Arrival: 2022 Rivian R1T
EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 74/66/70 mpg-e
“Our 2022 Truck of the Year joins our fleet for a full 12 months of work and play.”
Scott Evans
Base Price $74,075 Price As Tested $76,875
Our staff tends to think giving cars names feels hokey, but we made an exception for our new 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition long-term test truck.
Last summer, during our Trans-America Trail transcontinental off-road EV adventure (January), we learned Rivian named all its prototypes after U.S. national parks, and something about that made it not lame, so we borrowed the idea. After throwing around a few options, we decided to personalize it by choosing a California State Park. Ultimately, we went with the closest one to MotorTrend HQ: Dockweiler State Beach. Isidore B. Dockweiler was a prominent Los Angeles lawyer, politician, and both president and director of the Los Angeles Public Library, not to mention a member of the state board of beaches and parks.
Doc’s a special case for other reasons, too. Rivian wanted us to test the truck that won our Truck of the Year award, so the company built us a Launch Edition model even though Launch Editions sold out a long time ago. It’s a bit of a mix and match, though. We got the discontinued Launch Green paint color but also the newer 20-inch All-Terrain Dark wheels. Call it a future collectible.
Being an R1T Launch Edition also means a number of features are included as part of the package, which came out before Rivian raised pricing earlier this year. That means the quad-motor powertrain, large battery pack, power tonneau cover, and upgraded wheels are all standard on our truck instead of optional like they would be if you ordered one today, a savings of $18,500. To our Launch Edition starting price of $73,000, we added the $2,000 Off-Road Upgrade (now called the Reinforced Underbody Shield) and the $800 full-size spare (now $1,000). All in, our truck rings up at $76,875. The Black Mountain interior color was and remains free of charge.
Were you to order one today, it would cost you $96,250, and you’d have to get it in Forest Green (your closest choice and a $1,750 option) instead of Launch Green.
