Two of the most anticipated features coming to Rivian’s quad-motor R1T and R1S have been delayed until the end of the year, Rivian has confirmed to The Drive. While Kick Turn and the RAD Tuner were supposed to arrive as part of an update in September, that rollout has been pushed back. They’re reportedly still coming, but owners will just have to wait another month or two to use them, although Rivian hasn’t said when exactly it plans to send out its upcoming over-the-air update.
In a statement, a Rivian spokesperson told The Drive, “We know many of you are eager to try out Kick Turn and RAD Tuner on the all-new Quad. These features are unlike anything on the road today, and we’re taking a little extra time to fine-tune their performance. That’s why we’re adjusting the launch for both features slightly from September, to now launching by the end of this year. We promise they’ll be worth the wait!”
That’s a little vague, but at the same time, at least the features weren’t quietly canceled. Hopefully there won’t be another delay, even if they’re only available on the quad-motor R1T, which starts at $117,885 including destination, or the quad-motor R1S, which starts at $123,885.
Rivian RAD Tuner and Kick Turn
Rivian’s RAD Tuner may not be the most groundbreaking feature you could possibly offer — it’s essentially a new menu that lets you adjust a wide variety of performance settings, from acceleration to regenerative braking, steering assist, ride height, the torque split, traction control and more. Still, on the media drive, it proved to be more than just something fun to play with. It lets you set your car up exactly the way you want it for the exact type of driving you’re doing, making it more of an Individual drive mode on steroids.
But while Rivian previously told The Drive that it may offer its RAD Tuner on other R1 models, Kick Turn is really only possible with the quad-motor setup, and only the facelift models with the Rivian-developed motors. Unlike some off-roaders that allow you to lock and then drag an inside wheel to decrease your turning radius, Kick Turn takes things a step further, spinning the wheels on the driver’s side one direction, while the passenger-side wheels spin in the other. That allows you to make incredibly tight turns off-road, and while I expected it to feel sketchier at the launch, I came away legitimately surprised at how intuitive the controls were and how easy it was to get used to turning using buttons on the steering wheel.
Currently, it isn’t clear whether Kick Turn is having issues or if it’s the RAD Tuner. Alternatively, it could be both. When asked for comment, Rivian only reiterated the statement it gave to The Drive, so I guess R1 Quad owners will just have to wait another month or two to get the update that includes both.