Ever since deliveries began nearly two years ago, the Rivian R1T has been praised by customers and journos alike. It is an intriguing battery-electric pickup that features many gizmos, including an integrated kitchen for spending time away from civilization.
However, you shouldn't venture far off the beaten path because you will need a socket or a charging station at one point, and in its most humble offering, the R1T has an estimated range of 270 miles (435 km). The autonomy can reach 400 miles (644 km) with the battery fully juiced up and no throttle abuse. And if off-roading is your thing, then you should get the range-topping quad-motor variant, as it features additional gear and more driving modes, like Soft Sand, Rock Crawl, and Rally, as well as Drift, Conserve, and the usual Snow, All-Terrain, Towing, Sport, and All-Purpose.
The top-of-the-line version of the Rivian R1T is neck-snapping fast. It needs just three seconds flat to sprint to sixty miles per hour (97 kph) aided by the 835 hp and 908 lb-ft (1,231 Nm) of torque combined produced by the four electric motors. The dual-motor variant brings 700 hp and 700 lb-ft (949 Nm) to the party, adding five-tenths to the sprint time, and the base model, which also features a dual-motor setup, enjoys 600 hp and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm), taking 4.5 seconds to hit 60 mph from naught. Pricing, excluding fees and options, starts at $73,000 in our market.
Besides being a good daily and a potent off-roader, the R1T is also very quick in a straight line, as the official spec sheet reveals. But is it quick enough to take on something more traditional, like the Ford Explorer ST? Slotting between the Limited and the Platinum and King Ranch in the 2023 model lineup, it's a sportier take that uses a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6. The engine produces 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft (563 Nm) of torque. It takes a little over five seconds to hit the sixty mph mark and will tap out at over 140 mph (225+ kph). Therefore, it's not the first choice when it comes to placing a bet in a drag race against Rivian's zero-emission workhorse.
Nevertheless, it ultimately comes down to how skilled the drivers of both vehicles are, as quick reaction times can make a difference between winning and losing. The two potent high-riders met recently at the Bandimere Speedway in Colorado, and their head-to-head battle was filmed and shared online on YouTube by Wheels. We won't spoil the footage, which is a little over a minute long, by telling you which one was faster on that day, but we will highlight the fact that one completed the standing quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at 110.75 mph (178.23 kph), and the other in 14.9 seconds at 92.47 mph (148.82 kph).
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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