R2 LIDAR Availability

[NY_Rob]

One final question. Does anyone know if it will be possible to drive on soft sand/beach with the R2 Premium, as it does not have a "soft sand" mode?

Thanks!
Roger

That mode can always be added later on as it was with the R1 vehicles. The R2 is much lighter than the R1's, it has plenty of power and with decent tires (of course aired down for sand use) it should be great in sand.

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[reodds]

That mode can always be added later on as it was with the R1 vehicles. The R2 is much lighter than the R1's, it has plenty of power and with decent tires (of course aired down for sand use) it should be great in sand.

Thanks! That's greatly appreciated!

 

[Fmc]

as a gen1 r1 buyer i am hesitant to buy a launch r2. The original r1 was released with language that level 3 autonomy would be available and here we are 3 years later and no autonomy or even text messaging. so @reodds i understand your hesitancy to but a new r2. But the speed of progress in the EV market means that each model will have better tech than the previous model. However after 3 years of ownership there is nothing else i would want to own. So enjoy the ride and stay adventurous.

 

[DuoRivian]

Agree there will be new tech all the time, sure there will be RAP2 in just a couple of years.

 

[reodds]

You guys are great! I feel much better, and plan to learn a lot from this forum!

 

[AlphaSnowbordergirl]

I am far from poor, but buying ANY car that is more than twice what I paid for my first house is something I need to think about carefully.

......Dude... How much was your first house? 25k? The cheapest place I could buy for my first place is a condo for 380k+. I mean I know I'm young and got the worst housing market but way to make me think life is unfair in one sentence.

 

[Luke42]

Thanks! What about your opinion on the lack of LIDAR effecting resale value?

We bought a used 1st-Gen R1S without the expectation of self-driving capabilities.

Why?

We previously had a Tesla Model Y, and our experiences with Tesla’s “Full Self Driving (supervised)” system was not good.

We ended up fighting with Autopilot a lot, and we found FSD to be dangerously flawed during on-again/off-again subscriptions and the free trials.

The flip side is that our experience with Tesla’s electric drivetrain has been very good and I’m not going back to gasoline.

As a result, we didn’t consider FSD or Autonomy+ as part of our purchase decision.

How much self-driving affects the depreciation of the car depends entirely on 1) software that hasn’t been written yet and 2) whether the person buying the vehicle values the software in the state is is on the day you sell your car. You won’t know how 1) and 2) affect your price until the ink is dry on the sales contract.

 

[carsly]

a Gen 3 R2 will be worth more than a Gen 2 R2, same as HW4 Teslas are worth more than HW3. Gen 3 R2 will be supported longer with software updates and it will include the RAP1 chip.

Don’t take my word for it, wait a few years and see.

 

[DuoRivian]

a Gen 3 R2 will be worth more than a Gen 2 R2, same as HW4 Teslas are worth more than HW3. Gen 3 R2 will be supported longer with software updates and it will include the RAP1 chip.

Don’t take my word for it, wait a few years and see.

Software updates for ADAS yes but it infotainment updates will be the same between 2026 and 2027 builds. Again the difference is ADAS only.

Selling a five year old vehicle - the condition, mileage etc will matter more than v3 or v3 ADAS.

 

[sparked]

Selling a five year old vehicle - the condition, mileage etc will matter more than v3 or v3 ADAS.

Yes. It's still an old car with mileage whether it's a 2027 or 2028 by the time 2033 rolls out. Autonomy hardware will keep changing. There will be a Gen 4 and Gen 5 Rivian too. We're only in the beginning stages of autonomy.

 

[Riviot]

I am far from poor

Early Gen1 R1 owner here... if LiDAR and true capabilities are important to you, not hot air blown up your skirt about "eventually... It'll do XYZ," wait for LiDAR and the car to ACTUALLY do the things they say before buying.

 

[reodds]

Thanks again everyone for your opinions. They really do go along way discussing issues with people "in the know". I greatly appreciate them, and as a result have decided to continue to wait for whatever generation is offered to me as a not too early reservation holder!

And yes, I am old enough to have bought my first house at a price that is about half of the cost of the R2 Premium!

Roger

 

[Great Gatsby]

Thanks again everyone for your opinions. They really do go along way discussing issues with people "in the know". I greatly appreciate them, and as a result have decided to continue to wait for whatever generation is offered to me as a not too early reservation holder!

And yes, I am old enough to have bought my first house at a price that is about half of the cost of the R2 Premium!

Roger

Good choice. The launch is well equipped and has a few thousand of dollars in freebies that should help resale. FWIW I think the R2 should hold its value better than most EVs given brand perception (people tend to like Rivians) and value proposition of the R2. I don't foresee the lidar version holding its value much higher until we see more significant improvement in Rivian autonomy.

As someone else mentioned, you can always just lease if resale is a concern.

 

[carsly]

The benefits of waiting are:
- perhaps a chance to test drive before buying, notably R1 Gen 1 or Gen 2 suspensions aren't very good and neither are the sound systems. Rivian has never done a suspension of the type going into R2 - R1 has an air suspension and EDV uses leaf springs - so best to try the R2 suspension and get some feedback on wear after 5-10k miles if you plan to buy and own for a while
- some issues from early production are identified and fixed = less hassle for you
- more trim levels become available, particularly Premium since Autonomy package isn't worth a nickel IMHO as it ships today
- more options are available - exterior colors, Coastal Coast interior
- perhaps more advantageous pricing - could be better lease/financing terms after the new Fed chair gets in the seat and drops interest rates in Q4
- Rivian's RAP1 processor and LiDAR get installed - whether this matters to you now or not, it means resale values of vehicles equipped with the latest tech will end up being worth more than the early builds that lack this stuff. We also don't know what other changes Rivian may have planned to make at the same time, maybe the pop-out rear glass?

I have a Day One reservation, but will plan to own whatever my next vehicle is for at least a few years so will wait until closer to year-end to see what's going on then. Also want to see the BMW iX3 in the sheet metal and take it for a spin, looks to be very compelling and I have my R1S and Cybertruck for any light off-roading.

 

[richguess]

I usually don't buy a car based upon resale, but I've been reading reports about a whole lot of ecars losing sometimes 50+ percent of their value in a very short time.

I am far from poor, but buying ANY car that is more than twice what I paid for my first house is something I need to think about carefully. I realize that no car is an investment (with certain exceptions!), but I would like to avoid losing half it's value as soon as it's off the lot... If that means waiting for six months for a more "desirable" model, I'm prepared to do that.

That huge drop provides opportunity! But not, I don’t think, for the R2 buyer with their apparent pent up demand. My Q8 Etron warranty expires 1/28, so next fall (assuming my R2 hasn’t come up yet, or I decide not to get it) I’ll look for a newly off lease BMW i3x, or aQ6 or the EX60 Volvo. The real pick of the litter there is the Macan Turbo EV, but I can’t bring myself to spend that kind of $$$. The Audi was less than 2 years old and had

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