The Rivian R1S Is Simply The Best 3-Row EV You Can Buy | Rivian R1S Review

115,522

1,968 0

Published 2023-10-07

Looking for three rows and a plug? You don't have too many options. Want a full EV? Even fewer. That said, the R1S isn't just the best 3-Row EV in America, it's one of the best 3-row SUVs period. Range concerns aside (that's in part 2), the Rivian offers over 7,000 lbs of towing, a huge back seat, above average cargo capacity, more off-road capability than most shoppers will ever use and it's styling is distinctive without being bizarre like some SUVs I could mention. (I'm looking at you BMW and Mercedes.)

Part 2: • Here's What The Rivian R1S Is Like to...

Join this channel to get access to perks! youtube.com/channel/UC3qM33hHgedfi7qTKKgIApg/join
Buy Merch! aoamerch.com/

The Pod: youtube.com/c/AutoBuyersGuidePodcast
EV Buyers Guide: youtube.com/c/evbuyersguide
The Mountain Garden: youtube.com/c/TheMountainGarden

Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/theautobuyersguide/

0:00 - Introduction
0:30 - Styling
1:51 - Crazy ground clearance
3:03 - How big is it?
5:05 - Motors and battery
6:27 - Charging times
7:12 - Front seats
7:58 - Second row
10:33 - Third row
13:24 - Cargo capacity
15:11 - Trunk Comfort Index
16:22 - Interior design
24:29 - Why there's a part 2

All Comments (21)

@spinmouth4114 6 months ago

IMHO Rivian R1S is the overall winner of any EV ever made. It's Boxy profile maximizes cargo capacity, headroom, visibility, and aesthetics. Clean horizontal and vertical lines are visually appealing. Ground clearance is amazing! It so roomy and a departure from all the crampt EV's with a high price tag. The Rivian R1S and the Hummer EV SUV truly are the most enviable examples of American Engineering on the road.
@TubieSlate 18 hours ago

Best video I have seen yet for R1S review! No hype and I dont know how you talked so smooth and the entire time but lots of great info. Thank you
@johnelegant1727 2 months ago

Super job Alex. Your reviews are always super-packed with factual information. Great to watch. Thanks again! The Rivian is extremely impressive in both its current versions — but too long for my garage so I am waiting for the upcoming smaller Rivian SUV (early 2026?).
@Luma_29 6 months ago

I sure hope Rivian can have its breakthrough and become profitable eventually. The value is actually pretty impressive considering everything you’re getting
@benwillvv 6 months ago

Highly informative video. Thank you! About to take delivery of ours, this was super helpful.
@luzovich 6 months ago

BTW, there are storage bins under the front seats instead of a glove box. Also, it appears that Rivian is planning on offering an optional pull out drawer to replace the camp speaker for even more storage. Since the speaker gets power from the car it's possible to make a drawer that either has a light or make it into a small frig.
@doubleclutchonline5811 6 months ago

Good overview. There's also additional interior front seat closed storage under each of the front seats.
@Trades46 4 months ago

There is a lot of Range Rover design cues here, and the presence is also here too. The quad motor powertrain is insane, ditto the battery sizes for a car this size (bigger than Q8 e-tron, EQS SUV and iX).
@francislo2205 6 months ago

Thanks for sharing. Rivian R1S is beautiful, it is definitely my next 7-seats family SUV, after I sell my Toyota mini-van. The large or max pack is what I'm planning to buy because it can do 350+ miles, so I don't have to worry about stopping half way for charging going from NC to DC.
@pnketia 6 months ago

I like Rivian's style of their vehicles. I'm waiting for the R2 to come out before deciding to buy one because the R1S is too big for me! Great review Alex.
@BB-eb8lq 6 months ago

An excellent review, thank you!
@urgetodrive 6 months ago

Great job, really appreciate all of the detail on dimensions and storage/cargo capacity. Would’ve been even more interesting to toss in a few ICE 3 row SUVs for the interior dimension comparisons.
@TommyHuynh 6 months ago

I agree 💯 the R1S is the best 3 row SUV you can buy. I actually think it's the best vehicle on the market period. It's faster than a Lamborghini Urus, more luxurious than a Cadillac Escalade and is more roomy than Mercedes GLS. But than again I'm pretty biased. I just got mine 2 months ago and I love it. By far the best car I've ever owned and I've owned a lot or luxury cars and SUVs
@make725daily1 6 months ago

This video is undeniably motivating! -- "Progress results from persistent effort.."
@cranburydad 6 months ago

Thanks as always Alex. I would have loved to hear your take on the different tire options. They have a big impact on range and it seems like pretty big trade offs in terms (20" great for off roading, terrible for range, 21" great for range but fairly proprietary so hard to swap, and the 22" etc.). Also, is the max battery worth it given the relatively little gain and the longer charging time.
@TRYtoHELPyou 6 months ago

Great review!
@3wisemonkeyz 6 months ago

How did you turn the battery percentage off and just show the range?? The percentage gives me range anxiety in mine and would love to know how you did it - I haven’t found it anywhere in settings!
@colonelkfc33 6 months ago

Just wait for the Lucid Gravity next month Alex. I think you'll have a new favorite SUV.
@wumalone 6 months ago

For the road test, I hope you had the latest software updated. It changed the ride quality a lot.
@thatserikwithak 4 months ago

Are there any test numbers on efficiency between lowest/low/standard ride heights?