See Rivian R1T Take On Ford Explorer ST In All-American Drag Race

One is an all-electric adventure pickup while the other is a sporty gas-powered SUV.

Rivian R1T vs. Ford Explorer ST SUV drag race

Photo by: YouTube

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jul 11, 2023 at 5:09am ET

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Drag races between all-electric vehicles and gasoline-powered cars usually have a Tesla Model S Plaid on one side of the drag strip and an over-the-top supercar or hypercar that costs five times more on the other side.

Now, however, we have a slightly different variation of the ICE vs. EV battle, with a Rivian R1T electric pickup getting into a speed fight with the Ford Explorer ST SUV, with video evidence of the race embedded at the top of this page.

Both are made in the United States, and in the same state, actually – Rivian assembles its vehicles in Normal, Illinois, and the Explorer is made in Chicago. Furthermore, both are all-wheel drive (optional on the Explorer ST) and have sporty credentials, but unfortunately for the Ford driver, she appears to have picked the wrong battle, because the Rivian looks to be specced with the company’s quad-motor setup, which makes no less than 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet (1,231 Newton-meters) of torque.

Gallery: 2022 Rivian R1T

2022 Rivian R1T

The quad-motor specification doesn’t appear anywhere in the video title or description, but last month the California-based EV startup announced on its official Instagram account that vehicles with this powertrain have yellow brake calipers and accents, while the newly-introduced dual-motor variants get silver brake calipers. And as you can see in the video, the all-electric pickup has yellow calipers, so logic tells us it’s the most powerful version available.

What do you think?

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The Ford Explorer ST is powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 gasoline engine that makes 400 hp and 415 lb-ft (562 Nm) of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels as standard, with an Intelligent four-wheel drive system available as an option.

Granted, the Explorer is much lighter than the R1T, tipping the scales at 4,345 lbs (1,970 kilograms), whereas the electric pickup weighs 8,532 lbs (3,870 kg). So, after analyzing the specs, it should be a close(ish) race, but what do you think the outcome will be? Go watch the video at the top of this page and then let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below.