It’s stylish, sophisticated and offers sports car-like performance while also seating seven. Oh, and it happens to be electric.
Meet the Rivian R1S Tri-motor AWD.
For those unfamiliar, Rivian is in many respects the ‘anti-Tesla’, in the sense that it has gone about building its electric vehicle brand in almost the polar opposite way. Whereas Tesla has rushed forward and grown rapidly, while also making big promises early and then struggling to make them come true (look no further than the currently not-for-sale second generation Tesla Roadster).
Rivian, on the other hand, has taken a slower approach, and while there have been some high-profile stumbles along the way, judging by the volume of Rivian vehicles we saw on the roads of California during our recent test drive in and around Los Angeles, the brand is now finding its feet.
To be blunt, there’s still no clear timeline on when Rivian will make it to Australia, or even if they will, but the company has long said we’re on its radar. But the timing may be coming good for Rivian to make that move, with the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) set to motivate car brands to sell more electric vehicles. That could set the stage for Rivian to make a timely arrival in the next few years as its smaller R2 and R3 models enter mass-production.
Hopefully, the plan also includes bringing the R1T ute (which we drove back in 2023) and this new R1S SUV we recently sampled. These were the Rivian’s first mainstream models and it’s easy to understand why they have become so popular in recent years in California.
Obviously the state’s generous EV incentives help, but with so many EVs to choose from Rivian needed a way to lure customers. It has seemingly taken a two-pronged approach of performance and design.
The performance is well and truly on display in the R1S Tri-Motor AWD we sampled, which (as the name implies) has three motors, one on the front axle and two on the rear. This helps it make a staggering 633kW of power and bonkers 1495Nm of torque, which is enough for this seven-seat SUV to run 0-60mph in just 2.9 seconds. It’s also fitted with Rivian’s biggest battery pack that provides it with a claimed range of up to 597km.
Remarkably, if that isn’t enough power, Rivian has even more up its sleeve, with the R1S Quad-motor coming on stream in the US later this year. Its dual-motors on each axle will bump the power and torque up to an awesome 764kW (that’s more than 1000-horsepower) and 1624Nm, which cuts its 0-60mph time to a stunning 2.6 seconds and makes it fast enough to run the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
Reminder, this is a seven-seat SUV. A seven-seat SUV that will run a 10.5 second quarter mile – it’s almost unbelievable. For context, a Mercedes-AMG GT R takes 10.9 seconds to run the same distance, and it can’t take you, your partner and five kids.
If that’s too fast for you, you can opt for the entry-level Dual-motor variant that offers ‘only’ 397kW/827Nm form its powertrain that has one motor on each axle.
As for the design side of the R1S, Rivian stands out amid the new wave of EVs that have opted for minimalist design in the name of cost-saving rather than making the cabin feel special. Instead, the R1S has a genuinely premium look and feel, which it should when the range starts at US$75,900 for the Dual-motor, with Rivian’s team choosing a nice blend of trim colours and materials and then seamlessly integrating the technology into it. There’s still a massive 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre of the dash, but it isn’t the only visual focal point for the cabin. Instead the mixture of fabric, leather and wood draws your eyes across the entire cabin, which is a really welcome departure from what else is on offer today in the EV space and really puts Rivian closer to a Mercedes-Benz or BMW rather than a Tesla.
It’s not the biggest seven-seat SUV on the market today, closer in size to a Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento rather than the larger American offerings like the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe. But there’s genuinely room for seven (albeit kids in the third row) and there’s still a generous amount of cargo room even with all seats in use.
However, it’s not all good news for the R1S. Where it falls down is its ride, because while the handling is good, its ability to manage bumps in the road needs significant improvement if it is to succeed in Australia eventually. The R1S range comes standard with Air Suspension but it simply doesn’t feel like it has been tuned properly to handle such a big vehicle – the R1S tips the scales at 3096kg.
While its low-speed ride is fine, where it really struggles is at speed and over any sort of joint or dip in the road. Instead of hitting a bump and quickly settling, the R1S will bounce before it can recover its compsore. This simply wouldn’t cut it in Australia, with our average roads and higher expectations from car makers.
Rivian does claim the R1S is a very capable off-road SUV too, but we didn’t get a chance to sample it in those conditions, so we’ll have to reserve judgement on that front.
Still, if Rivian is serious about coming to Australia and eventually adds the R1S or its successor to our ever-expanding pool of choices, I think it will have big appeal for many buyers. Its premium look and feel, combined with its epic levels of power and performance mean you’re not buying it just because it’s electric, but just because it happens to be. And in a future where electric vehicles are looking increasingly likely to be promoted above others, the Rivian R1S could be just what Australian buyers need.
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