One-two Punch: Rivian Debuts Seven-seat Electric SUV, Promises 410 Miles of Range

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Having just unveiled a rather impressive all-electric pickup for the LA Auto Show, Michigan-based automotive startup Rivian is following up with another model. Rivian’s second vehicle will be a seven-passenger SUV, called the R1S, that uses the same platform as the R1T e-pickup.

That results in the pair playing host to nearly identical specs. This isn’t a problem, as the automaker vows to provide between 300 and 562 kW (402 and 753 hp) in combined output. Range is similarly good. The company is also promising figures that would make most other electric vehicles of this size blush, especially if you opt for the bigger battery.

As with the pickup, the R1S can be had with a 105 kWh pack capable of about 240 miles of range, a 135 kWh version good for around 310 miles, and a 180 kWh unit rocking 410 miles. Those range estimates are slightly better than those cited for the pickup; they’ll surely fluctuate a bit when traveling with a full load in either vehicle.

Visually, the R1S resembles an EV concept from Land Rover with a dash of Ford Flex for taste. Interesting, considering it looks identical to the pickup from the front. But we didn’t really notice the R1T having so much in common with other models when we first laid eyes on it. Meanwhile, the R1S instantly makes us think we’ve seen it somewhere before.

Rivian’s SUV should be capable of reaching 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, according to the manufacturer. Higher-spec models should be able to shave at least a full second off that time. The R1S will have the same quad-motor setup as the R1T. Working together, the motors will yield around 400 horses on the base model, 750 hp when attached to the 135 kWh battery, and 700 hp with the 180 kWh unit.

The R1S also has the same frunk as the pickup, providing an additional 11.7 cubic feet of storage space where you’d normally find an engine. It also has a bin at the rear intended for a spare tire, but you can chuck whatever you want into it if you’re feeling bulletproof. The R1T’s “gear tunnel” does not carry over onto the SUV, however.

Less utilitarian and work-focused than the company’s pickup (towing capacity is down from 11,000 pounds to 7,700), Rivian claims the R1S will still be able to tackle bad roads and handle its business. There remains a clear emphasis on luxury, though. The SUV’s interior has a massive 15.6-inch touchscreen that’s impossible to miss. A second, 12.3-inch screen serves to provide meaningful data to the driver while a third 6.8-inch screen has been installed in the center console for rear passengers. According to the manufacturer, the model will come pre-equipped with sensors capable of some self-driving assistance at launch and upgradable over the air, like on a Tesla.

Scheduled for assembly in 2020 and on display at the LA Auto Show now, the R1S will be slightly more expensive than R1T pickup truck when it goes on sale. The base model starts at $72,500 (before the EV tax credit). If you’re interested, preorders begin this week via a refundable $1,000 deposit. Rivian has said both the SUV and pickup are both “extremely close” to what it plans to put into production.

[Images: Rivian, © 2018 Tim Healey/TTAC]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • JoDa JoDa on Nov 29, 2018

    After 10 years when this $100K truck is totaled because it needs a new battery pack, put a Hellcat crate engine turning a generator in it. It should weigh the same as the 180kw battery pack. That's a far better rich man's toy.

  • HotPotato HotPotato on Dec 02, 2018

    Really nice work. The thing has presence and class, like a Range Rover. Individual motors on each wheel. Useful range. No tailpipe. And it's silly-quick to boot. If I were in the market for a six-figure SUV, this would be it: everything else seems obsolete and backward by comparison. Dealer network, tho???

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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