Thoughts from people who have seen the R2 in person.

[Zathras]

I checked out the R2 this past weekend, and honestly, it didn’t impress me as much as I expected. I’m currently on the waiting list and had been pretty convinced it would be my next car, but now I’m not so sure.

I was hoping it would feel like a smaller version of the R1, but to me it seemed to fall short in build quality. Maybe having the R1 on display nearby didn’t do it any favors—or maybe that was intentional, to nudge people toward spending more on the R1.

On the plus side, the R2 felt very spacious, especially in the back seat. Still, overall, it came across as more than just a scaled-down version, it felt like there was noticeable cost-cutting in several areas.

For those of you who’ve seen it, am I being too critical? Were my expectations too high?

Not sure what one would expect with the price difference.Those premium features in the R1 don't grow on trees, like my granny used to say.

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[kurtlikevonnegut]

They showed a surfboard being hauled, but in actuality they could push it all the way in with the way the rear seats fold down. Just put a towel on your center console, so it doesn’t get banged up. I’ll be using that on trips to IKEA.

I didn't realize IKEA sold surfboards. Seems like it would be a pain to assemble.

 

[KRG]

To be honest I had the opposite reaction. I’ve seen it 3 times in person and been inside one.

I’m SHOCKED at how nice it is for the price point. Yes there’s some cost cutting compared to my R1, but it’s not nearly as obvious as the price would suggest imo.

Your expectations were way too high. Is there another $57k EV on the market you think offers a more premium experience?

 

[Jeremy3292]

To be honest I had the opposite reaction. I’ve seen it 3 times in person and been inside one.

I’m SHOCKED at how nice it is for the price point. Yes there’s some cost cutting compared to my R1, but it’s not nearly as obvious as the price would suggest imo.

Your expectations were way too high. Is there another $57k EV on the market you think offers a more premium experience?

And I would call it $54k not $57k premium trim by EOY with same interior

 

[bronco7777]

Not sure what one would expect with the price difference.Those premium features in the R1 don't grow on trees, like my granny used to say.

I agree. I don't know how you could expect to have the same R1 100K-like high end finishes and features in every single corner of the R2. If you place the same exact materials and/or features the R1 has in this R2 form factor, you'd be paying well above 80K. In some instances, the R2 has items you can't find in the R1. I saw the car in person and I'm a current R1S owner. Quite frankly I was impressed by Rivian. They did a fantastic job creating a car that competes directly with the Model Y, and in my opinion, out-delivers the Y for 58K.

 

[tgrick]

I was at the Miami Block party twice this last Friday and without reading comments above here are my thoughts. The Miami Rivian shop had 3 R2's and I was careful to examine each. They were not production models but prototypes. The Black R2 drivers door was not perfect and when you closed it the sound was off, like something slightly lose. The other 2 cars felt really solid and I was impressed. I was looking for details. I was looking and thinking about other people that would drive the R2. I'm a tech guy, older than I want to be but I easy adapt to any software. My oldest son is 19 and kids are kids they figure things out. My wife is not a tech person and struggles with it. Overall, it will take some time for her to adjust and she won't use all the bells and whistles but overall I think she will adjust fine. The input wheels on the steering wheel are novel but work well, but understand that they function on a 4 axis logic. You pull, push and move from the front and also the rear. Overall I think they are great! The finish of the interior was very well done. I'm not crazy about the black color but for my family it works. Kids and light colors are magic dirt magnets. We have a Pacifica with a dark interior and it still looks almost new. I will end by saying that nothing in the interior is cheap looking or feels cheap.


The exterior. The color options on the cars were LE Green, Black and Catalina Cove. I'm sure Rivian has a name for black but I'm not going to bother to look it up. Anyway, I have nothing negative to report. The panels were all aligned but more importantly nothing was obvious. The rear window switch and frunk switch felt solid. The paint jobs were well done. The frunck has real usable space and the material for it seems substantial and not flimsy. I worry about the glass roof. Here in Florida we have trees that drop things and once every few years something very large hit's my car while stopped at a traffic light. I asked about a shade for the roof and a Rivian team member mentioned a shade that will be made available to R2 owners at some time. No idea if free or not.

I was surprised at how big the R2 really is. I was thinking it would be much smaller for some reason. I'm conflicted because I like the size and it the proportions look great but a part of me wishes it were slightly smaller. That's what I walked away feeling. My name is on the reservation list and my plan is to get one. Yes, I have also considered the BMW and the Volvo but I like the box look of the R2 more. The charging specs of the Volvo are superior but I will only take advantage of those higher end specs a handful of times so not an issue...

 

[Zathras]

I was at the Miami Block party twice this last Friday and without reading comments above here are my thoughts. The Miami Rivian shop had 3 R2's and I was careful to examine each. They were not production models but prototypes. The Black R2 drivers door was not perfect and when you closed it the sound was off, like something slightly lose. The other 2 cars felt really solid and I was impressed. I was looking for details. I was looking and thinking about other people that would drive the R2. I'm a tech guy, older than I want to be but I easy adapt to any software. My oldest son is 19 and kids are kids they figure things out. My wife is not a tech person and struggles with it. Overall, it will take some time for her to adjust and she won't use all the bells and whistles but overall I think she will adjust fine. The input wheels on the steering wheel are novel but work well, but understand that they function on a 4 axis logic. You pull, push and move from the front and also the rear. Overall I think they are great! The finish of the interior was very well done. I'm not crazy about the black color but for my family it works. Kids and light colors are magic dirt magnets. We have a Pacifica with a dark interior and it still looks almost new. I will end by saying that nothing in the interior is cheap looking or feels cheap.


The exterior. The color options on the cars were LE Green, Black and Catalina Cove. I'm sure Rivian has a name for black but I'm not going to bother to look it up. Anyway, I have nothing negative to report. The panels were all aligned but more importantly nothing was obvious. The rear window switch and frunk switch felt solid. The paint jobs were well done. The frunck has real usable space and the material for it seems substantial and not flimsy. I worry about the glass roof. Here in Florida we have trees that drop things and once every few years something very large hit's my car while stopped at a traffic light. I asked about a shade for the roof and a Rivian team member mentioned a shade that will be made available to R2 owners at some time. No idea if free or not.

I was surprised at how big the R2 really is. I was thinking it would be much smaller for some reason. I'm conflicted because I like the size and it the proportions look great but a part of me wishes it were slightly smaller. That's what I walked away feeling. My name is on the reservation list and my plan is to get one. Yes, I have also considered the BMW and the Volvo but I like the box look of the R2 more. The charging specs of the Volvo are superior but I will only take advantage of those higher end specs a handful of times so not an issue...

If you want smaller, you might wait for the R3. I started interested in that, but wanted something a bit bigger. So the R2 is perfect for me. I have a Subaru Crosstrek, and it's too small. The SO has a Subaru Ascent and it's gigantic. No interest in that big. So the R2 hits me as perfect. But I'll have to see one in person to know for sure.

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