- With the $5000 Performance pack, the dual-motor Rivian R1T’s combined output rises from 533 to 665 horsepower and from 610 to 829 pound-feet of torque.
- The added Sport mode shaves 0.8 second from the 60-mph time (to 3.5 seconds); the quarter-mile time improves by 0.9 second, to 12.2 seconds at 109 mph.
- Passing times improve by about a half-second, but top speed and tow ratings don’t budge.
Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
Suppose you’re shopping for an electric pickup truck or electric SUV, and you sit down to place an order for a new Rivian R1T pickup truck or R1S SUV. One of the first decisions you’re faced with is this: Dual-Motor or Quad-Motor? If you’re leaning toward Dual-Motor, you must next choose between regular and Performance. What do you get when you spend an extra $5000 for the Performance version? How much actual performance do you gain? We conducted a back-to-back test to find out.
Same Motors, Same Efficiency and Range
The dual-motor Rivian is a recent addition to the R1T and R1S lineups. It still delivers all-wheel drive, but this simplified powertrain utilizes a single motor at each end, with mechanical differentials to apportion torque side to side. As opposed to the four Bosch-sourced motors of the AWD Quad-Motor setup (835 horsepower, 908 pound-feet of torque) that was initially launched, these are in-house electric motors that were designed and built by Rivian. You’ll enjoy a cost savings of a cool $8000 if you can live with the fact that the regular version of the dual-motor system makes “only” 533 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque.
If you can’t live with that, Dual-Motor models are available with a Performance pack that bumps those figures to 665 hp and 829 pound-feet. It’s a $5000 option, but there are zero mechanical differences. In fact, the EPA-estimated range and efficiency numbers for each are identical for a given tire fitment. The difference comes down to software: the standard model has All-Purpose, All-Terrain, and Snow modes, while the Performance model has those plus Sport and Soft Sand modes.
We were able to make a comparison between the two powertrains using a single Performance-spec R1T for the same reason that the regular R1T Dual-Motor model and the Performance-equipped version have identical EPA ratings: A Performance model tested in the default All-Purpose mode performs identically to a regular dual-motor truck in the same mode. With the Performance upgrade, the added software and drive modes don’t weigh anything, but they do unleash extra performance when the driver selects Sport mode. Our comparison was as simple as running our acceleration tests once in All-Purpose mode, then a second time in Sport mode.
Clearly Quicker . . .
Right off the jump, the difference in acceleration was immediately evident. Our Performance-enhanced truck wore 21-inch Pirelli Scorpion Verde all-season road tires, and its launch simply hit harder in Sport mode—hard enough that the first foot of travel only took two-tenths of a second compared to the three-tenths it took to cover the same ground using the milder All-Purpose getaway. This translated to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds for the standard launch versus 3.5 seconds for the Performance in Sport mode.
That harder launch may actually be breaking traction a bit, because the gap is slightly wider in our 5-to-60-mph rolling-start test, which takes 4.7 seconds in All-Purpose but just 3.7 seconds in Sport. After that, 100 mph takes 9.9 seconds in Sport mode instead of 11.6 seconds, and the quarter-mile comparison is 12.2 seconds at 109 mph versus 13.1 seconds at 106 mph.
As a rule, we test launch acceleration in whatever Sport or Sport Plus mode a vehicle has, but we test 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph passing acceleration in the key-up default mode. Our thinking is that speed runs are premeditated best-case affairs, whereas passing maneuvers are something that comes up in the normal course of events, and you might want to know how leisurely things can get if you’re caught unawares.
Even with a Performance model such as this, our passing tests would normally be conducted in the slower default mode, and as such we’d report 1.8 seconds from 30 to 50 and 2.7 seconds from 50 to 70 mph. In the interest of a complete comparison, however, we ran the passing tests again in Sport mode and measured 1.4 seconds from 30 to 50 and 2.2 seconds from 50 to 70 mph, effective gains of around a half-second.
. . . But Is It Worth $5000?
As the saying goes, “Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?” It’s a good question. Is a half-second better passing times, a nearly 20 percent reduction in 60-mph time, and almost a second-quicker quarter-mile worth $5000? If you’re the kind of person who would add a cold-air intake, turbo kit, or a cat-back exhaust to your ride, an extra 132 horsepower and 219 pound-feet of torque—fully financed and warrantied—does sound tempting.
But the normal dual-motor R1T and R1S are fairly stout machines in their own right, not some grotty secondhand machine that needs help. Also, this performance upgrade isn’t going to get you a more guttural exhaust note or zoomier brake calipers. It doesn’t even give you a higher top speed, which is 111 mph either way. The tow rating doesn’t budge from the 11,000 pounds assigned to all R1T powertrains or the 7700 pounds for any R1S. You basically get an added Sport mode that’ll scoot a dual-motor Rivian pickup or SUV to 60 mph in less than four seconds. As for the added Sand mode, we can’t quantify its value, other than to say you get that too.
If you’re liable to tool around in All-Purpose anyway, it’s a clear no. You must consciously select Sport when you want the extra sauce, because it resets to All-Purpose every time you exit the truck. That’s done for a good reason: a vehicle’s default mode is always used for EPA range and consumption ratings. That’s why those two metrics are no different whether you spend the five grand or not. Range and consumption will fall short of the EPA ratings if you avail yourself of Sport mode often, but that’s pure #leadfootlife.
Dan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department.