2022 Rivian R1T vs. F-150 Lightning : The Closest Finish in Motortrend History

[Sharpobjects4321]

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/...ning-platinum-range-max-charging-test-review/


"We developed the MotorTrend Road-Trip Range test to answer that question. This real-world test is run at an average speed of 70 mph to more accurately reflect what kind of range you can expect to cover on your longest drives, such as family road trips, weekend runs to the cabin, or sales calls to the farthest corners of your territory. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum achieves a MotorTrend Road-Trip Range of 255 miles, or 15 percent less than its EPA-rated 300 miles."

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[jbronkoR1T]

Just to throw one more opinion on the pile:
I have a 2010 4Runner right now. I have a Nov21 order for a Max Pack R1T Adventure. It will be my primary vehicle and in late 2024, my wife and I will move to SW Colorado (kids will be out of the nest by then).

I got the Rivian b/c of the size and on and off-road performance. I like the midsize and just have not loved driving F-150s, Ram 1500s and Silverados when I have rented them. I prefer something a tad larger than a Tacoma, so R1T fits that bill.

Road performance will be far better than any car I've ever owned.

Off road, I plan to take it dispersed camping, towing probably a rugged 1500lb trailer, but no serious rock crawling. The trailer will likely have its own solar power/battery.

I'm definitely worried about range on those kinds of trips, so will have to plan accordingly, especially when it's colder out. That's why I'm holding out for the max pack and sticking with the 21" tires no matter what (might get some snow tires/wheels too). That's clearly the big downside.

With only 2 of us the vast majority of the time plus the travel trailer, storage shouldn't be any problem at all. Day to day, we'll do local trips to kayak, SUP, and hike. I mountain bike a couple of times a week and I don't like hitch trailers due to parking and overall length, and can't wait to just throw the bikes over the tailgate rather than my current method of putting my bike inside or on top of my 4runner, the latter of which is pretty impressive to see since I'm only 5'8"!).

So I remain excited. Rivian has told me 2H 2023 for the Max Pack, so I'm planning to wait that out. If Rivians start falling apart in the field or there's some other disaster like bankruptcy before then, I will likely lease a Colorado ZR2 for a couple of years and then buy whatever the best EV pickup is after that. I also have a Silverado on order as a hedge, but they sent me an email over the weekend touting that my next truck is being put through its paces. Here's the 13s video they sent. I thought it was a joke. It wasn't. Was that supposed to impress me?!
https://media.chevrolet.com/media/u...0112/currentChannelId/Most Recent.gsaOff.html

 

[intimidator]

I disagree with nothing in that article. If Rivian had held to the old price, the Ford loses by a lot but the price increase evens it out. If you want a luxury vehicle that can also be a truck, then get a Rivian. If you want a truck that excels at being a truck, then the F150 is the better choice.

It's nothing to scoff at. The R1T is damn good..... REALLY DAMN GOOD. It's just not as good of a value at the new price point. If I had to pay the new price, I would be waiting for a Lightning or SilveradoEV.

Excellent view. Price does matter. The Rivian R1T at $65,000 would be a phenomenal value. Pushing $100,000 and it is a hard no.

Both vehicles are great - but different. I know Ford will keep the Lightning going for years. I hope Rivan can stay in business, and continue to grow and get to break even before too long.

 

[trevtremaine]

Having read the review, one thing notable but only lightly touched upon has to using the Lightning as a power backup doesn't work as advertised. This, to me, is only the tip of the iceberg in which Ford oversells itself - which I have experienced myself with another Ford product. While it's quite possible that this is a minor issue or something that might be worked out, it's simply too familiar and something I would stay away from.

The other issue is the pricing. How many of the Fords will go for far higher prices than sticker? At least you know what you're paying with the Rivian. The dealership model is something that while it's broad base is a plus makes me wonder how much gouging will happen, especially during servicing it. Going further into it, has anyone heard or seen the details of servicing on each? I know it will be significantly less, but certainly not zero.

What does Rivian need to do? Well, I'm certainly no expert, but I would like to see certain things improve - bed access, better power for outlets, etc, better 2 way power, better wireless charging within the cabin, a lockable glovebox as well. Over time, software will improve other aspects that I've seen mentioned.

Personally, I like the size of the Rivian better. I don't see the need (for myself) for a full sized truck that has grown too much over the past 30 years. I'm still looking forward to the utility that the Rivian will provide.

 

[The J-Man]

I still don’t understand why anyone would say that the Rivian has one of the nicer interiors of any vehicle.
It’s nice, it’s fine, it’s made from plastic, soft plastic but plastic. There’s nothing super nice about it. Is it nicer than a Xterra sure, is it as nice as any Land Rover out there, no.
It’s kinda like BMW without the leather option.
It’s rugged if you want with a nice feel to it.

The Rivian interior design is in a different league for an American car. That is what is so impressive about it. American car interiors have a distinctly unrefined design no matter which brand. Rivian has changed that. It's sort of a mix between European and Scandinavian interior design. A lot of people really appreciate the effort, myself included. I have never owned an American car on the interior reason alone.

As far as materials, the Rivian is not going to be as good as a $90K German car, but it is still impressive. They couldn't put finer grade materials into the R1T because they don't wear as well and aren't sustainable. The Rivian interior materials have been designed to be luxurious, rugged and sustainable. I think the Rivian leather is the most convincing fake leather I've ever seen in any brand. The layering of different textures, materials and colors on the dashboard rivals the highest end German cars. The only major shortcoming I can find in the Rivian interior is lack of an impressive ambient lighting system, which is a must in a modern high-tech car. I still don't understand why/how they dropped the ball on this. The white lights that they tried to incorporate in the doors and dash are unevenly lit and don't look good. Rivian could have done an impressive color changing ambient light system in an aurora borealis theme, or something. The possibilities were endless. Maybe next time. I'm still holding out hope that the white LEDs are in fact RGB and we'll be able to change colors at least with a future OTA update.

 

[ERguy]

Having read the review, one thing notable but only lightly touched upon has to using the Lightning as a power backup doesn't work as advertised.

I missed this. In what way does it not work as advertised?

Other than mentioning the electrical upgrades needed in many hopes to implement the V2H feature, I didn't see any mention of this feature in the review.

 

[trevtremaine]

I missed this. In what way does it not work as advertised?

Other than mentioning the electrical upgrades needed in many hopes to implement the V2H feature, I didn't see any mention of this feature in the review.

It looks like there's issues either with the equipment install on location, or something to that effect. It's not completely clear, but given the way Ford tends to sell things, I'd do more research before relying upon it.

 

[MXA121]

....
I also have a Silverado on order as a hedge, but they sent me an email over the weekend touting that my next truck is being put through its paces. Here's the 13s video they sent. I thought it was a joke. It wasn't. Was that supposed to impress me?!
https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/bcportal.html/currentVideoId/6308782130112/currentChannelId/Most Recent.gsaOff.html

Had to highlight this - can't believe Chevy took that video and shared it. Makes it seem like they are babying the truck. Rivian is doing the right thing and targeting the offroad crowd - since Chevy and Ford are focusing on pavement princesses (until the inevitable Lightning Raptor shows up).

 

[brancky3]

Warranty alone, one would pick Rivian over F-150.........

To add to this point, I see how Ford is handling the battery junction box recall with our Mach E and it makes me never want to trust Ford again with anything. If I had a Lightning pre-order right now it would be cancelled.

 

[Inkedsphynx]

Throwing my opinion on the pyre - The R1T's interior is nicer and either Land Rover I've owned (Velar and Defender). I don't see a bunch of cheap plastic... anywhere? Everyone that gets into my R1T remarks on how nice it is inside. Both the materials and layout are absolutely fantastic and I wouldn't ask for anything more at this price point. Personally, I prefer the cockpit of the R1T to a Taycan twice as expensive (tho that's more dimensions than materials).

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