Caribou Gear

Pickup of the Future?

4B93392F-765D-44BE-BB90-AEAEDDE749A5.jpegE4206C84-FC89-4678-BD89-DA237F3BD150.jpeg

Saw this in town, great city truck and just looks like a toy. Not practical for anything mountain related.
 
I learned about the stages of a products lifecycle in marketing classes. If you understand those stages and how products become main stream and common then you can see how EVs will as well. If not, then you are probably still saying that them cell phones and that internet thing are expense fads that will fade away.
 
I haven’t taken it off the pavement yet, but have put a few hundred highway miles on it. Intial impressions:
  • The truck is stupid fast. 0-60 in ~3 seconds in a pickup is pretty fun. But even at the top end, if you’re going 80 and punch it you hit 100 in the blink of an eye.
  • Suspension is amazing. My normal commutes are through winding canyons. The truck feels more like a sports car than a pickup. Super tight and no roll whatsoever. The low center of gravity due to all of the weight (battery pack) being at axle level really helps in this regard, but the McLaren inspired air suspension is also a big part of it.
  • It’s quiet. Very quiet. Elmer Fud would approve.
  • Lots of storage. Gear tunnel between the rear seats and bed, and the frunk, are both massive and things never before seen in a pickup.
  • The computer seems to be dead-on for estimating remaining range.
  • Interior is super comfortable and well thought out. Definitely feels like a luxury cabin.
  • Meridian sound system is excellent. Comparable or better than what I’d expect in a luxury car. Has integrated Spotify, but you need a Spotify account to use it.
  • Fit and finish are overall pretty good. I’ve got a service ticket in for some weatherstripping that isn’t attached properly, and in direct sunlight I can see some tiger striping on the hood (looks to be caused by a less than great buff job). But panel gaps all seem to be consistent and properly aligned.
  • Driver+ self-driving system does a good job with the steering. I-80 from SLC to WY border goes through some winding canyons, and it tracked all of it very smoothly with minimal need to slow through the turns. It’s currently only available on “mapped roads” and for my area that means interstates. This will expand over time as they collect more data.
Things that can be improved or that I’ll need to get used to:
  • The adaptable cruise control that’s part of the Driver+ system leaves too much gap which results in people constantly cutting in. This makes it almost unusable for me if there’s much traffic.
  • No lane change ability on Driver+ which means you have to take over the steering to do a lane change and then re-initiate Driver+ afterwards. There’s also no “resume” for your speed so you have to manually get to the speed you want and then restart Driver+ or cruise control.
  • No support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You can stream music from your phone via Bluetooth and control playback via the main console screen, but can’t control other phones apps such as Waze. And no way to get your phone’s apps to output to the truck’s display.
  • Some things are over-engineered such as door locks and vent controls. These are controlled via the main screen vs. hard controls.
  • Keys are also a bit quirky. It comes with one fob, two key cards and a wristband. Fob isn’t proximity based, so you have to push the buttons to unlock the doors or open the frunk or tailgate. Wristband and keycards have to be tapped against the door handle to unlock them. It also supports “phone as a key” which is proximity based and unlocks as you approach the truck. Downside of this is that every time you get near the truck with your phone on you, it unlocks and “wakes up” the truck. Sometimes even from inside your house. I would have preferred a simple “touch the door handle with any key in your pocket” approach.
  • Despite the great “bulk” storage options, they seem to have taken a Tesla minimalist approach when it comes to places to store the little stuff. There’s no glove box and only two marginally adequate cup holders. Armrest console is a bottomless pit and needs some kind of organization. There’s another big open storage space on the floor between the two front seats where a console would have provide better utility IMO.
  • Gawkers. Lots of people coming up asking questions about the truck. Some people know what it is and want to know how I like it. Others have no clue and don’t seem to believe me when I tell them it’s built by a company they’ve never heard of. The worst, though, are the “gawk while driving” people pulling up beside you at 80mph and just staring vs. paying attention to their driving. Then pulling out there phones to take pictures. It’s kinda scary. Then you also have the people who want to race 🤷‍♂️.
The good thing about “computers with wheels” is that so much of it is software and can be changed/improved over time. I already got one software update that fixed an issue I had where no sound was coming from the speakers and also added integrated HomeLink garage door opener, among several other things. Hopefully a few of the negatives will be improved via software updates over time.

For those wanting some offroad reviews, Sandy Monroe has bought one that he’s going to completely tear down. But they did some testing with it beforehand. Sandy says it’s better than any Rubicon he’s ever owned, and that he was doing everything the non street legal suped up Jeeps were doing on the offroad course, and doing it “better and faster”. Here’s the video.

EDIT: I should have mentioned he did this on stock 33” A/S street tires on 21” rims. There’s an option for 20” A/T tires which is what I have on mine.

 
Last edited:
Wildabeast said:
I haven’t taken it off the pavement yet, but have put a few hundred highway miles on it. Intial impressions:
  • The truck is stupid fast. 0-60 in ~3 seconds in a pickup is pretty fun. But even at the top end, if you’re going 80 and punch it you hit 100 in the blink of an eye.
  • Suspension is amazing. My normal commutes are through winding canyons. The truck feels more like a sports car than a pickup. Super tight and no roll whatsoever. The low center of gravity due to all of the weight (battery pack) being at axle level really helps in this regard, but the McLaren inspired air suspension is also a big part of it.
  • It’s quiet. Very quiet. Elmer Fud would approve.
  • Lots of storage. Gear tunnel between the rear seats and bed, and the frunk, are both massive and things never before seen in a pickup.
  • The computer seems to be dead-on for estimating remaining range.
  • Interior is super comfortable and well thought out. Definitely feels like a luxury cabin.
  • Meridian sound system is excellent. Comparable or better than what I’d expect in a luxury car. Has integrated Spotify, but you need a Spotify account to use it.
  • Fit and finish are overall pretty good. I’ve got a service ticket in for some weatherstripping that isn’t attached properly, and in direct sunlight I can see some tiger striping on the hood (looks to be caused by a less than great buff job). But panel gaps all seem to be consistent and properly aligned.
  • Driver+ self-driving system does a good job with the steering. I-80 from SLC to WY border goes through some winding canyons, and it tracked all of it very smoothly with minimal need to slow through the turns. It’s currently only available on “mapped roads” and for my area that means interstates. This will expand over time as they collect more data.
Things that can be improved or that I’ll need to get used to:
  • The adaptable cruise control that’s part of the Driver+ system leaves too much gap which results in people constantly cutting in. This makes it almost unusable for me if there’s much traffic.
  • No lane change ability on Driver+ which means you have to take over the steering to do a lane change and then re-initiate Driver+ afterwards. There’s also no “resume” for your speed so you have to manually get to the speed you want and then restart Driver+ or cruise control.
  • No support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You can stream music from your phone via Bluetooth and control playback via the main console screen, but can’t control other phones apps such as Waze. And no way to get your phone’s apps to output to the truck’s display.
  • Some things are over-engineered such as door locks and vent controls. These are controlled via the main screen vs. hard controls.
  • Keys are also a bit quirky. It comes with one fob, two key cards and a wristband. Fob isn’t proximity based, so you have to push the buttons to unlock the doors or open the frunk or tailgate. Wristband and keycards have to be tapped against the door handle to unlock them. It also supports “phone as a key” which is proximity based and unlocks as you approach the truck. Downside of this is that every time you get near the truck with your phone on you, it unlocks and “wakes up” the truck. Sometimes even from inside your house. I would have preferred a simple “touch the door handle with any key in your pocket” approach.
  • Despite the great “bulk” storage options, they seem to have taken a Tesla minimalist approach when it comes to places to store the little stuff. There’s no glove box and only two marginally adequate cup holders. Armrest console is a bottomless pit and needs some kind of organization. There’s another big open storage space on the floor between the two front seats where a console would have provide better utility IMO.
  • Gawkers. Lots of people coming up asking questions about the truck. Some people know what it is and want to know how I like it. Others have no clue and don’t seem to believe me when I tell them it’s built by a company they’ve never heard of. The worst, though, are the “gawk while driving” people pulling up beside you at 80mph and just staring vs. paying attention to their driving. Then pulling out there phones to take pictures. It’s kinda scary. Then you also have the people who want to race 🤷‍♂️.
The good thing about “computers with wheels” is that so much of it is software and can be changed/improved over time. I already got one software update that fixed an issue I had where no sound was coming from the speakers and also added integrated HomeLink garage door opener, among several other things. Hopefully a few of the negatives will be improved via software updates over time.

For those wanting some offroad reviews, Sandy Monroe has bought one that he’s going to completely tear down. But they did some testing with it beforehand. Sandy says it’s better than any Rubicon he’s ever owned, and that he was doing everything the non street legal suped up Jeeps were doing on the offroad course, and doing it “better and faster”. Here’s the video.

Click to expand...
Love the review, I for one would definitely be interested in hearing more as your journey continues.
 
bwanakubwa said:
Very interesting. What kind of range have you got? How long does it take to charge?
Click to expand...
EPA range is 314 miles in Standard drive mode. There’s a Conserve mode that only uses the two front motors that can extend that range ~5%. I’m averaging about 2 miles per kWh from a 135KWh pack, which would equate to about 270 miles. That’s driving it pretty aggressively and not in Conserve mode.

Charging speed varies greatly depending on the power output of the charger. At home I ran a 240v 60 amp circuit which allows me to charge at 48 amp continuous (about 1.1kW). That adds about 22 miles of range per hour, which would equate to about 13 hrs for a full charge. On the new Electrify American DC fast charger in Evanston, WY, it’s 150 kW and adds about 360 miles of range per hour (peak). Charging rate slows as the battery gets more full, so you’d still be looking at 60-90 minutes for a full charge on one of those.

With EV’s, it’s a bit of a different mindset and you’re seldom going from empty to full. Instead, you are just putting in enough to get to the next charger or your destination. Most charging is done at home, and at night where you can get lower power rates. At $0.08/KWh rate I pay at night, that would equate to $10.80 to fill it up. A comparable range on my 4Runner at the EPA 18 MPG and $4.50/gal for gas would cost almost $80.
 
Sounds pretty reasonable for a commuter vehicle and local excursions, but doesn't help me on long trips, so I'm still stuck with a gasser. I admire your driving your Tesla all the way to MN last year, but I'd go crazy doing that.

The day is coming when it will be feasible however. Just not certain I'll still need it when it happens.

Thanks for the review and keep the news coming. You are my go-to guy for opinions on electric vehicles. I hope to hear about you driving a Ford soon too.
 
BrentD said:
Sounds pretty reasonable for a commuter vehicle and local excursions, but doesn't help me on long trips, so I'm still stuck with a gasser. I admire your driving your Tesla all the way to MN last year, but I'd go crazy doing that.

The day is coming when it will be feasible however. Just not certain I'll still need it when it happens.

Thanks for the review and keep the news coming. You are my go-to guy for opinions on electric vehicles. I hope to hear about you driving a Ford soon too.
Click to expand...
Stopping to charge for 20-40 minutes every 2-3 hrs is something I’ve come to actually appreciate vs. dread. Especially on those really long multi-thousand milers! Yes, it adds some time to a trip, but it actually makes the drive more pleasant. At this stage of my life it helps enforce my desire to not be in such a rush all the time.

I will likely cancel my Ford Lightening reservation, or perhaps flip it if resale prices are high enough above sticker. Rivian’s are currently selling on the aftermarket for 60-80% more than what folks are paying for them new. There’s a lot of inpatient people with crazy money out there!
 
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