Rivian R1T California Dune Edition Debuts As New Ford F-150 Raptor R Rival

The Rivian R1T has been on the market for a few years now, and just received a refresh a few months ago that features updated styling, a lithium-iron phosphate battery for standard pickups, and and a new drive unit in the Tri-Motor and Quad-Motor models, to name just a few. However, it doesn’t seem as if the Ford rival is done playing around with the all-electric pickup just yet, as it just revealed the all-new Rivian R1T California Dune Edition – which generates more power than the Ford F-150 Raptor R, even.

For 2024, the F-150 Raptor R’s supercharged 5.2L V8 got a 20 horsepower bump, meaning that it now generates 720 ponies. The Rivian R1T California Dune Edition, on the other hand, is being offered in the Tri-Motor configuration, with its trio of electric motors churning out a combined 850 horsepower and 1,103 pound-feet of torque, enabling it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds. The special edition also features a Soft Sand drive mode, which helps tie in with its theme, overall.

That theme is inspired by, well, the sandy dunes of California, and it’s finished in a color appropriately named California Dune, along with the Darkout package. The interior is a two-tone affair with Sandstone and Black Mountain components, along with flooring material that’s purportedly easy to clean, plus black MAXTRAX traction boards mounted on the roof rack and a standard power tonneau cover.

The Rivian R1T California Dune Edition comes standard with the All-Terrain Package, which adds 20-inch wheels – available in a darkened or California Dune finish – a spare tire, and underbody protection. Rivian is calling this new model a “limited edition” type of affair, but hasn’t stated how many examples will be produced in total. However, we do know that the Rivian R1T California Dune Edition starts out at $99,900, while the similarly-equipped R1S California Dune Edition has a base price of $105,900.