The Rivian R1S Quad is Joltingly Good!

“It’s hip to be square,” once sang Huey Lewis and the News. That’s certainly the case with the new Rivian R1S Quad electric SUV. Throwing off the coupe-like feel of SUVs like the BMW X4 and X6 or the Mercedes GLC and GLE, the Rivian brand features a boxy look that is practical and conservative at the same time. Heck, we here at Napleton News are a bit square (and boxy) too. Read on for more.

Disclosure: My son, Gabriel Elias, was one of the design engineers at Rivian. He left the company four years ago.

What’s the big deal about the Rivian R1S Quad?

Creating a new vehicle from the ground up can invite sceptics and naysayers galore. Rivian faced the same challenges. And a market that is riding the fence between internal combustion and battery-powered vehicles doesn’t help much either. Still, there’s something about this Electric SUV that should appeal to those in both camps.

Our tester, being the R1S Quad is the high-zoot model of the Rivian SUV. There is also a pickup  truck version known as the R1T. Power for the R1S Quad comes from four electric motors to drive each wheel. While the base R1S is equipped with a dual-motor drivetrain delivering 533 horsepower. That’s fine, you say. But what if you want more? There is the 850-horsepower tri-motor and finally, the Mac Daddy of them all, the 1,025 horsepower Quad-motor set up that we drove this past week. Coupled with all those ponies is 1,198 lb-ft of torque.

The R1S doesn’t just do on-road excursions. It is also quite off-road capable. It can raise or lower, as needed, to a maximum 14.7 inches for extreme ground clearance. There’s almost 40 inches of water fording ability, too. Finally, it is tow-rated for up to 7,700 pounds. By comparison, most other gas-powered SUVs are good for up to 5,000 pounds.

Loaded with tech, as you would expect!

Besides all those features you would expect in a sled like the R1S, it has more. Much more. That includes an air suspension with adaptive shocks and electro-hydraulic roll control. This system eliminates the anti-roll bars with hydraulic fluid lines that connect diagonally across the vehicle. The system takes its cues from a central control valve block.

The system restricts the flow of fluid to the dampers that stiffening the shocks as needed. Conversely, off-road conditions cause the system to loosen the flow of the fluid, thus making the ride softer.

All this and we haven’t even got to the R1Ss other features yet.

What about the R1S’s looks?

It’s like a Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator on wheels. That’s saying very square and boxy for starters. But at the front of it are are the trademark Rivian “stadium lights.” There is also a matrix adaptive drive beam light bar that stretches across the front of the vehicle for added emphasis.

While it may not be stylish to some, the box-like structure allows for better use of the interior space.

What’s the inside line on the R1S?

First, the elephant in the room: There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on board. That’s a big fall-down in our book, as most people use the iPhone or Android as their means of personal communication. While a Rivian software chief claims that smartphone mirroring is obsolete, customers simply want to get inside and have their phones connect and function exactly as they did a minute before hopping in.

The three-row interior is bathed in faux leather material with seating for seven. It almost feels like the real thing. Our Quad version included ventilated seats for the heatwave we are currently experiencing in the Deep South. The one thing we thought was missing was a driver’s seat massage.

There’s tons of storage space, including under the hood in the “frunk.”

The dashboard is minimally adorned with buttons and other tchotchkes. In fact, many of the controls are imbedded in the menus rather than accessed through buttons or dial controllers. Having driven so many cars through the years, there is nothing like a button or dial to control the necessary functions within your Rivian.

The infotainment screen is about 15.6-in diagonally and has rather simplistic graphics, which we found a bit off-putting, especially when you consider the cost of the vehicle. (see above) How about some Google Maps with Satellite view?

Behind the wheel of the Rivian R1S.

Getting in and started is one of those new-fangled affairs where the act of getting in the driver seat is enough to turn on the vehicle. Blame it on glitchy software or operator error, but we tried to save preferences in the software, only to have the prefs revert to another owner’s profile each time.

Setting climate controls comes with a bit of a learning curve, especially when reaching to direct the air conditioning registers. Instead of physically moving them, you go into the climate menu and slide the functions left or right, up or down. Once we figured them out, we realized they really worked well.

Getting underway required a flip up or down of the gear selector stalk, for a quick and easy departure. There’s a rather tall tip-in requiring a bit of push on the accelerator but things quickly smooth out after that. Acceleration is massive, thanks to the four electric motors that deliver 1,025 horsepower. We even managed to dust off a Mustang that was acting a fool on one of the major thoroughfares in West Palm Beach. A satisfying feeling, it became even more so when we noticed how quiet the interior was, while underway.

The one thing that would make the R1S  better would be if it were equipped with a battery capable of taking it over 400 miles on a charge.

Rivian R1S Quad specifications:

Engine Type	Four Electric Motors
Horsepower	1025 hp
Torque	1198 lb-ft
Transmission	1-speed automatic transmission
EPA Fuel Economy Equivalent (Combined/City/Hwy)	311 miles per charge
Suspension F/R	Adaptive Hydraulic-Electric / Adaptive Hydraulic-Electric
Turning Circle	41.3 ft.
Also Available	Various trim levels, one, two and three motors
Specs
Warranty	4 years/50,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty	8 years/150,000 miles
NHTSA Safety Rating	Not Tested
Max Seating Capacity	7 passengers
Wheelbase	121.1 inches
Overall Length	200.8 inches
Width	81.8 inches
Height	77.3 inches
Headroom, 1st	41.1 inches
Headroom, 2nd	41.4 inches
Headroom, 3rd	38.6 inches
Legroom, 1st	41.4 inches
Legroom, 2nd	40.5 inches
Legroom, 3rd	32.8 inches
Shoulder room, 1st row	60.6 inches
Shoulder room, 2nd row	58.9 inches
Shoulder room, 3rd row	51.1 inches