Rivian’s R1T electrical pickup truck is lastly set to ship subsequent month after a collection of delays — roughly three years after it debuted on the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Present. Forward of the launch, although, MotorTrend got to spend a handful of days with the all-electric journey truck, and the staff there got here away impressed by its efficiency. What’s extra, they provide among the finest appears to be like on the R1T’s inside, which borrows as a lot from Tesla because it does from different high-end off-road-focused autos.
None of that is precisely stunning — Rivian has truly been fairly open in regards to the growth of the R1T since its debut, recurrently posting its personal articles, pictures, and movies alongside the best way — however the truck options two massive, crisp shows on the dashboard, Within the preproduction model MotorTrend examined, these screens had been surrounded by a wood-grain dashboard with silver accents.
There are simply two bodily buttons on the steering wheel, which resemble the scroll wheels Tesla employs in its vehicles. Which means rather a lot of the controls are routed via the touchscreen. Some individuals could not like that, although Tesla has confirmed that it’s not an method that can damage gross sales. However the R1T is meant to be simply as succesful off-road as it’s on the freeway or metropolis streets, and tapping a touchscreen whereas rumbling via the woods looks like it may get tough.
It appears to be like like all the R1T’s exterior storage compartments will be opened via the touchscreen, like the huge entrance trunk, the doorways to the “gear tunnel” that sits between the cab and the mattress, and the tonneau cowl. The principle touchscreen can also be the place you’ll be capable of toggle between the R1T’s suite of drive modes or regulate the trip peak.
Through the years, Tesla has type of redefined what “luxurious” means in a contemporary automobile — or on the very least, it has been capable of finding patrons who care extra about know-how and minimalistic design than they do in regards to the sorts of conventional luxurious touches present in one thing like a Mercedes-Benz. Rivian appears to be like prefer it’s going to attempt to straddle these two worlds a bit with the R1T, with the added complexity of interesting to patrons who wish to use its autos in actually tough settings. We gained’t know the way that performs out till the primary prospects obtain and begin utilizing their vehicles subsequent month, however MotorTrend appears to have came upon one probably dangerous compromise: there are simply two cupholders within the entrance seats.
