- 2025 Rivian R1S and R1T quad-engine models are more powerful and faster than before
- Although it’s faster, acceleration doesn’t feel as violent as in the GMC Hummer EV
- The Rivian R1T and R1S are now the fastest SUVs and pickup trucks money can buy
Rivian pegs its Quad-Motor R1 trucks at just 2.5 seconds to 60 mph.
Yes, it’s faster than the three motor Tesla Cybertruck in beast mode. And it’s faster than the three motors GMC Hummer EV in his WTF Mode.
It also beats the Ram TRX, the Lamborghini ManageTHE Durango Hellcat. You name it.
And I saw last week how easy it was to achieve 0-60 times in three seconds in the Rivian R1T and R1S 2025. As Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe demonstrated in a short video post, it’s very accessible and only requires a few steps.
The launch mode is fantastic!! pic.twitter.com/BTlVMIUQaD
– RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) June 7, 2024
Getting to the sub-3.0-second zone takes a little more finesse and determination, but as we discovered, it’s a matter of physics to get these big electric trucks to achieve times previously reserved for supercars.
It takes a lot of power and torque to deploy four tires. Quad-Motor R1 trucks develop 1,025 hp and 1,198 lb-ft of torque and can accelerate to 60 in 2.5 seconds, while Tri-Motor R1 trucks develop 850 hp and 1,103 lb-ft of torque and arrive there in official time. 2.9 seconds.
I haven’t had a chance to drive the Quad-Motor R1s on the road yet as I had the Tri-Motor version in Motor Authority’s early Rivian R1S and R1T 2025 tests, but Rivian gave journalists the opportunity to preview the Quad with a few races. on a drag strip prepared by the NHRA last week.
Suffice it to say that off the line, the three- and four-motor models will likely be pretty consistent in real-world acceleration at legal speeds, as they are limited in terms of tires and traction.
Rivian R1 performance spans a scaled width
To maximize traction and access those best times, Rivian equipped Quad-Motor models with the optional staggered-width ultra-high performance Michelin tire package, adding 22-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 5 rubber in widths of 275 and 305 mm at the front and rear, respectively.
Right off the bat, the Quad-Motor R1T doesn’t feel as brutal as the Hummer EV in WTF mode – perhaps a matter of seat height – but it makes up for it right after, with a blur at 60 mph it almost felt like a on-off switch. There was some traction management front and rear, but I felt like I could do this all day.
Quad-engine Rivian R1S 2025
Then I was in a Quad-Motor R1S and it felt completely different on the drag strip – with much more mass shifting to the rear wheels, leaving the fronts to scramble a little more. I was asked to hold the steering wheel tightly at 10 and 2 o’clock, and it wasn’t until I was in the R1S that I understood why this was repeatedly emphasized. In Tri-Motor versions of the R1S, you feel light brake taps on either front wheel to get the balance right from the start. But in the Quad-Motor version here, the electronics let it rip, modulating the front motors to pull softly and hard back and forth.
This difference in how the R1S and R1T shift their weight – and end up launching differently, despite having the same wheels, tires and propulsion system – is to be expected, given the 12-inch longer wheelbase and configuration of the pickup of the R1T, compared to the SUV configuration of the R1S. Actual curb weight totals aren’t yet known, but we’re told the 2025 models will lose weight.
R1S and R1T shift their weight differently
“For the straight-line launch we need to transmit torque to the rear wheels, that’s where the grip is, and we also need to compensate for the weight distribution,” which is a little more rear-biased in the R1S,” Luke explained. Lynch, director of vehicle dynamics at Rivian. Lynch said that tuning the suspension for the correct launch proved to be a bit of a compromise compared to all the other ride and handling situations these vehicles will encounter.
Rivian Engine Systems
In Rivian Gen 2 models, some of the company’s suspension and ride tuning updates coordinate with the engine changes and apply differently to the R1S than the R1T, with a decrease in ride stiffness. front spring and an increase in rear spring rate applying mainly to the R1S, essentially making the vehicle more refined and flatter, although both models benefit from new bushings, shock tuning and other secondary driving modifications, as well as a new adjustment of the hydraulic roll system.
I’m told that you *can* get the same kind of time with the SUV – maybe even faster in the quarter mile thanks to the aerodynamics – if you connect well from the start, and the lifting of the brake pedal is the key. . But especially in the R1S, it can be a collision at the front wheels.
Rivian also claims that with the right hookup, it can cover the quarter mile in just 10.5 seconds, also faster than the Cybertruck. I’m doing a little over 11 with a less than ideal launch in the R1S.
Quad-engine Rivian R1S 2025
I have a little extra space, so just to see how I feel, I keep my right foot deeply planted after the quarter mile is over, setting the limiter on these models at 130 mph. There’s no aerodynamic hurricane or lightness up front; the R1S feels well planted and secure, with its forward lightness strictly limited to all the torque of its launch.
Underneath it all, Rivian’s new power units and inverter technology are a key factor in these improved times. In the three- and four-motor versions, the maximum power output can now be maintained at a substantially higher speed.
Rivian engineers explained that this is linked to several factors. Optimizing motor gearing is one of them. They now have a reduction ratio of 11.7:1 at the rear compared to 9.1:1 at the front, compared to 12.6:1 for the four with the previous four-motor configuration.
Passing power of R1S and R1T takes a leap forward
Previously, the power would start to drop off at 40 mph, when you start to recover a voltage that effectively cuts current and power, but now it’s around 50 mph. Considering the motor and gearing changes, at around 60 mph you’re still close to peak power, according to Mason Verbridge, Rivian’s senior drive engineer.
“That’s where it starts to decline, but the 60 to 80 (mph) number that we’ve kind of used as a metric is way up,” Verbridge said.
Rivian R1S 2025
What seemed even more impressive, compared to other EVs, was the claimed acceleration time from 60 to 80 mph that Verbridge was referring to: 1.5 seconds. Rivian did all its own development and physics work with the inverter and motor control algorithm. So it’s as much about returning impressive range as it is about providing those quick bursts of passing power. I can’t wait to see how this plays out in real-world travel.
In the meantime, are you looking to understand what the difference between the three- and four-motor versions looks like? Translate these drag strip results to the real world, based on what I’ve seen, and these trucks can reliably run 0 to 60 in about three seconds, while the Quad-Motor can earn tenths of a second if it has the right surface.
While there may not be a Tank Turn, I bet Rivian also has other future uses for this fourth engine in the works.
Rivian paid for on-site accommodation and food to facilitate this review.