Finished R2 demo test drive? Share your review / impressions

[Great Gatsby]

You have an Audi? The turbo lag on an Audi is like nothing I have ever experienced- I had 3. I didn't notice any hesitation in the R2.

The lag is probably compared to the Tesla. Teslas feel quicker than other EVs IMO because the mapping is linear and you press, you go. Rivian definitely built in a buffer, specially on the R1 vehicles, so it takes more of a kick to get it go full sprint. I didn't notice it as bad on the R2, but still not immediate response like you get with a Tesla. Not a deal breaker, I would think, as you get used to it and learn how to drive accordingly with it.

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[Apprunner]

The lag is probably compared to the Tesla. Teslas feel quicker than other EVs IMO because the mapping is linear and you press, you go. Rivian definitely built in a buffer, specially on the R1 vehicles, so it takes more of a kick to get it go full sprint. I didn't notice it as bad on the R2, but still not immediate response like you get with a Tesla. Not a deal breaker, I would think, as you get used to it and learn how to drive accordingly with it.

I think you have to be in Sport Mode to get that instant response. My EV6 has to also be in sport mode as the clutches are locked in AWD mode. I think the R2 uses 2 permanent magnet motors and has a clutch disconnect so maybe some lag there if they are in All-Purpose mode. No clutches in Teslas to worry about

 

[keamoro]

The lag is probably compared to the Tesla. Teslas feel quicker than other EVs IMO because the mapping is linear and you press, you go. Rivian definitely built in a buffer, specially on the R1 vehicles, so it takes more of a kick to get it go full sprint. I didn't notice it as bad on the R2, but still not immediate response like you get with a Tesla. Not a deal breaker, I would think, as you get used to it and learn how to drive accordingly with it.

Yeah, I think I'd get used to it, but it is a pretty big peeve of mine that I'll have to get over.

 

[bnolan]

Yes! this was Hudson, in I'm Hampstead area about 30 mins down 111

Did you get an invite to demo?

I keep checking and I see lots of times for Boston (no way I want to drive to Boston for a test drive let alone test drive a brand new vehicle in the city) but no demo times are popping up for Hudson, NH.

 

[narmstrong79]

Did you get an invite to demo?

I keep checking and I see lots of times for Boston (no way I want to drive to Boston for a test drive let alone test drive a brand new vehicle in the city) but no demo times are popping up for Hudson, NH.

They reached out to me to be honest, not sure how or why. They booked me an my friend who has a reservation also. But I looked earlier today, there was an opening for 9am this Saturday. Keep checking the site.

 

[tkauftheil]

Here’s my 2¢’s

Timeline:
Reserved day of event. Then bought an R1S. Love everything about it.
This past Monday I got my invite to build/buy.
Today I test drove the R2

TL;DR: put in my order and gave my deposit this afternoon. Just waiting on an eta.

I’m in the St. Louis region so I booked the demo at their service center.

Catalina Cove was the demo car. Honestly no pictures I have seen or have taken do this color justice. It’s a fantastic color. And not on the grey scale which I am so sick of seeing.

I originally wanted the Ocean Coast interior as I’m not a fan of a black interior. Normally black interiors are boring and don’t allow the little details to shine. This interior, however, has home brown hues and the dash trim is a warm color. Plus the stitching really kind of pops.

I was able to get it out on the highway. Tried the “just punch it” method. It felt like my eyes were planted in the back of my skull. Then I did the “50 to 70” test. That was way better than my R1S (dual std) which I always felt was a bit lagging.

Ride quality was very refined. Steering had a good weighted balance to it. It feels like the slower you go, the looser the feel is, and at hwy speed it tightens up.

The 21’s were fine no more road noise than my R1S. Which I put 30k miles on before replacing. The STL roads are littered with potholes. I didn’t feel any more jared than usual.

Sound system was much better than anticipated. Someone prior to me really tuned it in good. The new OS will take a day to get used to. The halo’s maybe a couple more to really get used to it. As I played with them more the more intuitive they became.

Same with the hvac controls. A good half day to mess and you’ll be fine.

odds and ends

Visibility was good. The absence of the door window pillar things were a nice touch.
Storage, plenty. Although stuffing my bass gear in the back might be tight. I’d prefer not to have to flatten out the back seats.

The only real rub I have is that my cross bars aren’t comparable.

In the end, I ordered it in Catalina Cove, Black interior, 21’s.

I hope my rundown is helpful to someone.

 

[Shaqdeez]

The good

- Drove smooth
- Seats were comfortable and great side bolster
- New UI was great
- Impressive back seat spacing

The bad

- Struggling with the halo wheels. When moving in any way besides up and down it was tough. Not sure software can fix this
- External capacitive buttons were terrible. For frunk, tailgate and rear window. It was pretty difficult to get working
- Frunk hood didn't rise high enough for taller folk
- Handling was a little softer then I was expecting. Was hoping for a flatter handling feel. Even in sport mode. One thing to note was it was on the off road tires.

 

[Alan in Tempe]

- Frunk hood didn't rise high enough for taller folk

The struts open the hood to a pretty well defined stopping point, but I found with a good push, it will open much farther, as would be expected of a typical hood. Took a bit more push to get it all the way open than it did to close it, as the struts fight the extension. There is no doubt it was intended to allow greater opening.

 

[Wilber]

I went over to Walnut Creek, CA for a test drive.

First, the employees (which isn't a big deal I guess):

• Employees weren't bad, but they were not even good. I walked in and three of them were hanging out. One or two said "hello, welcome" but when I looked at each of them, none made eye contact and looked bored or busy.
• I had to approach the closest one to ask if they could help me with a test drive appointment. She immediately said: "you'll have to follow the specific route because there's very little time to test things and you have to come right back." That's the first thing. Then she reiterated how crucial it was to "come back fast." I felt completely rushed.
• I asked if I could possibly test the Autonomy+, that's something crucial for me, as I'm not willing to give up my Tesla's highway driving (I don't really need FSD, I just want the car to deal with traffic or really long drives on highways like it does on my Tesla). She said there's probably no time, and she's not even sure if it's included in the car. Again, so much focus on no time, when there's nobody in the store and two other bored people.
• I got into the car, and it was the most hurried overview. She seemed annoyed at any question I asked, and rushed me to set up mirrors and seat. So I just stopped asking questions because it was just making it worse.

Second, the car

• There was bird shit all over the hood, lol. I mean I guess that's fine, but man, first impression was I could see the full hood and about twenty bird poops all over. I wish they could've at least tried to spray it off.
• I'm 6'3" with slightly longer legs than torso (I would say I have a 6'4" leg proportion and a 6' torso, yup, a little weird I guess). The seat didn't need to move all the way back, but I wish the steering wheel would extend towards me just one more inch, but it was as good as my Tesla Model Y, so no worries there. If it drives on longer highway trips, then it's a non-issue.
• The fit and finish was beautiful. It truly feels like a luxury car. I've come from higher end Audi's, and have had my fair share of hondas/acuras/toyotas/subarus/teslas, and this felt as nice as the Audi. The Tesla wasn't nearly this luxurious.
• The car feels a lot bigger than the Tesla Model Y, but mainly because of the hood that's clearly visible (and distracting with the poop) and the height clearance feels much more than the Model Y. I have always driven really low cars, and then the Tesla is a performance, so I believe it's also slightly lower than just a typical MY. It's not a bad feeling, but it's VERY clearly a higher clearance car, rather than something in between a SUV and regular sedan. With the Model Y, I feel like I expect it to be sporty, with the R2 I expect it to be tanky, and it does that really well while feeling nimble.
• The acceleration has a very slight pause. I HATE IT. The power is there of course, but f me, there's like a 200ms pause when you first press the accelerator and that bugs me so bad. I always drove a manual car before, so I really expect things to go when I want it to, not a moment after. The Model Y does a great job of seemingly being instant. I don't know what this pause is all about, maybe to decrease accidental taps or whatever, but it bugged the hell out of me. Not a deal breaker, as I guess I'll get used to it, but damn, that is a huge disappointment. Crossing my fingers it's just this R2 being bugged out.
• It was a ridiculous 100 degrees outside, and so the A/C was blasting, but for the life of me, I could NOT get the vents to point in any direction than right at my face. It was going at full blast into my face, so not only was I looking at an ugly hood with tons of bird splatter, but my eyes were getting dried and out getting some windburn from this crazy vent. I would consider myself pretty technically able, so either it's confusing or there was some kind of bug with the A/C system. I did turn it off and it was very nice, but it got way too hot. But yes, dragging the vent direction did nothing, and it always snapped back to center. I tried everything. I did accidentally turn on the ventilated seats which is FANTASTIC. Anyway, user error, bad design, or just plain broken on this car, not too sure, but it was annoying. My warning for others: before doing a test drive, ask the service person to adjust the A/C vents for you just in case, because that sucked.
• The soft adjustment for the ride was actually not bad. Slightly floaty but fine. Though when I went to firm, the ride quality didn't feel horrible at all. I went over bumps and stuff and it was totally fine. Much nicer than my Model Y. Quieter too. I don't think I'd ever need "soft" but even firm was good. I didn't try the in between. There was too much traffic to really do any harder turns, but turning a street corner at a normal pace seemed really good.
• I did find autonomy+ in the menus, but when I double pulled the stalk, it only put me into adaptive cruise control, which was fine (though again, didn't really have too much time to play with it). I guess this car didn't fully have it, even though the menus said it did and I had turned it on.
• The sound is bad. I tried the EQ settings, and it was not great. I'm not a sound expert, but my uneducated novice ears felt like it was very hollow, and sounded like something I hear on a freebie bluetooth speaker that you get for free at a convention or something. Again, maybe I could eventually tune it to sound better, but you'd think the default settings would be pretty good. Maybe the subwoofer was totally blown too, because there was zero bass, which probably made it worse. There was no complexity in the sound. Anyway, this is someone coming from an Audi/Tesla, so not sure if this is fair. Not a deal breaker, but really bad out of the box.
• It looks great, there's no sociopathic ceo running the company, and it drives well and feels more luxurious than my current car. I'll take it.

Thanks for your comments on the employees and the vehicle. There is no excuse for the bad behavior of the employees unless you were unreasonable - like showing up 15 minutes before closing time without an appt for the test drive. I assume not. Since i live in the bay area i was planning on heading to Walnut Creek for a test drive, but will now consider the other locations.

That 200ms pause you mentioned got my attention. I am sure it would bug me too, but suppose i would have to do the test drive to see exactly what you mean. I have owned a few fast Teslas in my time (just not a 'performance' variant), and my current main ride, a BMW iX 50 is even faster off the line than my Teslas were. Great fun! But rumor has it that BMW has slowed down this acceleration for the 2027 iX3 that should start test drives within the month. I sure hope it doesnt have a clear 200ms lag!

If you return to the Walnut Creek location for another test drive, please update us on the employees and the R2.

 

[tivoboy]

The struts open the hood to a pretty well defined stopping point, but I found with a good push, it will open much farther, as would be expected of a typical hood. Took a bit more push to get it all the way open than it did to close it, as the struts fight the extension. There is no doubt it was intended to allow greater opening.

Most hood pistons have an initial set point and a more extended one - and then often a button based OVER extended range that is accesible by releasing a button.. but that’s for ICE vehicles for easier access into the engine bay.. but this could still be similar.

And, the pistons are usually sticky with hard/cold lubricant at build and loosen/soften over a short period of time.

Like you I simply gave it a push once it stopped auto opening and it moved up maybe another 6-8”

 

[tgo10000]

Here’s my 2¢’s

Timeline:
Reserved day of event. Then bought an R1S. Love everything about it.
This past Monday I got my invite to build/buy.
Today I test drove the R2

TL;DR: put in my order and gave my deposit this afternoon. Just waiting on an eta.

I’m in the St. Louis region so I booked the demo at their service center.

Catalina Cove was the demo car. Honestly no pictures I have seen or have taken do this color justice. It’s a fantastic color. And not on the grey scale which I am so sick of seeing.

I originally wanted the Ocean Coast interior as I’m not a fan of a black interior. Normally black interiors are boring and don’t allow the little details to shine. This interior, however, has home brown hues and the dash trim is a warm color. Plus the stitching really kind of pops.

I was able to get it out on the highway. Tried the “just punch it” method. It felt like my eyes were planted in the back of my skull. Then I did the “50 to 70” test. That was way better than my R1S (dual std) which I always felt was a bit lagging.

Ride quality was very refined. Steering had a good weighted balance to it. It feels like the slower you go, the looser the feel is, and at hwy speed it tightens up.

The 21’s were fine no more road noise than my R1S. Which I put 30k miles on before replacing. The STL roads are littered with potholes. I didn’t feel any more jared than usual.

Sound system was much better than anticipated. Someone prior to me really tuned it in good. The new OS will take a day to get used to. The halo’s maybe a couple more to really get used to it. As I played with them more the more intuitive they became.

Same with the hvac controls. A good half day to mess and you’ll be fine.

odds and ends

Visibility was good. The absence of the door window pillar things were a nice touch.
Storage, plenty. Although stuffing my bass gear in the back might be tight. I’d prefer not to have to flatten out the back seats.

The only real rub I have is that my cross bars aren’t comparable.

In the end, I ordered it in Catalina Cove, Black interior, 21’s.

I hope my rundown is helpful to someone.

Oh that was probably me I had plenty of time so we tuned it and tried all the different EQ settings on Monday. Initially it does sound muffled, but it gets better with adjustment and seems to be a decent system. I think the R1 Meridian system is better. My wife said it’s boomy. Most online car forums are dudes, and complain about bass, her words. She thought it was a great system and not an issue.

Small issues noted. Software has much updating to be done. This was true for R1 as well.
Thoracic back support seems aggressive but don’t think it will be a problem.
Hip angle for the rear seat seems to be designed for kids and car seats otherwise it’s a little off for adults.
I would prefer a fully powered frunk but this system works and seems a good solution at the price point.

Overall it is a great design, it is quiet, it rides well, has cool features and is a good value proposition versus a new R1S.

also not a huge fan of the halo wheel it’s probably fine with more use, but it did have a learning curve - the reset time, pressure touch, direction just seemed little overly complicated to me.

 

[Webleyaz]

I just took R2 for a test drive. I was beginning to waver about keeping my reservation. Not any more. I'm 100% on board. It's so much better than I expected. I've had my R1T since March '23 and I still love it. Possibly not as much after experiencing R2 but it's not going anywhere. Every aspect of R2 is at least 1 notch upgraded. The uhf is obviously several notches up. Sure, it's not as peppy as the quad but it's still obscenely quick.

Back to dreaming of the day I get to configure!

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