Rivian R1S vs. Lexus LX600: Off-Road-Ready Luxury SUVs Compared

Americans are great at buying what we think we may need instead of what we actually need. Case in point: I own two bicycles because I thought my wife and I might ride them to the beach. Instead, they sit in the garage, tires flat and unused. I also have a guitar amplifier loud enough to play CBGB in its heyday (surprise, surprise—I usually play with headphones). I also have more off-road recovery gear than I know what to do with, but I rarely go wheeling on my own outside of work anymore. Do I have a problem? Probably. But so do you.

Last year Americans bought hundreds of thousands of SUVs, a non-zero percentage of which are like the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser (RIP), and Land Rover Defender, which are both incredibly capable off-road but liable to spend most of their time on pavement. Two new luxury SUVs that are bound to join them in that rather depressing club of disuse are the 2022 Rivian R1S and 2022 Lexus LX600.

These two off-road-focused luxury SUVs are, weirdly, well suited to go up against each other. The Rivian and Lexus are within an inch of each other in overall size, sport three seating rows for up to seven passengers, and are evenly matched when it comes to off-road capability—they just happen to be powered by completely different means. One is fed by gas, the other by electricity.

Our Lexus LX600 Luxury is bound to be viewed as the more conventional of the two SUVs to off-roaders and mall-crawlers alike. New for 2022, the LX600 has an independent front suspension with an old-school live-rear axle, and it sports Toyota's new 3.4-liter twin-turbo V-6 (also found in the Sequoia, Tundra, and global Land Cruiser), which produces a healthy 409 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, up 26 ponies and 76 lb-ft from the tired 5.7-liter V-8 in the previous-gen LX570. That power gets routed through a new 10-speed automatic (replacing the previous eight-speed) and into a full-time four-wheel-drive transfer case. It's EPA-rated at 17/22/19 mpg city/highway/combined, and paired with a 21.1 gallon fuel tank, it can clear about 400 miles on a tank of premium.

You'll find nothing but storage space under the Rivian R1S Launch Edition's hood. Like the Truck of the Year-winning (and Trans-America Trail-crossing) R1T, the electric R1S sports a fully independent suspension and a novel quad-motor setup with a single permanent-magnet motor individually driving each wheel. The combined all-wheel-drive system is good for an eye-watering 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque. The quad-motor system makes the R1S among the least efficient (though also among the most capable) EVs on the market, with a 73/65/69 mpg-e score. To give it legs, the Rivian sports a massive quick-charging 135-kWh battery pack, netting it 316 miles on a charge.

Despite the wildly different powertrains, the Lexus and Rivian take similar approaches to off-road supremacy. The R1S and most LX600s get fitted with trick air and hydraulic adaptive suspension systems. This allows both manufacturers to fine-tune damping rates in real time on-road for more comfortable or sporty rides. It also gives both vehicles the ability to adjust both ground clearance and mimic an anti-roll bar disconnect, ensuring both vehicles can keep all four of their 22-inch all-season tires on terra firma while off-pavement (or just cutting across the Target parking lot). Both back up the hardware with software solutions—Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) and Downhill Assist/Crawl Control (DACC) for the Lexus, and just nine simple drive modes, four for on-road and five for off.

Both vehicles are even priced atop each other. The three-row LX600s start at $96,345 (a cheaper two-row is available for $88,245), but our loaded LX600 Luxury model stickered for $106,940. Although already sold out, the 2022 Rivian R1S Launch Edition undercuts the LX somewhat. Prices started at $91,500, and our loaded-up example stickered for $96,000. Those who weren't early adopters can spec a new R1S Adventure ($93,500 to start) identically to our Launch Edition for $100,500.

Our first stop with our LX600 Luxury and R1S Launch Edition was the test track. Unsurprisingly with double the power on tap, the Rivian ran circles around the Lexus. It zipped from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds and through the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds at 111.2 mph, while the LX trailed behind at 6.1 seconds to 60 mph and 14.5 seconds for the quarter at 95.9 mph. The R1S outbrakes and outhandles the Lexus, too. It stopped from 60 to 0 mph in a respectable 121 feet while the LX needed 136 feet, and it circled the figure eight in 26.1 seconds at 0.71 g average, while the Lexus took 28.4 seconds at 0.58 g average.

That performance delta between the R1S and LX600 narrows somewhat in the real world as there are only so many places you can put 835 ponies to use.

Around town and on the highway, the R1S is incredibly quiet and composed. The abnormally long gas pedal travel allows the driver to precisely apply the accelerator, ensuring precisely the amount of power is summoned in tricky driving conditions, while also providing smooth, easy one-pedal driving (relying on motor regen to slow the R1S sans brake pedal inputs by simply lifting off the accelerator). Although it's somewhat on the firmer side in its softest setting, the R1S rides well, too, making even violent impacts one-and-done affairs. If you've left the kids at home, the Rivian can be a riot on a twisty back road in sport mode. Steering is quick and precise, and the four-motor system mimics the best torque-vectoring mechanical all-wheel-drive systems, giving the R1S a liquidy feel as it snakes down the road. The suspension in its firmer setting is impressive here, too. "The Rivian's refusal to exhibit body roll breaks my brain, especially considering how comfortable the ride is," associate editor Duncan Brady said.

Lexus has long earned a reputation for quiet refinement, but the LX600 doesn't measure up. Fire up its V-6 and slip the transmission into drive, and the whole vehicle rocks like a horse straining at its lead, while the engine vibrates the rear seats noticeably at idle. The experience doesn't improve drastically from there. Although it smooths out once it gets moving, the Lexus' powertrain is lazy and unresponsive. It tends to upshift early and downshift late, amplifying the performance gap between it and the R1S. The Lexus rides softly, but its suspension is nowhere near as good at mitigating secondary impacts or minimizing body roll as the R1S, demonstrating excessive body roll and brake dive in spirited driving. The LX is, as digital director Erik Johnson put it, "a perfect example of a vehicle that has flaws in the traditional sense but that I love anyways." Call it charmingly old-school.

Part of the reason for that is its off-road prowess. Although nothing we put the Lexus or Rivian through really taxed either vehicle, the LX was a treat to off-road. Although the MTS and DACC knob was fussy to use and laggy to respond, the Lexus performed admirably. When left to its own devices it happily took to deep sand, moguls, and hill climbs without skipping a beat, just as its Land Cruiser DNA would have you expect.

But the Rivian impresses, too. Its four-motor system is exceptional at instantly routing power to the tire with the most traction, helping rotate the R1S around bends and ensuring forward progress no matter the conditions of the trail. It's also more versatile. Whereas the LX600 trundles down trails, the Rivian can mimic a Ram 1500 TRX, flying down trails at high speeds when conditions allow. In low-speed stuff, its precise wheel-by-wheel power metering helps it scramble over obstacles like few other factory off-roaders.

When it comes to cabins, the Rivian cements its lead over the Lexus. Its massive 15.6-inch landscape-oriented infotainment screen may be polarizing, but the rest of the cabin is generally well designed and put together, with beautiful wood trim, luxurious faux leather seats, rich-feeling touchpoints, and HVAC vents and cupholders in all three rows. The first and second rows are comfortable, spacious, and adult friendly. The third row would be adult-friendly, too, but older occupants will likely have difficulty squeezing between the second-row seat back and the massive wheel well arches to get back there. In a rarity for this class, the R1S offers an impressive amount of cargo capacity (17.6 cubic feet) without folding the third row, plus the added benefit of the 11.9-cubic-foot frunk at the nose.

That's not to say the R1S is without flaws. The overreliance on soft buttons (on-screen inputs) can be annoying, and it makes otherwise simple tasks like adjusting the front HVAC vents tedious. And adjust them you will, as the standard glass roof doesn't offer a physical cover or an electrochromatic tint, forcing the A/C to work harder to keep all seven occupants cool when it's hot outside.

The LX600's cabin is more of a blend of traditional luxury touches, with a merely partially digital gauge cluster, a plethora of knobs and buttons, and a wood- and leather-trimmed center console. There are dual touchscreens on the center stack, the bottom of which is a multifunction display for the HVAC system and off-road modes, while the top is a traditional infotainment system interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and, notably, navigation if you "subscribe" to it.

Comfortable and relatively roomy in the first two rows, the Lexus's interior is not particularly well built for the $100K asking price. "This may be the flagship Lexus SUV, but it's nowhere close to being a three-row version of the LS sedan," associate editor Alex Leanse said. "Details like the jiggly shift knob, flimsy leather upholstery, and small gauge display are either substandard or behind the times for a new luxury SUV." Although third-row access is easier than it is in the Rivian, those in the third row will likely be too distracted by the shallow seat position and tight headroom to notice the Toyota-grade materials in back. The Lexus only offers 11.0 cubic feet of cargo space with the third row in place, though it nearly matches the R1S' cargo volume with the third row stowed (46.0 cubic feet versus 46.7 cubic feet). Notably, the LX600's second row does not fold flat, but the Rivian's does.

We went into this luxury mall-crawler comparison test thinking that it'd be a close match. Yet things didn't play out that way.

Surely the new 2022 Lexus LX600 will sell on the Land Cruiser's reputation for capability and comfort, and Lexus' for reliability and resale value, but objectively speaking it misses the mark. Amid an onslaught of challengers from upstarts like Rivian and more established nameplates like the new Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus played it safe with the new LX. It's as capable as the version it replaces and slightly nicer to drive on pavement, but you can get equal or better off-road capability, a better on-road experience, and a more refined cabin elsewhere.

The 2022 Rivian R1S, on the other hand, is a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too moment for the segment. It features all the off-road capability you'll never use (and then some) in a practical package that doesn't punish you for it. It goes down the road with the quality and poise of a true luxury SUV, and it's as adept at eating up miles on the highway as it is at dicing up your favorite back road. It's also a supremely comfortable and spacious package, with room for seven humans and their stuff—a rarity in the class.

Verdict: A subtle evolution of an old MT favorite spins its wheels in the face of increased competition.

Verdict: The tech behind the off-road capability you'll likely never use pays benefits on the road, too.