Finished R2 demo test drive? Share your review / impressions

[staples]

For me, it was everything I expected. Smooth ride, all the Rivian comforts, similar intuitive UI, good size, spacious interior... etc.

The scroll wheels are interesting. I personally had a bit of trouble clicking left and right on the wheel without scrolling at the same time, but probably gets easier with practice.

As an LE R1 owner the autonomous driving was nice and worked well for the couple blocks I tried it.

The wife commented that it's the only test ride she's taken where she didn't identify major negatives from a vehicle.

Pleasant surprise: The all windows switch is a nice feature.

What are others experiences from their test drives?

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[Dark-Fx]

For me, it was everything I expected. Smooth ride, all the Rivian comforts, similar intuitive UI, good size, spacious interior... etc.

The scroll wheels are interesting. I personally had a bit of trouble clicking left and right on the wheel without scrolling at the same time, but probably gets easier with practice.

As an LE R1 owner the autonomous driving was nice and worked well for the couple blocks I tried it.

The wife commented that it's the only test ride she's taken where she didn't identify major negatives from a vehicle.

Pleasant surprise: The all windows switch is a nice feature.

What are others experiences from their test drives?

Quieter, better composed, all purpose accelerates a little harder. Amazing that they just started making the cars.

Oh, and the rear door emergency release is super easy, should not be a concern of anyone.

 

[jonallan]

Echoing everything above.

I'm a long term Tesla owner without R1 experience (outside of demo drives) and I was pleasantly surprised with the aggressiveness of regen. In the latest 3 & Y software updates, Tesla seemed to have toned down regen and I appreciated having the options of a high regen mode.

 

[Redline]

I'm in a Gen1 R1S so I'm not even really up to speed on what the capabilities are as of today on an R2.

 

[SEPA R1T]

Quieter, better composed, all purpose accelerates a little harder. Amazing that they just started making the cars.

Oh, and the rear door emergency release is super easy, should not be a concern of anyone.

Your comment about it being "quieter, better composed, and all purpose accelerating harder", is that compared to your Gen 1 T, Gen 2 S, both, or something else? Or compared to your expectations?

 

[macb00kemdanno]

Quiet, drove well, plenty of acceleration, and the back seat was HUGE compared to our 2023 Model Y. Makes our Model Y seem like archaic in road manners.

Frunk was out of sorts, though. It took multiple tries for the sales rep and me to get it to open. Then, once it opened, it didn't reach the top of its range. The sales rep had to push it the rest of the way. Pushing it down to close took way more force than I expected to get it to latch for soft-close.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Your comment about it being "quieter, better composed, and all purpose accelerating harder", is that compared to your Gen 1 T, Gen 2 S, both, or something else? Or compared to your expectations?

All of them. Granted, I had a sales guy with me, so I didn't drive as hard as I do sometimes with my own cars, but it was enough to know. I got back in my R1S and felt the minor hesitation under hard accel that I don't think I felt on the R2.

I'm not sure I am a fan of the halo wheels, but I think my main issue was trying to displace them instead of just applying pressure. Hard to get them to "click" and not accidentally roll them. I'm sure day 2 it would be a non-issue though.

Definitely excited about it overall.

 

[narmstrong79]

I'm excited for R2, but not sure I can part with my R1S. How does the ride quality fell compared to R1 ?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Echoing everything above.

I'm a long term Tesla owner without R1 experience (outside of demo drives) and I was pleasantly surprised with the aggressiveness of regen. In the latest 3 & Y software updates, Tesla seemed to have toned down regen and I appreciated having the options of a high regen mode.

You will get used to it. And with a heavier car, with more momentum once at speed, stronger regen is a plus not a negative. It's also dialed back in snow mode, to mitigate chance of skidding. Plus, in the R2 you are sitting higher (and more upright) than in the MY and further from center of mass. That makes a difference in how your body experiences and interprets inertia.

I got back in my R1S and felt the minor hesitation under hard accel that I don't think I felt on the R2.

Difference in power to weight ratio perhaps?

 

[jonallan]

You will get used to it. And with a heavier car, with more momentum once at speed, stronger regen is a plus not a negative. It's also dialed back in snow mode, to mitigate chance of skidding. Plus, in the R2 you are sitting higher (and more upright) than in the MY and further from center of mass. That makes a difference in how your body experiences and interprets inertia.



Difference in power to weight ratio perhaps?

Oh absolutely, I have no doubt. When I first picked up a Tesla back in 2018/2019, there was an option to set regen mode to be pretty aggressive. They tweaked things at some point and it's never felt the same to me. Not sure if it was the newer model or just a software update. Regardless, I very much see high regen as a plus and not a negative for normal driving. I think the only time I dialed it down was when conditions were icy or slick.

 

[atx_wapiti]

Y'all have got me excited for my test drive in just over an hour

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Oh absolutely, I have no doubt. When I first picked up a Tesla back in 2018/2019, there was an option to set regen mode to be pretty aggressive. They tweaked things at some point and it's never felt the same to me. Not sure if it was the newer model or just a software update. Regardless, I very much see high regen as a plus and not a negative for normal driving. I think the only time I dialed it down was when conditions were icy or slick.

When I got my R1T, first EV, I was told by the delivery guide to use low regen. Was told the same thing by First Mile demo guide months prior. For me, it was bad advice. I found myself always second guessing if it was going to come to a stop in time and consistently manually braking too soon or a little late. It was just harder to judge. For normal daily driving, I found high regen to be more consistent, predictable and confidence building. Within the first week my driving was no longer herky-jerky. I think low regen has a place, like spirited canyon carving or on a track.

 

[tobyringle]

Overall great experience. A bit shocked I was the only one there when I arrived. I assumed it would be crowded with people wanting to see it in person. They just gave me the "keys" and asked I be back in 30 minutes. A bit nervous driving it, to be honest. Very solid, very quiet. Much quieter than our R1S. Forgot to even roll down the back window during my drive to see how that felt. Really anxious to see if they nail point to point navigation. Holding off until that has been released and reviewed. Rivian did a great job with the R2!

 

[Guuma]

Anyone care to comment on how the found the efficiency during your short rides?

 

[Dark-Fx]

You will get used to it. And with a heavier car, with more momentum once at speed, stronger regen is a plus not a negative. It's also dialed back in snow mode, to mitigate chance of skidding. Plus, in the R2 you are sitting higher (and more upright) than in the MY and further from center of mass. That makes a difference in how your body experiences and interprets inertia.



Difference in power to weight ratio perhaps?

That's a part of it, but it more feels like they aren't waiting for the weight to shift nearly as long. No-where near the front-end rise, either.

No launch mode yet. It seemed like it might work in the same manner, but I was watching the available power gauge drop continuously as I was holding both pedals down at a light.

Decided not to break their new shiny thing and took off normally. I don't want to be remembered as "that guy"

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