The now-infamous Stair Step off-roading obstacle had its latest challenger this last week and it came in the form of a Rivian R1T. For the first time, we get to see how these two different EV pickups perform on the same test. The results might surprise you.
As a refresher, this location is Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). It’s home to a number of different off-road trails and obstacles including this, the Stair Steps. Made mostly from cement in an effort to keep it slippery and challenging, drivers also contend with any loose dust or dirt resting on the surface. After the Cybertruck’s attempts saw the light of day, reactions were wide-ranging.
Some even posted clips of other vehicles like a 1996 Toyota RAV4 rocketing up the same challenge with ease. Now, a new video showing the R1T taking on the Stair Steps from two angles appears to indicate that it had an easier time with the slippery surface.
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Posted to the X Platform (formerly Twitter), videos show the R1T from beneath and from above the obstacle. Similarly to the video of the Cybertruck, there’s a bit of initial slip that the truck has to overcome. Once that’s done though the rest of the challenge seems quite simple. From a timing perspective only, the Rivian takes about 33 seconds overall to make it to the top of the hill.
The Cybertruck took about 20 seconds more in one run. Certainly, this isn’t a scientific test and there are a number of variables that could affect these times. The Cybertruck isn’t available with a quad-motor layout. The drivers are different. The suspension geometry is quite different too. The exact conditions of the trail could even be a factor.
Even in the comments following the post, we see some claiming that this trail is easy while others show videos of vehicles like the Ford Bronco struggling to get a foothold on it. One thing is for sure. We’re only two weeks away from the Cybertruck delivery event and we expect many interesting videos to pop up after that.