Thoughts from people who have seen the R2 in person.

[tate16t]

The intent was to keep the cost down.

Sponsored

 

[cbrcanuck]

Dang call me an idiot but I just realized I call haul 2x4’s bc the rear window rolls down. That’s awesome. I knew the window rolled down but didn’t think about the hauling possibilities.

That stuff can also go on the roof racks

 

[Lindsay VW of Dulles]

Saw the pre production R2 and R3 in person at the Rivian GA factory celebration last September.

A lot of people super excited about R2, myself included! However, I think once the initial hype dies down and we start to see these on the road daily, it will be evident that as amazing as the R2 is, the R1 is still of course the more premium choice.

As we're fortunate to speak with tens of R1 owners on a daily basis, I've heard a lot of R1 owners excited for R2 and wanting to offload their R1's for the R2. Personally, I feel some of these owners will regret "downgrading" to the R2 after the honeymoon phase.

Have to think of it like a Model X to Model Y.

Example: If you had a 2024-2025 Model X in the exact spec you like, with low miles, a payoff balance that of the cost of an R2, would you really want to let it go for a Model Y? Or a full size Range Rover / Sport to a Range Rover Velar?

R2 will have its market position where it is intended to be, and Rivian will kill it with sales as they scale production, benefiting all owners and investors. We all just need to remember that while it's incredible, this is Rivians mass market volume car.

 

[iamnid]

Probably the "biggest" one is no electrochromic glass roof on R2. There's also no air compressor.

My R1 doesn't have either of those features either

 

[Timbuk2000]

LindsayVW makes some great points. I went from a Model X, purchased in 2016, to a very early Model 3 Extended Range in 2018. The X and as cool, but quirky, so I drove the Model 3 until I purchased my R1S Quad in 2023. At the time I had a Suburban and sold it and the Model 3. I traded the R1S for a 2026 Quad and plan the enjoy it for a while. Maybe even take it to the drag strip.
I ordered an R2 on 3/7/24 and can’t wait to purchase it. I did attend the Venice Block Party and loved what I could see and touch on the R2. It will not replace the R1, but it isn’t supposed to. Rivian hit it out of the park with the R2 as a mass market vehicle. Can’t wait to demo one!

 

[JeepEVer]

I prefer the premium features in a vehicle, and usually spend the money since I keep these extremely nice vehicles for a very long time. But the R1S is just too damn big for daily use, and it costs too much. The additional storage space in the R2 may be sufficient to not have to use a roof rack on some of our trips with the Jeep.

If the R2X ever happens it may be worth considering trading in an early R2. I will assume the R2X comes with a tri-motor and more premium interior touches. And of course Gen 3 hardware and the LiDAR.

 

[DuoRivian]

I prefer the premium features in a vehicle, and usually spend the money since I keep these extremely nice vehicles for a very long time. But the R1S is just too damn big for daily use, and it costs too much. The additional storage space in the R2 may be sufficient to not have to use a roof rack on some of our trips with the Jeep.

If the R2X ever happens it may be worth considering trading in an early R2. I will assume the R2X comes with a tri-motor and more premium interior touches. And of course Gen 3 hardware and the LiDAR.

Gen 3 autonomy (RAP1 and LiDAR) but the rest of the computer has just been updated in R2 so unlikely to change soon.

 

[bronco7777]

As I write this i just literally got back from seeing the R2 in person at the Atlanta Block party. As a current R1S Quad owner I was impressed at how good it was. The materials overall felt better than I expected. If you are expecting 100k finishes in a 50K - 60K car; then I think that is unreasonable. Yet I felt like I wasn't really cheated. The seats were great and the tech is fantastic. Yeah, everything is smaller...and that's the point. If you want to pay less then you're going to have to be realistic and accept some concessions. I personally don't care for the black interior; and that's all they have at the moment. But the seats felt almost as good as the R1. The space in the back row is incredible. We also put the seats down and entered through the back of the car to lie down on the Rivian camping mattresses. There's tons of space to camp inside of the car. We only had a few minutes with each car as the line to see these vehicles wrapped around the building. Nonethless, I was really impressed at how Rivian kept this car feeling like something much more premium than it is.

 

[bridgh2o]

If there is no chromatic roof is Rivian going to furnish a cover to block the sun? I don't like wearing a cap in the car all the time.

 

[Jeremy3292]

As I write this i just literally got back from seeing the R2 in person at the Atlanta Block party. As a current R1S Quad owner I was impressed at how good it was. The materials overall felt better than I expected. If you are expecting 100k finishes in a 50K - 60K car; then I think that is unreasonable. Yet I felt like I wasn't really cheated. The seats were great and the tech is fantastic. Yeah, everything is smaller...and that's the point. If you want to pay less then you're going to have to be realistic and accept some concessions. I personally don't care for the black interior; and that's all they have at the moment. But the seats felt almost as good as the R1. The space in the back row is incredible. We also put the seats down and entered through the back of the car to lie down on the Rivian camping mattresses. There's tons of space to camp inside of the car. We only had a few minutes with each car as the line to see these vehicles wrapped around the building. Nonethless, I was really impressed at how Rivian kept this car feeling like something much more premium than it is.

How is trunk space since it seems they gave some room to the 2nd row, which would in theory eat away at trunk space?

 

[sparked]

How is trunk space since it seems they gave some room to the 2nd row, which would in theory eat away at trunk space?

I think people compare it to the Honda CR-V.

 

[Teledatageek]

As I write this i just literally got back from seeing the R2 in person at the Atlanta Block party. As a current R1S Quad owner I was impressed at how good it was. The materials overall felt better than I expected. If you are expecting 100k finishes in a 50K - 60K car; then I think that is unreasonable. Yet I felt like I wasn't really cheated. The seats were great and the tech is fantastic. Yeah, everything is smaller...and that's the point. If you want to pay less then you're going to have to be realistic and accept some concessions. I personally don't care for the black interior; and that's all they have at the moment. But the seats felt almost as good as the R1. The space in the back row is incredible. We also put the seats down and entered through the back of the car to lie down on the Rivian camping mattresses. There's tons of space to camp inside of the car. We only had a few minutes with each car as the line to see these vehicles wrapped around the building. Nonethless, I was really impressed at how Rivian kept this car feeling like something much more premium than it is.

Agree 100%. I was also at the ATL block party - yesterday. I thought the seats were nicer than my '23 R1T, but of course sitting in them for 60 seconds is very different than driving - so we'll see. Tech was great. Can't wait for our number to come up and trade in the MachE! As an aside, the R2 felt much more premium than our Mach E GT - ironically about the same price last year as the R2 launch edition.

 

[bronco7777]

How is trunk space since it seems they gave some room to the 2nd row, which would in theory eat away at trunk space?

I found the trunk to be nicely sized. Under the floor of the trunk there's tons of space including an area made to fit a tire. But if you don't utilize a spare, then you can easily store an extra carry-on sized luggage and some other decently sized items down there. Yes, the second row was made larger and you definitely feel that with the amount of leg room available. Nonetheless the trunk is still pretty roomy.
According to what I found:
The second row of the Rivian R2 provides approximately 40.4 inches of legroom and 40.9 inches of headroom, with the cargo depth behind the upright second row measuring about 36.5 inches.
Second Row Legroom and Headroom
The R2 is designed to comfortably seat five adults, with rear legroom of 40.4 inches and rear headroom of 40.9 inches, ensuring ample space even for taller passengers. The flat floor and well-proportioned seating layout contribute to a spacious feel in the cabin, making the second row suitable for long trips or accommodating child seats with ISOFIX/LATCH anchorages.

Cargo Depth Behind Second Row
For cargo purposes, the depth from the back of the second-row seats to the rear of the cabin measures approximately 36.5 inches. This dimension is useful for understanding how much space is available for items placed directly behind the second row without folding the seats. With the rear seats folded flat, the cargo area extends further, providing roughly 75 inches of length for larger items or car camping setups.
The R1S second row has approximately 37" of legroom. So that's about 3.4" more for the R2 passengers. The cargo area of the R1S (behind the third row) is 38.6". The cargo area behind the second row of the R2 is 36.5. Therefore 2.1 inches less of cargo for the R2.

So not much space lost in the cargo area if you look at what's also available under the floor...IMO. Again, it's important to note the R2 is designed to be smaller. Overall the R2 is 15" less (front to back) in comparison to the R1. I've never been inside a Honda CR-V so I couldn't comment on the comparison to that.

 

[bronco7777]

I will say the cargo area where you have the bumps of the wheel wells seem to have that type of plastic that can easily scratch. I'm not sure of this but that is what I thought in the moment I was there. I'm personally picky on that type of plastic. I know its the cargo area and it's supposed to get beat up...but that's just my personal quirk. I only saw this plastic in that cargo area of the car. So I'll probably need to find a way to cover those spots if I get the car. I didn't notice that plastic in the main cabin. Although we only had two minutes there. But while I was in the main cabin everything felt as premium as it could be.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I was at the ATL block party as well. Lines were long and I was there early! Love to see the excitement.

Some takeaways and observations:

-Rivian nailed the size. Not huge on the outside but plenty on the inside. Kudos. I can't wait to drive it!
-The software felt crisp. Brief interaction but hopefully it remains that way at launch.
-Overall, material quality and fit and finish were solid. Definitely cheaper materials than the R1 but in areas you likely wouldn't notice. Cup holder did feel flimsy on sliding out though. Hopefully that is improved for customer models.
-The colors and wheels both look better in person. Catalina Cove is certainly darker than I expected. Still a nice color, but not for me. Midnight was classy and Half Moon Grey is leagues better in person. With an El Cap R1 sitting outside, I'll eat my words. Rivian did great here in updating that color.
-Frunk is also bigger in person. Photos don't do it justice. Not R1 big but certainly class leading by a long shot. Love the soft close feature. Brilliant!
-Backseats were spacious but the bench sat rather low. It felt like my knees were floating in space. Not a deal breaker but noticeable for sure.

So as someone who has been overall happy but not elated about the R2 so far, I'd say it would likely meet or exceed most people's expectations. These will sell well, I have no doubt about it.

Sponsored