2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition front three-quarter imageToday's Nice Price or No Dice Rivian has a massive battery, four electric motors, and more than 800 horsepower on tap. As we all know, however, with great power comes great responsibility, so let's decide just how responsible the seller has been in setting this truck's price.Have you ever heard Anthrax's cover of America's "Carry On Thy Wayward Son" off the thrash metal band's 2012 Great Anthems EP? It hits a little harder than the original and seems, both musically and lyrically, a fitting theme song for the 1974 Volvo 145 D/L project wagon we looked at on Monday. Dusty, disheveled, and somewhat disassembled, that Volvo was offered up in need of restoration and refurbishment. At $900, the cost to take on that daunting task wasn't grand, but in the minds of most of you, it wasn't worth carrying out; many commented that, at this stage of the game, that wayward son of a Volvo would best serve as a parts car. A 75% "No Dice"loss was the result of our voting. Perfectly Normal2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition passenger side imageWhile yesterday's Volvo needed pretty much everything, including a shovel to dig it out of the layers of dust and dirt that, over the years, had caked over it completely, today's 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition needs nothing. At least that's the seller's contention: they describe the electric four-by-four (more on that in a second) in the ad as "Perfect."Rivian introduced the R1T pickup and its R1S wagon sibling to great fanfare at the 2018 Los Angeles International Auto Show, promising both would have excellent range and solid off-road capabilities unknown in the electric car biz up to that point. It would be a few more years (and one pandemic later) before Rivian started customer deliveries, both models coming out of the former Mitsubishi Motors plant in Normal, Illinois. Like rival Tesla, Rivian offered several battery and motor combos, attempting to meet buyers' wants and pocketbooks.This one has the 'Baby Bear' middle-sized 135 kWh battery pack, although it's described by the company as 'large.' That's bracketed by a smaller 'standard' pack with either 105 kWh or 121 kWh (Standard+), on one side, and the Max pack with 149 kWh of capacity on the other. It's not odd to be quad2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition bed imageIf you're going to have all those electrons just sitting around, you might as well put them to good use, and this R1T makes the most of what it's got with a quad motor setup, giving each wheel its own Permanent Magnet motor. Combined, that gives the truck 420 horsepower at the rear wheels and 415 more horses spinning the fronts. That also makes a jaw-dropping 908 pound-feet of torque when all the motors are tallied up. This setup enables torque vectoring at each corner and, conceivably, allows each wheel to spin in a different direction, conceivably allowing the truck to turn within its own wheelbase. However, while demonstrated with prototypes, that functionality was not enabled on customer cars.It's enough to just go straight ahead, whether on-road or off-road, and with its 'Large' battery and four motors, this R1T has an estimated range of just over 300 miles. According to the ad, it has done 74,800 miles, or around 20-25K a year, so it hasn't been sitting around twiddling its thumbs, either. It should be noted that the warranty on the battery and all four drive motors is valid for 4 more years and more than 100,000 additional miles. Come for the hardware, stay for the software2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition interior imageThere's a lot more to like about the Rivian than just its quiet, efficient, and over-the-top drivetrain. It's also a pickup, which means it probably accumulated most of its miles helping its owners' friends move. The compact "roller skate" chassis, which housed the battery pack and motors, allows for additional storage room up top, including a sizable front boot (froot) with a power hood, and a clever pass-through behind the cab, the lid of which also serves as a handy step to get to the bed. Early versions of the R1T had issues with the power slat bed cover, but those were fixed under warranty, and one would expect this one to work as intended. Other clever features of the truck include a built-in inflator on one side of the bed and a pair of 110-volt outlets on the other.CraigslistAlong with all that is a software suite that's both visually engaging and allows for lots of customization. So impressive was Rivian's first stab at an automotive interface that Volkswagen tapped the company to improve the software on its cars to the tune of a $5 billion investment.This truck looks to be in excellent condition both inside and out, and unlike Tesla, which tends to favor a somewhat parsimonious interior look, Rivian's cabins come across as a bit more upscale and luxurious. Cash and carry?2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition rear three-quarter imageAmazingly, the R1T isn't the only electric pickup truck on the used car market. Competitors include the 2022 to 2025 Ford Lightning and the 2024 to present Tesla Cybertruck. Neither of those, however, offers the bragging rights of having four motors or the clever pass-through under the bed. When new, this Launch Edition cost just shy of six figures and saw several price increases before customer deliveries, which ticked off people who had put down deposits.Time, miles, and depreciation have brought this truck down to half its original asking price, now at $44,500. And that's a dealer price, not a private party price.What do you think about this quad motor truck asking that kind of cash? Does that seem like a deal and a good way to stop caring about who's blocking the Strait of Hormuz? Or is that too much to ask for a Launch Edition now that its coming out party is long over?You decide!Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Contact me at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.
