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Rivian R1T Beats Ford Maverick For 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year

The Rivian R1T became the very first new all-electric pickup truck to market, beating out the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning when it entered production back in September. Though Ford and the upstart EV automaker – which it has invested heavily in over the last couple of years – originally planned on collaborating on at least one vehicle, those plans were recently canceled, and Ford CEO Jim Farley admits that Rivian remains a “major threat” to the company’s business. Now, after Farley was named MotorTrend‘s 2022 Person of the Year, the Rivian R1T has beaten out the Ford Maverick for MT‘s 2022 Truck of the Year, ironically enough.

The R1T was up against the Maverick, GMC Hummer EV, and Hyundai Santa Cruz for Truck of the Year honors, but ultimately took home the prize after earning high praise from the long-running publication in the process, which called Rivian’s first vehicle “the most remarkable pickup truck we’ve ever driven.”

“The Rivian R1T would win praise if it were merely a credible pickup truck that is also an electric vehicle, but it’s far more,” MotorTrend said. “Not content to simply mount an electric motor or two under the hood or box of a traditional pickup, Rivian used the opportunity to re-examine what a modern pickup truck could be.”

The R1T impressed by doing pretty much everything well – it offers true off-road capability, sports car-like performance and handling, 11,000 pounds of max towing capacity, up to 314 miles of range, and a slew of interesting features such as its gear tunnel and gear guard. “The 2022 Rivian R1T shows the world a new way to build a pickup and new ways to think about truck design, engineering, and use case,” MT concluded. “And it gives up almost nothing in capability in the process.”

Though it ultimately lost out to the Rivian R1T, the Ford Maverick has earned its fair share of accolades in recent months, including beating out the Santa Cruz – its main competitor – in a number of comparison tests, winning Green Car Journal‘s Green Truck of the Year, and being named a finalist (along with the R1T) for North American Truck of the Year.

We’ll have more on Rivian soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Rivian news and non-stop Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. I agree that the Rivian should be the pickup truck of the year, even thou I have a Mavrick on order. The Rivian is a true pickup truck, the Mavrick isn’t. If you need a pickup, that’s what you shop for. The Maverick is more of a crossover vehicle.

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  2. I agree as well and the build date of my Maverick hybrid is the week of Feb 14. Rivian is the first EV truck and it is truly innovative. Maverick will be the sales leader being much more affordable but the Rivian does deserve the Truck of the Year for innovation.

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  3. You realize there would be no electric vehicles if the Federal Government hadn’t raised our taxes to subsidize the R&D, production, and sale of them.

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    1. Provide proof the Fed raised your taxes to subsidize EV’s. Did you also know the Feds subsidize hundreds of things to assist in bringing products to market?

      Reply
  4. REALLY, I don’t know how it can win anything when I haven’t seen 1 at a Auto Show Dealership or on the road

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    1. A couple of months ago, my family and were driving from LA to Sacremento and I spotted one on the highway. It passed right beside me. I can only assume since production just started that probably was a little shake down on the highway.

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    2. I’ve seen several by now. (and no, I don’t live in Cali or anywhere close to there.)

      Reply
  5. as a commuter between maine and florida…..where can i get a can of electicity along i 95 when i run out of electric power? also how much time will this add to a single trip one way?( referring to rivian accolades)

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  6. The Maverick does so much more than the Rivian but, hey, it IS Motor Trend after all!

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  7. Nothing against Rivian but motor trend has had it out for Ford. Guess the Ram people haven’t spent enough in trend to get there award and I’m not sure motor trend would know a good truck if it ran over them.

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  8. 10 years from now, someone will pick up an old motor trend that somehow survived a decade in a dentists office somewhere, and say “what in the hell is a Rivian?”

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  9. Even though Rivian won the MT competition, both the Maverick and the Lightning 🌩 are cheaper making them more accessible to the masses. Volume will take care of the rest. I figured it would be either the Maverick or Rivian. Both were the most unique of the competition representing the entry level and high end of the spectrum.

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  10. Vaporware beat a real truck! Maverick will do more to get people moving towards full electric than rivian ever could. Being the lowest priced hybrid in the US should have sealed the deal.

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  11. It is absurd to compare a truck costing $75,000, with one at $20,000. The Maverick is a truck for real people. The Rivian is a toy for the rich.

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    1. Another point well taken comparing a 70k vehicle to a 20k, Simply Hilarious haha

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  12. Well that’s Motor Trend! I wonder just how far that truck can tow 11000 lbs before you have to call for a tow truck?

    Reply

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