Rivian has finally started delivering the R1T, its first model and one of the first mass-produced electric pickup trucks in the United States. Owners are wasting no time exploring the great outdoors, and footage posted on YouTube shows how the model handles Hells Gate in Utah.
Part of the Sand Flats Recreation Area in the south of the Beehive State, Hells Gate is a steep, bumpy trail that’s almost a rite of passage for off-roaders. Making it all the way up is a challenge; getting there in an unmodified vehicle is even more difficult. And yet, as the four-minute video shows, the R1T slowly but surely crawls up the canyon, allegedly without the slightest modification and on factory-fitted all-terrain tires.
It’s not clear who is behind the wheel. However, what’s nearly certain is that this is the first time the R1T tackles Hells Gate. Helping it up is a long list of off-road-focused hardware including a through-the-road four-wheel-drive system that consists of four motors and an adjustable air suspension system. Ordering the optional Off-Road Package adds 34-inch Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tires, front tow hooks, underbody protection plates, and additional driving modes that adjust this 7,000-pound behemoth’s stability control and suspension settings.
Rivian’s R1T isn’t the only hotly-anticipated car to prove its mettle on Hells Gate shortly after its introduction. Ford’s decidedly more road-focused Bronco Sport pulled it off admirably in August 2020, while the full-size Bronco made it look easy — even in reverse.
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