American EV innovator Rivian is finally storming the American SUV market! YouTube star Doug Demuro gives the new Rivian R1S a thorough run down in a new video and has plenty to say about the revolutionary new SUV. Now, if you haven't heard of Doug, we'll give you a little context. With almost 4.5 Million subscribers, Doug is not only one of the more popular car YouTubers around, but he's also become a bit of an authority in the car review world.
He's certainly not shy about letting his feelings out about the cars he reviews. Famously giving his "Doug Scores" to everything, good or bad, that he makes a video on. So, what does this leading authority have to say about the new Rivian R1S? Let's start with a rundown of the things that Doug finds interesting.
Doug Drives The Rivian R1S And Gives It The Highest Doug Score
The Rivian R1S is no slouch when it comes to acceleration. With 835 hp and 908 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, this midsized SUV can get from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. As soon as we cut to the driving section of Doug's video, he hammers down on the throttle. Obviously impressed with the acceleration, but certainly not surprised, Demuro makes mention of the Rivian being as quick (even quicker) than some seriously impressive cars that aren't even all that old.
The overall verdict is that the R1S is a very impressive vehicle. It's an SUV that can do nearly anything someone would want of a car. Doug says that the list of things that the Rivian R1S can't do is so short in comparison to what it can do, that it's barely worth talking about. On his short list of gripes? The Interior and ride don't feel as high-end as say, a Range Rover. But, even Doug admits that this is barely a gripe since it's not a competitor to ultra-luxury SUVs and hasn't set out to beat them.
How about that Doug Score? The 2022 Rivian R1S gets a whopping 74/100 on the scale. That makes it one of his highest-reviewed cars ever. Tied with the mighty McLaren F1 for the honor of top dog. It beats out competition from the Hummer EV and its stablemate, the Rivian R1T. Doug Demuro sums it all up in this quote- "simply the best all-around car that I've ever tested".
Quirks And Features Of The Rivian R1S
Just like a real Demuro review, we're going to start this off with some quirks and features that Doug points out in his video about the new Rivian R1S. The 34-minute video is crammed with information about the R1S. We'll try to hit some interesting bullet points here. Right out of the gate, the styling of the Rivian is a focus point.
Doug loves the bold, boxy styling, comparing it to the likes of his personal Merc G-Wagen, Defender, and Land Cruiser. He's also quick to point out that the R1S is a bit smaller than it appears. It's quite a bit shorter than the R1T, and only 2" longer than a current Ford Explorer. This means that the shorter R1S might be better off-road than its already insanely capable pickup truck brother, the R1T.
The next focus of the video is all about the third-row seating. Before you get to see the Rivian's third row, Doug shows us how the back of the R1S opens up. A large upper hatch and a nice little tailgate, much like a Land Cruiser or Range Rover. When we get to the seats, you see how easily the third row folds down.
Once the third row is down, the middle seats can fold down, then the cargo floor can be adjusted to make a fully flat floor, a pretty neat feature. The one gripe that Doug comes up with during this part of the video? The third row isn't nearly as easy to fold back into position. In fact, he makes a hilarious dramatic cut to himself trying to fold them back up, hitting his head in the process.
Let's Take A Look At The Rest Of The Rivian R1S
Once we get around to the front portion of the Rivian interior, Doug gives us more features on this modern, minimalist take on the SUV. He points out that there are very few physical buttons, a few on the steering wheel, a hazard button (federally required), and a combination stalk for wipers, lights, and turn signals are about the only actual buttons in the R1S.
Even the rear seat passengers have a small touchscreen interface for their climate control and heated seat controls. Instead of buttons and switches, the large center touchscreen houses almost all the vehicle's features and controls. Demuro shows that even the adjustment of things like the mirrors and steering wheel position is done through the screen.
Among the standard drive modes, radio controls, and climate controls, there are also a few special modes that Doug shares with the audience. "Gear Guard" for example, is sort of a built-in dash cam, complete with a silly little cartoon gear guard character to show that the in-car surveillance isn't nefarious in its intent. Or at least that's Doug's take on the reasoning behind the cute character on the screen.
Doug then spends a few moments high lighting the non-marked steering wheel control dials and their various functions. Before moving on to Rivian's driver aid features. Sort of a take on Tesla's autopilot (without the ability to change lanes), the system receives high praise from Demuro for working exactly as intended.
Source: Rivian