Our Fave EV Truck Gets Even Better: Testing the New Rivian R1T, R1S

Speaker 1: We're in the second generation Rivian, R one T and R one s today, and we're getting a little dirty to see just how new it feels. Oh boy. You've heard the phrase Death by a thousand cuts. Well, this Rivian R one second generation is the opposite of that, A rebirth by over 600 new parts. Speaker 1: Now both the R one T and the R one s see significant changes to their suspension. Their wheel and tire packages [00:00:30] aimed at increasing performance range and comfort. But the R one s that we're in right now sees the biggest changes with even larger changes to its spring rates, its damper rates, even the bushings all aimed at giving you a more quiet and more comfortable ride, even when you're axle deep in water and bouncing off of rocks here at the Dirt Fish Rally School. Now in the All-terrain mode, as I'm going around these really tight switchback on the Off-road handling course, it's interesting that I can really feel [00:01:00] the way that the All-wheel drive system does a good job of noticing that I'm trying to turn right and then giving me that sort of good squirt of power to the rear end to rotate the vehicle around. Speaker 1: It is a very intuitive and very natural feeling way to get around a corner, and it's actually giving me a lot of confidence getting around some very tight turns in this large SUV out here on the Off-Road course. So we're taking a course spin on the rally course, trying [00:01:30] out the drift mode, which actually lets the all-wheel drive motors get a little bit more aggressive at the rear end so that you can kind of hang the tail out just a little bit easier. Now, one of the things that I find interesting about this mode is that moment where the car and your steering inputs sink up perfectly. It figures out that you're trying to make a turn, you're getting a little bit of under steer, and it just scoots the rear end out. It's very natural and very easy to predict. After you've spent a couple of [00:02:00] minutes driving this car in loose terrain situations, Rivian has totally overhauled the R ones electrical systems evolving to what it's calling a zonal architecture, a reorganization and reduction of the network of wire harnesses and modules needed to operate the various systems in the vehicle. Speaker 1: In total, this removes over 1.6 miles of wire from the EV around 44 pounds of copper alone. The second generation R one T and R one s will also receive a software overhaul that replaces [00:02:30] the more realistic looking graphics that we saw for visual representations of the vehicle with this cell shaded cartoony look. And these aren't static graphics. These are real time 3D graphics that are just cell shaded. And as you go between the different drive modes, you'll see that you get a little bit of an animation that moves the vehicle through these different environments and setting. Rivian surprised me the next day with a trip to a sunny and blessedly dry racing strip [00:03:00] where I was able to test the R one s and R one T quad motor on a prepared surface with the super sport summer tires, which had been all warmed up for optimal straight line grip. My first run was in the R one T quad motor for a short zero to 60 mile per hour test, 3, 2, 1, Speaker 2: Woo. Speaker 1: That's it. That's 80. And Speaker 2: Then generally on the right, you're going to do a U-turn at the end just before these orange Speaker 1: Stretch so you can feel [00:03:30] it in the pit of your stomach. It's the similar sensation to falling like when you go down a rollercoaster and you get that sort of weightlessness feel, except for it's in a lateral direction. Serious acceleration there. Next I switched to the R one S quad for a full quarter mile run. We go, Speaker 2: Nice. Keep going, keep going, keep going. Flat out, keep going, keep [00:04:00] going. Lift. There you go. Keep going straight. Speaker 1: All right. So what do we got here? We got top speed one 30, so that's VM max quarter mile 11.14 seconds. Not bad for something that can haul your family in all of their gear with you when you go camping. Zero to 60 this time, 3.22 seconds, zero to 106.76. It's proper sports car [00:04:30] numbers there. Differences in weight and wheel base account for the variation and acceleration between the truck and the SUV, despite the identical powertrains, but the pickup proved to be consistently the quicker of the two with the more visceral launch every time. Speaker 1: Now, the second generation R ones may look a lot like the previous generation. You may actually pass one on the road and not even notice that something's new. But Rivian tells [00:05:00] us that they've touched every single aspect of this vehicle from the powertrain to the battery to the interior creature comforts to the check in the dashboard. Like I said, there are over 600 new parts in this vehicle. Admittedly, most of those new parts are hidden beneath the totally unchanged body and sheet metal, but gen two owners can expect updated electric motors, which are mixed and matched for the R ones dual try and quad motor electric configurations ranging from 533 [00:05:30] horsepower up to a bonkers 1025 horsepower and 1,198 pound feet of torque for the top spec quad motor setup, which claims zero to 60 in under 2.5 seconds. Now speaking of range, R one G two gets new battery tech with more energy dense cylindrical cells for the large and max batteries, and a new prismatic cell lithium iron phosphate pack for the standard setup aimed at keeping costs down [00:06:00] for the entry point dual motor standard, even though it is a touch heavier rivian estimates between 258 and 420 miles of range depending on the chassis, T or S, the battery, the powertrain, and the selected wheel entire package with the best numbers coming when equipped with these new 22 inch arrow wheels with eco tires, specifically designed for R one R one models will continue to feature native CCS ports for DC fast charging, but Rivian also currently [00:06:30] supports the Tesla pioneered NACS charging via an adapter at a fast enough station. Speaker 1: Expect to get from 10 to 80% state of charge in around 30 to 40 minutes depending on the battery you've chosen. Rivian also updated the front and rear light bars with new R-G-B-L-E-D segments that animate when charging and can even be used to indicate which direction to pass on when the hazard lights are activated. R one's headlamps are also new with digital matrix projection that can partially dim certain zones to [00:07:00] avoid dazzling oncoming traffic, though that feature will have to be activated via software update later this year. So there you have it. The rebirth of Rivian R one T and R one S four, their second generation, as you can tell, they've improved in pretty much every way that I can measure out here in the dirt and the rain at dirt fish. Be sure to head over to cnet.com. We've got even more detail about both of these electric utility vehicles. I'll meet you there.