Finished R2 demo test drive? Share your review / impressions

[DuoRivian]

It's also two different sounds vs only one in R1. Probably to make it sound less like a dripping faucet.

I wondered if they piped it in via the speakers so it’s audible if music was playing and people don’t forget to switch it off. Assuming this could be modified with an update.

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[bpmcc503]

kind of boring route and a ton of traffic that time of day! Would be nice to take a quick run down 202 a bit. What’s the saying Better to ask for forgiveness than permission?

I took it down 202 to Gateway shopping center and back.

 

[hoys]

Did my demo today in Fishers, IN. The showroom was less than a week old, wild!

Coming from a Cadillac Lyriq, the R2 is incredibly sporty. I've been around EVs for awhile, but the R2 seemed near on par with many "luxury" features that I liked about my Lyriq, but a bit rougher than I had hoped. Probably one of the first ~250 R2s built so I can't be *too* picky, but I was hoping for a bit more polish. That being said, I'll for sure be buying an R2 when Borealis is available.

Acceleration, torque off the line, infotainment, all top notch.

The cooled seats are like a hair dryer on the cool setting! Not just a "suggestion" that my seat has cooling, you can tell.

The Half Moon Grey car on the showroom floor looked like it had been painted at three different times. The front bumper had one tint to the paint, the front fender meeting it had another, and the hood was slightly different again. Again, I'm being extremely nitpicky, I bet 90% wouldn't notice.

Polish missing in some door fitment, the seat backs didn't look very well assembled:

All very minor things that I'm sure will get sorted out after a few get built.

Go drive one!

 

[emroch]

He said Rivian were starting g with the first 15 minutes, then the next 15 minutes, then an hour, then a day and going out from there.

Did you get any sense of how quickly subsequent waves would roll out? My deposit confirmation was at 12:02pm CST on 3/7/24 so I should be right near the top, but I didn't get an invite today. Being in Austin and not a current R1 owner, maybe there are just too many people in the area that got pushed ahead of me.

I'm hoping they'll keep moving down the list a bit each day rather than waiting days or weeks between batches. But I also suppose they need to give each batch of people time to respond to the invite so the next batch doesn't steal their delivery window...

 

[TheLTrain]

Finished a drive today and loved it! The test drive is well-run - they give you a route and set you loose. Great acceleration and handling, tech was intuitive and snappy. I’ve seen people complain about the haptic wheels, but that was my favorite part. Navigating between menus was quick and easy, loved having climate controls at my fingertips. No more clicking through menus! Can’t wait to get mine!

 

[macb00kemdanno]

the seat backs didn't look very well assembled:

All very minor things that I'm sure will get sorted out after a few get built.

Go drive one!

I noticed that on my demo car as well

 

[ribuck97]

Took my test drive in the HMG demo model in Vista CA. Perhaps different from all, I drove the R2 then the R1S back to back.

R2 - More agile due to snappy steering response, quieter with little motor whine; Quick “go” pedal response; Black interior was really warm even with AC (I have white interior TM3)

Update - I had a problem with the haptic wheel in turns with my hand accidentally ramping up/down the volume of the music so had the SA mute the audio.

R1S - sluggish to get moving but that’s all. More spacious and its suspension handled the fast, bumpy roads and manual turns much better. This had Slate Sky interior which only needed little AC; Loud motor whine

The one thing I’m stuck with is that my back was hurting after the 30 min R2 ride testing moderate, firm and a bit of soft settings. Could be the position, could be I didn’t adjust the seat right, or that the suspension was actually harsh on the fast, bumpy road (Sprinting up and down Palomar Airport for those in the area). Hopped into the R1S, same route, alternated settings (no soft) and back was fine.

Overall think the R2 is an exceptional vehicle and I’m torn on which to possibly give up my TM3 for…

 

[r1tshivermetimbers]

So happen to be visiting in SF and was given 30 mins. Well built, responsive drive. Zippy. Everything worked well. Spacious back seat. Small nitpick- sound system not comparable to the LE Meridians. And oh … the phone charger and MagSafe works very well!

 

[Yamazaki]

Now that I've had some more time to look over my notes (and move pictures over from my phone), I can add to my earlier "review" (which just said the R2 isn't for the vertically-challenged).

As @VegasWeezy said, the Las Vegas tester was a HMG on 21". It also didn't have Rivian Assistant, Autonomy, a tow hitch, or some of other things that the production cars have. The Rivian chaperone said it was a pre-production model.
As everybody has already said, it drove well enough. It's not like we could take it off-road or on an autocross track, so I really didn't get to determine any kind of limits.

I was a little surprised that the top window wasn't radiating more heat, since it was very hot to the touch. One side effect of the wife having to move the seat all the way forward and up was that the electric button to open the door was in an inconvenient place for her. It was easier to just use the manual door release. I tried it too and actually found that to be more tactilely satisfying. I think that's how we'll open the door after we get ours.

I liked the soft-touch lighting in the overhead and that it had two light settings. There were also lit LED strips behind the door panels, which could barely be seen in the bright daytime. I wish we could do a test drive at night. It probably looks pretty nice.

I noticed that the little "aero wing" area on the top rear of the car is going to take a little more effort to keep clean. A car wash is going to miss it and it isn't easy to reach everywhere by hand.

I parked next to our Forester for a comparison. Even though the Forester is lifted, the R2 still looks like it's higher off the ground and at the same time a shorter overall height. Despite that it's roomier inside. I don't know what kind of wizardry they used to pull that off, but it'll take more effort from the wife to clutter it up with her junk, I'm sure.

 

[KRG]

I see you have a R1T - was there a noticeable performance difference between the 800+ hp of the R1 to the 650 hp of the R2 or does the weight difference balance it out?

I have a DM R1T so hp is similar, and the R2 felt significantly faster. With the R1, you feel the weight much more. The R2 takes off like a rocket and you don't feel the weight of it at all.

I've also driven several Gen 1 Quads, both R1S and R1T and to be completely honest, have never been absolutely wowed by the acceleration feel. The LE R2 felt faster to me. Zero throttle lag. The lesser weight of the R2 really makes a difference in the perception of speed. I suspect the R2 LE 0-60 is pretty close to the Gen 1 quad even though its officially rated a bit lower..but it definitely feels faster and more fun to drive. Getting back in my R1T after made it feel like a slug to be honest.

If anyone has driven a current Tesla Model S (non-plaid), I'd say the R2 LE acceleration feels comparable to that.

I've never driven a Gen 2 R1 so I cant compare to those. I'm sure the new Quad is absolutely insane. But for $60k the R2 Performance is also insane.

 

[KRG]

I just finished a first drive in the R2 at the Rivian South Coast Theater in Laguna Beach CA. Wow! I currently drive a Gen 2 R1S Quad and previously owned a Gen 1 R1S Quad. The R2 suspension in the Performance Edition is excellent. Plenty of power. Love the power window in the rear. First day reservation. Probably going with the Catalina Cove and 20” tires.
PS: I am jealous of the 2 glove boxes.

Aww. I used to live down the steet from the Laguna Space. I would always pop in for the various events and movies they would have. I miss it so much

I moved to Dallas for work/logistical reasons because I was travelling every other week and the west coast was very inconvenient. Texas sucks though, I will be leaving. I need mountains and ocean and nice weather again.

Since you have a G2 Quad vs my experience with the G1 Quad...I assume your G2 still feels much quicker than the R2 Performance?

 

[mkhuffman]

I have a DM R1T so hp is similar, and the R2 felt significantly faster. With the R1, you feel the weight much more. The R2 takes off like a rocket and you don't feel the weight of it at all.

I've also driven several Gen 1 Quads, both R1S and R1T and to be completely honest, have never been absolutely wowed by the acceleration feel. The LE R2 felt faster to me. Zero throttle lag. The lesser weight of the R2 really makes a difference in the perception of speed. I suspect the R2 LE 0-60 is pretty close to the Gen 1 quad even though its officially rated a bit lower..but it definitely feels faster and more fun to drive. Getting back in my R1T after made it feel like a slug to be honest.

If anyone has driven a current Tesla Model S (non-plaid), I'd say the R2 LE acceleration feels comparable to that.

I've never driven a Gen 2 R1 so I cant compare to those. I'm sure the new Quad is absolutely insane. But for $60k the R2 Performance is also insane.

I do my around town driving in Sport mode. It makes a huge difference regarding responsiveness. Efficiency isn't great, but who cares when driving around town?

That said, I bet R2 Sport mode will feel more sporty than R1 Sport mode. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[KRG]

New here!

Had a chance to test drive in Costa Mesa location today. Overall it was all that I expected. I test drove a R1S about a month and a half ago and this R2 didn't feel any "lesser" than R1S in terms of materials. A lot of room in every seat as well, nothing felt cramped. I didn't get to test out the Audio since I didn't want to hook up my phone to Bluetooth during the test drive.

Loved all the storage, including 2 glove boxes. I gave it a bit of push on Sport mode which was great. Overall I think it's a great addition that I'm hoping for our household to add as a roadtrip car along with the Gravity.

I am looking forward to eventually getting the rooftop tent that Rivian has made for the R2.

Welcome!

 

[stevejust]

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

There was definitely less road noise than my GX460.

I have the Mark Levinson "premium sound" in my GX460, and like all Toyota products it's a turd of a sound system even with Levinson's name slapped on it. I'm going on a demo drive in an hour, so I'll get to hear it for myself soon.

 

[Joe Hoffman]

I’m an R1 S owner, test drove the R2 yesterday. I felt the ride quality was superior to my R1. No clunky sounds just simply smoother and handled rough roads better. I’m a big fan of the simplicity of suspension by getting rid of the air.
Overall, very impressed and I look forward to getting mine.

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