rivianguy
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Over the past several weeks I've had the opportunity to take our R1S on a number of 'adventures' on some pretty rough back roads here in Washington State so I figured I would share a short review of my experiences. I'd estimate about 100-150 miles or so of driving in what most people would refer to as 'back country' conditions.
What this review is not...
This is not a 'rock crawling' review. If you are looking for a highly technical article about departure angles and so on this isn't the article you are looking for.
What this review is...
For those of you who plan to take your R1S off road on Forest Service lands, BLM for dispersed camping (boondocking), hunting etc. then you may find this review helpful.
Background
I grew up in a rural community in a family of loggers and spent a good part of my youth on very rough logging roads in all types of ICE trucks. I have a good appreciation for the ride and handling of those types of vehicles in different off road settings. Expert - No. Experienced - Yes.
My R1S has the 22" Sport Brights with the underbody shield, so all impressions are based on this and would likely be even better with the 20" AT.
Types of Roads Driven
Mostly forest service roads and various spurs off these roads. Typically very windy and increasingly rough the farther into the back woods you go. Narrow with loose gravel in dry conditions and mud in wet conditions. Hilly for the most part with lots of elevation gain/loss over a relatively short distance interspersed with sections of flat. Lots of pot holes and/or exposed rock and largely poorly maintained roads.
Drive Modes Used
Typically started with All Purpose until the road got really rough and then switched to Off Road - High when the holes in the road got significant.
Ride Quality
Wow. I am blown away at how this vehicle handles a very rough road at speed and maintains a smooth and quiet ride. Some sections of the roads I was travelling on would have set my teeth rattling in most other vehicles, even at lower speeds. The R1S maintained and extremely comfortable ride even in some very rough sections. I would go so far as to say that it's almost 'deceptive' how fast you can go and still have a comfortable ride and I found myself consciously slowing down to ensure there weren't any 'surprises' on the single lane road I was driving on.
Handling
Again wow. I had read some unflattering reviews about the handling of this vehicle in certain off road situations so wasn't sure what to expect. All I can say is that my experience was exceptional. Perhaps different type of terrain than some others have been testing on (again I'm not rock crawling) but at no point did the vehicle feel in any way out of control, even at speed in poor conditions (loose gravel/mud in corners) I expected the handling of the vehicle to degrade somewhat when I raised it into 'Off Road' from 'All Purpose' but I didn't notice any significant decrease in handling, and did notice an increase in ride comfort. Again I'm not Colin McRae'ing it around every corner, simply driving the vehicle like most people would when in back country conditions and having fun while doing it. I did find myself using the brake more often than in city driving (normal) but beyond that the handling in all weather conditions (wet, dry, muddy, gravel, mud puddles etc.) was awesome. By far the best I've ever driven.
Performance
The joy of having those 835 horses and instant torque available whenever you want it is palpable in an off road driving setting. Some have complained about how 'long' the travel is on the Rivian accelerator and my guess is that the engineers who designed it had off roading top of mind when they made this design decision. It gives you such a smooth and natural range to bring just the right amount of power to bear depending on the situation the vehicle is in. Going around a corner with loose gravel, bam it's there for you. Want to stretch it's legs a bit on a short straight? Boom - instant. This coupled with the aggressive regenerative braking just makes everything fit. You'll never have so much fun trying to find your next boondocking location and will be looking for opportunities to drive further.
Ride Height
If the roads are relatively well maintained (think the early parts of a forest service road) then all purpose is fine. Once things start to get rough switch it to 'Off-Road' high and you're golden. At no point did I come close to bottoming out the vehicle, though I could have if I really tried. You'd have to get into some really rough terrain to test the underbody shield, and you'd have to get really frisky to take advantage of rock crawler mode. For those of you who are looking to use this primarily for camping, adventuring and not hard core rock crawling I can confidently report that the vehicle has you covered. No issues whatsoever with ride height.
Final Verdict
Exceptional. If you plan to use the R1S for 'getting out there' and adventuring with your family and pets this is a fantastic vehicle. It's perhaps the only EV SUV currently that can roll straight off the highway and into the backwoods without skipping a beat. Combine that with the significant range and I expect my family will be having adventures with the R1S for many years to come.
Bonus #1
Many of you probably already know this but if you 'long press' an area on the navigation screen you can navigate to a specific spot on the map. Useful for areas that are a bit more remote (helped us get to/near some forest service roads that we would have had trouble finding)
Bonus #2
After getting your R1S all muddy you'll probably want to wash it. If you don't want to look like an ass when you go to the car wash you might want to 'practice' putting the car in neutral before you get there. Don't ask me how I know. On the right stalk push up slightly (not all the way just to the first bit of resistance) and hold for 3 seconds or so to shift into neutral.
In 'All-Purpose' mode at this point in one of the trips (Don't worry it's a BB gun)
One of the 'better maintained' roads
The Rivian is right behind us on this road. Went over lots of debris (BB gun again)
What this review is not...
This is not a 'rock crawling' review. If you are looking for a highly technical article about departure angles and so on this isn't the article you are looking for.
What this review is...
For those of you who plan to take your R1S off road on Forest Service lands, BLM for dispersed camping (boondocking), hunting etc. then you may find this review helpful.
Background
I grew up in a rural community in a family of loggers and spent a good part of my youth on very rough logging roads in all types of ICE trucks. I have a good appreciation for the ride and handling of those types of vehicles in different off road settings. Expert - No. Experienced - Yes.
My R1S has the 22" Sport Brights with the underbody shield, so all impressions are based on this and would likely be even better with the 20" AT.
Types of Roads Driven
Mostly forest service roads and various spurs off these roads. Typically very windy and increasingly rough the farther into the back woods you go. Narrow with loose gravel in dry conditions and mud in wet conditions. Hilly for the most part with lots of elevation gain/loss over a relatively short distance interspersed with sections of flat. Lots of pot holes and/or exposed rock and largely poorly maintained roads.
Drive Modes Used
Typically started with All Purpose until the road got really rough and then switched to Off Road - High when the holes in the road got significant.
Ride Quality
Wow. I am blown away at how this vehicle handles a very rough road at speed and maintains a smooth and quiet ride. Some sections of the roads I was travelling on would have set my teeth rattling in most other vehicles, even at lower speeds. The R1S maintained and extremely comfortable ride even in some very rough sections. I would go so far as to say that it's almost 'deceptive' how fast you can go and still have a comfortable ride and I found myself consciously slowing down to ensure there weren't any 'surprises' on the single lane road I was driving on.
Handling
Again wow. I had read some unflattering reviews about the handling of this vehicle in certain off road situations so wasn't sure what to expect. All I can say is that my experience was exceptional. Perhaps different type of terrain than some others have been testing on (again I'm not rock crawling) but at no point did the vehicle feel in any way out of control, even at speed in poor conditions (loose gravel/mud in corners) I expected the handling of the vehicle to degrade somewhat when I raised it into 'Off Road' from 'All Purpose' but I didn't notice any significant decrease in handling, and did notice an increase in ride comfort. Again I'm not Colin McRae'ing it around every corner, simply driving the vehicle like most people would when in back country conditions and having fun while doing it. I did find myself using the brake more often than in city driving (normal) but beyond that the handling in all weather conditions (wet, dry, muddy, gravel, mud puddles etc.) was awesome. By far the best I've ever driven.
Performance
The joy of having those 835 horses and instant torque available whenever you want it is palpable in an off road driving setting. Some have complained about how 'long' the travel is on the Rivian accelerator and my guess is that the engineers who designed it had off roading top of mind when they made this design decision. It gives you such a smooth and natural range to bring just the right amount of power to bear depending on the situation the vehicle is in. Going around a corner with loose gravel, bam it's there for you. Want to stretch it's legs a bit on a short straight? Boom - instant. This coupled with the aggressive regenerative braking just makes everything fit. You'll never have so much fun trying to find your next boondocking location and will be looking for opportunities to drive further.
Ride Height
If the roads are relatively well maintained (think the early parts of a forest service road) then all purpose is fine. Once things start to get rough switch it to 'Off-Road' high and you're golden. At no point did I come close to bottoming out the vehicle, though I could have if I really tried. You'd have to get into some really rough terrain to test the underbody shield, and you'd have to get really frisky to take advantage of rock crawler mode. For those of you who are looking to use this primarily for camping, adventuring and not hard core rock crawling I can confidently report that the vehicle has you covered. No issues whatsoever with ride height.
Final Verdict
Exceptional. If you plan to use the R1S for 'getting out there' and adventuring with your family and pets this is a fantastic vehicle. It's perhaps the only EV SUV currently that can roll straight off the highway and into the backwoods without skipping a beat. Combine that with the significant range and I expect my family will be having adventures with the R1S for many years to come.
Bonus #1
Many of you probably already know this but if you 'long press' an area on the navigation screen you can navigate to a specific spot on the map. Useful for areas that are a bit more remote (helped us get to/near some forest service roads that we would have had trouble finding)
Bonus #2
After getting your R1S all muddy you'll probably want to wash it. If you don't want to look like an ass when you go to the car wash you might want to 'practice' putting the car in neutral before you get there. Don't ask me how I know.
On the right stalk push up slightly (not all the way just to the first bit of resistance) and hold for 3 seconds or so to shift into neutral.In 'All-Purpose' mode at this point in one of the trips (Don't worry it's a BB gun)
One of the 'better maintained' roads
The Rivian is right behind us on this road. Went over lots of debris (BB gun again)
Sponsored
Last edited:
Putting it up on a roof rack would, first, require such a rack to exists. Second, that dang thing is heavy! That would have disaster written all over it. Maybe the only decent solution would be a swing away, hitch tire mount.
