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In all terrain and all weather, the 2022 Rivian R1S has got you covered.
The 2022 Rivian R1S is the first three-row SUV from the American electric vehicle manufacturer and is available for sale at a base selling price of $78,000. Offered in a single trim configuration, the Rivian R1S is a three-row SUV that comes with a 128.9-kWh battery pack that helps it to achieve a range of 316 miles on a full charge. The quad motor setup producing 835 hp makes sure that the R1S never feels out of breath, and it gets an advanced suspension and many off-road features as well.
Competing with the Tesla Model X, the Rivian offers more versatility than the Tesla and comes with a more spacious cabin. The cabin is also loaded to the brim with many advanced features, making it a great offering for doing those long-distance drives. The infotainment display is quite large too. Before going forward with the purchase decision, here are 10 things you need to know about the 2022 Rivian R1S.
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Coming with the quad motor setup coupled with the AWD drivetrain and 4-wheel torque vectoring as standard, the 2022 Rivian R1S offers instant acceleration the moment you press on the gas pedal. This setup offers 415 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque to the front axle and 420 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle.
The combined output comes to 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque and that helps this heavy three-row family SUV to do an impressive 0-60 MPH time of just 3 seconds. It can tow a maximum of 7,700 lbs and the top speed is 125 MPH.
The cabin of the 2022 Rivian R1S is a warm and inviting place to be and that is mainly due to the impressive list of standard features on offer. The connected car tech is onboard and that helps you to connect and access many functionalities of the R1S through the mobile app.
The panoramic sunroof brings quite a lot of light to the cabin and all the seating features like heat, powered, and ventilated functionalities are onboard. The Rivian Elevation audio system makes the audio experience quite superb and the massive infotainment system offers endless options to the passengers as well.
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One of the biggest aspects of the 2022 Rivian R1S over the Tesla Model X is the towing capacity that the former offers. Coming with a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs, the 2022 R1S is more than capable of towing the caravan or a boat with ease.
The payload capacity of 1,800 lbs is excellent too. In comparison, the Tesla Model X offered a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. The payload capacity was lower than the Rivian too. However, towing heavy loads would most probably impact the range quite significantly.
The 2022 Rivian R1S is only offered with a single battery configuration, however, Rivian has plans to bring in a smaller battery capacity moniker which will also get a less powerful dual electric motor setup. Currently, the Rivian R1S comes with a 128.9-kWh battery pack that could do 316 miles of range according to the EPA.
With the fast-growing DC charging network that the Rivian is building in the United States, you could charge the R1S for just 20 minutes to access 140 miles of range. This 3,500 DC charging outlets over 600 sites also gives exclusive access to Rivian owners only, which is a plus point as it isn't going to be very crowded. They get a charging output of 200 kW as well.
Similar to the Rivian R1T, the R1S also gets a luxurious interior with premium materials all around. The rugged exterior design is present in the cabin as well, however, Rivian has managed to incorporate many adventure elements to make it look and feel like nothing else on the road.
The dashboard and door cards come fitted with natural grain ash wood wrapping and silver accents, both of which uplift the cabin design significantly. The neat infotainment integration, chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel, and plush vegan leather seats add to the ambiance too.
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Even though the horizontally mounted touchscreen infotainment system comes loaded with most of the connectivity and entertainment features as standard, it misses out on both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Nevertheless, features like Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, voice recognition, wireless phone charging, and Amazon Alexa are standard.
This infotainment can download and install over-the-air updates, and it comes with eight USB ports, three 12V power outlets, and two 120V outlets. All of these make it a perfect tool for those long-distance road trips. The Rivian Elevation audio system by Meridian is standard and there are multiple speakers positioned all around the cabin.
Launched at a base MSRP of $78,000, the 2022 Rivian R1S turned out to be more expensive than the likes of the Audi e-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace. This makes the R1S a bit hard to reach for those who are looking at a three-row SUV that is fully electric.
But, the Tesla Model X is even more expensive as it comes at an MSRP of $104,990. This moniker misses out on some of the interior and exterior features offered by the Rivian. The optional feature and package pricing of the Tesla is a bit steep too.
Being one of the first three-row electric SUVs on sale currently, the 2022 Rivian R1S is a highly versatile offering at this price point. Even though the interior headroom, legroom, and shoulder room information aren't available yet, it can accommodate seven passengers with utmost comfort.
Apart from the spacious cabin, there are multiple bottle holders, cup holders, and a wide armrest for both the front and middle rows. The front trunk could accommodate 12 cu ft of cargo and the rear trunk is larger than all the competitors. The split tailgate and the folding rear seat function are standard too.
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There is a long list of off-road goodies on offer with the 2022 Rivian R1S and that makes it a perfect companion to explore the unexplored trails with confidence. It could drive through more than 3 feet of water and rock crawling with a 100% grade is easily possible according to Rivian.
A 14.9" of ground clearance coupled with three different tire specifications to suit the need of the owners makes it very capable. The quad electric motors offer instant torque and the four off-road specific drive modes do alter the engine, suspension, and steering characteristics of the R1S significantly.
The 2022 Rivian R1S comes packed with many standard driver-assistance techs. This list includes highway assist, adaptive cruise control, lane change assist, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blindspot warning, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic alert system, park assist, forward collision warning, and automated emergency braking.
Rivian has also offered 10 external cameras around the R1S which aids day-to-day driving on the cities and highways. The system also gets 12 ultrasonic radars, 4 corner radars, and 1 forward radar to safeguard the occupants. The R1S gets aluminum alloy, ultra-high strength steel, and carbon fiber construction, and this gives it the necessary strength too.
Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.