R2 cargo area air flow for dogs

[Killer95Stang]

And my folks cracked the rear window to let in exhaust on long road trips. One of the many reasons I am slightly retarded. My ADHD was always under control back then.

were these the rear facing seats of a land yacht LTD station wagon.? My neighbors had a ton of kids and had one of those monsters!!

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[CharonPDX]

What did dogs do for centuries before air conditioning existed?

Well, for all but one of those centuries, they didn't sit in a greenhouse parked in the sun baking to death…

That said, I do find it funny that people consider certain features missing to be "dealbreakers" when those features simply didn't exist at all a decade ago. (Dog Mode, CarPlay, etc. edit:- okay, CarPlay is *11* years old, close enough.) Hell, the truck that my Rivian replaced still had wing vent windows and AM/FM cassette. And guess what, its rear seat had no vents at all. But you know what it did have? An opening rear window. Which I opened, to get my dog air when riding in the back seat.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Well, for all but one of those centuries, they didn't sit in a greenhouse parked in the sun baking to death…

That said, I do find it funny that people consider certain features missing to be "dealbreakers" when those features simply didn't exist at all a decade ago. (Dog Mode, CarPlay, etc. edit:- okay, CarPlay is *11* years old, close enough.) Hell, the truck that my Rivian replaced still had wing vent windows and AM/FM cassette. And guess what, its rear seat had no vents at all. But you know what it did have? An opening rear window. Which I opened, to get my dog air when riding in the back seat.

The car that is my avatar has No A/C, wing vent windows and ashtrays in the rear seat armrests... The hot vinyl porno red interior isn't exactly dog friendly in the summer... but it is still fun to drive.

 

[RivAW]

I’m not super interested in letting in 100 degree air as I blast the R2’s already noisy HVAC system.

Since you don’t own one why are you assuming the HVAC is noisy. There hasn’t been much complaining about this as an issue, to date. Also, name any other 2 row SUV or CUV that has air vents for the rear cargo area….

 

[keamoro]

This thread is insane.

Anyway, if this is at all helpful:

1. I have a Model Y since 2020 and my dog since 2019 who hangs out in the cargo area
2. I use the "Keep" setting when leaving her, because it allows me to crank the heat down below 66 degrees and to keep rear vents on. Tesla's pet mode only keeps front vents on and only down to 65. Random.
3. I usually set to 65(farenheight) or below. My dog is a double coated shepherd, she thrives in 0 degree farenheight weather, so this is still toasty.
4. This doesn't blow air directly to the cargo, but it still keeps it cool enough. You're not going to have 100 degree cargo area and a 65 degree front area. That's not going to happen in such a small space.
5. If it's really hot and I'm going for periods of time, I have a little fan plugged in back there to help move the air around.

For the R2, it's a similar setup. I'm going to be getting a crash tested crate (Thule Allax most likely, or variocage). They have fans that attach to the crate. It can be battery or plugged in, so I'll just plug it in. Set the air to 65 or less with all the vents blasting.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

All of the reviews have praised how quiet R2’s HVAC system is…

From what I’ve seen it’s the cooled seats that are noisy, but affective. Maybe an R2 owner or test driver can confirm.

 

[auger66]

This. I'm always surprised by how many people see dog mode or other pet related features as a necessity. Only about 40% of US households have a dog. I imagine an even smaller percent actually take their dog with them in their car regularly.

No hate, just surprised to see dog mode and other pet topics come up so much, when it probably applies to less than 10% of buyers.

Subaru, "Dog Tested. Dog Approved."

 

[macb00kemdanno]

Subaru, "Dog Tested. Dog Approved."

And yet the Outback and Forrester don’t have cargo area vents either. Only the three-row Ascent does.

 

[Thebandit]

My Crosstrek doesn't have rear vents at all. Shockingly, no one has died back there yet.

 

[Millbarge]

Well, for all but one of those centuries, they didn't sit in a greenhouse parked in the sun baking to death…

No one in this thread is suggesting leaving an animal in the car without the AC on. But if the interior temp of the car in 78* in Pet Mode, rather than 72*, the dog is going to be perfectly fine.

 

[electruck]

That said, I do find it funny that people consider certain features missing to be "dealbreakers" when those features simply didn't exist at all a decade ago.

haha things do change over time. for me, not having a full electric powertrain is now 100% a dealbreaker. Yes, BEVs are well into their 2nd decade now but they weren't even a thing for the first 35+ years of my life. And if it weren't for our dogs, I might still be driving an ICE vehicle today (ie, I wouldn't need something as large as an R1 without the dogs).

Historically, there have always been new "dealbreaker" technologies entering the auto market. Electric starters, automatic transmissions, A/C, AM/FM radios, 8-track players, cassette players, CD players, bluetooth, etc (and even Car Play support for some haha). features that didn't exist... until they did. and once they did people didn't want vehicles without. Same with newer innovations like Pet Mode.

Pet Mode / Climate Hold are new features made possible by an electric powertrain that I absolutely would not give up going forward. They have been absolute game changers for us. First, we have 2 dogs that literally go everywhere with us. One is a working service dog and the other is her retired "sister" that still likes to ride along everywhere even though she hangs out in the Rivian while we eat, shop, etc. And that's just daily life, never mind road trips. Second reason is that, even without the dogs, it is sooo nice in the TX summer heat to be able to leave the AC running while we eat, shop, etc and come back to a cool, comfortable vehicle interior that has not skyrocketed to 140F+. Perhaps not the most energy efficient but it is indeed a luxury that we very, very much enjoy. My wife now complains when she travels for work and has to deal with overheated vehicle interiors. Did we get by our entire lives without having such features? Absolutely. Will we be going forward in life without? Absolutely not!

But yes, it is funny how quickly we adopt new technologies and new ways of doing things when those things get introduced into our lives (so I agree with your observation about the ever evolving automotive market).

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

We have had seven terriers (4 different breeds) over 40 years living in the Phoenix area. Six of them would occasionally lay outside in the full sun mid day when temps are well over 110. Some would only do it for a few minutes, others for more like 10-15 minutes. Apparently, our comfortable 79 degrees inside got too cold for the dogs. The seventh dog spent a lot of time outside, but avoided being in the sun always, even staying in our shadow when we were out walking or hiking. I think dogs adapt to their local climate just as humans do.

They absolutely do, but an enclosed vehicle is another matter.

PETA reports a crisis of hot weather-related deaths of dogs and cats, with 123 deaths reported last summer (2025). Even on mild days, the heat inside a closed vehicle can reach dangerous levels within an hour, posing major health risks to small children or pets left. Each year, dozens of children and untold numbers of pets left in parked vehicles die from hyperthermia, which occurs when the body absorbs more heat than it can handle.

 

[forestwalker]

This thread is insane.

I didn't realize there was a "hot cars are fine, dogs are impervious to heat" lobby, and how well-funded they are.

 

[Jeremy3292]

I didn't realize there was a "hot cars are fine, dogs are impervious to heat" lobby, and how well-funded they are.

If you shouldn't leave a baby in the car, you shouldn't leave a dog in the car. When it's only 75 degrees outside it can easily get over 100 degrees pretty quickly inside...if it's 90 degrees outside we are talking 140 degrees or more.

 

[forestwalker]

If you shouldn't leave a baby in the car, you shouldn't leave a dog in the car. When it's only 75 degrees outside it can easily get over 100 degrees pretty quickly inside...if it's 90 degrees outside we are talking 140 degrees or more.

I'd sooner leave a baby in there than either of my dogs!

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