and gorgeous. The only thing I dislike about it is that she got it in white, and i call it the rental car.
There are the little things that David pointed out at the old site, like the motor for the center console and stuff like that, but man is it a nice truck.
The only issue is their hinge, it allows for stuff to fall into the hinge area and there is no good way to clean it out and it’s a pretty big area.
Rivian seems to be doing a good job of establishing themselves. While they have admittedly had a bit more time in the market, there are easily a dozen driving around my town vs. only a single Cybertruck (of course, you’d have a difficult time spitting in any given direction without hitting a S, 3, X, or Y).
And considering an EQE SUV starts with 230 miles of range at 75k with the heinous interior design and build quality thats been plaguing modern Mercedes vehicles, and the Model X in general, the R1S is an easy class leader in value as far as a new Luxury EV can be. They’re not cheap, but it’s a lot of machine for the money in the sector its in.
I’m sure making the amazon vans and other fleet stuff is a huge deal
Lot to like; just not the price.
I’d almost argue that in the space it operates in, it’s actually a decent value compared to competitors. Compared to a Cybertruck at a similar size, the R1T is more proven as a platform, more practical, far better appointed, available, and cheaper for equivalent levels of speed with an even higher ceiling than what the CYberBeast will deliver.
For the R1S comparing to your EQE/Model X, similar story in that the Rivian looks better, far friendlier interior, and more capable with wider trim ranges.
All that said, it certainly ain’t cheap, but I guess that’s luxury vehicles and EVs for you. I’m more excited to see how earlier R1T/S models depreciate in light of the updated ones improvements. At the low 40s/High 30s, an early R1T starts to look really compelling, not that I’m in the market for one.
No quarrel with your observations when limiting the discussion to luxury vehicles, but luxo trucks are not going to do anything to help popularize EVs.
There are no affordable EV trucks and they should be possible, especially if you decontent these things and scale back performance to sane levels.
Then you run into the problem that the most resistant EV adopters are just plain folks, partly for cost and partly for convenience and they still might not go for it when they have other options.
If you introduce really cheap EV trucks ($25-30k) into the market, they would sell, but so far, only the Chinese seem able to do this (for a variety of objectionable reasons).
Thus, luxury models are predominant and likely to remain so. I can admire the Rivian, but I’d never shell out this kind of money for a truck (or car).
Oh I completely agree with that. I think the only thing to mention is that for an upstart like Rivian or even Tesla in the early years is the development and startup costs are so staggeringly massive that you have to start on the higher end before working on more reasonably priced models like Rivian seems to be planning on with the R2 and R3.
Tesla did the same thing by aiming high with the Model S then X before making the 3 and Y which are substantially below the average new car price in the US, and have been selling extremely well for years.
But to further your point, it shows why GM has been flopping so massively with their EV push, the Bolt was a success, but they killed it and are only pumping out vehicles with 35k+ MSRPs, and IIRC the only one sub 40 starting is the Equinox, and that cheap trim isn’t on sale for another year.
There’s only so much EV demand right now, especially on the high end now that people are getting wise to massive depreciation even over ICE luxury vehicles, and the supply is vastly outstripping demand as all the legacy manufacturers try to develop the technology.
Once the Rivian R3 comes out, and should it stay under 40-45k reasonably equipped, I very may well sell my CX-30 Turbo in 3-4 years time and pick one up because the value proposition there seems extremely strong, but I will almost certainly never buy a luxury EV (or ICE) product brand new in my lifetime. Used maybe, but not until its at least 50% off MSRP.
Admittedly that’s what the R2 and R3 are for. These aren’t meant to be mass market. They sure make you salivate over the brand though
There are no affordable EV trucks because the used market hasn’t developed. We’re still in the incredibly early stages (are there even 500k ev trucks in existence yet?)
It just takes time
The R2 and R3 can’t get here soon enough. Rivians seem so fuckin’ cool, but I couldn’t possibly shelling out R1 cash for one.
I keep looking at pics of that R3X and thinking that might finally get me into an EV.
That’s the only EV I’ve seen that I actually, genuinely like, and would consider owning one day. I still don’t like the ride height, I’m one of those weirdos who actually likes to sit lower to the ground. But I’m sure someone will find a way to lower them a couple/few inches.
Same, I’m more of a hot hatch vs SUV driver so if that was just 4″ off the ground it’d be perfect but I’d still drive it as-is.
Not to mention Rivian’s CEO isn’t in the news every single day for some dumb thing he did or said.
Double edge sword with Elon being a massive ball of flaming gas with regards to brand awareness and driving advertising.
“Our owners become our ambassadors,”
*spends 44Bn TeslaDollars on a social media company*