2023 Rivian R1T

CLINT SIMONE: This is a 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition. And it's a member of our Edmunds long-term test fleet. With our long-term vehicles, we purchase and hold on to them for about a year and in the process put on 20,000 miles or more to let the good, the bad, and the in between. We bought this all-electric pickup a little over a year ago, so now it feels like a good time to check in and tell you everything that's gone on so far. And be sure to check out all of our Rivian adventures in the description below. We've taken it off-roading, towing, we've even taken it to a tractor pull. It's, kind of, awesome. If you're a frequent viewer of the Edmunds channel-- first of all, thank you, like and subscribe-- then you're probably familiar with our truck spec. But if not, here's a little refresh. Our Rivian R1T is an all-electric monster with a huge 135-kilowatt hour battery pack. It has four electric motors and puts out 835 horsepower, with over 900 pound-feet of torque. It also weighs a crazy 7,000 pounds. The base price for the Launch Edition was $73,000 and to that we added the [INAUDIBLE] skid plates or underbody protection package for $2,000. All in, we paid a little over $76,000. But if you were to configure this truck on Rivian's website in 2023, it would cost over $90,000. Rivian jacked up the prices after we put in our order. So now a year into our relationship the news is positive, very positive. We've really only been inconvenienced by the R1T, not disappointed by it. But, trust me, that's not to say it hasn't been very annoying at times. During our long-term review period the truck was recalled due to a possible loose piece that connects the upper control arm to the steering knuckle. Rivian summoned its mobile service unit and they fixed the problem in about five minutes. Honestly, we were way more excited by their tool kit that slides in and out of the gear tunnel. You can't buy it. We checked. At one point this window wouldn't roll all the way up and we got extra lucky because at the same time this little trim piece right here started to fall off. Here's a pro tip. If you love wind noise in the cabin, this combination works really well. For a first product from a brand new automaker, the R1T feels well-built at its core. Some of the finer details haven't held up like we would have wanted them to. The key fob definitely looks really cool, but it died after less than six months of ownership. And even still you have to be standing basically right next to the truck for it to lock and unlock. Something else I really don't like. Even with tinted glass, this thing heats up like an oven in the California sunshine. We had to buy this little aftermarket thingy to block out some of that heat. And then somewhere along the way little squeaks and rattles, they started to enter the chat. BRENT ROMANS: Breton Romans here with edmunds.com and I'm going to show you four little minor annoyances I have with our long-term Rivian R1T. Number one, squeaky door handle. [SQUEAK] The little [SQUEAK] sound. And then when you pull on it-- [SQUEAKING] --that's not so good. Number two, squeaky inside door handle. [SQUEAKING] Number three, squeaky steering wheel as you're turning it. [SQUEAKING] Number four, as you've gotten out of the vehicle-- and this may or may not actually be a build issue, it may be just be the way the truck is-- but you get out, close the door, it doesn't close. Try again. Still isn't closed. So then you gotta really slam it, which is annoying. CLINT SIMONE: Now, that all might seem a little bit nitpicky, but that's why we have a long-term fleet to evaluate everything about a vehicle. Now, of course, one of the first things we did when we got this truck was to see if its range is the real deal. And in our real world testing, the truck beat its EPA estimate and ran 321 miles. Here's our vehicle testing director Jonathan to tell you more about it. JONATHAN ELFALAN: One of the very first things we did after taking delivery of our R1T Launch Edition Rivian was put it through the world famous Edmunds EV range and efficiency test. This wasn't the first Rivian that we range tested on, but the previous one was actually an early build that was owned by Rivian and so not a true production vehicle. Now, for our car, we ordered it with the 20-inch all terrain tires, which Rivian claims should decrease range by roughly 10% to 15% or about 40 miles versus the 21-inch all-season-- tires that you can get standard on the car. To our surprise, our Rivian R1T actually exceeded its EPA range estimate by a thin margin, traveling a total of 321 miles on a single charge. Kind of curious how our truck would do if running the all-season tires, which are supposed to get even better mileage. We'll try to answer that question in a future update. CLINT SIMONE: Now, with all that range, we've taken this truck on several long road trips. I took it on a trip that was over 1,000 miles from LA up to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving. And during that trip, I really didn't have any major problems with the Rivian, only our national charging infrastructure. I had broken chargers, long wait times, and then glitches that actually stopped the truck from charging in the middle of the session. It was all super frustrating. Now, to be clear, none of that is directly the Rivian's fault, but they are things you might run into if you buy one for yourself. Next year things are due to change a little bit when Rivian gains access to the Tesla supercharging network. That is sure to make things nice and interesting. And, of course, we'll have plenty more updates for you when all of that takes place. [MUSIC PLAYING] I'm interrupting this video of me to bring you breaking news here live from the Edmunds studio from me. Shortly after we filmed this update video, a member of our Edmunds test team, Albert Hernandez, had a tough night with our truck. After coming home from work, Hernandez tried to back into his parking spot, but the truck would not engage reverse. It also would not engage drive. It was stuck. Hernandez turned the truck on and off. And then after speaking with the Rivian representative rebooted it, twice. It was bricked and it was also blocking his neighbor's parking spot. We'd like to send our sincerest apologies to that neighbor. Rivian towed the truck to the nearest service center and diagnosed the problem the next day. The front drive unit inverter had a short. Rivian then replaced the inverter at no cost to us because the truck is still under warranty. Now, we got away with this one. But in the future, when the warranty runs out, something like this could be very expensive. Now back to you, me. And speaking of updates, our Rivian is a completely different truck than when we first bought it. I mean, it's the same truck literally, but it has a lot more capability now thanks to over-the-air updates. On a recent trip. Edmunds contributor Emme Hall played with something called snow mode, came courtesy of an OTA. EMME HALL: So about four hours before I was supposed to leave on my trip from California to Colorado at Christmastime, Rivian pushed a snow mode to the truck and that was pretty cool. So what this does is it basically it mutes the throttle and it gives you a super low regen braking, so basically you don't act like an idiot in the snow. It can be very helpful to someone who doesn't really know how to drive in the snow, like, I don't know, you come from California. Here's what's really interesting. If you're just toddling along in conserve mode and the truck detects a little bit of wheel slip and the ambient temperature is less than 34 degrees, it will push you a little like, hey, don't you want to go into snow mode? Don't you? Maybe? So that's cool that, it will help you in that decision. It worked great for me. I was driving through Moab, we got fresh snowfall, the truck was great really confidence inspiring, and I didn't spin it around or act like an idiot, so those are always wins in my book. CLINT SIMONE: Life with the Rivian R1T has been good so far and this truck's insane versatility has us really impressed. As of this moment, the truck has a little over 16,000 miles on it. So it has plenty of life left to live. Of course, we'll continue to update you with anything major that happens along the way. Thanks for watching. [MUSIC PLAYING] In other me news, somehow I am here and I am also there. I am here, but am I there? Me is here, but me is there. Hello? Hello? [MUSIC PLAYING]