Thoughts from people who have seen the R2 in person.

[rklopp]

Did you ride in the Launch Edition I assume?

Yes, I think so. It had yellow brake calipers. I only had a quick ride of a couple miles.

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[richguess]

I saw it in Pasadena, then last week parked in my neighborhood. It looks from a small distance like a 3/4 or 7/8 R1 to me. I’m on the list, but am definitely cross shopping the BMW and Volvo, maybe the Q6. I doubt I’ll be off roading it except for maybe some dirt road fly fishing, so that’s not an issue for me. I’m betting the BMW will be the better handling car; I like the Volvo looks, speed (P12) and range. I do wish the BMW had its charge port driver side rear. Lots of good stuff coming up!

 

[sparked]

I haven’t seen either in person but do you think so?

You just have to look at the interior of the BMW and it shows a bit more legacy in UI. R2 looks to be the right sweet spot. Not as draconian removing everything like Tesla, but not way overboard.

If the halo wheels end up being reliable, then that could really solidify everything along with the Rivian Assistant. BMW will have some Amazon integration, but that's still third party. Rivian will have much tighter integration and control over all aspects of the car.

Just depend on what you want out of the car. If you need way more luxurious interior with extra options, then the BMW and Volvo options might be at least worth looking at. I imagine you can spec them up pretty high.

 

[richguess]

You just have to look at the interior of the BMW and it shows a bit more legacy in UI. R2 looks to be the right sweet spot. Not as draconian removing everything like Tesla, but not way overboard.

If the halo wheels end up being reliable, then that could really solidify everything along with the Rivian Assistant. BMW will have some Amazon integration, but that's still third party. Rivian will have much tighter integration and control over all aspects of the car.

Just depend on what you want out of the car. If you need way more luxurious interior with extra options, then the BMW and Volvo options might be at least worth looking at. I imagine you can spec them up pretty high.

That’s where the money is!

 

[disnerd71]

I saw three R2’s at the LI Block Party this past weekend. My biggest concern leading up to the event was the interior space — would it feel cramped? After crawling through them I am happy to report they feel VERY spacious inside. I am 6’ and I felt that the driver’s “cockpit” was much more open than my current vehicle (Honda Ridgeline). The gentleman in line with me was 6’2” and he put the front seat back as far as it would go and then sat in the back behind it— he reported plenty of room. I feel like you could comfortably sit 5 humans for a medium road trip quite comfortably.

The Halo wheels are truly awesome pieces of tech that is actually intuitive and smart.

The colors I saw — Midnight, Half Moon Gray and Catalina Cove — were all beautiful. I was surprised how much I liked the R2 in Midnight actually.

The back window is great.

Trunk space felt similar to a current model CR-V to me (both cars are similar in dimensions).

Frunk space is good — I consider this bonus space anyway coming from a gas vehicle.

Little detail that I thought was awesome: on the front wheel arch there is a “Rivian” marker that is an actual light!

 

[NaeemTHM]

The gentleman in line with me was 6’2” and he put the front seat back as far as it would go and then sat in the back behind it— he reported plenty of room. I feel like you could comfortably sit 5 humans for a medium road trip quite comfortably.

Yep, 100% agree. I'm 6'0" and was in the back while someone that was taller than me took the driver seat. I was shocked at how much space we had. I think the only other car that gave me similar legroom was the Lucid Air (although believe it or not that sedan felt slightly more roomy in the back).

 

[Zathras]

I checked out the R2 this past weekend, and honestly, it didn’t impress me as much as I expected. I’m currently on the waiting list and had been pretty convinced it would be my next car, but now I’m not so sure.

I was hoping it would feel like a smaller version of the R1, but to me it seemed to fall short in build quality. Maybe having the R1 on display nearby didn’t do it any favors—or maybe that was intentional, to nudge people toward spending more on the R1.

On the plus side, the R2 felt very spacious, especially in the back seat. Still, overall, it came across as more than just a scaled-down version, it felt like there was noticeable cost-cutting in several areas.

For those of you who’ve seen it, am I being too critical? Were my expectations too high?

At half the price, I'm not worried much. Or surprised.

 

[Who-Dat]

I went to the Long Island Block Party. Maybe the bar is too low for me, but I was just looking for a stylish and spacious EV for my family and I sincerely believe Rivian delivered in spades.

I’m coming from a 2022 EV6 that I paid $55K for and the R2 feels like a substantial step up from that. The performance and space alone has me more than excited to finally move on from KIA.

I honestly agree that you could immediately tell the difference between the R1S and R2 on display, but it actually made me even more convinced that the R2 was right for my family. Aside from the incredible interior and extra seats, the R2 nails 90% of what we’re looking for…especially at that price point.

Also, people are rightfully saying the iX3 and EX60 are nice alternatives, but neither one is going to have the level of autonomy or horsepower the launch R2 has at sub-$60,000. I think Rivian has a real winner on their hands.

I AGREE with you 1000%. I like you is coming from owning a FISKER OCEAN. It was a great EV but bad management that did not know how to run a car company. I am on the wait list for later this year for the RIVIAN R2 Premium model. For just me an my wife the R1S is too much car, plus the Price is the cost of my first new 3 bedroom house just coming out of college in 1985 LOL.

 

[racekarl]

from what those who drove it so far say, a better driving vehicle.

Just keep in mind that most of those impressions are probably comparing it to R1S, which is 2-3x more common than R1T. The R1T ride is much better than the R1S ride.

 

[HokieBird7980]

Just keep in mind that most of those impressions are probably comparing it to R1S, which is 2-3x more common than R1T. The R1T ride is much better than the R1S ride.

Aaah! Didn't think about the R1T vs R1S ride difference when evaluating the R2. Have had two gen 1 R1Ts, latest one a 2024, and I love the ride, especially on long trips. Perhaps it will be best to do a test drive when they open up. The 2024 goes in for service tomorrow, and hoping they give me a Gen2 either truck or R1S to drive for the day or two so i can see difference between Gen1 vs Gen 2. I had a Gen 1 R1S loaner once and really didn't like it compared to my R1T.

 

[iansriv]

OP-sounds like you didn't like it. Why bother asking for stranger's opinions. Get what makes you happy.

 

[Timbuk2000]

You may want to elaborate which aspects you didn't like as that's pretty vague.

To me, it seems like an improvement in interior quality over the equivalent EVs like the Model Y. Not sure yet how it stacks up against the BMW iX3 for interior, but R2 likely has the edge on tech and UI. So tradeoffs with some of the EV competition.

Aaah! Didn't think about the R1T vs R1S ride difference when evaluating the R2. Have had two gen 1 R1Ts, latest one a 2024, and I love the ride, especially on long trips. Perhaps it will be best to do a test drive when they open up. The 2024 goes in for service tomorrow, and hoping they give me a Gen2 either truck or R1S to drive for the day or two so i can see difference between Gen1 vs Gen 2. I had a Gen 1 R1S loaner once and really didn't like it compared to my R1T.

Upgraded from a 2023 R1S Quad to a 2026 R1S Quad in September. The ride in the Gen 2 is much better than Gen 1, which I would describe as choppy or bouncy. I reserved an R2 on 3/7/24. I attended the first Block Party in Venice. The R2 evidences Rivian’s efforts to make each new model with as much care and quality as the prior generation, regardless of price. I hope I receive a configuration email soon.

 

[rfkxyz]

Folks, I find the postings that combine the good stuff w/ some candid critique to be the most helpful. And that includes baseless, totally uninformed speculation about what could come later - e.g. different paint colors, plausibility of suspension lift - based on R1 experience or Rivian's past playbook for it.

No shills, fanboys, or clapping seals needed or desired. Just sayin'.

 

[Great Gatsby]

OP-sounds like you didn't like it. Why bother asking for stranger's opinions. Get what makes you happy.

OP likely just gauging if the overall sentiment for the vehicle is the same as theirs. Nothing wrong with that.

Sounds like they are disappointed but still interested in the vehicle. I get that. While the R2 is not what I expected, I still plan to get it. I'm disappointed it doesn't come in red, but hey, I'm sure it will still make me happy.

 

[Jeremy3292]

While the R2 is not what I expected, I still plan to get it.

Can you expound on this?

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