First 24 Hours with R2 - impressions, positives, nits

[bogeyfree69]

Not much a photographer and car isn’t super clean after yesterday’s rainy roadtrip but hope these help.

Excellent1. Thank you for posting. This will help me with my decision.

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[bogeyfree69]

@VegasWeezy just uploaded these: https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/living-with-the-r2-48-hour-review.61590/#post-1051112

Thanks for the photo. The lack of sunlight make the rims darker than they really are. Actually wish they were darker. The other link you included helps as well.

 

[graytag]

Yeah I know about that but it doesn’t display any kind of of “pet is safe and comfortable message” on the screen.

Post it on the window. Problem solved

 

[jimk]

Post it on the window. Problem solved

or buy the vehicle that handles the issue natively without masking tape or post-it notes. Problem solved more elegantly.

 

[SirRivian]

For the radio, I get it, I don't love it, but I get it. From a streamlining perspective to really minimize extras and cost.

I like, from time to time, having 'someone else' pick the music. If I'm out in a random town and just need something on in the background, when there is limited or no cell connection. FM or a satellite antenna can fulfill that need. Offroading with no service is absolutely a use case for FM or satellite (and Carplay/AA, with mirroring of apps with offline modes). Hell, I've even won some concert tickets from a local radio station because I happened to have it on one day just this past year.

But from the production perspective, an FM radio comes with added PCB complexity, power and signal/noise requirements, perhaps FCC certifications/testing requirements, backend + UI + UX requirements, integration with other software systems, physical wiring for antennas a new point of potential failure, and then maintenance on all of these systems, the cost is not just the cost of a chip. Pair that with what I'm sure is market research showing a downtrend of usage in both younger buyers and newer vehicles (that can be covered by iHeart on 364/365 days per year)....I'm not overly surprised.

For me, no FM tuner and no cargo tie-downs are the R2’s version of no glove box. R2 is still a great achievement, but this is another avoidable own-goal.

Rivian’s validation team did such an excellent job with the complicated driving dynamics of both on-road and off but seems to have missed the brand’s essential use case of adventuring.

I don’t see how that team went off-roading with their cargo bouncing all around or felt safe not knowing if tornados or flash floods were bearing down on them thanks to FM weather alerts. I hope they reconsider the trade-offs and add them to the next model redesign.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Thanks for the photo. The lack of sunlight make the rims darker than they really are. Actually wish they were darker. The other post you included helps as well.

That was a cloudy sky about 11a.

 

[graytag]

or buy the vehicle that handles the issue natively without masking tape or post-it notes. Problem solved more elegantly.

You do you. You gave a problem. I provided an option. I’ll go back to my corner.

 

[jimk]

You do you. You gave a problem. I provided an option. I’ll go back to my corner.

Didn't give a problem or ask for advice. Just expressed a preference for one car's features over another.

 

[graytag]

“I've been cross-shopping between R2 and iX3 and lack of FM on the R2 was an issue, but lack of pet mode on the BMW was a bigger issue.”

problem or not, you brought it up and I provided my workaround. It wasn’t “elegant” enough for you. That’s fine. You weren’t specific enough for me. Bet you’re a blast at parties.

 

[mkhuffman]

“I've been cross-shopping between R2 and iX3 and lack of FM on the R2 was an issue, but lack of pet mode on the BMW was a bigger issue.”

problem or not, you brought it up and I provided my workaround. It wasn’t “elegant” enough for you. That’s fine. You weren’t specific enough for me. Bet you’re a blast at parties.

Dude. He doesn't go to parties.

 

[California Gold]

My only minor nitpick about the charging port flap was I wish it would lock when the vehicle locked.

Definitely minor but it's little touches like this that shouldn't have been missed by Rivian. Even a manual open close with a lock on it would've been fine. Oh well.

 

[Take57]

Yeah I know about that but it doesn’t display any kind of of “pet is safe and comfortable message” on the screen.

I walked by car one time that had a little sign on the dashboard that said "The car is 72 degrees inside, the dog is comfortable and listening to Steely Dan"

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