The Rivian R1T is an impressive electric pickup, with over 800 horsepower in its most powerful trim, comfy air suspension, and a lot of electronic wizardry that can help its owners tackle the most challenging terrain.
That said, it’s not exactly a Baja racer. Not that it’s not capable of it, but there are purpose-built machines out there that can eat dunes and bumpy roads for breakfast. Machines like the gasoline-powered Ford F-150 Raptor R.
Both were put to the test on dirt roads by our friends over at Edmunds, with off-roader Emme Halle taking turns at the wheel of both pickups.
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First up, a sprint on a straight piece of dirt road, where the quad-motor R1T managed to go over 100 miles per hour even though, as Emme said in the video embedded above, she lifted off the throttle at one point because she felt the EV was a bit all over the place.
With 835 hp and 908 pound-feet of torque courtesy of its four-motor setup, the Rivian R1T accelerated from zero to 60 mph in a smidge over 5 seconds and finished the quarter mile in 13.39 seconds. On dirt.
Gallery: 2022 Rivian R1T
Then again, the 5.2-liter, V8-powered, 700 hp, 640 lb-ft Ford F-150 Raptor R is no slouch either, especially on unpaved roads. It’s here where the American rally truck shines, and Edmunds’ video proves it once again, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.35 seconds and a 13.49-second quarter mile. Granted, in these two categories, it was slower than the Rivian R1T, but it was quicker in the half-mile test and it reached a higher top speed.
Compared to the R1T which rides on air suspension, the Raptor R has coil springs and fancy Live Valve Fox shocks (adaptive as an optional extra). That said, in a 25 mph test to see which car was better at keeping a cup of soda as full as possible over bumps, the R1T was once again victorious, underlining its more comfortable setup.
But as Emme says in the video, the F-150 Raptor R isn’t for everybody, and neither is the Rivian R1T. Want a speed machine that can cruise over bumps? Go for the Raptor R. Are you more of an explorer/adventurer? Then, the Rivian might be your cup of tea.