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Watch Rivian R1T Truck Go Off-Roading: The Good And The Bad
The Rivian R1T happens to be an exceptionally good off-road vehicle, but there are areas for improvements.
Mark Kane 
By: Mark Kane
Nov 28, 2021 at 5:55pm ET
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The Rivian R1T all-electric pickup is envisioned as an ultimate adventure vehicle, including off-roading - thanks to its quadmotor, all-wheel-drive system.
Doug DeMuro recently managed to get access to one of the first R1Ts, for a detailed review and some serious off-roading.
Let's take a look at the results of this initial test, which reveals good as well as not so good things.
"I took the Rivian R1T off-roading! It's fast and exciting, but it's also very capable off-road -- and I drove the Rivian off-road to show you what it's like. Here's my review of the Rivian R1T off the pavement doing some off-road trails."
The video starts with some off-road trails and steep hills - those were the easy ones. Then, the very challenging steep hill with rocks emerged and Doug DeMuro decided to proceed.
He notes that the video does not reflect how challenging it was. Other off-road drivers said that they tried it, while others did not because they were afraid.
After a few tries, which proved that it will not be easy, he skipped it to continue other paths, but later he returned to that hill for an final try.
The Rivian R1T made it to the top!
The Rivian R1T was able to reach the top and Doug DeMuro describes it an exceptionally good off-road vehicle. It's not just "good", it's "great" and considered better than his previous off-road vehicles.
It has "fantastic" approach and departure angles, great clearance and surprisingly good all-terrain tires.
The electric pickup turned out to be very capable and at the same time - after finishing off-roading - it can race a Ferrari on theroad, which is an unheard of combination, especially at its price point.
Drawbacks
The Rivian R1T is an amazing electric vehicle, however, it's not perfect and there are also areas for improvements.
Among several drawbacks, Doug DeMuro reports no tire monitoring for each individual wheel in the Rivian R1T, which was quite surprising and expected in such a technologically advanced vehicle.
Another thing is the lack of hill descent control, which would be highly appreciated on a downhill.
The camera system is considered one of the worst among off-road vehicles, which is - once again - very surprising for a premium, high-tech EV like Rivian. The resolution is not high enough, there are not too many angles and it "does not work that well," according to the review.
The fourth weak point is the lack of a hill assist system (when climbing). The switch from pressing the brake pedal to accelerator pedal takes time, while the vehicle (which is quite heavy) balances on the rocks. Doug DeMuro explains that he many times had to do a two-foot approach.
The final thing is not a drawback, but a note, that the electric all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring between the individual wheels is effective but very unnerving. At some point, you have to push the accelerator hard to start to move up. And it's a very quick vehicle on a trail that could gain speed quickly.
What do you think?
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Comments
Overall, the review appears to be very positive. Feel free to leave us a comment as to what you think of this R1T review.
Gallery: 2022 Rivian R1T: First Drive Review
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Rivian R1T specs:
- Range:
EPA: 314 miles (505 km) (see details here)
400+ miles (644+ km) version (January 2022)
250+ mile (402+ km) affordable version to follow - undisclosed battery capacity - around 135 kWh
2170-type cylindrical cells (7,776), supplied by Samsung SDI - 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 3.0 seconds
- quad motor, all-wheel drive
- on-board charger: 11.5 kW (AC Level 2); up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge
- DC fast charging: up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes
- wading depth: 3+ ft (more than 0.91 m)
- towing capacity: up to 11,000 lbs (4990 kg)
See also
Ford F-150 Lightning Appears At Tesla's California Headquarters
See Full Tour Of The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
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