2024 Rivian R1T Review: The Truck for Non-Truck People

I’m letting you know now: I didn’t do any “truck things” with the 2024 Rivian R1T.

I know it’s a concern, and I get it. I also get that the vast majority of ICE trucks almost never do them either: a recent study ( per The Drive) showed that 75 percent of respondents towed once a year or less, and 35 percent put anything in the bed that same amount of time.

The R1T is a lifestyle vehicle. A statement. When used as such, Rivian’s original offering impresses on nearly all fronts, looking and feeling like the future. Then again, when something rings up at this price, it had better.

Rivian’s approach to the R1T is a familiar one: start from the top and work on down. Since introducing the truck two years ago, the American brand has expanded the lineup into more affordable territory, introducing tri- and even dual-motor models, not to mention smaller battery capacities. This has driven down the price of entry to almost half of the original ask, opening the young brand up to more folks. That momentum looks set to continue with the R2 and R3 as well.

This tester is not any of those things. This is a full-fat, check-all-the-boxes affair, a quad-motor meanie throwing down a borderline ridiculous 835 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque. Nine hundred! A Raptor R is basically a Crown Vic by comparison. Also included is the popular off-road package, which swaps in 20-inch wheels and—you guessed it—trail-friendly rubber.

The look is still entirely its own, and one we know is sticking around for the rest of the family. The official name is “Stadium Lights,” but more than one friend called the headlights “big eyes.”

I had the R1T right during last month’s eclipse. You may have heard about it. It was an appropriate time for testing, because this thing positively demolishes any other pickup in performance. Sure, the GMC Hummer boasts more power, but that thing also weighs approximately one city block.

The instant-access power of an EV is hardly ground-breaking these days. Where the R1T excels is in making all that power accessible instead of intimidating. The throttle calibration all but eliminates the jerkiness of high-po EVs, a long-travel affair that makes it easy to mete out each individual electric pony. It’ll rip when asked—far quicker than anything on this of knobbly rubber has any right to—but there’s never any doubt about who is calling the shots. The quad-motor setup also allows for genuine torque vectoring as well.

Speccing the All-Terrain Upgrade does seriously eat into single-charge range, mind you. Officially you’re looking at 328 miles (527 kilometers) without, and 274 mi (440 km) with that box checked. Oof. Speaking of charging, the R1T with this128.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack will top out at 220 kW of charging rate. A Rivian spokesperson confirmed to me that all models can now access the Tesla Supercharger network, though adapters aren’t yet available. When they are, they will come with every new purchase for the foreseeable future, until the NACS port is standard-fit.

The Riv’s approachable attitude extends beyond that adept powertrain. The not-quite-mid, not-quite-full size of the truck strikes a great balance between capability and ease of use. The steering has an easy-going consistency to it that takes the sting out of piloting a truck through one of North America’s largest (and most congested) cities. There is a big battery slung under the floor, but at least that weighty component is where it works best: down low. The result is a platform that has remarkable composure at all speeds, with great manners both on- and off-road. A 360-degree camera and four-wheel steering ensure the R1T is reasonably easy to park in city-based lots. This is still a truck measuring 217.1-inches (5,514-millimeters) tip to tail, so its nose will poke out a bit from regular-sized spots. Don’t worry about the climb up into the cabin: the adaptive suspension drops the truck down when parked.

There are a whole bunch of available drive modes to tailor the feel to taste. Most tweak the steering weight, suspension height, and accelerator responses: on top of that, drivers can select standard or firm ride feel, standard or one-pedal regenerative braking, and different amounts of stability control intervention. There’s a light hum from the powertrain, but you won’t find the expressive soundtracks of say, BMW or Hyundai electric models.

Activating the Rally drive mode on gravel is good fun. The R1T never puts a tire wrong, that four-wheel steer effectively chopping a foot or two out of the wheelbase. Stick to aggressive regen and most twisty trails just need a lift, no left pedal necessary. The Riv is both secure and agile, capable of drawing out smiles a-plenty.

This R1T has an adaptive air suspension that goes from sport-truck low to well over a foot of ground clearance. I didn’t ford three feet of river, but in Sport mode I did get jostled around like I had. Simply put, the R1T is too stiff in some of its more aggressive settings. I expected this somewhat: there’s only so much that trick suspension can compensate for, as the R1T is both weighty and needs to accommodate the potential for payloads. Still, it’s enough to warrant comments from passengers, and worse than I remember in the related R1S from last year.

Dial things back and the Rivian daily-driving experience is better. With a deceptively slippery 0.30 coefficient of drag, this pickup slices through the air, so wind noise is less than in anything else I’ve driven with a bed. There’s little road or suspension noise to speak of: only the added hum of those adventure-ready tires.

In this writer’s opinion, one aspect of the EV revolution that doesn’t get enough attention is the reassertion of American design. Whether it’s Lucid or Rivian, both brands have crafted a distinct West Coast vibe for their respective cabins, all natural colors and generous helpings of pretty, open-pore wood. It’s minimalism but not barren, all while retaining an inviting warmth. It’s all screwed together far better than what you’ll find in the original American all-electric car company, too. The R1T features another seemingly EV standard-fit feature: a full glass roof. I personally love it for the added natural light and headroom, but I can understand those in sunnier and warmer climes maybe don’t want a greenhouse.

Rivian blends in a good amount of practicality. Pop-out cupholders keep the space feeling airy when they’re not needed, and the center console is reasonably spacious. Same goes with the door cubbies. The well-documented lack of glovebox is minorly annoying; a lack of wireless charging is more of an issue to my mind. The removeable Bluetooth speaker is more than just a gimmick: it’s plenty powerful, and the system compensates for its absence.

There isn’t an abundance of cabin storage, but R1T owners get a sizeable frunk plus the Gear Tunnel passthrough between cabin and bed. The latter can be accessed via the rear seats too, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the outer hatches can support over 200 lb. Meanwhile, the bed features a built-in compressor.

As start-ups are want to do, Rivian eschews Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s an annoyance for a reviewer who has a whole lot of their preferences saved to their phone—but for owners, who will set-it-and-forget-it for most apps, it’s less of a problem. Same goes for the fiddly wheel and mirror adjustments: an owner will save those to their profile and never think about it again. There is native Spotify support as well, so that solved my musical grumblings.

That the R1T is expensive is not news. There are smaller battery packs and setups with half the motors, but this tester doesn’t use ‘em. With the Large battery pack, quad-motor powertrain, and All-Terrain Upgrade—plus the very pretty Ocean Coast and Dark Ash Wood cabin ($2,000 / $3,100 CAD), the post-destination price of this truck is $94,650 ($140,900 CAD). In Canada you’re simply not going to slip under six figures. The Big Three’s trucks have never been pricier sure, but that’s still a huge ask, especially for something unproven.

I’d argue the R1T isn’t competing with trucks, however. Going back to this being a statement piece, think sports cars or big GTs. Think ditching the luxury SUV. This or a plug-in BMW X5? I’d have to think long and hard on that.

Driving Rivian’s original product a few years after launch, the shine hasn’t dulled. The 2024 Rivian R1T is still a fantastic, well-resolved product that blends serious performance with a feel-good cabin built for adventure. The company has been expanding the lineup in both directions with smaller and larger battery packs, which addresses the R1’s major hurdle: price. There’s no reason to think this won’t continue to work as the brand’s flagship once the R2 and R3 arrive.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.