That buzzy new restaurant that opened to rave reviews that you loved last year? What if you went back this year for a different dish, only to find that they’d raised their already-premium prices into the four-dollar-sign range? Worse, this time the food left you disappointed and thinking of another hot venue where the prices are lower. That’s where we are with the Rivian R1S battery-electric SUV.
After driving the company’s debut model, the R1T pickup truck in 2021, and getting a preview drive last year of the latest example of the R1S SUV, PopSci got a chance to spend some real time with the that SUV, and unexpectedly, it left me hoping that Rivian’s chefs are open to some suggested improvements.
Rivian launched its business with the R1T pickup, guided by the observation that Americans buy more trucks than any other vehicle type. The R1S is the three-row family-hauling SUV follow-up that sensibly goes after another high-volume, high-margin market segment.
Rivian R1S design
The R1S’s panoramic skylight and third-row sunroof keep the large cabin awash in ambient light, preventing the cave-like effect that long, cavernous vehicles can suffer. The second-row seats are comfortable and their occupants will enjoy the climate control features like seat heaters that keep them happy.
Things in the far-flung third row aren’t as good. Access is challenging, as it takes effort to scramble behind the second-row seats when they are flipped forward into the access position. The journey into the back row isn’t rewarded, as the seat bottoms are practically on the floor and there’s virtually no legroom. These seats are really only suitable only for children, but ones old enough to latch themselves into their booster seats so adults don’t have to clamber back there to do the…
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