Rivian R1S vs Tesla Cybertruck

What's the difference?

While there are some obvious signs that the R1S is Rivian’s first mass-market vehicle, the good news for the company is that its problems are not impossible to overcome. The suspension needs retuning to improve the ride quality and the multimedia system’s software needs upgrading. But even with those issues the R1S left a positive impression.

This is a very stylish SUV with great space and excellent performance, that also happens to be electric, rather than relying on being electric as its primary selling point.

Rivian has put more effort into the design and finishes than many of its EV rivals and the result is a vehicle that can genuinely compete with the established premium players with more credibility.

The only catch is there’s no clear timeframe for when, or even if, this generation of R1S will make it to Australia. The brand has repeatedly spoken of its hopes of entering the market here without locking anything in, but given the current state of the EV sales it may pay off to wait until the conditions are right for a new, premium player to try its luck here.

Weird, wild, unnecessary, arguably horrific to look at, or at least challenging, too fast, too silly, the Cybertruck is many things, but all of the bad things are obvious from a distance while you only realise just how impressive, clever and intense it is once you take it for a drive.

The drive-by-wire steering alone is a revolutionary bit of tech that will surely bleed into the wider world. 

Overall I thought I would hate it, but I walked away, head still shaking, with grudging respect approaching admiration for the Tesla Cybertruck.

Design is another area where Rivian has carved out a unique position for itself. Whereas other brands, including Tesla, have focused on simplicity and aerodynamic efficiency, Rivian has given the R1T a unique style that looks interesting, different and most definitely not plain.

The oval daytime running lights make every R1S and R1T stand out from a mile away, even on LA’s busy freeways. The overall design is high quality and manages to strike a good balance between aesthetics, aerodynamics and practicality - even if it doesn’t suit everyone’s personal taste.

The cabin is worth highlighting in particular, because rather than go for the ‘minimalist’ look that so many brands are going for these days, with as little switchgear and different trims as possible to keep costs down, Rivian has opted for something more complex and, frankly, more impressive.

There’s a level of craftsmanship, a great mixture of premium materials (including some striking light wood options) that make the R1S feel like a stylish and relaxed environment inside the cabin. Our particular example had a great mixture of colours, textures and patterns that really elevated the cabin experience.

The technology is also nicely integrated into the design, rather than being the focal point, like so many other modern electric vehicles. It still offers the same level of technology - a pair of screens - but doesn’t rely on them to carry the design of the interior.

Is there anything interesting about a Narwhal, or a rhinoceros? It’s hard to know whether to give the Tesla Cybertruck 10 out of 10 for how interesting its design is, or zero for how offensive it is, but it would certainly get a solid 20 out of 10 for uniqueness.

Sure, in pictures it looks pretty out there, but when you stand before it in all its shiny steel it makes you laugh out loud, to the point where it has taken your breath away.

And then you start to notice all the fingerprints on it. Every time you - or any of its many admirers - touches it, you get nasty, oily stains and keeping it clean would make looking after a car painted in a matte finish look as easy as sleeping. 

So, stainless steel as a choice for constructing a car? Perhaps there’s a reason no one else has ever followed the DeLorean’s lead here, but there’s no denying it grabs your eye, and provides a certain solidity to the whole structure.

Much like a Frank Gehry building, you’re either going to love the Cybertruck and think it a work of modern art, or dismiss it as a childish man’s fantasy made real (essentially that was the design brief for this vehicle, “make Elon a toy”, and it has nailed that brief), but either way you’ll definitely have strong feelings about it.

A car, or even a pick-up truck, with no round surfaces, nor subtlety of any kind, can’t really be described as beautiful in any way. But interesting? Definitely. 

The R1S comes standard as a seven-seat SUV, split across three rows (two in the first row, three in the second row and two in the third row). Space across the three rows is fairly typical for an SUV of this size, which is to say generous up front, good in the second row and a little bit tight in the back.

What is good though, is the length of the cabin allows for quite a spacious boot even with the third row in use, which is definitely not something all seven-seat SUVs can claim. Using a direct conversion from Rivian’s specifications that list cargo capacity in cubic feet, the R1S has a claimed 498 litres with the third row in use and up to 1331L with the third row folded down. There’s also 314L under the bonnet and another 144L underneath the boot floor (although that comes at the expense of a spare tyre).

As mentioned in design, Rivian has nicely integrated the technology into the cabin, with the 12.3-inch digital driver display and 15.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen feeling like a natural part of the car rather than a centrepiece. Rivian has also managed to incorporate eight USB-C charging ports spread around the cabin to keep everyone’s devices charged up.

However, while the technology is nice from an aesthetic design perspective, the same cannot be said about its useability. Like Tesla, Rivian has opted to go it alone with its multimedia system and has developed its own Google-based software that is not compatible with either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. That would be acceptable, although still disappointing, if the system worked as well as Tesla’s, however the Rivian system is very slow. It repeatedly took several seconds to load between the various functions, which may not sound like long, but when you’re trying to get back to the navigation so you don’t miss your freeway exit a few seconds can make a big difference.

But, honestly, in this day-and-age, systems like this should work quickly and seamlessly, so it’s an area Rivian needs to improve.

On a positive note, Rivian does have some cool accessories for the R1S including what it calls a ‘Camp Speaker’ which is a US$400 option that it integrates into the sound system but is also removable, so you can pull it out of the centre console and listen to your music if you’re around the campfire or having a picnic.

While the front and rear seats feel plenty spacious, that odd peaked baseball cap roof is a bit challenging in terms of headroom, and I smashed my noggin into it a few times trying to reach into the back seat for more Oreos and Mountain Dew. 

You can pop up the bench seat in the back to create even more space for storage, or to provide a flat floor to sleep on.

You can also lie an American sized pizza box on the vast swathe of dash between you and the wildly angled windscreen, there’s plenty more storage on the floor between you and the passenger and then more storage bins at your hip, as well. A wireless phone charger sits twinned with the spot where you park your Tesla card key.

It’s a practical, semi-rugged feeling space, but with the usual kind of Tesla less is more feeling, except when it comes to the screen, which is stupidly large and requires far too much input when you’re driving to be safe. And there’s still no speedometer where you need one, in front of your eyes, and no head-up display, despite Tesla’s love of other jet-fighter tech, like drive-by-wire steering.

How does one define value when it comes to the vehicular equivalent of a cockroach, one that seems capable of surviving the apocalypse with it indestructible (but possibly slightly rusty in appearance) stainless-steel exterior, HEPA filters (will protect you from pollution, pollen and “industrial fallout”) and (almost, kind of) bowling-ball proof super-strong windows (it can allegedly survive the impact of a baseball at 112km/h - handy if someone is trying to kill you with a baseball)?

And what price can you put on the kind of attention driving a Cybertruck gets you? Perhaps only a Bugatti or a Pagani could match the level of wide-eyed, slack-jawed excitement you see from other people when you drive this thing around. 

Then there’s the fact that it accelerates like an actual rocket, is allegedly so cosseted in the cabin that it’s “as quiet as outer space” (this is a comparison test I am up for, if Elon’s Space X would like to arrange it), and can tow “an average African elephant”, or 4,990kg, and has a 1134kg capacity in that vast rear tray, covered by a standard, automatic tonneau cover that’s so tough you can stand on it.

In that rear tray you’ll find a bottle opener, and some storage tubs with drainage holes to keep your beer cold or your fish frozen. You could sleep in there, on the composite bed, which is tough you don’t need a liner, but why would you when you can sleep in the truck - the dash is so large you could comfortably lie under the windscreen to sun yourself - using 'Sleep Mode', which runs the air con all night from its giant battery to keep it at your set temperature.

Speaking of your battery, you can also charge things with it using the integrated power outlets, and that includes the ability to charge another Tesla, or to re-zap your Tesla Powerwall at home and run your house during a blackout. Or the Apocalypse.

Tesla has put a price on all this, of course, and in America it ranges from US$81,895 to US$101,985. Frankly, that seems like quite good value when you add it all up, or at least it would if the Cybertruck really could tow five tonnes further than the end of the street, and if range - surely something of an issue for an outdoorsy vehicle like this - really could be guaranteed at 547km.

If and when it gets to Australia, of course, its value will need to be reassessed on what is sure to be a much, much larger number.

As mentioned earlier, there are currently three versions of the R1S available, each with a different powertrain. 

The Dual Standard AWD has, unsurprisingly, dual motors (one at the front and one at the rear) which make a combined 397kW/827Nm. That’s enough for it to launch 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in just 4.5 seconds. The R1S Dual AWD has the same power, torque and acceleration figures, however it gets Rivian’s Large battery, which we’ll detail below.

The Tri-Motor AWD obviously has three motors, one on the front axle and two on the rear, which naturally provide more power, 633kW/1495Nm. With so much power and torque the Tri-motor is wickedly fast, taking just 2.9 seconds to launch 0-60mph.

If, for some reason, the Tri-Motor isn’t fast enough for you, Rivian has released the details on the Quad-Motor. It will have two motors on each axle providing a staggering 764kW (that’s 1025-horsepower!) and 1624Nm, enough to rocket it from 0-60mph in just 2.6 seconds and across the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.

Yes, I’m giving it 10. Because how could you want for more than a torque figure of 13959Nm, and a Ferrari-humbling 630kW of power to boot?

The Cybertruck is the perfect example of Elon Musk’s approach to what we’ll call science, or Twitter, or X. If it can be done, just do it, don’t ask whether it’s a good idea, or batshit insane.

So because he could fit a vast 123kWh battery and two crazy powerful motors to this pick up monster, and that could provide enough grunt to send three tonnes of mass to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds, they did. 

Is it wise? Probably not. Is it wild and almost, somehow, strangely admirable? Yep.

Rivian offers three different battery types across the three variants, each with a different driving range. The R1S with the Standard battery (92.5kWh) has a claimed 434km driving range, the R1S Dual with Large battery (109.4kWh) extends that to 530km, while the Tri-Motor comes standard with the Max battery (141.5kWh) that has an impressive 597km of range.

It is worth noting, though, that those range claims are based on US EPA estimates, rather than either the WLTP or NEDC methods usually used.

Charging times vary depending on the type of charger used, in the US Tesla has given access to its network to other EV brands and the Rivian is available with a plug adaptor to use a Tesla charger. The R1S is capable of charging up to 220kW, which means it takes approximately 40 minutes to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent. 

Tesla claims a range of 547km between charges and that even when towing something of “reasonable size” (a smaller Tesla perhaps) it will still get 400km. I, for one, very much doubt that.

Tesla also claims you can recover up to 235km of range with just 15 minutes of Tesla Supercharging, while a charge from 10 to 80 per cent on that same Supercharger would take 44 minutes. On a 110V American plug it would take 110 hours, or 4.5 days, to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent.

The R1S and R1T are Rivian’s first mass-produced cars, and it shows. It’s not all bad news by any stretch, but there are some major issues the brand will need to address in the future if it wants to succeed globally (or even just in the US). 

The biggest issue is the ride, which just doesn’t feel as well resolved as the more established brands that have been designing, developing and building cars for decades. The R1S isn’t bad to drive by any stretch, but the ride is too firm at times and it also lacks control and feels too soft at others. 

All R1S grades come standard with Air Suspension that has multiple levels of firmness and can adjust the ride height. However, in the ‘normal’ setting the ride feels too busy, with the heavy (3096kg) SUV skittering over the imperfections in the road rather than absorbing them. The problem is, if you adjust the suspension to the softer setting it lacks control and has a tendency to bounce over bigger bumps and take a few seconds to settle. This was particularly noticeable on LA’s concrete freeways, but it would be an issue on any road with undulations or joints.

But while the ride needs improvement, the R1S has strengths in other areas - namely performance. The Tri-motor AWD we sampled had immense punch from its three motors and it certainly felt like 633kW and 1495Nm was on tap. We didn’t test its acceleration claim officially, but any take-off could be made into a rapid one with just a squeeze of the accelerator pedal. 

The R1S is also capable of towing up to 3500kg, so it’s a strong and capable SUV too, rather than just a speedy EV.

Another strength is the regenerative braking system. There are multiple settings but we found the lowest regen was the best option, as it still provides powerful regen but is more progressive than the more powerful modes.

It’s fair to say the Tesla Cybertruck is an intimidating prospect in the metal. It towers over you and seems to stretch into forever, because it does, at 5.68m long (too long to fit in a standard Australian parking space). 

It’s also a full 2.0m wide, 1.8m tall and weighs 3.1 tonnes, but along with its size comes the fact that it just doesn’t look… right. There’s not a round surface on it but there are plenty you could cut yourself with, or lose a finger in.

It’s no less weird inside, as the giant A-pillars, vast dash, crazy yoke steering device and graphically lovely screen confront you, making it feel like you might be on the Starship Troopers ride at Universal Studios rather than in an LA car park.

Then, while you’re getting used to this and having a good laugh at the Easter egg on the touch screen (smash the windows on the graphic of the car with your finger and you hear the sound of Elon freaking out at the infamous failure demonstration of its unbreakable glass), you’re warned that it is going to be almost as weird to drive as it looks.

This is, in part, due to the Cybertruck’s unique drive-by-wire steering - a technology previously popular only with jet fighters and other planes - which allows it to have a yoke instead of a steering wheel without being annoying, because your hands will never cross over and be left grasping air.

Yes, the Infiniti Q50 debuted with 'steer-by-wire' a decade ago, but featured a full mechanical system as a fail-safe back-up. No mechanical safety net here.

The Cybertruck has less than one full turn lock-to-lock, and it has not just passive but aggressive rear wheel steering, allowing the back wheels to turn the opposite direction to the front ones at parking speeds, quite radically, which, once you’re used to it, makes it much easier to park than seems possible. 

It also makes this Tesla incredibly sharp and direct and means that, for the first few minutes of driving it you will turn the wheel, sorry, yoke, far more than necessary.

Once you get used to it, however, it is fabulous, as long as you don’t think about what would happen if the software that’s the only thing connecting you to the wheels - rather than actual moving parts - failed. 

The steering makes the Cybertruck shrink around you to the point where you forget, at times, just how big it is. Combined with the low centre of gravity and the bank vault solidity of the chassis, it also makes it turn-in and handle like a much smaller sports car (and it has a turning circle that defies belief, one that’s sharper than some sedans).

Speaking of sports cars, most of them won’t keep up with the Cybertruck if there’s someone brave in its driving seat. Indeed, you’d need a proper hypercar to match its constant, surging torque (no, I don’t believe it can really have 13,000-plus Newtons, but it’s a lot), and its purely outrageous, surging speed.

Tesla has a habit of calculating torque at the wheels, not the motor(s) and gearing reductions increase torque markedly. 

Yes, I do believe it would do 0 to 100km/h in three seconds, maybe slightly less, but I’m also equally sure it’s not a great idea to try (I'm also very grateful I didn't experience the problems with the throttle sticking open on some examples that recently saw every Cybertruck recalled).

The problem is that 3.0-tonne weight figure, and all that mass. It feels beyond weird to move something this big, that fast, and it quickly makes you pause for a chilling thought about whether it’s all going to be able to stop again. It does, or it did for me, but boy, it puts the wind up you every time you try.

Overall, though, it’s hard to overstate just how surprisingly good, and yes, at times even fun, the Cybertruck is to drive.

Oh, and for the trainspotters out there, claimed efficiency is 22.4kWh per 100km, but we actually saw 27kWh during our two days of test drives. Our second Cybertruck was also making some distinctly weird metallic clanking noises from underneath, particularly when we switched between forward and reverse.

It might be worth waiting for the second generation of this thing before buying one, but that won’t be an issue for Australian fans, anyway.

As far as its off-road abilities, we managed to find a bit of beach in a car park and pointed the Cybertruck at it. After an initial fearful moment of being sure we were going to sink, we just put the foot down and let all that torque power us out of trouble. It felt effortless.

Some unkind experts have referred to the Cybertruck as a “death machine” and a “guideless missile”, pointing out that putting a stainless steel body on top of a big old battery is inherently problematic. As is the lack of crumple zones.

Making all this very pointy metal move as fast as a McLaren supercar has also raised some questions about sanity.

Then there was the recent recall of every Cybertruck built so far:

"Cybertruck owners reported that their vehicles were at risk of getting stuck driving at full speed due to a loose accelerator pedal. Video showed the pedal itself falling off and the piece beneath wedging itself into the car’s interior, which would force the vehicle into maximum acceleration. One driver was able to save himself from a crash by holding down the brake pedal."

Elon Musk, has claimed, however, that the Cybertruck, is “much safer per mile” than its competitors. 

Australia has different pedestrian safety regulations to the US and while some have posited that the Cybertruck will pass, pointing to the fact that you can buy an even bigger Ram truck here, others are not so sure.

The Tesla Cybertruck does have six airbags, and a suite of active safety features as part of its 'Autopilot' system, but it does not yet have 'Full Self Driving'.