Off-roading is one of those activities that asks a lot from both human and machine. It’s physically demanding, mentally taxing, and brutally honest. Get it right, and it’s deeply satisfying. Get it wrong, and you’re stuck, broken, or worse. For some, it’s a weekend escape. For folks like farmers, rescue teams, and those living in rural communities, it’s a necessity.
And it’s because of that wide spectrum that I genuinely don’t know how to feel about Rivian’s newly patented “virtual off-road coach.”
At its core, off-roading is about connection. You read the terrain, feel for grip, listen to what the machine is telling you, and make decisions in real time. There’s skill involved. Judgment. Experience. A bit of bravery. That’s the whole appeal. Whether you’re crawling rocks in a UTV, threading a trail on an ADV bike, or picking lines in a side-by-side, the fun comes from figuring it out yourself. It’s challenging, engaging, and yes, sometimes sketchy. And that's the whole point of it.
