R2 Three Day Ownership Review. Comparison to R1T. Efficiency and Range data!

[VSG]

According to the Camissa video discussion in another thread, he mentioned that issue on the vehicle he had and they said that's an anomaly and it should be fully opening. Now, maybe their "fully open" is what Camissa was describing as 3/4ths open.

I have tried this on three different R2s , and they all behaved the same way - just like @Dark-Fx described: If you let it open by itself, the hood only goes up most of the way. When it stops, the U-shaped metal latch is about eye-level (I'm 6') and about 18 inches away from my eyes . Easily reachable by most.

You can, if you want, push the hood higher. Maybe another 18". At that point it is still reachable by me, but my arm is close to full extension.

I don't know if this is intentional or not - as the hood raises the angle of the strut changes, there's less leverage, and as it gets near full extension the push gets weaker and slower, so it stops itself before full height. Perhaps the struts aren't performing up to spec, but it sort of seems intentional to me.

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[kurtlikevonnegut]

Not "patently false" at least as regards removing the headrest. The OP said "not easily" - and requiring a dedicated 3mm dowel pin qualifies as "not easy" vs many others that simply allow you to push a large button or latch and pop the headrest off.

Not trying to be pedantic here, but the post I quoted specifically said "Not removable" and then quoted an article that says "not easily removable." I promise most people have a 3mm object that's sufficiently rigid to be used in lieu of a dowel. Is it something you want to do every day? No. Is it something that is cumbersome to do when installing a car seat? Also no.

 

[rvnxyz001]

Sorry but this is patently false. RTFM

Ok, but not adjustable

And I'm not sure why:
Removal and re-installation of the second-row outboard seat head restraints should only be performed by qualified service personnel.

This is what video mentions as well
I didn't read manual for sure , why would I

 

[Budman]

Awesome review. I'm pretty excited to see your data on range and compare it to the official TexasBob (but claude helped a little) range model which is a very good match at 55 mph. On the Edmunds test, which is very close to the drive you describe, Rivian on average undershoots its EPA by 2.2% which is also very consistent with what you are seeing here.

Any chance you are planning to do a full 70 or 75mph range test on this?

Here is a screenshot from today after 15 minutes at 72 mph on a level stretch of I-35. That’s about the best I can do

 

[Calilifer]

Awesome write-up @Budman, many thanks in particular for the data graph! I just picked-up an R1T and am very curious to see if I can improve on the "average" efficiency numbers in the same way I did for my Bolt EUV. I'm new to Rivian and had heard about the vampire drain but hadn't seen any real numbers. Cheers again for all the information.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

And I'm not sure why:
Removal and re-installation of the second-row outboard seat head restraints should only be performed by qualified service personnel.

This is what video mentions as well
I didn't read manual for sure , why would I

Because neither Rivian nor the person who made that video want to have their pants sued off if a person removes it and leaves it out or reinstalls it improperly and then breaks their neck in an accident.

 

[rvnxyz001]

Because neither Rivian nor the person who made that video want to have their pants sued off if a person removes it and leaves it out or reinstalls it improperly and then breaks their neck in an accident.

Wondering what will be special in doing this at the service center, signing a waiver?

 

[VSG]

... requiring a dedicated 3mm dowel pin qualifies as "not easy" vs many others that simply allow you to push a large button or latch and pop the headrest off...

As I said above:

Actually, I don't think they're all that hard to remove after all. It says use a 3mm dowel pin, but an appropriate sized hex key will probably work just as well, and if it doesn't there's always another trip to Lowes on the to-do list ...

I don't have my R2 yet so I can't test it, but I am positive that least one of the Allen wrenches in my set will be the right diameter.

And frankly, the headrests on the R1 are extremely difficult to remove too unless you have a special tool. Shout out to forum member @raylepper for that R1 tool:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/2nd-row-headrest-removal-difficult.23505/#post-471358
he also sells this at
https://raylepper.com/products/rivian-headrest-removal-tool

I see this as a total non-problem with the R2. If you want to remove your rear heardrests for whatever reason, you can do it without too much trouble.

 

[TexasBob]

Here is a screenshot from today after 15 minutes at 72 mph on a level stretch of I-35. That’s about the best I can do

Thx The Model says this should be 2.95. Your showing 3.11 Feeling reasonably validated (lol). Looking a lot like a 250-260 mile range at 75 mph at your current consumption. Model was estimating 242 (15C, sea level). Going to be something very much like that.

 

[Budman]

Thx The Model says this should be 2.95. Your showing 3.11 Feeling reasonably validated (lol). Looking a lot like a 250-260 mile range at 75 mph at your current consumption. Model was estimating 242 (15C, sea level). Going to be something very much like that.

Just for completeness, 70 deg F and 5 mph tailwind.

 

[ksurfier]

We picked up our R2 on Monday the 29 from the Minneapolis service center.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...orning-june-29-so-far-so-good-vin-1588.60782/

We now have 263 miles on it including the 165 mile home-to-cabin trip we do frequently for which I also have extensive R1T gen 1 and gen 2 efficiency data for.

A lot to cover here. I'll try to be brief and compartmentalized.

TLDR: It's an awesome vehicle. Very impressed and happy so far. Lives up to all the claims and hype.


DELIVERY EXPERIENCE: This is our 3rd Rivan delivery and this one was just so-so. Delivery specialized was 15 minutes late then rushed a bit through our process as he had another delivery right after. These guys absolutely need to be smart phone specialists. Had some issues as we now have 2 Rivian and a shared Apple account between my wife and I. He had to some on the fly juggling but it all worked out.

FIT AND FINISH: I look hard, harder than I normally would, and cannot find any problems. I like the door handles much better than R1 because these (so far) don't have the squeak the R1's seem to have. The doors close and open better than R1.

R2 SOFTWARE MATURITY: We have 3 years of Rivian software experience so we know our way around it. R2 is a bit different than R1 so there is a bit of a learning curve. I poked around a lot in the software and have not identified any bugs or shortcoimings. Looking forward to the soon to be added pet mode though!

RIDE AND COMFORT: Quite good. Quiet and smooth. No wind noise. Seats are similar to R1 but not quite as comfortable. I was squirming a bit on our cabin trip this morning. Highway speed tracking was good, no tire balance issues or lane drift. Steering wheel alignment was good. No suspension rattles or creeks like R1.

CHARGING: At home no issues with a Grizzl-e charger and the Rivian Gear shop J-1772 to NACS converter. No fast charging yet.

HAPTIC WHEELS: Do basically the same functions as the 2-button 1-wheel setup on R1 but with one wheel. Nice but not revolutionary. As many have noted from test drives it seems hard to do a pull or push without a rotation but that does not seem to matter, the rotation is usually ignored. Seem tighter with a better feel than the test drive vehicle.

LIFT GATE AND FRUNK BUTTONS: Many (including us) experienced issues at first. But once we got the technique they work great. Put your finger on the button, give a quick press, remove finger. Do not let your finger linger, it won't do anything if you finger is still pushing the button.

R1 vs R2 SIZE. A few photo of the 2 vehicles with the back edges lined up.

R1T vs R2 FRUNK SIZE: Smaller than R1T for sure but I can still get my golf bag in there but I have to take my driver out and lay it atop the bag.

R2 Below

R2 CARGO SIZE: A true strength of this vehicle. Very spacious. I can get my large size frame mountain bike inside without removing a wheel.

CARGO AREA PROTECTION. I custom cut a piece of roofing membrane material to protect the floor. Cut slits to accommodate the 60/40 split so we can put a dog hammock on the 60 portion of the seating.

VAMPIRE DRAIN: Many, many threads on this forum about R1 vampire battery drain while parked. For 2 nights I left both our R1T and R2 unplugged in the garage over night with about 70% on the batteries. Using the "energy monitor" function on the software and looking at the "8 hour usage" screen I observed much less drain on the R2. The R1T had 0.9kwh and 0.8kwh those 2 nights. The R2 was 0.0 and 0.2 kwh. Encouraging.

EFFICENCY AND RANGE: Saved this for last as it takes the most explanation.

The short version; R2 is very efficiency and I achieved close to the Rivian stated range figures on our home-to-cabin run much as I did with the Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1Ts

The long version: We travel between our Minneapolis area home and our Hayward, WI area cabin very frequently, always taking the same route. I've recorded the efficiency reported by the vehicle many times. Today with the R2 is the 100th entry into the database so I have a very comprehensive dataset. Multiple vehicles, multiple configurations (bike racks, different tires, etc) across a temperature range from -10 to 90 deg F.

The route is about 40% interstate highway and 60% urban freeway and rural 55mph roads with multiple small towns to travel through. The trip is 165 miles and my average speed is around 54 mph. On this route I've basically achieved the Rivian/EPA stated range figures during the summer at temps around 75F.

My criteria for data recording. I only record the trip into the database if the wind is less than 10 mph, there is less than a 10deg temperature swing during the trip and if there is no abnormal traffic or construction delays. Many trips have not been included because of this criteria. In the winter I never intentionally precondition the battery nor pre-warm the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle is in a garage hooked to a 40 amp Level 2 charger where a charging session would have been completed anywhere from 0 to 8 hour before departure.


EFFICIENCY GRAPH: Efficiency data including; R1T Gen 2 dual motor max pack with 3 different tires. A Volvo XC40 recharge which is the vehicle we traded in for this Rivian R2.

The R2 is the green data point. It is impressively efficient, better than the much smaller Volvo XC40. The red dots are the Michelin Defender tires I recently installed on my R1T. In retrospect I wish I had stayed the Pirelli all seasons but that's a story for another thread.

RANGE GRAPH: Assuming usable battery capacities of 141 kWh for the Gen 2 R1T, 78 kWh for the XC40 and 89 kWh for the R2 the full pack range figures are shown in the graph below. I get very close to the advertised range on this route we drive.

I feel I must make this disclaimer as somebody with chime in and ask questions or disagree: This is NOT an estimate of a highway range test, I do not claim and Rivian does not claim you will achieve the EPA range in highway driving. The EPA test is a mix if city and highway driving that just so happens to align well with this route I drive.

ANYTHING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT OR ADDED TO THE R2: Cargo tie downs in the back cargo area....


ONE MORE THING. BOUNUS TOPIC ON LIFTING WITH A FLOOR JACK. A few weeks ago on this forum there was a thread about the jack points on the R2 and worries it was difficult to use, required special jack pucks and was downright unsafe. At the time I thought the whole thread was a nothing burger. I tried out my Husky floor jack this morning and yes, it was a big nothing burger. There is a nice rubber pad on the bottom of the vehicle frame. It is isolated enough and sticks out enough I could engage my floor jack with no issues. No jack puck required.

Great data point and comparison with XC40, this would seem to confirm R2 being slightly more efficient than the XC40 (5%?), does that seem right?

If so, this suggests:
R2 75-mph highway range = ~235 miles at 100% Road-trip usable 80% → 10% = ~165 miles 90% → 10% = ~188 miles

 

[Budman]

Great data point and comparison with XC40, this would seem to confirm R2 being slightly more efficient than the XC40 (5%?), does that seem right?

If so, this suggests:
R2 75-mph highway range = ~235 miles at 100% Road-trip usable 80% → 10% = ~165 miles 90% → 10% = ~188 miles

Your numbers might be just a tad low. I saw 3.11 at 72 mph which would be 276 miles at 100% and 72 mph and 70 deg F.

 

[dannyq2]

Thank you for the detailed write up. This has been very helpful since this will be the first EV in the household. Can't thank you enough for the real-life data.

 

[mclark2112]

I am so psyched to get my VIN, I hope it's soon! Thanks for the thorough writeup.

 

[VegasWeezy]

We picked up our R2 on Monday the 29 from the Minneapolis service center.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...orning-june-29-so-far-so-good-vin-1588.60782/

We now have 263 miles on it including the 165 mile home-to-cabin trip we do frequently for which I also have extensive R1T gen 1 and gen 2 efficiency data for.

A lot to cover here. I'll try to be brief and compartmentalized.

TLDR: It's an awesome vehicle. Very impressed and happy so far. Lives up to all the claims and hype.


DELIVERY EXPERIENCE: This is our 3rd Rivan delivery and this one was just so-so. Delivery specialized was 15 minutes late then rushed a bit through our process as he had another delivery right after. These guys absolutely need to be smart phone specialists. Had some issues as we now have 2 Rivian and a shared Apple account between my wife and I. He had to some on the fly juggling but it all worked out.

FIT AND FINISH: I look hard, harder than I normally would, and cannot find any problems. I like the door handles much better than R1 because these (so far) don't have the squeak the R1's seem to have. The doors close and open better than R1.

R2 SOFTWARE MATURITY: We have 3 years of Rivian software experience so we know our way around it. R2 is a bit different than R1 so there is a bit of a learning curve. I poked around a lot in the software and have not identified any bugs or shortcoimings. Looking forward to the soon to be added pet mode though!

RIDE AND COMFORT: Quite good. Quiet and smooth. No wind noise. Seats are similar to R1 but not quite as comfortable. I was squirming a bit on our cabin trip this morning. Highway speed tracking was good, no tire balance issues or lane drift. Steering wheel alignment was good. No suspension rattles or creeks like R1.

CHARGING: At home no issues with a Grizzl-e charger and the Rivian Gear shop J-1772 to NACS converter. No fast charging yet.

HAPTIC WHEELS: Do basically the same functions as the 2-button 1-wheel setup on R1 but with one wheel. Nice but not revolutionary. As many have noted from test drives it seems hard to do a pull or push without a rotation but that does not seem to matter, the rotation is usually ignored. Seem tighter with a better feel than the test drive vehicle.

LIFT GATE AND FRUNK BUTTONS: Many (including us) experienced issues at first. But once we got the technique they work great. Put your finger on the button, give a quick press, remove finger. Do not let your finger linger, it won't do anything if you finger is still pushing the button.

R1 vs R2 SIZE. A few photo of the 2 vehicles with the back edges lined up.

R1T vs R2 FRUNK SIZE: Smaller than R1T for sure but I can still get my golf bag in there but I have to take my driver out and lay it atop the bag.

R2 Below

R2 CARGO SIZE: A true strength of this vehicle. Very spacious. I can get my large size frame mountain bike inside without removing a wheel.

CARGO AREA PROTECTION. I custom cut a piece of roofing membrane material to protect the floor. Cut slits to accommodate the 60/40 split so we can put a dog hammock on the 60 portion of the seating.

VAMPIRE DRAIN: Many, many threads on this forum about R1 vampire battery drain while parked. For 2 nights I left both our R1T and R2 unplugged in the garage over night with about 70% on the batteries. Using the "energy monitor" function on the software and looking at the "8 hour usage" screen I observed much less drain on the R2. The R1T had 0.9kwh and 0.8kwh those 2 nights. The R2 was 0.0 and 0.2 kwh. Encouraging.

EFFICENCY AND RANGE: Saved this for last as it takes the most explanation.

The short version; R2 is very efficiency and I achieved close to the Rivian stated range figures on our home-to-cabin run much as I did with the Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1Ts

The long version: We travel between our Minneapolis area home and our Hayward, WI area cabin very frequently, always taking the same route. I've recorded the efficiency reported by the vehicle many times. Today with the R2 is the 100th entry into the database so I have a very comprehensive dataset. Multiple vehicles, multiple configurations (bike racks, different tires, etc) across a temperature range from -10 to 90 deg F.

The route is about 40% interstate highway and 60% urban freeway and rural 55mph roads with multiple small towns to travel through. The trip is 165 miles and my average speed is around 54 mph. On this route I've basically achieved the Rivian/EPA stated range figures during the summer at temps around 75F.

My criteria for data recording. I only record the trip into the database if the wind is less than 10 mph, there is less than a 10deg temperature swing during the trip and if there is no abnormal traffic or construction delays. Many trips have not been included because of this criteria. In the winter I never intentionally precondition the battery nor pre-warm the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle is in a garage hooked to a 40 amp Level 2 charger where a charging session would have been completed anywhere from 0 to 8 hour before departure.


EFFICIENCY GRAPH: Efficiency data including; R1T Gen 2 dual motor max pack with 3 different tires. A Volvo XC40 recharge which is the vehicle we traded in for this Rivian R2.

The R2 is the green data point. It is impressively efficient, better than the much smaller Volvo XC40. The red dots are the Michelin Defender tires I recently installed on my R1T. In retrospect I wish I had stayed the Pirelli all seasons but that's a story for another thread.

RANGE GRAPH: Assuming usable battery capacities of 141 kWh for the Gen 2 R1T, 78 kWh for the XC40 and 89 kWh for the R2 the full pack range figures are shown in the graph below. I get very close to the advertised range on this route we drive.

I feel I must make this disclaimer as somebody with chime in and ask questions or disagree: This is NOT an estimate of a highway range test, I do not claim and Rivian does not claim you will achieve the EPA range in highway driving. The EPA test is a mix if city and highway driving that just so happens to align well with this route I drive.

ANYTHING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT OR ADDED TO THE R2: Cargo tie downs in the back cargo area....


ONE MORE THING. BOUNUS TOPIC ON LIFTING WITH A FLOOR JACK. A few weeks ago on this forum there was a thread about the jack points on the R2 and worries it was difficult to use, required special jack pucks and was downright unsafe. At the time I thought the whole thread was a nothing burger. I tried out my Husky floor jack this morning and yes, it was a big nothing burger. There is a nice rubber pad on the bottom of the vehicle frame. It is isolated enough and sticks out enough I could engage my floor jack with no issues. No jack puck required.

Thank you for the awesome writeup and detailed info. One question I’ve been looking to have answered, what is the shortest distance from the back of the backseat to the tailgate when it’s closed? Looking to see if a particular item will fit.

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