The Rivian R1T’s deliveries have officially begun and it has been the talk of the town ever since. The EV has garnered a lot of positive reactions from the auto community, and was even Doug DeMuro’s 2021 Car of the Year’. We have seen it climb mountains in the past and make short work of it, and have even seen it rejoice in the snow. Now, the automaker has uploaded a video that shows its all-round abilities.
Rivian uploaded a video of the R1T on its YouTube channel demonstrating all eight drive modes that are available on the EV. Seems to be quite an all-rounder, doesn’t it?
The R1T Feels At Home In All Conditions
Depending on the drive mode, the R1T switches its settings and preference in five different aspects – Ride Height, Ride Quality, Brake Regen, Stability Control, and Torque. You can change it manually, too, obviously.
There are five Ride Height settings on offer:
- Lowest – 9.9 inches- Low – 10.5 inches - Standard – 11.9 inches- High – 13.5 inches- Max – 15.4 inches
You get just two options for the Ride Quality, which are Soft and Stiff. The Brake Regen is either Standard or High. As for the Stability, you can either choose to turn it off, keep it reduced, or switch it on. The torque setting shows you how many tires get the power. In most cases, power is routed to all four wheels, but in settings like Conserve where battery saving is the main idea, only the front wheels are powered.
Sport Mode
In the Sport Mode, the Rivian R1T is seen carving corners and eating up straight roads like it’s a sports car. The R1T’s ride height is low (10.5 inches), the suspension stiff, and the stability reduced. The brake regen is standard and torque is shared between all the wheels.
Off-Road Drift Mode
Next up, the R1T switched to Off-Road Drift Mode wherein the truck raised to standard ride height, which is 11.9 inches. The air suspension was stiff and the stability turned off. The brake regen is high when you slot into this mode. The EV didn’t struggle on the muddy path and drifted around with utmost ease.
All-Purpose Drive Mode
The R1T was then slotted into All-Purpose Drive Mode. Here, the ride height is Standard – 11.9 inches – the air suspension soft, and the stability control on. The brake regen is standard in this mode. If you don’t want to fiddle around with the settings much, you can keep your truck engaged in this mode most of the time.
Off-Road Auto Mode
The fourth setting that Rivian showcased is the Off-Road Auto Mode. The truck sits 13.5 inches (High setting) off the ground and the air suspension is set to soft. The stability control is on here and the brake regen is in the standard mode. It isn’t as aggressive as the Off-Road Drift mode, but quite capable, nevertheless. In the video, it traversed over muddy trenches, crawled over rocks, and climbed steep inclines without struggling at any point.
Off-Road Rock Crawl Mode
The Off-Road Auto Mode is the jack of all trades and master of none. So, while it will be good enough for light rock crawling, you will need a special setting when doing some heavy adventures. Here, too, the ride height is set to high (13.5 inches) and the stability control is on. However, the air suspension is set to stiff and brake regen is high. The electric truck can be seen climbing some pretty big rocks and boulders without breaking a sweat.
Off-Road Rally Mode
The fourth off-road setting is the Off-Road Rally. Now, it doesn’t turn your truck into a dune basher like the Bronco Raptor, but you will be able to drive in the mud like its tarmac. Here, the ride height is 11.9 inches (standard setting) and the air suspension is set to stiff. The brake regen is high as well. The stability, however, is reduced and this allows the truck to move around freely without having the system kick in and try to tame it. There’s no word here, but it looks like the Tank Turn is engaged by slotting the truck in this mode.
Conserve Mode
The seventh drive setting is the Conserve Mode, which is the one to cruise around calmly. The ride height is the lowest that the truck has to offer (9.9 inches). The ride quality is soft here, brake regen high, and stability control on. The torque is transferred to the front wheels exclusively (if you go by the video). If you want to preserve the battery as much as possible, this is the mode you should be driving in.
Towing
The last drive mode is Towing. The R1T sits 11.9 inches off the ground here (Standard setting) and the air suspension becomes stiff so your truck won’t bounce around with a trailer hitched to its derriere. The stability control is on and the brake regen is high. The Rivian R1T can tow up to 11,000 pounds.
What’s The Rivian R1T All About?
Here are some of R1T’s noteworthy features:
- Quad-motor setup - 835 horses combined- 0-60 mph in three seconds in top trim- Can rock crawl at 100-percent grade- Towing capacity up to 11,000 pounds- 300-mile range - 15.6-inch touchscreen system- An all-glass panoramic roof will be available- Four 110-Volt and three 12-Volt outlets- Driver+ driver assistance system will include 11 cameras, five radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and a 360-degree field vision - Tank Turn (art187383) available; K-Turn patented (art192214)- Three trims/packages on offer – Explore, Adventure, Launch- Starting price - $67,500}
Conclusion
Watch the video below and let us know what you think about the Rivian R1T. Also, do you think you would choose it over the Tesla Cybertruck, which is now expected to come with a quad-motor setup, too? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.