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

[Heckler]

Nice observations. I have about 900 miles on mine and find I can travel 250 miles on 80% with a mix of highway (65-85 mph) and rural driving. My first EV so some adjustment is needed......

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[ksurfier]

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.

If XC40 is approximately 30% more efficient than R1 at 75 mph, and R2 is 5-10% more efficient than XC40, math would tell us that R2 is somewhere around 2.6 MPK at 75 mph. If 3.0 MPK, that would mean a 130 mile trip would only consume 50% vs 60%, here’s implied ranges:
R2 75-mph efficiency

Range with ~89 kWh usable at 75 mph

2.5 mi/kWh ~223 mi
2.6 mi/kWh ~231 mi
2.7 mi/kWh ~240 mi
2.8 mi/kWh ~249 mi
3.0 mi/kWh ~267 mi

Correcting 70 mph (72 shown on Speedo) translates to ~2.7 MPK…we will see once more data comes in.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

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.

Thanks for all of the great info. When you did the vampire drain test did you have Gear Guard and/or Cabin Overheat Protection on?

 

[LevelHeaded]

Not removable and not adjustable

'However, there’s a catch to installing a forward-facing car seat: The rear headrests, which are not easily removable, are tilted forward; the Graco’s extendable headrest bumps against it—which is not safe. Also, the rear seats don’t recline at all, so adjusting the car’s seat is not an option either. Families with kids in forward facing car seats will need to look closely at forward facing car seat fit to ensure a safe ride. "

https://agirlsguidetocars.com/rivian-r2-first-drive-review-2

Wait… there is no adjustable recline on the rear seats? Insane!

 

[rbdavis808]

Wait… there is no adjustable recline on the rear seats? Insane!

Yeah, I find them uncomfortably too far reclined. Good thing I won't be sitting there.

 

[rvnxyz001]

Wait… there is no adjustable recline on the rear seats? Insane!

Front are not adjustable as well

 

[ksurfier]

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

This clears things up. Two corrections are needed before comparing the efficiency numbers apples-to-apples:

1. Tailwind adjustment
If the observed efficiency was 3.1 MPK at 70 mph with a 5 mph tailwind, the vehicle was only seeing about 65 mph of effective airspeed from an aero standpoint. That makes the result meaningfully better than it would be in still air.
2. Speed adjustment
The test speed was closer to 70 mph true speed — about 72 mph indicated on the speedometer — not 75 mph. So comparing that directly to a 75 mph no-wind efficiency number overstates the vehicle’s real 75 mph performance.

A better normalization is: 3.1 MPK at 70 mph with a 5 mph tailwind probably converts to roughly 2.55–2.6 MPK at 75 mph with no wind, depending on the assumed aero share of total energy use.

So the 3.1 MPK number is still impressive, but it should not be treated as a true 75 mph, no-wind efficiency result. Once corrected for both the tailwind and the lower actual speed, the likely still-air 75 mph number is materially lower.

@TexasBob - your model looks to be spot on!

 

[Rade]

Thank you for the extensive summary! I am strongly considering moving over to an R2; perhaps this fall. This information is reassuring.

 

[Budman]

Thanks for all of the great info. When you did the vampire drain test did you have Gear Guard and/or Cabin Overheat Protection on?

HVAC system was off. Gear Guard as we know it on R1 is not enabled yet on R2. Both vehicles NOT plugged into a level 2 charger.

Another data point. Last night the R2 was plugged into my cabin level 2. While parked in the garage over 12 hours it used 0.0 kwh as reported by the energy monitor.

 

[Budman]

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.

38 inches at the base of the seat back and 31.5 at the top.

 

[SlaterGS]

Front are not adjustable as well

Maybe your mind is still stuck on the headrest, but the front (IE driver and shotgun seat) absolutely can adjust the recline. Not sure I've seen a vehicle built in the last 50 years that wasn't adjustable.

 

[hsctiger]

Thanks for the detailed write-up, @Budman !

By the way, your dog told me they wanted to use the entire back seat. They said they missed half the fun things to see out the window since they could only get to one. So... get a bigger dog hammock!

 

[wski441]

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.

Wait, you mean the problem identified by a vendor to sell jack pucks was really just that he couldnt sell jack pucks?!?!??!?!?

 

[Swiszo]

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.

Rick,
Thanks for this in-depth review. This is the best comparison that I have seen and we are all lucky to have such a great contributor !

 

[rvnxyz001]

Maybe your mind is still stuck on the headrest, but the front (IE driver and shotgun seat) absolutely can adjust the recline. Not sure I've seen a vehicle built in the last 50 years that wasn't adjustable.

There are lot's of new cars without adjustable headrests now

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