Rivian’s three-row R1S is an astoundingly quick electric SUV with a generous driving range. Owners are also sure to appreciate the plentiful driver and passenger space, plus the ample cargo room. But it rides too stiffly, and it takes extra concentration to drive the R1S smoothly thanks to its aggressive regenerative-braking system. Then there’s the unintuitive interior controls: Far too much reliance is placed on the center-dash infotainment touchscreen for even basic functions, such as adjusting the side mirrors and the air vents, which adds to driver distraction.
But if you like speed, the R1S has it in spades. With 835 horsepower onboard from four electric motors (one at each wheel, giving it all-wheel drive), the R1S Launch Edition we tested proved super-speedy, blazing from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. This much power, and the ability to put it down to all four tires in an instant, can be a thrill. Plant your right foot into the accelerator pedal and you get pinned back into your seat as the SUV catapults forward, as you feel all four tires squirm on the tarmac in search of traction. It’s utterly exhilarating, but the sudden bursts of speed it’s capable of might make your passengers dizzy.
Our tested R1S has a huge, 135-kilowatt-hour battery and a pretty long EPA-rated driving range of 316 miles. Of course, charging such a large battery on a 240-volt connector is a long process that takes about 13 hours from empty. Thanks to the Rivian’s 11.5 kW onboard charger, those with a home-charging system can benefit from installing the charger on a 48-amp circuit to maximize the charging speed—figure on about 25 miles of range gained per hour. At public DC fast chargers the R1S has a competitive maximum acceptance rate of 200 kW. But we have yet to see a peak charging speed that’s even close to that.
In contrast to the R1S’s hyper sports-car-like acceleration, our testing showed merely average SUV-like stopping distances. Which begs the question: Is the R1S too speedy for its own good? We also found the regenerative braking and “one-pedal driving” system—which slows the vehicle when coasting and sends energy back to recharge the battery—to be too abrupt. Easing up on the accelerator pedal slows the SUV down with quite a bit of force, which is likely to make your passengers feel queasy. The sensation that the accelerator pedal is “tightly-wound” is even more evident at parking-lot speeds, or when you’re trying to back up or turn around; lift your right foot off the accelerator pedal just slightly and it feels like the parking brake has been thrown on.
Handling is agile during regular driving, as well as when you pick up the pace on a back road, and in those settings the R1S does much to hide that it’s a three-row SUV weighing nearly 7,000 pounds. The quick steering is a boon through twisty bits (in spite of its artificial feel), and the R1S stays impressively flat through corners, with hardly any body lean. But the steering is quick to the point that it makes the R1S feel darty when you’re just trying to cruise down the highway, forcing the driver to make constant little corrections with the steering wheel. Worse, the R1S’ allure dulls when pushed to its limits around our track, with an electronic stability control (ESC) that allows the rear of the vehicle to slide out too far before the system reins everything safely back in.
Unlike the R1T pickup truck we also tested, which absorbs road imperfections nicely and delivers a comfortable ride, the SUV feels stiff and jumpy on rougher roads. The air suspension and large tires allow too many impacts to punch through into the cabin in a pronounced way. (A recent over-the-air update to the suspension system resulted in a slightly more settled ride, with less front-to-rear pitching sensations over certain bumps, but impact harshness feels the same.) There’s also too much electric motor whine (in fairness, there are four of them!) at lower speeds, and an abundance of wind noise on the highway.
We appreciate the spacious driving position, which has an elevated seat height and lots of headroom. The wide front seats provided good comfort and support for some of our drivers. But others found them lumpy, with odd pressure points on the upper portion of the seatback. The R1S performs ably as a three-row SUV, with a roomy second-row seat and a slick one-button operation to tilt and slide the seat forward to access the third row. Unlike many conventional competitors, the R1S can carry seven people and their luggage, thanks to its front trunk (also known as a “frunk”) and a deep well behind the third row. The third row is relatively spacious, but the seat isn’t very comfortable due to a lack of thigh support and flat cushion shape. Overall, the second- and third-row space is closer to that of a Toyota Highlander rather than the larger Grand Highlander or Honda Pilot.
The cabin shows excellent attention to detail with a premium, high-tech look. We love the metal accents on the doors and seats, and the natural, untreated feel of the wood trim. There are plenty of padded surfaces throughout the interior, including the super-soft micro-suede material covering the headliner, windshield pillars, and sun visors.
Just like in the R1T pickup, the R1S’s controls are terribly unintuitive and distracting due to a lack of traditional, easy-to-use physical controls for the side mirrors, steering-wheel adjustment, and dashboard air vents. Nearly every interior function has to go through the oversized center-dash infotainment screen. Also like the R1T, the R1S isn’t compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
The R1S comes with what Rivian calls its “Driver+” suite of active safety and driver assistance systems. Standard features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.