Finished R2 demo test drive? Share your review / impressions

[Dark-Fx]

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

2.75 mi/kwh ish on the freeway, 3.75 or higher around town with 45 mph roads. I did not pay much attention to it.

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[artuvian]

I thought the Regen was relatively weak, when at the highest setting. That and the wireless charger not working are the only cons for me. I had trouble clicking the scroll wheel without scrolling as well, but experience and software update should fix that.

Sound system was excellent, acceleration in sport mode was excellent.

Loved the view from the driver's seat.

AC control & vents are much better than my wife's Model Y Juniper.

Didn't try the autopilot. Love the driver's screen that Tesla doesn't have

 

[netjack]

Million dollar question - are there grab handles??

 

[savethemanual]

Just back from my drive, very impressed with how put together and polished the vehicle is. Catalina Cove is gorgeous! But my salesmen told me Costal Cloud won't be available until August and no launch editions will come with it. So I will wait for that. I did log into Apple Music, the stereo is good but not great in my opinion (Model Y is great). The sub seems to be in the lower front dash area, I felt it washed out some of the mids/highs and the sub drops out when over 20 (system goes to 30). Should of designed it to be at the rear of the vehicle.

 

[savethemanual]

Million dollar question - are there grab handles??

I'll answer for 2 cents...NOPE.

 

[jonallan]

Million dollar question - are there grab handles??

 

[Dark-Fx]

Million dollar question - are there grab handles??

Not sure what you need to grab. I can see the roof of the car when standing normally.

 

[artuvian]

Million dollar question - are there grab handles??

Nope

 

[NinjaWrap]

But my salesmen told me Costal Cloud won't be available until August and no launch editions will come with it.

Coming in August but those won't be launch editions anymore? I wonder how many launch editions they plan on selling then?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I thought the Regen was relatively weak, when at the highest setting. That and the wireless charger not working are the only cons for me. I had trouble clicking the scroll wheel without scrolling as well, but experience and software update should fix that.

Sound system was excellent, acceleration in sport mode was excellent.

Loved the view from the driver's seat.

AC control & vents are much better than my wife's Model Y Juniper.

Didn't try the autopilot. Love the driver's screen that Tesla doesn't have

Interesting. Multiple reviews out saying the sound system is a unenthusiastic "good". One goes further, saying there are no speakers in the doors and the positive trade-off from that is less road noise and larger space for large water bottles.

Grab handles... It's not as large or tall as the R1S. Unless you are below average height, one shouldn't need them.

 

[artuvian]

Interesting. Multiple reviews out saying the sound system is a unenthusiastic "good". One goes further, saying there are no speakers in the doors and the positive trade-off from that is less road noise and larger space for large water bottles.

Grab handles... It's not as large or tall as the R1S. Unless you are below average height, one shouldn't need them.

Well, I may just have low standards for audio, lol.

There was definitely less road noise than my GX460.

 

[Blue in NC]

Coming in August but those won't be launch editions anymore? I wonder how many launch editions they plan on selling then?

Yes, I am going to question the validity of the statement that launch editions will not include the light interior. My guess is they will make launch editions available until about the time that Lidar comes online. The launch edition gives people incentive to buy now and not wait.

 

[blipit]

Interesting. Multiple reviews out saying the sound system is a unenthusiastic "good". One goes further, saying there are no speakers in the doors and the positive trade-off from that is less road noise and larger space for large water bottles.

Grab handles... It's not as large or tall as the R1S. Unless you are below average height, one shouldn't need them.

Two negatives that have stuck out in reviews, sound system not very good. Wind noise at highway speeds, near top of windows.

 

[atx_wapiti]

Just got back from my very short test drive here in Austin, they had me go to a nearby coffee shop and then turn around to come back - no highway driving and no good chances to really put it through its paces. I will say that the stance of the vehicle is very different from my Model Y and the Hyundai Tucson I used to own. It loved the forward visibility, but there is a major issue being able to actually check your driver's side blind spot (maybe I just need to tweak my seating position. I know I could just check the camera view on the small screen, but I am a habitual turn to check person. I also just have a learning curve with the UI because I have not daily driven a Rivian, I don't see that being a long-term issue.

I purposefully kept the sound system off because I really wanted to check the road noise... it is SO much quieter than my Model Y (pre-refresh). Turned the AC fan speed down as well so I could get a good idea of the noise. The cabin is very quiet; fans and the motor regen whine are the loudest noises in the cabin. Dropped all of the windows for a bit and that control is very nice, the rear glass did not immediately respond to being raised - that could just be a software hiccup.

The frunk needs some serious love, it does not open enough, and I can see giving myself more than one headache because of that. I also found it pretty tough to close because of how tall the front end is.

Vented front seats are wonderful and cool you off very quickly. You can definitely tell they have a strong fan in there because the seat does vibrate when it is on high or mid settings. I did not try any of the heated options because it is over 90F here today.

Interior finishes are nice and well put together. There are no "Oh Shit" bars for passengers, that would have been nice for folks in the back seat just because I see it being easy to throw folks around back there with how this thing handles. The turning radius I experienced in the parking lot at the coffee shop was impressive, definitely felt tighter than the Model Y.

At the end of it they said to just keep an eye out for emails to configure and get in line to place an order. If lease rates are really as rough as they currently look to be I will probably hold out until the LIDAR refresh comes, I don't want to purchase this version of the R2 and I don't want to burn money with the current lease offerings.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Hot take: we haven't test driven a vehicle in ages.

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