New R2 Purchase w/ 700 Miles Road Trip Thoughts

[Mike777]

I recently purchased my R2 3 days ago. Here are some of my unfiltered thoughts from purchase to road tripping the vehicle 700 miles over 3 days doing about 80 on the highway in 100+ Heat. Since people are already saying "reduce speed". Speed limits in Texas are between 75-85 on the Highway. There are absolutely amazing things about this vehicle and some things Rivian really needs to address for future updates/models.

The Good
1. Driving Dynamics - Coming from a Lyriq I love it so much better for driving dynamics. It doesn't feel like a boat on the road. SUV but Sporty.
2. Autonomy - Worked amazingly well. All from regular adaptive cruise control to autonomy was great. My only gripe is that it kept telling me to keep my eyes on the road way too often. Even looking down at the screen to make some simple adjustments will make the loud beep go off.
3. Interior - The actual usable space for this vehicle although the measurements are very similar to the Lyriq is feels bigger especially the back seat.
4. The Navigation planner - Was great my only gripe was I couldn't set a destination charging percent to a charger at like 10% vs the default of 20%. You can only change what you want the final destination charging percent to be not what you want when you arrive at a charger.
5. AC - Blows extremely well in Texas in 100+ degree heat had no problems cooling the cabin. The ventilated seats worked extremely well.
6. Charging performance - It was flawless at Tesla stations. Handshake with the charger was super quick no issues.
7. Wheels - My wife wanted the 21s I wanted the 20s but after seeing the vehicle with the 21s and seeing 20s in person during the demo. I actually think now the 21s look better.
6. There is SO much more to love about the car its great all around. These are just the first things that come to mind.

The Bad
1. Efficiency/Range - I know it's been said but my god the efficiency and range are worse than I could have ever thought. To go a simple 230 miles one way required almost 100 KWH to drive or somewhere between 2.1 - 2.3 Miles per Kwh. According to the Energy App on the screen to keep the cabin cool (100 + outside) on a 3-hour trip required almost 10 KWH of consumption. That is far worse than our Lyriq which we could easily drive 250-260 miles going 80 on the highway. Why cant Rivian install a simple retractable sunshade like every other car out there or just dont put a glass roof? This car also desperately needs a Max Pack with at least an extra 20 Kwh. It's just not enough battery for this vehicle.
2. EVGO - Had a hiccup at EvGo. When using the Adapter at multiple stations I kept getting an error. It was after I put about 25% in the pack none of the EVGO stations would work at all. Had to stop again at a Tesla to get more juice to get home.

Other than those two issues the car has been fantastic. If anyone has any questions happy to answer.

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[VSG]

4. The Navigation planner - Was great my only gripe was I couldn't set a destination charging percent to a charger at like 10% vs the default of 20%.

Well you can in the app and in the R1, so I would be very surprised if you couldn't do that in the R2.

1. Efficiency/Range - I know it's been said but my god the efficiency and range are worse than I could have ever thought.

Never owned a boxy vehicle before? My Camry got much better mileage than my 4Runner when doing 80 too. That's should be expected, not come as a surprise.

 

[Mathme]

700 miles @ 80mph =8.75 hours of driving
700 miles at 70mph =10 hours of driving.
So you saved 75 minutes by going 10mph faster over the course of that trip.

Slowing by 10mph to 70mph will greatly increase your efficiency and may even eliminate at least 1 charging stop for say 35-40 minutes in total. Thus your 75 minutes of time saving would be reduced to about 35-40.

out here in CA, that 10mph is also the difference between seeing the red & blue in your rear view mirror and not. For me, I’ll trade that 35-40 all day long to avoid the hassle of a speeding ticket (which will suck even more time that you’ll never get back).

Im always perplexed when people drive so fast, yet complain about low efficiency.

 

[Mike777]

Well you can in the app and in the R1, so I would be very surprised if you couldn't do that in the R2.

Never owned a boxy vehicle before? My Camry got much better mileage than my 4Runner when doing 80 too. That's should be expected, not come as a surprise.

I could care less about efficiency as long as it has the range. I do own a Ford Bronco at 13 MPG lol. This is where I thought GM had it right just put the biggest battery possible in vehicles. Even Out of Spec mentioned it. I've seen all the reviews and stuff about the R2 before I purchased about the range. I'm just stating its worse than whats been said in extreme heat. I'm just giving my quick thoughts as I just got back from road tripping it.

 

[Mike777]

700 miles @ 80mph =8.75 hours of driving
700 miles at 70mph =10 hours of driving.
So you saved 75 minutes by going 10mph faster over the course of that trip.

Slowing by 10mph to 70mph will greatly increase your efficiency and may even eliminate at least 1 charging stop for say 35-40 minutes in total. Thus your 75 minutes of time saving would be reduced to about 35-40.

out here in CA, that 10mph is also the difference between seeing the red & blue in your rear view mirror and not. For me, I’ll trade that 35-40 all day long to avoid the hassle of a speeding ticket (which will suck even more time that you’ll never get back).

Im always perplexed when people drive so fast, yet complain about low efficiency.

Texas highways are between 75 - 85 posted speed limits. Anything slower than 75 really is dangerous on Texas highways. So how is this driving fast?

 

[Dennisis]

Get a shade for the roof and ceramic tint the windows plus 70 on the windshield- will make a huge difference in climate consumption. And consider going as much under 80 as you can tolerate. My wife barely tolerates 78 .

 

[Mathme]

I used to live in TX and they drive fast for sure but on the freeways, however so long as you’re not a left-lane-lounger as a slower speed, it shouldn’t bother Bubba if you’re doing 5-10 under the legal limit.

 

[DCFC]

Keep in mind that a 20kwh larger pack increases the price significantly and also significantly negatively impacts handling due to the extra mass.

 

[savethemanual]

Congrats on your new R2! Sounds like overall you love it, like others said, try to get an aftermarket shade for the roof and ceramic window tint for heat blocking...especially in TX. I hear ya on doing 80, it's simply going with the flow where I drive most of time too.

 

[mkhuffman]

I used to live in TX and they drive fast for sure but on the freeways, however so long as you’re not a left-lane-lounger as a slower speed, it shouldn’t bother Bubba if you’re doing 5-10 under the legal limit.

It would bother me. The vehicle should be able to keep up with traffic, IMO.

@Mike777 - I pretty much ignore Electrify America and EVGO when planning trips. I cannot count the number of bad charging experiences I have had using those networks. The newer stations are probably OK, but it is often hard to tell if they are new or not. Luckily, I can pretty much use the RAN wherever I need to go. The RAN has been perfect for me.

 

[DaveA]

Texas highways are between 75 - 85 posted speed limits. Anything slower than 75 really is dangerous on Texas highways. So how is this driving fast?

I live in Texas and 70 is perfectly acceptable cruising speed in the right lane. You’re just wasting energy going faster than 70 in such a boxy EV.

 

[Husky]

I recently purchased my R2 3 days ago. Here are some of my unfiltered thoughts from purchase to road tripping the vehicle 700 miles over 3 days doing about 80 on the highway in 100+ Heat. Since people are already saying "reduce speed". Speed limits in Texas are between 75-85 on the Highway. There are absolutely amazing things about this vehicle and some things Rivian really needs to address for future updates/models.

The Good
1. Driving Dynamics - Coming from a Lyriq I love it so much better for driving dynamics. It doesn't feel like a boat on the road. SUV but Sporty.
2. Autonomy - Worked amazingly well. All from regular adaptive cruise control to autonomy was great. My only gripe is that it kept telling me to keep my eyes on the road way too often. Even looking down at the screen to make some simple adjustments will make the loud beep go off.
3. Interior - The actual usable space for this vehicle although the measurements are very similar to the Lyriq is feels bigger especially the back seat.
4. The Navigation planner - Was great my only gripe was I couldn't set a destination charging percent to a charger at like 10% vs the default of 20%. You can only change what you want the final destination charging percent to be not what you want when you arrive at a charger.
5. AC - Blows extremely well in Texas in 100+ degree heat had no problems cooling the cabin. The ventilated seats worked extremely well.
6. Charging performance - It was flawless at Tesla stations. Handshake with the charger was super quick no issues.
7. Wheels - My wife wanted the 21s I wanted the 20s but after seeing the vehicle with the 21s and seeing 20s in person during the demo. I actually think now the 21s look better.
6. There is SO much more to love about the car its great all around. These are just the first things that come to mind.

The Bad
1. Efficiency/Range - I know it's been said but my god the efficiency and range are worse than I could have ever thought. To go a simple 230 miles one way required almost 100 KWH to drive or somewhere between 2.1 - 2.3 Miles per Kwh. According to the Energy App on the screen to keep the cabin cool (100 + outside) on a 3-hour trip required almost 10 KWH of consumption. That is far worse than our Lyriq which we could easily drive 250-260 miles going 80 on the highway. Why cant Rivian install a simple retractable sunshade like every other car out there or just dont put a glass roof? This car also desperately needs a Max Pack with at least an extra 20 Kwh. It's just not enough battery for this vehicle.
2. EVGO - Had a hiccup at EvGo. When using the Adapter at multiple stations I kept getting an error. It was after I put about 25% in the pack none of the EVGO stations would work at all. Had to stop again at a Tesla to get more juice to get home.

Other than those two issues the car has been fantastic. If anyone has any questions happy to answer.

Having to blast the AC in high heat and sun conditions, especially with that roof, is going to use a lot of energy! It can have a significant effect on your range.
I plan to get a shade, even living in the Northeast.

 

[mkg3]

....Why cant Rivian install a simple retractable sunshade like every other car out there or just dont put a glass roof? This car also desperately needs a Max Pack with at least an extra 20 Kwh. It's just not enough battery for this vehicle.
2. EVGO - Had a hiccup at EvGo. When using the Adapter at multiple stations I kept getting an error. It was after I put about 25% in the pack none of the EVGO stations would work at all. Had to stop again at a Tesla to get more juice to get home....

Many of us on the forum since the R1 days wished Rivian provided built in shade for the roof. Better yet, a solid roof without glass and the proper insulation.

As for the max pack, another 20kw would put the price of the vehicle in the $70K~75K, even if they could find the space for it - and will not sell. There is R1S for that.

Glad you still like the vehicle

 

[Millbarge]

Well you can in the app and in the R1, so I would be very surprised if you couldn't do that in the R2.

Never owned a boxy vehicle before? My Camry got much better mileage than my 4Runner when doing 80 too. That's should be expected, not come as a surprise.

well your Camry and 4Runner don't have the same engine, so boxy shape isn't the whole story

 

[evilyn]

I could care less about efficiency as long as it has the range. I do own a Ford Bronco at 13 MPG lol. This is where I thought GM had it right just put the biggest battery possible in vehicles. Even Out of Spec mentioned it. I've seen all the reviews and stuff about the R2 before I purchased about the range. I'm just stating its worse than whats been said in extreme heat. I'm just giving my quick thoughts as I just got back from road tripping it.

You do realize that 20% bigger battery would reduce the number of charging stops, but wouldn't materially change the total time of your trip (all other things being equal).
I personally don't mind stopping after 2-3h driving, and my dog also appreciates it. I'm trying to keep trips enjoyable for everybody.

P.S. just recently did a ~170 mile trip and was getting 3+mi/kWh at 75mph on freeway (the car was set on UHF.) I noticed the efficiency taking a hit when accelerating hard, and when the road surface isn't smooth, didn't notice a big hit from A/C. The glass roof also doesn't seem to be a big problem, there is more heat coming through the windshield.

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