Lower than three years after first deliveries commenced (however nearly eight years after they have been initially revealed), Rivian is already facelifting its R1T pickup and R1S SUV. Rivian doesn’t need to merely name this a facelift or mid-cycle refresh, although — as an alternative the model is asking the up to date R1 lineup the “second technology” of the autos, regardless of each fashions trying mainly the identical on the surface. I rolled my eyes on the “Gen 2” moniker at first, however after doing a deep dive into the various design and engineering adjustments made for the EVs and driving the up to date R1S and R1T for myself, it really appears apt.
Greater than 600 components have been modified and over half of the {hardware} parts have been up to date, with mainly each side of the vehicles getting substantial upgrades. Most significantly to Rivian, the brand new R1 lineup is massively simplified by way of the manufacturing course of, which suggests the EVs might be cheaper and simpler to construct and to service. Most significantly to us, the Gen 2 R1S and R1T will not be solely higher to drive however higher to spend time in and higher to dwell with in the long term. For my full driving impressions, you may learn my first-drive overview right here, however maintain studying beneath to get each element on what’s new and what’s modified.
Powertrains And Efficiency
Beginning off the R1T and R1S lineup are the entry-level Twin-Motor fashions, which nonetheless have 533 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, adequate for a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.5 seconds. Like earlier than, Twin-Motor patrons can select a Twin-Motor Efficiency setup that ups output to 665 hp and 829 lb-ft, chopping the 0-to-60 time down to three.4 seconds, a tenth faster than earlier than. The Efficiency model additionally provides Sport and Tender Sand drive modes, in addition to a 3rd, firmer setting for the suspension.
Basically taking the place of the earlier Quad-Motor mannequin by way of efficiency and value is a brand new Tri-Motor setup, with one motor up entrance and a pair of motors on the rear axle. Whole output is 850 hp and 1,103 lb-ft of torque, 15 hp and 195 lb-ft greater than the previous Quad-Motor R1 fashions. Rivian says the 0-to-60 run takes simply 2.9 seconds, a tenth faster than the previous Quad-Motor, and it will get the complete vary of drive modes together with Preserve, Drift, Rally and Rock Crawl.
The highest canine stays the Quad-Motor, which now makes use of Rivian’s in-house motors, as effectively, and makes a whopping 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 lb-ft. There’s a brand new launch management operate (additionally discovered on the Tri-Motor) that permits for a sub-2.5-second 0-to-60 time and a quarter-mile time of 10.5 seconds, making them the quickest truck and SUV available on the market. To assist obtain that searing quarter-mile time, activating Launch mode briefly raises the highest pace from 110 mph to 130 mph. The gauge cluster display screen shows telemetry like acceleration instances and G-forces, and the automobile will seize sharable recordings of your acceleration runs.
The entire motors are actually oil-cooled, a boon for high-torque, low-speed driving like rock crawling and low-torque, high-speed driving like freeway cruising. The Tri-Motor and Twin-Motor share their single-motor entrance unit, and the Tri-Motor and Quad-Motor use the identical bigger dual-motor housing on the rear; all the motor items go down the identical meeting line. The Quad’s dual-motor housing on the entrance is smaller than the rear unit and engineered for effectivity, and the rear motors for each variant are robotically disconnected on-demand to extend vary when all-wheel-drive grip isn’t wanted. Rivian additionally completely overhauled the suspension methods, focusing particularly on bettering the trip high quality of the R1S, which was its one foremost dynamic ache level. The R1S’ air suspension has new springs with completely different spring charges, new dampers and a brand new hydraulic anti-roll system.
The bottom Customary battery pack is now a lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) unit that gives an EPA-estimated 270 miles of vary, the identical as earlier than, however with elevated effectivity. Non-obligatory on the Twin-Motor and customary on the Twin-Motor Efficiency is the Massive pack with as much as 330 miles of vary. Each the Tri-Motor and Quad-Motor fashions are solely out there with the Max pack, which was beforehand not out there on the top-end Quad-Motor; the Max pack presents as much as 420 miles of vary. The Max pack can be non-compulsory on each Twin-Motor variants, too.
Each the Massive and Max packs proceed to make use of 2170 cylindrical cells, however the cells have gone from 50G to 53G items. As a substitute of utilizing extruded aluminum, the Massive and Max packs now have a high-pressure die-cast housing that reduces weight, simplifies the manufacturing course of and improves serviceability. Each battery configuration can fast-charge utilizing CCS or NACS plugs (the latter with an adapter) to achieve 140 miles of vary in 20 minutes and go from 10 to 80 p.c in as little as half-hour. There’s additionally a warmth pump for the thermal system, lastly, which solely takes up a little bit of extra house below the frunk’s detachable ground.
The range-focused 21-inch wheels are not on supply, leaving 20s as the bottom wheel dimension and 22s because the improve. As customary the 20s include chunky 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-season tires, and you may nonetheless get an All-Terrain improve bundle that swaps the Goodyears for even chunkier 34-inch Pirelli Scorpion all-terrains. The out there 22s are actually each the very best for dealing with and the very best for vary because of new Pirelli Scorpion MS tires designed for Rivian. Most likely my favourite design change is the non-compulsory 22-inch aero wheels, which have detachable aero discs that look unimaginable and conceal a design that appears nice with them eliminated, too. With the discs fitted, the R1T has a drag coefficient of 0.297, a slight enchancment.
If you wish to get the utmost efficiency out of a Quad-Motor R1, you’ll should spec the brand new Extremely Excessive-Efficiency wheel and tire bundle. This will get you a staggered-width 22-inch wheel setup sporting Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tires additionally specifically designed for Rivian, sized 275/50 up entrance and 305/45 on the rear. The five-spoke wheels for this bundle do look nice, however not fairly as cool because the aero discs.
Exterior Design
Solely the nerdiest amongst us will be capable to spot the up to date R1S and R1T from the surface. The entrance mild bar is redesigned, with a three-dimensional chamfered decrease edge and new lined internals. The stadium headlights have new adaptive matrix parts that may permit for robotically adjusting excessive beams, coming later this 12 months through a software program replace. The flip indicators are actually situated the place the fog lights was, which suggests the working mild signature not turns off when you might have your blinker on, one thing that basically aggravated Rivian’s designers.
Each entrance and rear lightbars have ten segments within the decrease part that act as a cost indicator, with every phase representing 10 p.c of the battery’s capability. As a substitute of your complete lightbar glowing inexperienced whereas charging like earlier than, the segments mild up in sequence to provide you a greater take a look at your car’s state of cost at a look. These segments may also blink orange in sequence, both going from left to proper or vice versa or from the middle out, to behave as emergency arrows to assist direct site visitors across the car if there’s an accident or hazard forward.
You possibly can spot a Tri-Motor R1 by the yellow brake calipers and badge accents, beforehand used to indicate Quad-Motor fashions. Thus, the Quad-Motors get a brand new Laguna Seaside Blue hue for the calipers and badge surrounds, plus an ultra-cute badge on the tailgate depicting Rivian’s Gear Guard sasquatch mascot together with his fur getting blown again. The colour palette stays the identical except for the introduction of a brand new paint known as Storm Blue that’s out there on Tri- and Quad-Motor fashions, a darkish teal-like colour that has good brilliant sparkles to it in daylight. A brand new Darkout bundle provides all the brightwork a darkish satin end; it’s non-compulsory on the Twin-Motor automobiles however customary on the Tri- and Quad-Motors, although you may go for the intense trim and badges on these fashions too. Aside from the aero disc design, the wheel choices are additionally the identical as earlier than.
Inside Design
Tri- and Quad-Motor fashions come customary in Rivian’s new Ascend trim stage, which has plenty of extra luxurious touches than the Journey trim of the Twin-Motor automobiles. The vegan leather-like upholstery feels smoother and softer than what’s within the Journey trims, and the seat facilities get a Mondrian-esque stitching sample and refined Rivian logos. Even the decrease sections of the middle console and door panels are wrapped within the fancier materials and are lower and sewn with contrasting stitching, and a cool cloth covers the seatbacks. The carpets are a deeper-pile materials with a unbelievable plaid design, and the identical plaid motif is present in particulars just like the door pocket elastic bands and headrest trims.
Sadly the Forest Edge inexperienced inside is not any extra, however its alternative is a unbelievable two-tone slate blue and lightweight gray colour scheme with mild brown wooden and matching stitching that appears phenomenal. The opposite two inside choices are the Black Mountain, which has inexperienced accents and darkish wooden, and the sunshine gray Ocean Coast, which has new mild gray wooden. On Ascend trims all the inside metallic will get a slick new darkish bronze end, too.
The door latches are actually digital, with small buttons on the door panels proper the place your thumb naturally rests when grabbing the deal with and a bodily emergency launch forward of them. On fashions with out the camp speaker, the middle console has a slide-out storage cubby. Each R1 continues to have a set panoramic glass roof, nevertheless it’s now out there with an electrochromic coating that does an excellent job of lowering glare, brightness and warmth. Customizable ambient lighting can be new, with plenty of curated colour schemes which have display screen animations and ambient noises to go together with every one.
Expertise And Security
Maybe probably the most substantial enchancment is within the R1’s electrical structure and laptop methods. The variety of ECUs has been diminished from 17 to only seven: the autonomous methods, battery administration, infotainment and car entry all get their very own ECUs, however all different car capabilities are consolidated into three ECUs, decided by the geographical location of every system and whether or not the capabilities are real-time or on-demand. The shift to this zonal system led to the elimination of 1.6 miles of wiring, a weight financial savings of 44 kilos. Thermal fuses have been changed by e-fuses that may lower off a brief circuit instantly, and every pin will be simply recognized and reset by software program, making it sooner to diagnose and repair a problem. There’s additionally much less vary loss when the car is off or the infotainment system and luxury options are getting used when parked, because the low-voltage battery is at all times topped off and never getting cycled.
The infotainment system has been completely redesigned, nonetheless powered by Epic Video games’ Unreal Engine with higher rendering capabilities because of the brand new electronics. It has a newly created font that’s extra engaging and simpler to learn, menus which might be simpler to navigate, and extra fleshed-out data pages. The place the present Rivians have super-realistic 3D fashions proven on screens just like the drive mode show, the brand new system has a beautiful illustration model impressed by cel-shaded animated motion pictures. Chief Design Officer Jeff Hammoud tells me the group needed to be extra playful with the system, remarking, “Do you really want an actual duplicate of what you’re sitting within, or can now we have extra enjoyable?”
What appears like static cartoon pictures are literally 3D fashions that the person can transfer round by swiping with two fingers. Every drive mode has its personal distinctive design that reveals the R1 (in your automobile’s actual spec) in a related vignette with subtly shifting parts within the background or foreground, and when switching between modes the car is seamlessly animated as if it’s driving by means of every scene. Hammoud says this new model is just attainable due to how carefully the design and software program groups work collectively, and due to the extra processing energy of the computer systems. Gen 1 autos will get the brand new infotainment as a software program replace, however there might be future design updates and added capabilities that may solely work on Gen 2 automobiles.
Ascend trims have a brand new Rivian Premium Audio system that has Dolby Atmos functionality by means of Apple Music with Spatial Audio, and it sounds fairly superior. To go together with the brand new sound system and infotainment, Rivian is launching a Join+ subscription service that offers the automobile entry to greater than 3,000 apps for $14.99 per thirty days. Customers may also solid their apps corresponding to YouTube from their cellphone to the automobile. The digital key can now be used with Apple Pockets on an iPhone or Apple Watch, or with some Google Pixel telephones. Rivian says the wi-fi charger within the heart console is “a lot improved,” nevertheless it doesn’t work with my iPhone 15 Professional in any of the vehicles I get in.
Additionally fully overhauled is the R1’s customary suite of security expertise known as the Rivian Autonomy Platform. It now makes use of 11 cameras that have been developed in-house and 5 radar sensors, with Chief Software program Officer Wassym Bensaid saying a number of modalities and {hardware} redundancy throughout the system are massively vital for the model. The cameras have 8 instances extra megapixels than earlier than (probably the most of any automobile in North America, based on Rivian), can see thrice farther, and the picture high quality for the surround-view and blind-spot cameras is leagues higher than the previous crappy ones. The principle entrance radar can see objects 1,000 ft away, and entrance nook radars give an overlapping area of view.
The Autonomy Platform is powered by two NVIDIA processors that may carry out 250 trillion operations per second — your iPhone can solely accomplish 35 trillion per second — and the module has 10 instances extra computing energy than earlier than. Solely about half of the computer systems’ capability is at the moment being utilized by the autos, so there’s a ton of room for the system to enhance and increase over time. Rivian says the driver-assist methods work higher in unhealthy climate like rain and fog and difficult mild circumstances like tunnels. The Gen 2 fashions might be out there with a Rivian Autonomy Platform+ improve that gives extra options, the primary being automated lane adjustments this summer season after which conditionally hands-free Enhanced Freeway Help later this 12 months.
Pricing And Availability
The up to date R1 fashions can be found to order now, with first deliveries already commencing. Any new orders positioned beginning right now would be the up to date mannequin, however when you’ve already received a reservation or an order you may both choose an already constructed truck (Gen 1 included), construct one of many facelifted Twin- or Tri-Motor autos, or reserve the brand new Quad-Motor. The primary variations to launch are the Twin-Motor, with the R1S coming first and the R1T to observe. First deliveries of the Tri-Motor fashions will come in the summertime, with the Quad-Motors launching nearer to the top of the 12 months.
With the Customary battery pack, the R1T begins at $71,700 (together with $1,800 for vacation spot), the identical as earlier than, whereas the R1S prices $77,700, a rise of $1,000. The Massive pack prices a further $7,000, and upgrading to the Max pack prices $14,000 greater than the Customary battery, each the identical costs as earlier than. A Tri-Motor R1T with the Max pack will set you again $101,700 and the Tri-Motor Max pack R1S begins at $107,700, each round $13,000 greater than the previous Massive pack Quad-Motor fashions however solely a pair grand greater than the earlier Twin-Motor Efficiency fashions with the Max pack. Pricing has but to be introduced for the Quad-Motor R1 lineup, however anticipate them to value a minimum of $120,000, if not fairly a bit extra.
Rivian will proceed to construct the R1 fashions at its plant in Regular, Illinois, which can be gearing as much as begin manufacturing of the upcoming R2. The corporate says the Gen 2 automobiles have 50 p.c much less carbon emissions from manufacturing in comparison with the Gen 1, in addition to a 15-percent-lower lifetime carbon footprint. As a result of there are fewer parts to put in and a lot of the car’s engineering has been streamlined, the manufacturing course of is less expensive, simpler, faster and leads to increased high quality. That’s all key for Rivian’s survival and potential to thrive as an organization, and I actually hope it survives and thrives — the brand new R1T and R1S have been already two of the very best new autos in any phase, and now they’re even higher.
