How is one of the newest and most exciting SUVs going to be abandoned out in front of God and everybody? Off-roading should never be taken lightly. Some mud and sand can turn a six-figure SUV into a lawn ornament in no time flat. No matter how expensive and capable the Rivian R1S is, this one still got stuck in the mud, frozen, and ultimately abandoned. 

The Rivian R1S took years to come, and only moments to go

Rivian has had its ups and downs, yet its only two models, the Rivian R1T and R1S are still two of the most anticipated and exciting vehicles on the market. Rivians aren’t cheap. In fact, the price increases and demand make them an upper-crust exclusive. However pricy they are, they are first and foremost off-roaders. 

The unknown owner of this luxury SUV used their Rivian exactly as it was meant to be used. However, the driver bit off more than the R1S could chew. 

According to CarScoops, there isn’t much information to go with this wild off-roading photo. The Rivian reportedly met its cold, sandy end on Christmas eve. The user who posted this photo to Reddit says that it was forwarded to him by a friend who is a State Trooper. According to the title of the post, the “owner tried to drive thru the shores of a lake” and has “been frozen there ever since.” 

No matter how strong the Rivian R1S is, there is little you can do when a vehicle gets this sunk into wet sand. The photo shows that the Rivian’s rear wheels are nearly completely sunk. Not only is it tough to get any purchase when wheels are this sunken, but the chassis of the R1S is also one with the mire. This creates countless friction points and pockets for suction to occur. It’s unclear how it happened, but the rear window also seems to be broken out. Ouch. 

This seems like a miscalculation

Again, we don’t have much information here, but it seems like the driver underestimated the sand’s condition. The heavy Rivian R1S seems to have sunk like a stone through the air in the softness of the lakebed. 

It could have also been an all-too-common miscalculation in off-roading where the driver didn’t account for the incoming tide. The sand could have been passable while the tide was out and treacherous once wet. 

Would you abandon your Rivian?

The craziest part is the Reddit user claims the Rivian was frozen in the mud once it got stuck, and temps fell as the record cold front swept the nation around Christmas. This, as the poster claims, caused the owner to ditch the nearly six-figure truck. Imagine heading to the lake for Christmas and finding a brand-new (even if a little haggard) Rivian R1S.