Deliveries begin of the electric SUV Rivian R1S

Rivian R1T has been reaching its customers for a few months now, although not in a huge number. Its SUV sibling is now joining it with first deliveries reported by happy - for now - customers.

R1S is an SUV version of R1T, it is shorter overall with a much shorter wheelbase - 121.1 inches against 135.8 inches. R1S is 200.8 inches long whereas R1T is 217.1 inches long. Towing capacity suffers as well with the R1S being able to tow “only” 7,700 lbs, the R1T masters it at 11,000 lbs.

A foot and a third is quite a difference between the cars but it's the R1S that wins in the interior department with a third row of seats making it a luxury people hauler. R1S wins in off-road specifications as well with a bigger departure angle, slightly better approach angle and a breakover angle better by 3 degrees. In some situations, smaller is better.

But don’t go calling the Rivian R1S small - it is still 5.1 meters long which is just 2 cm shorter than Mercedes EQS SUV. Arguably, R1S has way more room on the inside than the EQS SUV and it is a real off-roader, not a boulevard tiger.

The very first R1S was delivered back in December last year actually but it went to Rivian’s CEO, the entire first batch of cars went to Rivian staff for customer evaluation. Rivian promised back then the first deliveries to customers would begin in August - they just scraped by.

First photos started popping up on the internet, with ecstatic owners celebrating finally getting the cars they have been waiting for. One happy owner ordered his R1S in November 2018 - that’s when the SUV was first introduced. Other customers were waiting for their car for just over 3 years.

We can expect a flurry of first drive videos to appear on YouTube within days and first experiences will be shared widely. Watch out for first full reviews and while you search the web, why not refresh your memory with the R1S specifications right here.

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