Former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter James May has recently been filming across America, where he’s done things like drive the Tesla Cybertruck and visit the Tesla diner. But his latest video shows him taking a road trip across Virginia in the electric Rivian R1T pickup truck.
The caveat was that May had let his team, Lucy and Eve, choose the car for him. So at the start of the video, May was blindfolded and totally oblivious to what it was they had chosen. But despite the blindfold, he managed to guess what the truck was after feeling around the headlights.
May did seem genuinely excited to get the chance to drive the electric pickup truck. Having looked at them for ages in magazines and in videos, he was very happy to be able to drive one, and praised Lucy and Eve for their choice.
The big questions, however, were whether May would like the pickup truck and whether it would turn out to be the best vehicle to use on such a long road trip. Well, the video is as charming to watch as any other James May video, with a few interesting questions about American culture thrown in for good measure.
Did James May Enjoy Driving the Rivian R1T?
May went through some of the features of the pickup truck while filming the road trip. The pickup bed being one of them, and while it wasn’t perhaps as big as he’d hoped, he’d been left impressed by the gear tunnel on the side of the truck. All while subtly promoting James Gin, which we hear is rather excellent. The back also has electric power outlets, and you can even buy a tailgate cooker to go with it.
May puts his foot down as well while on the road trip to feel the acceleration. “Wow, that’s pretty good, isn’t it?” he asked. “That’s a proper high-performance truck,” he added. Clearly, the Rivian was winning him over. The team also visits an American diner, which May loved, and there is an amusing deviation where Lucy and Eve joke about how May pays for stuff via Apple Pay, doing it the ‘long way around’ according to Lucy.
Back to the truck, and it was leaving quite an impression on the old Top Gear presenter. He praised Rivian’s driver assistance system, likening it to autopilot in an aircraft, and how it was nice and smooth and kept the truck exactly where it needed to be. Lucy getting a permanent marker onto the seat of the truck, which had been loaned to them by Rivian, wasn’t quite what was meant to happen, however!
May Concludes His Thoughts on the Rivian R1T
Towards the end of the trip, May decided to give his final thoughts on the electric pickup truck. May said he loved the styling of the pickup, calling it contemporary and light-hearted. He also praised the interior design and how comfortable it was. The gear tunnel was another aspect he loved, as well as the massive storage section in the center console. The acceleration and intuitive infotainment system were other things May loved.
There were, as with any car, a couple of things May wasn’t overly happy about. “It’s odd that it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay,” he said, and he did admit the ride is slightly firm and the steering is slightly vague. But overall, he did enjoy it, said he would choose it over the Tesla Cybertruck, and that it was the first pickup truck he’d genuinely liked. So, the Rivian certainly won James May over.