Closely related to the R1T pickup truck, the R1S three-row sport utility vehicle comes in three main specifications: dual motor, dual motor with extra oomph, and quad motor. The Red Canyon-painted example in the video below packs four electric motors and the largest battery pack available, which makes it rather heavy.
Give or take a few pounds, it weighs a staggering 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms). On the other hand, what did you expect from a truck-based utility vehicle with such a large battery and no fewer than four drive units? The aforementioned curb weight has another drawback, that being an electronically limited top speed of 111 mph.
Or 179 kph if you prefer metric. In other words, the R1S inevitably runs out of steam pretty quickly. Not quick enough to allow the Volkswagen MLB Evo-based Lamborghini Urus to assert dominance over it, although that changes once Jonny Lieberman and Jeff Glucker of MotorTrend Head 2 Head switch to half-mile racing.
Not surprising in the least, Lambo’s unibody SUV makes easy work of the R1S once you give it more room to stretch out. Both the Urus Performante and Urus S are good for 190 miles per hour (305 kilometers per hour) at full chatter, just like the Urus before them. Not bad for a twin-turbo V8 connected to a ZF-supplied automatic, and especially not bad for something that’s often ridiculed for sharing a platform with the VW Touareg and Audi Q7.
The Urus, however, will adopt hybrid assistance in 2024. With the imminent phaseout of the Huracan, the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese will have a wholly electrified lineup. Speaking of which, an electric vehicle inspired by the Lanzador concept is due to land in 2028.
Photo: MotorTrend on YouTube
Lamborghini won’t discontinue its combustion-engined models anytime soon, though. The Aventador launched in 2011, only to be discontinued in 2022, meaning that its hybridized successor will be produced well into the 2030s. Also remember that Lamborghini’s entry-level supercar is due to be replaced in late 2024, although the yet-unnamed heir apparent features a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8.
It will be sad to see Lamborghini’s naturally-aspirated V10 get canned, but alas, the Italian automaker needs to cut back on emissions. Rivian doesn’t have to worry about emissions, although the California-based automaker does have to scale up vehicle production as fast as possible.
Looking over the latest financial statements published by Rivian, the American company also needs to achieve greater operational efficiencies in order to stay afloat. Lucid is another EV manufacturer that struggles to get in the black, with Lucid shares falling 20-odd percent from the beginning of 2023 through October 2023 over abysmally poor deliveries and production numbers.
To be unveiled next month, the long-anticipated Gravity sport utility vehicle will see Lucid challenge both Rivian and Tesla. On the other hand, it will be quite a slow burn cos the start of production is on track for late 2024.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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