NoFo Cars is very excited to debut our blog with a test drive report and a list of our favorite five things about the new Rivian battery-powered vehicles. We got a chance to look at them at the recent Rivian Space grand opening in Alpharetta, Georgia where Rivian allowed us to take an R1T Tri out for some suburban exploration.
It was awesome.
And it looks like things are about to get awesomer for Rivian as their new R2 model, a mid-size suv with a sub $50k price tag, is about to be released. This is very significant as the R2 will make the Rivian experience available to a much larger possible buying group of people.
It’s all about the vectors. Prices of electric cars have been higher than gas, but as EV makers scale production and manufacturing prices drop, they’ll reach a point of equality and they won’t be as disproportionately expensive for the average consumer.
If you follow those vector lines out, and look at the global market, it is clear that electric cars will continue to sell in increasing numbers, and this growing percentage of market share is attracting investment of both monetary and intellectual funds. That’s the real story here, that the brightest and best people are being attracted to new companies like Rivian where new products can be developed in a way that is best for the result, not best for an existing system.
This focus of development resources is evident in the Rivian in many ways, some of them are kind of unique. It’s not all about the specs, there is a feel… a vibe, and a culture to them that we noticed right away – coming from a traditional perspective. Perhaps the first take-away from our test drive is the interior space. It’s all new. Everything is new. A typical old-school car maker, which has different parts used across product lines, uses mix and match bits to compile their cars. The Rivian interior is bespoke, with everything designed, sourced and assembled with modern parts and processes.
There is a cohesive ‘wholeness’ to being inside a Rivian. The materials all match. The elements all work together. It’s so modern and futuristic. Which brings us to our first favorite thing…
The first thing we liked the most about both of the Rivian models was the interior space. Being in a new Rivian is a treat. It’s nice. The overall design is great. The materials are fantastic. The environment is futuristic, but it has a natural comfortability. It feels ‘hom-ey’ and suggests to us both a New England and Pacific Northwest inspiration.
The color choices, mixed with the textured wood and metal surfaces has an outdoorsy, organic feel, all the while suggesting fresh tech and contemporary design. It’s spacious all around. The materials all have a good texture to them and we particularly liked the wood elements on the doors and dash. It’s all understated, but very smartly put together… honestly it’s hard to describe. It’s so high tech, but it’s so relaxed and inviting. They struck a great balance.
Tending more toward utility than luxury, but not sacrificing one over the other, everything is purpose designed and built to work for this particular configuration, so it all feels right, all the elements are proportioned tastefully and it’s all appropriate for its class. This is an environment that will stay distinctive and modern well into the future.
The second thing we liked best about the new Rivian is the tech. OMG… the tech!
If you haven’t been in a newer vehicle, and particularly something like a Rivian, the tech experience is mind-blowing. The real-time traffic monitoring is amazing. The whole system is totally next-gen. It looks great. The screens are sharp and clear and the overall design is simply fantastic.
Again, this overall cohesiveness of elements suggests to us a unified philosophical and production approach to building a car. Rivian is starting from scratch so they have optimized their system to work from the ground up and are not sharing elements, physical or digital, across a spectrum of models. This purpose-driven approach has resulted in a system that works like science fiction.
When we were on our test drive, the screen showed the vehicle in relation to lane markers as well as surrounding vehicles. What impressed us the most was that the system recognized different kinds of cars and trucks and changed the icons on the screen. As we approached a utility truck, the icon changed as the system assessed it… which was crazy cool.
We did not have enough time to really get into the many different screen features on our test drive but what we saw was simply amazing. The level of tech is so high. But it’s easy to get what you want and has a pleasing style and tone to it that is… well… comfortable.
Perhaps that is the main take-away from the Rivian experience, a comfortability of interfacing with tech that makes it easy to use.
The third thing we liked about the new Rivian is the driving experience. This maybe should have been number one… but we liked the interior so much. And all the tech.
If you haven’t driven an EV yet, there aren’t many words that can convey how different the dynamics are compared to non-electric vehicles. It’s like driving a space ship. The magnetic pull results in an incomparable feeling of movement versus traditional vehicles. Politics and environmental issues aside, it’s just a better way to make cars.
Once you drive a Rivian, you gain a steep appreciation for how such a large, powerful car can be so nimble and easy to drive. It’s an engineering masterpiece without a doubt.
Of course, the acceleration is bonkers. But you don’t notice it. There’s no engine vibration or noise or transmission shifting to tell you that a machine is working to propel you. You just put your foot down and you go. The speed is baffling given the size and weight of the car but the brakes, suspension and wheels all handle it much more smoothly than you would expect.
But it’s not just speed. Before we took our test drive out on the road we took some time to steer around a parking lot and found the R1 to be very maneuverable. It’s still a large vehicle but the steering is very good.
The new Rivians showcase a cohesive engineering effort that puts them at the pinnacle of modern automotive science. They operate on a new spectrum of power application and have all the other systems in place to match that power.
One thing that new EV buyers experience is that, because batteries are heavy, and engine weight does not sit on top of the front axle, the entire vehicle needs to be constructed to compensate. The frame has to be stronger, the suspension components must be able to handle the heavier load, and the steering and brakes all have to be larger and more effective.
So there’s a lot more ‘there’ to something like a Rivian. It’s probably heavier, sturdier, and more substantial feeling that you’d think, without being clunky.
The fourth thing we liked about the new Rivian models was the different ‘under the hood’ configurations you can get. Right now there are the two versions of the R1 available – the SUV and Truck – but each can come with different batteries and motors. This gives people options for more range, performance or value.
You can get up to 420 miles per charge with a Max battery option on the R1T Dual and up to 1,025 horsepower in the upcoming R1T Quad model, and the performance of all the models is super-car fast. The Standard Dual-Motor AWD system has a 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds, and the other models are even faster.
Just a few years ago, a 0-60 time of less than five seconds was considered supercar territory.
The R1S and the R1T share similar configurations so we’ll compare the Truck versions here. The R1T Dual Standard has two electric motors, one in the front and one in the back, with 533 horsepower and a range of 270 miles and it starts around $69K.
The R1T Dual has two different battery configurations – a Large battery that gives it 329 miles or a Max battery option with 420 miles of range. And the larger batteries (compared to the R1 Standard battery) give you up to 665 horsepower and a 0-60 time as fast as 3.4 seconds. To give you a comparison of how fast that is, the Ferrari 458 Italia, and the Ferrari Enzo also had identical 0-60 mph times of 3.4 seconds.
Getting these kinds of Ferrarri speeds in a modern electric utility vehicle pushes the price up to around $76K… but hey that’s still $154,050 less than Ferrari Portofino M.
The R1T Tri gets a Max battery and a Tri-Motor AWD Drive System right at the $100K mark. With 850 horses and a 0-60 time on 2.9 seconds the performance experience is astounding. And that’s all-around performance considering the suspension, software, brakes and steering.
Edmunds recently tested the upcoming R1T Quad, which has four motors, a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds and 1,025 horsepower, and they commended Rivian on the fact that the R1T was able to come to a halt in a brake test in 116 feet, whereas the average stopping distance for a midsize truck is 135 feet, and 150 feet for a heavy-duty truck.
Plus there are available add-ons and accessories to personalize each car, like the electric grill for cooking out, which was one of our favorite add-ons.
The fourth thing we like about the Rivian R1 is that it is soon about to be joined by the R2, and next year the R3. Rivian is also building delivery vans for Amazon, which we see all over the road here in North Atlanta. This shows a broadening footprint of products and bodes well for the future of the company
The R2 will be a smaller, two-row mid-size SUV with over 300 miles of range and a 0-60 time of less than three seconds. There is a lot of anticipation about the R2, which will have a starting price of about $45K. Hopefully this model will be able to bring the deluxe Rivian driving experience to more potential buyers.
The R3, which is being teased as a fun performance model does not have any specs out yet, but it looks like sportiness is going to be it’s primary focus, and is expected to be out in 2026.
These upcoming models have a great potential for mass adoption, and Rivian could scale up production and make them more efficiently over time, possibly making them even more affordable.
The fifth thing we liked most was that Rivian sponsors the SXSW Conference and Festivals. This speaks to the corporate vibe there, and we appreciate that Rivian is putting effort into supporting this annual event.
Smaller music and film makers have flocked to SXSW since 1987 and it’s very significant to the creative community world-wide. Over 300,000 people attend every year and they could not do it without someone like Rivian.
This investment directly affects and benefits thousands of artists. It helps them chase their dreams and just maybe… make their dreams come true. It gives them a platform, literally a stage, to put their creative thoughts out there in front of real people. It keeps the indie spirit alive and for this, we commend and thank Rivian.