Meet the Rivian R1S, a 7-passenger electric SUV

I like the SUV a lot more than the truck. I'm not a fan of trucks (hey can you help me move this weekend?), so the SUV is up my alley in terms of the form factor I want to buy.

It's going to be pricey though, and the battery packs are very large and they're going to need a very good price per kwh to make any margins on their vehicles. I'm interested to see if they can make enough to spark a competitive response from the other automakers.

 

Several people have already commented to IEVs News articles that the R1S (Rivian's SUV) looks like the design was copied from Land Rover, or more specifically Range Rover. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since Rivian appears to be aiming for the same market as Range Rover, with its R1S.


2005 Range Rover

 

The Rivian R1S (SUV)

 

Will it be able to carry a spare tire like the truck, maybe under the third seat row?

 

According to a live feed interview, it will have an inflatable spare tire. I’m not sure where it will be stored or what size it may be, but it should be interesting to see.

 

True, probably so. Though I wonder if the foldable 2nd and 3rd row seats come into play for useable space.

 

During the live feed interview, they opened up the back hatch to show the rear storage area. It appears to have a split (horizontally about half way down) rear tailgate that will allow the top section (all glass) be opened separately from the bottom section. They stated the bottom section will fold down like a traditional pickup tailgate and can be used much like the gear tunnel door on the R1T. The more I see, the more this vehicle impresses me.

 

With all the evs on the market today most of them have a slanted windshield & a lower front end for the wind resistance,the R1S that I am looking into has a mostly squarish and a windshield that is typical of a ICE vehicle. So with the large battery & the range that the suv should have, will the front end of vehicle have a problem with keeping up to range. I understand that the driving conditions and how everyone drives is a factor. Any thoughts on this would be great

 

Purely my opinion, but I have a Model X 100D (rated 295 miles on a full charge). I know based on wind, weight, driving conditions, etc. that this will likely drop by at least a few miles if I were to take her on a road trip. The Model X does have a lot of aerodynamic features that help get it to the 295 miles on a 100Kw battery. The largest battery Rivian is offering will be almost double the size while only offering 110+ more miles for a full charge. I'm guessing they have taken the aerodynamics of the "boxier" body style into account when advertising these range numbers. Both the Tesla and Rivian have aerodynamic suspensions that allow them to lower (whether you set it to automatically be done or manually in the case of the Tesla) when at highway speeds thus creating less drag and increasing mileage. I heard on a live feed the other day that towing capacity for both the R1S and R1T is much higher than advertised, but they are "limiting" it (I'm guessing lawyer lingo) so that it can tow at full rated capacity while still maintaining about 250miles of range. This is still very impressive, in my opinion.

 

Besides all the preorders that will soon be accumulating here will the there be any galleries or dealerships start ups. If and when these vehicles are ready how will they be delivered to the owners, say if one is in NY state where will the meet point be. Any suggestions from anyone

 

Purely based on my experience with Tesla, I would assume Rivian would follow the same, or similar, method of setting up service centers throughout the U.S. and have vehicles delivered to them for customer acceptance. Rivian reps have already stated they are investing millions on brick and mortar service centers as well as a mobile service, but it’s yet to be said how the new vehicles will actually be delivered.

 

Would anyone know if Rivian will be @ the New York auto show in 2019

 

I would like the members opinion, would it be overkill to purchase a vehicle such as the R1S if you have no interest in the great out doors, would it be a wise choice just to have the size and peace of mind for hazardous driving conditions, your thoughts thanks

 

I think it would be fine for you to buy one. I never though of going on off-road adventures until after I bought my SUV and then signed up for some organized off-road excursions with some folks in California.