Finished R2 demo test drive? Share your review / impressions

[ukyank]

the wireless charger not working are the only cons for me.

Ugh. Why is this simple tech such an achilles heal for them

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[Yamazaki]

Just got back from our test drive....
The 4'10" wife could barely reach the pedals. She said driving wasn't comfortable because her back wasn't in the seat properly. As for the frunk - It was hot as $!&T out so we just pulled down on the latch and then pushed on the Rivian emblem to close it.
She has to jump a little to reach the button for the tailgate though (since the height isn't adjustable). She also commented on the lack of grab handles.

Her takeaway - The R2 is not made with short people in mind. She didn't have any issues when we drove the R1S.

The other thing for me was that they couldn't explain the exact difference between the active suspension and regular suspension on the Premium model other than "you can make it stiffer"...
Bedroom talk aside, they couldn't tell me specifically what that meant.

 

[KRG]

I loved it. Had a lot of fun. They let me take it myself so I floored it and drove it pretty aggressively. I AM that guy.

Feels very well sported. You can immediately feel the weight difference as well. It’s very fast to the point that I think they’re underrating the 0-60. Steering was precise and had none of the vibration I get in my R1. I sat lower in the car vs R1, so more of a sporty seating position. Seats are great, steering wheel is great/better than R1. Scroll wheels are cool but difficult to use without practice.

The build quality was excellent; the all black interior makes it feel a bit plain though. I’ve also seen the coastal cloud in person and that looks more premium to me.

Overall it feels very Rivian and familiar, but in a smaller, sportier package. Definitely feels more premium than the Model Y imo. Cross an R1S with a Macan and you get the R2. Home run.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

The other thing for me was that they couldn't explain the exact difference between the active suspension and regular suspension on the Premium model other than "you can make it stiffer"...
Bedroom talk aside, they couldn't tell me specifically what that meant.

Like among the different R2 trims? Those manning the demo are just generalists and not fully briefed on product plans. Or, personally not vested enough to look into it and be knowledgeable beyond what's directly in front of them (work-wise). You have to remember, employees are just like anyone else. Not every single one is a car or Rivian geek. And not everyone is paid enough to afford a Rivian. That's just reality for any brand.

Educated guess:

• Active means drive modes actually adjust and vary amount of rebound and compression damping of the shock absorbers (how quickly and readily a shock allows suspension to compress or rebound against or with, tension from the coil springs). Springs suspend the car. Shocks controls ride (up/down oscillation of car).
• Trims that do not have this have fixed shock valving and drive modes do not change how suspension ride/handling feels. Only throttle response & mapping and maximum power output associated with each drive mode. Most mass market cars are like this.

 

[TheWebMedic]

Overall, I really enjoyed the vehicle. My only minor criticism is the haptic scroll wheels. I found them a bit cumbersome, particularly when trying to make left-to-right adjustments. The interaction felt somewhat awkward at first, although I imagine it becomes more intuitive with regular use.

My biggest concern was the air conditioning system. It was surprisingly difficult to position the vents so that airflow was directed toward the driver. While the system cooled reasonably well on the highest setting, the medium and low settings provided noticeably less airflow and cooling than expected. The Auto mode also seemed somewhat slow to respond to changing conditions.

Aside from those issues, the driving experience was outstanding. The ride quality, performance, and overall execution were spectacular.

 

[atx_wapiti]

The other thing for me was that they couldn't explain the exact difference between the active suspension and regular suspension on the Premium model other than "you can make it stiffer"...
Bedroom talk aside, they couldn't tell me specifically what that meant.

I believe that the R2 Semi-Active Suspension falls under the Solenoid/Valve Actuated type of semi-active suspensions. "They consist of a solenoid valve which alters the flow of the hydraulic medium inside the shock absorber, therefore changing the damping characteristics of the suspension setup. The solenoids are wired to the controlling computer, which sends them commands depending on the control algorithm." (Wikipedia) - so when you are in sport and set it to firm instead of medium, the shocks are not going to be as "squishy" and you are going to feel more reactive through the corners. When you are on the trails and go into off-road mode you can switch to soft which will allow the shocks to more quickly absorb some of the bumps and such.

 

[KRG]

Just got back from our test drive....
The 4'10" wife could barely reach the pedals. She said driving wasn't comfortable because her back wasn't in the seat properly. As for the frunk - It was hot as $!&T out so we just pulled down on the latch and then pushed on the Rivian emblem to close it.
She has to jump a little to reach the button for the tailgate though (since the height isn't adjustable). She also commented on the lack of grab handles.

Her takeaway - The R2 is not made with short people in mind. She didn't have any issues when we drove the R1S.

The other thing for me was that they couldn't explain the exact difference between the active suspension and regular suspension on the Premium model other than "you can make it stiffer"...
Bedroom talk aside, they couldn't tell me specifically what that meant.

They’re not always the most technically knowledgable. The active suspension has active dampers, meaning the suspension physically softens or stiffens depending on the drive mode. The standard suspension has a fixed stiffness.

Or just read that better response above, haha ^

 

[Friscorays]

Dallas had a white on 20 inch wheels as a demo in the showroom and we did a test drive in a grey on 21 inch wheels. As compared with R1S, no surprises. Thought the stereo sounded fine. Were told borealis may actually be available in a few months and if understood correctly that test drives would be scheduled more or less on daily basis to start so if haven't been able to schedule persistence looking in morning may pay off. We scheduled ours drive for today a little before 8 am central.

 

[Eric9610]

Just got back from my drive. As others have said the R2 does everything an R1 does just a little better. The weight difference really makes the R2 feel much sportier than the R1. I found the AC to be superior to the R1 for adjustments and positioning.

I was surprised how quite the car is and how good the sound system is.

They let me take the car for 30min all alone. Did a bunch of things with it.

 

[KRG]

I was too busy flying down the freeway out accelerating everyone to worry about the a/c or sound system glad others took note. Also the wireless charger worked well in my test car.

 

[Milermore]

I loved it. Had a lot of fun. They let me take it myself so I floored it and drove it pretty aggressively. I AM that guy.

Feels very well sported. You can immediately feel the weight difference as well. It’s very fast to the point that I think they’re underrating the 0-60. Steering was precise and had none of the vibration I get in my R1. I sat lower in the car vs R1, so more of a sporty seating position. Seats are great, steering wheel is great/better than R1. Scroll wheels are cool but difficult to use without practice.

The build quality was excellent; the all black interior makes it feel a bit plain though. I’ve also seen the coastal cloud in person and that looks more premium to me.

Overall it feels very Rivian and familiar, but in a smaller, sportier package. Definitely feels more premium than the Model Y imo. Cross an R1S with a Macan and you get the R2. Home run.

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?

 

[RivianInCharleston]

Had a great drive today in Ladson, SC.

It was 91 degrees and crazy humid. The glass roof was fairly hot to the touch, but didn't radiate heat. Those ventilated seats are a chef's kiss.

Coming from a Jeep Wrangler, R2 drove like a dream. I was looking for bumps to hit to see how it took them. Needless to say it was better than the Jeep.

The power is very nicely refined. Had it when you punched it, civil when you didnt. First go round with regen braking. Got the hang of it. Mid setting is still fairly aggressive.

UHF felt really confident, but hugged the center line a little mote than I'm comfortable with on a two lane road.

Haptic wheels were fairly intuitive. Cab was quiet,

 

[Redline]

We just got back and I'm beyond impressed.

The fit and finish is excellent. It's much quieter than our R1S and way smoother. My wife immediately felt more comfortable driving it. The R1S just feels too big for her.

My only complaint is regarding the haptic wheels. They need a lot of work. The Rivian employees were struggling with them too.

I was listening to the Chief Engineer on the R2, and he mentioned how the R2 accelerates better higher up in speeds than the R1s do and I did notice that. Sound system was good, not great.

Also regarding the phone charging, it works well, you just need to know where to put your phone. We discovered the mag safe grabs on the outside edges of the wireless pad. Once we got that, it was a breeze.

Spoke to one of the employees inside about debating on LiDAR and the Coastal interior. He said don't let LiDAR dictate anything, but if you want the lighter interior, that'd would be something to wait for.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I was too busy flying down the freeway out accelerating everyone to worry about the a/c or sound system glad others took note. Also the wireless charger worked well in my test car.

I think the charger issue won't ever be put to bed completely, because there are just too many different makes of phones and phone cases. However, with the inclusion of magnets, it should work for most people using the most popular phones/cases, that are made to Magsafe or Qi2 specs. Those who don't have Magsafe or Qi2 phones/cases, their phones will still slide around, be misaligned with coils and not charge. The "fix" is not magic. You need to use compatible phone/case... and a compatible case that isn't too thick for energy to be transferred wirelessly.

 

[Dark-Fx]

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

No wind noise in my R2 demo on the freeway, at least that I noticed. Freeway was a bit busy so I was paying more attention to that.

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