2023 Rivian R1S Review: On-Trend

•    Auto123 reviews the 2023 Rivian R1S, the “other” Rivian.

•    For fans of big SUVs who like lots of power and lots of style, here you go.

Up to now, for most folks, the word Rivian conjures the image of … a pickup. The R1T pickup has been the tip of the spear for the EV maker in the public imagination.

Actually, the Rivian R1T is one of those vehicles that, if I’m honest, kind of snuck up on me. Maybe because its gestation period was such a nebulous affair. There was the intervention – then non-intervention – of Ford, there was the low recognition of the Rivian brand name, there was the crazy styling, etc. But the fact is, that R1T came seemingly out of nowhere and beat Tesla’s Cybertruck to market by… well by infinity, since we still don’t know when (if?) that electric pickup is coming.

And then there’s the R1S SUV version, even more of a mystery figure than its pickup counterpart. Most people I talk to don’t even know the SUV exists. That was “intentional” on the part of Rivian, which really pushed the pickup-ness of its product initially, because that added even more uniqueness beyond the wild light bar up front and bright colours.