Rivian R2 Review: 656 HP, 330-Mile Range & Off‑Road Dominance – The Best Electric SUV Under $60k?

Rivian R2 Review: 656 HP, 330-Mile Range & Off‑Road Dominance – The Best Electric SUV Under $60k?

Designing a car is about compromise. Being good at one thing often makes another bad. A car with a soft and luxurious suspension usually becomes floppy and unstable when cornering becomes intense. And those 33-inch tires that are great for off-road? They ding your efficiency, spoil the ride and make the car much louder. So, if you want to make something great on the rutted dirt trail, comfortable on your commute to work and fun to drive on winding roads, you're asking for a lot. Too much, usually.

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The only vehicle that has solved this equation before was usually a nearly six-figure monster. Land Rover Range Rover comes to mind, but the true king is the Rivian R1. Tricks like what you'll find in a McLaren supercar and air suspension in all four corners. The goal of R2 is to bring its do-everything competency to a much lower price point without resorting to ultra-expensive suspension technology and a blank check approach.  Consider that the job is over. After a day of blasting mountain roads and crawling downhill on loose dirty rocky trails, I couldn't believe how well everything R2 would do.

Rivian R2: Key Specs

The Rivian R2 will eventually be offered under the guise of a single-motor RWD with a range of about 275 miles at its destination for $46,485. There are also more expensive RWD versions, and I think the volume trim ($55, 485 R2 Premium AWD version) will arrive later. But for now, all the R2s will be a performance model with a launch package sold in $59,485.

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The launch package includes a dark green anodized key fob with a capacity of 4,400 lbs, a launch green paint available, a tow package, and a lifetime subscription to Autonomy+ Autonomy+ currently includes the "Universal Hands-free", which is Rivian's lane centering system, but ultimately Tesla's current fully autonomous driving system. All R2 performance models have the same specifications, regardless of whether you get a start-up package model or a later standard version, you'll get 656 hp, 609lb-ft of torque, and an EPA range of 330 miles. With 3.6 seconds take from 0-60 time, you can effortlessly blow the door off of something else you see on the dirt road.

How does the Rivian R2 drive?

The spec sheet means a car that can match the Tesla model Y in most EV-specific areas and surpass most other crossover off-road. After all, with 9.6 inches of ground clearance and enough torque to root out the Chrysler building, it looks like a fair fight with your average RAV4. But the real magic is not in the specification. The car really feels as comfortable tiptoeing down a rock grade as it does spray a gas-powered sports sedan on the tarmac. In both arenas, R2 is quiet, composed and generally relaxed.

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It is assisted by an airy cabin and silent power train where you can make more air by dropping off all of the 4 windows and tailgate classes with a single, roof-mounted switch. That way you can enjoy the killer benefits of the R2 and all other electric off-road vehicles.  You can easily climb the rut-dug trail as the wind rustles the leaves and the birds call for companionship. There is no grumbling engine to drown out the sounds of the forest. It's just a nice experience. But unlike 4 Runner and Jeep, you won't pay for this off-road bliss with the on-road hassle. The R2, with a hands-free driving assistant, ultra-quiet cabin, Dolby Atmos-enabled stereo, and an utterly sophisticated ride, years of sampling the highway miles Subarus, Toyotas, Audis, and Fords will help you turn on and off feeling seamless for far less than $100,000. I Rivian changed my mind in the afternoon.

What about the technology of the Rivian R2?

The technology of the Rivian R1 has always been considerably more sophisticated than that of traditional car manufacturers. For the American market, when it comes to software-defined cars, Rivian is the only company in the same league as Tesla. In the case of R2, the company takes a few steps forward and a step back. The control menu at the top right of the central screen has been replaced with the "Fish Stick" control menu on the left, making it easier for the driver to reach. That is, when you open the music screen and tap "Settings", "Audio Settings" will pop up. But when you are on the navigation screen, the same button is loaded into the navigation settings.

The R2 also gets a few new handy tricks, such as the pet camera function, which allows you to keep an eye on your dog when you leave them inside with the climate function in pet mode engaged. But, wary of suspicious spouses and negligent parents, Rivian made it so that if the car detects a person inside, the function does not work. Only furry friends. (Both Pet mode and pet camera function are not available until one month after launch). And, as I mentioned, R2 is on its way to hands-off, and ultimately, eye-opening autonomy. So you get a better camera than R1, and Lidar sensors will be built later on in R2S.

The R2 also gets a new on-board charger that can be charged with bi-directional charged. It is one of the first cars in the United States to offer this technology, which is fundamental to true vehicle-to-X aspirations, allowing it to send a full 11 kilowatts of AC power directly to the house and grid power without the need for expensive offboard inverters that can send 1 kilowatts of AC power from the car. Combined with mattress accessories available for the rear cargo area and camping mode, which allows you to run external power and internal HVAC all night, the R2 packs everything you need for a glamping adventure.

The one downgrade is in the user interface department, at least for now. Rivian replaced the usual array of steering wheel buttons for two "tactile hello" scroll wheels. It has the ability to click left and right, such as skipping the track, scrolling up and down, pushing, or clicking and pressing from behind. They're also contextual and feel great to use, so that you feel the wheel "out bottom" and you can see it at the top or bottom of the menu. But in fact, they feel like the only rough edge of an otherwise perfectly polished car. I especially found it very difficult to click from behind, which is required to replace the drive mode, without pushing the wheel up and down. When going hard on the back road or negotiating the technical part of the trail, I also found it easier to polish the wheels up and down when I rearranged my hands.

Early Verdict: Rivian R2

The Rivian R2 arrives at a strange time for EVs and in a hotly contested market. As Tesla model Y reigns champion at a lower starting price, the BMW iX3, Volvo EX60 and Mercedes GLC arrive soon with an 800-volt architecture and more range, some readers have publicly mused that the R2 may find itself a side. I'm glad to say they are wrong. The performance of the fully loaded R2 peaks lower than the starting price of these other cars, and while they might nail the luxury SUV briefs, this price does everything I would ever want to do with an SUV and does it with more attractive, faster speed and thoughtful prosperity than any competitor. It is not the fastest charging, cheapest, nor the fastest electric SUV ever made. But for my money, it's absolutely the best. It is a global fulfillment of impossible promises, and it is positive proof that Rivian will stay here.