The timing of my test drive of the Rivian R1T and the spring bloom in the Mojave Desert was perfect.
Though this year is not a super bloom, there are small but intense localized blooms if you can find them. The one we found – thick with California Poppies and Goldfields – was on the western edge of the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the southwestern corner of the Mojave Desert. (Note to Angeleno urbanites: the Mojave Desert is a lot closer than you think. It’s only about a 45 minute drive from my Los Angeles home. Many longtime Los Angeles residents are surprised when I say this.)
Rivian R1T is ready for anything the Mojave Desert throws at it
The Rivian R1T Tri that I had for a week leverages its tri-motor system, advanced suspension, and specialized drive modes to make the transition from pavement to off-road easy. I don’t do hard-core off-roading. Only what’s required to get me around the Mojave Desert. But that doesn’t mean I don’t run into challenging conditions. For example, the desert north of Red Rock Canyon State Park can shift from soft sand to extremely rocky terrain in a heartbeat. In every case, the Rivian met the challenge and I always felt that the R1T was in its element in even the toughest terrain. The single biggest upside to Rivian is that when you transition back to pavement, it’s also in its element. It’s extremely good at straddling both worlds.
The R1T Tri comparable to Cybertruck Cyberbeast in price only
The Rivian R1T is invariably compared to the Tesla Cybertruck – at least in the U.S. – because they’re both high-profile electric pickups with identical prices in some cases.
In fact, the $99,990 2025 Rivian R1T Tr that I had is priced exactly the same as the $99,990 tri-motor Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast. Coincidence? Probably not. (Note: I’ve also test driven the Cybertruck. Most recently this past week.)
But externally they couldn’t be more different. The Rivian is a gentler aesthetic with a conventional aluminum body and traditional frame construction. A far cry from the radical “Blade Runner” stainless steel exoskeleton of the Cybertruck. But since that comparison will always come up, let’s do a quick comparison of salient specs.
Quick feature compare:
Range – Rivian wins: The R1T Tri has an EPA rated range of 371 miles, while the Cyberbeast is rated at 301 miles. Surprisingly, the R1T is heavier, by several hundred pounds, than the Cyberbeast. But both are heavy at well over 6,500 pounds. By comparison, my humble Chevy Bolt is about 3,500 pounds.
Speed / torque – a draw: Rivian R1T Tri has one front motor, two rear motors, and delivers 850 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, 1,103 lb-ft torque, and a top speed 130 mph. Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast has the same motor configuration (one front motor, two rear motors), 845 horsepower, 10,296 lb-ft torque, 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds, and top speed 130 mph.
Bed Size – smaller but the Rivian includes a Gear Tunnel: Rivian R1T Tri: 4.5 feet long, 4.3 feet wide (between wheel wells). Additional storage includes an 11.6-cubic-foot Gear Tunnel and 11-cubic-foot frunk. Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast: 6 feet long, 4.75 feet wide. Upshot: The Cyberbeast offers a larger bed, better suited for traditional truck hauling, while the R1T compensates with innovative storage solutions like the Gear Tunnel.
Electrical outlets – depends on your needs: Rivian R1T Tri: Four 15A/120V AC outlets (two in the cargo bed, one in the frunk, one in the Gear Tunnel), plus an air compressor in the bed. By comparison, the Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast has multiple power outlets, including 120V and 240V in the bed and cabin, with up to 11.5 kW exportable power for vehicle-to-home capability. So…the Cyberbeast provides more versatile power options with higher voltage support, while the R1T offers more outlets overall and practical additions like the air compressor.
Public charging: two networks are (much) better than one
Public fast charging is a sore subject in the non-Tesla world. It’s so frustrating at times that it forces you to reconsider pure electric vehicles (based on my own experience over the years) or switch to a Tesla. Rivian overcomes that with a NACS (Tesla) adapter in addition to the built-in CCS plug. (Note to Electrify America: The Tesla network is built on the concept of charger redundancy. That means always having an excess of chargers in case some go down or if there’s a surge in demand. )
And I faced that exact problem late one night in suburban Los Angeles on my way back from the desert. I went to an Electrify America charging (CCS) station that – as is usually the case – had way too few chargers (6) and one charger was down (makes 5). All the available chargers were being used and there was a line of cars waiting. I wasn’t willing to spend an hour or more getting a charge. So, I moved on. Then I remembered that there was a Tesla Supercharger station right down the road. The Tesla Supercharger station had 12 available chargers and I was the only one charging! The experience couldn’t have been more different. I got a very fast charge (in about 20 minutes) and was on my way. The Tesla Supercharger charging speed peaked at adding over 400 miles of range/hour.
Autonomous driving: Rivian Highway Assist passes Rt 138 test
I focus a lot on Advanced Driver Assist Systems or ADAS. As I’ve pointed out before, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, aka ADAS, are a godsend. It takes the stress and tedium out of long drives and makes you, on balance, a safer driver. And ADAS is essential going forward as humans become increasingly distracted with the demands and temptations of personal digital devices.
The R1T comes with Highway Assist, Rivian’s ADAS. On major roads/highways, Highway Assist will essentially drive the car – acceleration, braking, lane changes, and steering. It does this through a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane centering. One way to look at it is: adaptive cruise control manages longitudinal control and Highway Assist does the lateral control.
In the trip from my Los Angeles home to the Mojave Desert, the R1T drove itself about 90 percent of the time, including a local highway, Rt 138. That small local, two-lane highway is my litmus test for ADAS. It’s a tedious, ruler-edge-straight drive across the desert. Some ADAS work on 138, some don’t. Anyway, Rivian passed the test and made that drive actually enjoyable.
Critiques
I had a friend evaluate the R1T. He knows cars. He works at a major American transportation company and oversees customer fleets and handles buying and leasing. (Note: he will nitpick any car.) He thought there was (1) a bit too much wind noise on the highway, (2) didn’t like ducking his head so much to get into the cabin, and (3) had issues with rear tailgate design. He suggested that the legacy pickup manufacturers (Ford, GM) understand tailgate design better because they’ve been doing it longer. (See this video at the 10:40 mark.) Quotable quote: “Rivian definitely designed the R1T as more of an adventure truck and less of a work truck.”
Word about leases and price of a Rivian
Rivian does leases in some states and includes the $7,500 federal tax credit over the term of the lease. Monthly lease payments can be less than loans and have lower (sometimes much lower) down payments. The upshot: Rivians are expensive. And out of reach for your average car consumer. Leases make Rivians more accessible to more people. The down payment is often a lot less.