Rivian is an EV startup that’s making some cool EVs equipped with a lot of neat features, and these Rivians can off-road well, too. The Rivian R1T is better than the Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler when crossing deep water. Here’s a look at the Rivian R1T and how it beats its competitors in this off-roading exercise. 

The Rivian R1T handles deep water better than the Bronco and the Wrangler

One of the advertised strengths of the Rivian R1T is how it handles water. In testing, the R1T could ford across over 3 feet of water, and it can do this because its electronics are protected from moisture and other elements. With that being said, it’s one thing for the R1T to do well in testing. It’s another thing to do it in real life.

According to InsideEVs, the R1T handled water fording better than the Bronco or the Wrangler did in real life. This was done by someone simply taking their Rivian off-roading and comparing how it performed against the Bronco and the Wrangler. The R1T was able to handle crossing deep-water portions, while the Bronco and the Wrangler got stuck often. In comparison, the Rivian didn’t get stuck once during the whole thing.

As InsideEVs pointed out, the Bronco and the Wrangler are very capable cars for off-roading, but every car has its limits. The R1T’s limits when crossing deep water are higher than what Ford and Jeep offer on their capable off-road SUVs. 

The R1T has some impressive specs as well

Not only is the R1T a capable off-roader, but it has some very impressive specs and features, too. It has four electric motors, and each is tied to a wheel. They generate 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque combined, and they’ll give the Rivian all-wheel drive as well as some high towing numbers. It can tow up to 11,000 pounds, but there’s a catch. Towing heavy stuff can reduce the Rivian’s range significantly.

However, if it’s not towing anything, its specs are still very impressive. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds, and its standard 135-kWh battery gives it a range of about 314 miles. The standard R1T costs about $68,000, but Rivian also offers a larger 180-kWh battery that will push its range to over 400 miles. That being said, there’s also a catch with this battery option. 

You’ll have a tough time getting your hands on a Rivian R1T though

That catch is that Rivian recently decided to delay deliveries of the 180-kWh version of the truck to customers. This delay is the latest in a series of production problems that Rivian’s dealing with right now. Since Rivian is a startup, it has to go through many growing pains before it can efficiently churn out EVs. And obviously, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the semiconductor chip shortage didn’t help anything.

Due to those production issues, Rivian decided to prioritize the standard 135-kWh version of the R1T. This is because most customers choose to buy the standard version of the truck. Since Rivian wants to get as many trucks out the door as possible, Rivian decided to delay the 180-kWh version and focus on the 135-kWh one. These issues shouldn’t last forever, though. When they’re fixed, Rivian should be able to clear its backlog of orders quickly.