With the R1S, Rivian demonstrates that an American startup car company can build a great car out of the gate. It’s remarkable what Rivian has accomplished in a short time. The Irvine, California-based company only began delivering its electric R1T pickup in October 2021 and the R1S SUV shortly after that.
For 2025, the R1S Gen 2—with no outstanding cosmetic changes but a host of under-the-hood improvements—is packed with smarts you only find on the most technologically advanced cars. The second generation all-electric SUV comes with Highway Assist, part of Rivian’s Driver+ driver assist technology. On major roads, Highway Assist will essentially drive the car (braking, acceleration and steering). And the newest Rivians include automatic lane change.
The guiding principle of every electric vehicle owner is Always Be Charging. That’s the alpha and omega of owning an EV. But Rivian has managed to get an EPA estimated range of 410 miles on its large — and heavy at over 7,000 pounds — gen 2 R1S. The 400+ miles of range dramatically changes the way you plan trips. Instead of military-grade precision planning involving charging locations and charger availability and a host of other factors like ambient temperature, you can just focus on getting there.
Read more on Forbes:
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For more from Scotty Reiss:
https://agirlsguidetocars.com/
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For 2025, the R1S Gen 2—with no outstanding cosmetic changes but a host of under-the-hood improvements—is packed with smarts you only find on the most technologically advanced cars. The second generation all-electric SUV comes with Highway Assist, part of Rivian’s Driver+ driver assist technology. On major roads, Highway Assist will essentially drive the car (braking, acceleration and steering). And the newest Rivians include automatic lane change.
The guiding principle of every electric vehicle owner is Always Be Charging. That’s the alpha and omega of owning an EV. But Rivian has managed to get an EPA estimated range of 410 miles on its large — and heavy at over 7,000 pounds — gen 2 R1S. The 400+ miles of range dramatically changes the way you plan trips. Instead of military-grade precision planning involving charging locations and charger availability and a host of other factors like ambient temperature, you can just focus on getting there.
Read more on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottyreiss/
For more from Scotty Reiss:
https://agirlsguidetocars.com/
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
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MotorTranscript
00:00This is the Rivian R1S, second generation.
00:07Rivian is a completely homegrown electric car company that's focused on adventure.
00:13They build two models, the R1S, which is an SUV, and the R1T, which is a pickup truck.
00:18They are built in normal Illinois, and the people that make up the leadership of Rivian
00:23actually come from automakers we know and love, like Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.
00:29Rivian was one of the first to develop the idea of an electric truck or SUV for the off-road,
00:36and really pioneered that whole idea of being able to take electric vehicles off-road.
00:41Rivian is actually quite capable. They've competed in the Rebel Rally and other off-road rallies,
00:48and this one is designed to be able to not only drive over rocks and through sand dunes,
00:54but also through about three feet of water. The Rivian R1S rides on 22-inch all-terrain tires,
01:01and they are notable not only for the Rivian badge there in the center of the wheel,
01:05but also Rivian-branded sport brakes. For the second generation, it looks the same on the
01:11outside because the look is very iconic, but the engineering and the user experience are all new.
01:18For the second generation, one of the things that buyers will notice
01:21is an advanced driver assist and safety system. The driver assist program will center you in your
01:27lane, and adaptive cruise will follow the traffic ahead of you, and eventually it will be able to
01:34self-drive. It's not quite there yet, but that was a big part of this update, was to add the equipment,
01:40add the technology, so that if you buy the second generation, you'll be able to get an
01:44over-the-air update that will allow it to drive hands-free. The interior of the Rivian R1S
01:51is very modern and simple. You won't see buttons or controls on the steering wheel or on the door
01:59panels. Everything that you'll need is right here on this screen. The steering wheel is going to be
02:04set by tapping this, and then using these dials here on the steering wheel to telescope it and
02:12move it up or down. The climate panel is accessed by tapping the little fan icon there, and if you
02:18want to reposition the angle of the air vents and direct the airflow, you can do that here. The Rivian
02:27is completely capable when it comes to off-roading, and all you do is tap your little off-road icon
02:33right there, and you can actually choose daily driving drive modes. The panoramic sunroof is a
02:39fixed panel that covers really the entire cabin, and then there's a separate panel for the third
02:44row. As a three-row SUV, the Rivian R1S is designed with slide and tilt center row seats
02:50to get into the third row. So all you do is press this button on the shoulder tab, and the seats
02:56slide and tilt forward, and you should be able to do this with a child passenger car seat installed.
03:01The third row in the Rivian R1S seats two passengers. It's going to be more comfortable
03:06with the center row seats pushed forward a little bit, so third row passengers have a little leg room.
03:12Rivian is one of the innovators in the electric vehicle marketplace. Not only were they the first
03:18to market with the truly off-road capable EV, but they developed a battery system. They call it a
03:25skateboard battery, and the batteries actually are thin, and they lay below the carriage of the
03:30truck or SUV. Almost every automaker has adapted the same style. Much like Tesla, Rivian has really
03:38tapped into the passion of the early adopter. Those who really love the idea of a computer
03:43on wheels, but want that computer on wheels to take them to the top of the highest mountain,
03:48or out to the furthest shore, and to be able to do it on all-electric. In fact, many Rivian owners
03:54talk about that 400-mile range. That means they can go where they want, when they want,
03:58and they don't have to worry about charging their car.
04:08you