R2 Build Quality Review by Out of Spec

[Mos Eisley]

They most certainly were; just not for you.

Yup- just me, taking one for the millions.

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[macb00kemdanno]

They most certainly were; just not for you.

I still remember this ad as a tween

 

[JasonK]

It looks like the build quality is real good to me. I could care less about the hard plastics down low. I actually prefer that to carpet as carpet is a pet hair magnet and it is difficult to vacuum the pet hair out of. hard plastics just wipe or sweep the hair off. I do not like all the videos I have seen with the touch buttons on the exterior not working more than half the time. I hope they fix that issue by the time I order. I also I would be annoyed by the rear hatch not draining water properly.

 

[ewcanes]

The color looks better in this video, would like to see it with coastal cloud and the 20s.

Also, as usual for OOS videos, it’s past the 6 minute mark before they even get to the subject of the video.

Edit: Finally finished the video, think it made me more excited to get mine, the plastic doesn’t bother me, my current truck is all cheap plastic inside.

 

[NY_Rob]

Panel Gaps weren't an issue for car buyers before the internet came along to force-feed OCD.

I'm gonna blame the whole panel gap issue on Tesla. Back when the Model 3 and then the Model Y first came out, there were some absolutely atrocious panel gaps in each vehicle. Back then, Tesla's reply was most always "it's within spec" while never publicly disclosing what the spec was until much later in the game.

Once the spec was actually released (or leaked?) to the public people started measuring gaps all around the vehicle looking for flaws. It then became part of the buyer pre sign-on-the-line inspection for factory delivered vehicles.

It was mostly forum driven in the end....

 

[Jeremy3292]

It looks like the build quality is real good to me. I could care less about the hard plastics down low. I actually prefer that to carpet as carpet is a pet hair magnet and it is difficult to vacuum the pet hair out of. hard plastics just wipe or sweep the hair off. I do not like all the videos I have seen with the touch buttons on the exterior not working more than half the time. I hope they fix that issue by the time I order. I also I would be annoyed by the rear hatch not draining water properly.

Agreed on the pet hair and the plastics. Also the buttons work totally fine. Rear window is press and hold to go up for safety and press and release to go down. They’re also not haptic buttons; they’re force touch buttons. The people in the video just don’t know what they’re doing.

 

[renderpaz]

I'm gonna blame the whole panel gap issue on Tesla....

Yup, though really it was Tesla Q / shorts that turned it into big news. It is used as a proxy for overall build quality. I have heard that internally many auto manufacturers do obsess over panel gaps.

 

[Mos Eisley]

I'm gonna blame the whole panel gap issue on Tesla. Back when the Model 3 and then the Model Y first came out, there were some absolutely atrocious panel gaps in each vehicle. Back then, Tesla's reply was most always "it's within spec" while never publicly disclosing what the spec was until much later in the game.

Once the spec was actually released (or leaked?) to the public people started measuring gaps all around the vehicle looking for flaws. It then became part of the buyer pre sign-on-the-line inspection for factory delivered vehicles.

It was mostly forum driven in the end....

If one were to complain about panel gaps on the F40 to Enzo, likely as not he would have beaten you to death with a 50yr old bottle of Balsamico.

 

[SANZC02]

They most certainly were; just not for you.

Or me….

When Ingot my Model S my brother in law was looking at it and pointed out a couple of spots he said are you having them fix this, I could not live with that.

I looked at what he was pointing at and literally said I have no idea what you are seeing. Left that just thinking to myself, man am I glad I’m not like that. 10 years later it still looks fine to me.

 

[NY_Rob]

If one were to complain about panel gaps on the F40 to Enzo, likely as not he would have beaten you to death with a 50yr old bottle of Balsamico.

It's an Italian vehicle, they just accept the gaps and go on from there! I had 3 Fiats back in the 80's.. I don't think I ever looked at panel gaps at all on any of them except when aligning the pop-up headlight doors on the X1/9.

 

[Mos Eisley]

It's an Italian vehicle, they just accept the gaps and go on from there! I had 3 Fiats back in the 80's.. I don't think I ever looked at panel gaps at all on any of them except when aligning the pop-up headlight doors on the X1/9.

Loved this little guy…

 

[Apprunner]

Panel gaps never bothered me. It’s reliability issues that really bother me.

 

[rvnxyz001]

I assume they were complaining about the plastic just because they are Tesla owners. I also disagree that Tesla's soft-touch material will necessarily look better if it gets damaged. Maybe it's easier to repair, but I'm not sure.

The outdoorsy Subaru Outback is very similar to the R2 in terms of material composition: soft-touch materials on top, hard plastic on the bottom, and hard plastic almost everywhere in the trunk. The only exception is the wheel wells, which are fabric, and Subaru sells heavy-duty rubber covers for them. I wish someone would make the same accessory for the R2.

I've had no issues with the plastic in the Outback at all, and I abuse it quite a bit. I also don't believe the R2 plastic is much softer than Subaru's.

 

[Rade]

Coastal Cloud for me. I’m over dungeony interiors

Damn right!!!! It was why the F-150 Lightning or Chevy Silverado EV were not being considered. Choice of black, black, black or black for interior.

 

[R2dreamer]

I suppose these reviews can effectively cover paint quality, basic interior quality, and any fitment issues. However, I do agree that panel gaps have been blown out of proportion these days.

The basics of any decent build quality review would at least include lifting the vehicle and covering the suspension, brakes, and underbody protection, with details on design and material choices.

Keep in mind these guys are car detailers and don't have any manufacturing expertise, nor are they engineers or even seasoned car reviewers. This forum is likely more informative tbh.

Out of Spec Bits with RivianTracker did a nice review of the underbody of the R2 on July 25th on YouTube. Not sure how to copy it to this forum.

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