The Rivian R1S is the SUV version of the Rivian R1T pickup truck. While we haven’t driven the R1T just yet, we know several people who have and we’ve yet to hear a bad word about it. However, being a pickup truck, the R1T isn’t a competitor for any BMW to worry about. But the R1S is an SUV that’s very similar in size to the iX (the R1S is a few inches longer, wider, and taller), packs even more range, far more power, and is priced similarly, too.

The Rivian is slightly larger, has more interior space, has much more power (835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque), is quicker to 60 mph, has a few more miles of range, looks better, is lightyears ahead of the iX off-road, and comes in at around the same price. But at the same time, the BMW iX has a lovely interior – luxurious, premium, and exciting.

The other advantage the iX has is its dealer network. So far, Rivian has had a difficult time meeting manufacturing demands, which isn’t uncommon for a new brand, but BMW is far better at doing so and its dealer network is vast. If you have a problem with a BMW, there’s a dealer nearby, with available parts, to quickly remedy any issue.

Without driving the Rivian R1S, I can’t say it’s a homerun win over the BMW iX. However, people we know and respect seem to think it’s sensational to drive and it certainly has the on-paper game to make the iX seem a bit pointless. So while we’ll have to get the two cars back-to-back to see which is better, one thing’s for certain: the Rivian R1S is going to be a big problem for every traditional premium brand building electric SUVs.

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Audi CEO Markus Duesmann has not ruled out the idea of putting the Four Rings onto a luxury pickup truck. When asked by Autocar about the possibility of a workhorse from Ingolstadt, the top brass said: “I can’t promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it.” While that statement is not much to go by, the head honcho added: “Actually, we will present – not too far from now – maybe something.”

Therefore, we might see a concept luxury pickup truck from Audi in the near future. The only feasible way from a business point of view we can think of would be a high-end version of the next Volkswagen Amarok but with an electric drivetrain. The idea of a Ford-based Audi truck seems odd if we’re being honest. VW has yet to reveal the second-gen Amarok teased here, but we do know it’s going to debut in the coming months. Whether Audi will bring a luxury pickup truck to the market remains to be seen, and we’ll frankly be surprised if it’ll happen. It’s also likely that if it comes to market, the Audi pickup truck would be all-electric. Just like Rivian’s.

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The Rivian R1T outputs up to 800 horsepower and has a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 3.0 seconds. Adjustable air suspension will be standard at launch and can adjust the clearance height from eight to 14 inches. It features a 135-kWh battery pack with a driving range of 300 miles. A larger 180-kWh pack will become optional in 2022 with around 400 miles per charge. Being a truck, the towing capacity and payload are extremely important. The R1T can tow more than 11,000 pounds with a payload capacity of 1760 pounds.

Price wise, the R1T Launch Edition starts at $73,000. The more expensive model will follow in 2022.

As far as the Motor Trend review, the U.S. magazine came back impressed with its on-road performance, especially when riding in Sport mode and taking on some tight curves. The power delivery to each wheel was one of the positive things. But since this is a truck, the off-road performance is equally important. The review raves about R1T’s drive over a rough terrain and claims to be even better than the Jeep Wrangler.

Check out the full review below.

Very few journalists have thus far been given the chance to drive the very exciting new Rivian R1T electric pickup truck, one of the year’s most anticipated new EVs. Deliveries are set to kick off soon (after having been postponed), but right now there’s still a lot of mystery shrouding this model because it has yet to be driven by journalists who specialize in electric vehicles for in-depth testing.

But even as non-specialists in the field of electric vehicles, the guys from MotorTrend, who were given privileged access to the R1T, were left very impressed by the experience. T

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