Rivian R2 First Drive: The Rivian for the masses

For years, Rivian made an argument: serious all-electric adventure vehicles had to be very expensive. The R1S, still one of the most capable off-roaders on any surface, starts at $75,900. The Tri Max configuration is well over $105,000. A superb SUV. This is not a consumer product. The R2 is Rivian’s answer to its own problem.

This five-seat midsize electric SUV, built on an all-new platform, isn’t just a stripped-down R1S. No, the R2 is a complete overhaul of what a Rivian can be with one crucial goal in mind: sales volume. Starting at a competitive $45,000, it’s the make-or-break moment Economical EV for the automaker that began life as Consumer engines in 2009.

Over the past eight years, Rivian has burned through nearly $25 billion in cash. Its historical free cash flow compared to other automakers is “bracing“, shall we say, because it has essentially spent more money over the same period of time than almost every pure electric vehicle maker. The company’s stock price has fallen from $130 to around $16. The R1 went on sale in 2021; since then, Rivian has sold 175,000 cars. Over the same period, Tesla sold 8 million.

Yes, it’s an unfair comparison, but it gives a certain impression of the mountain that Rivian’s new off-road SUV has to climb. Despite billion-dollar deals with VW Group And Uberto survive in its current form, Rivian must start selling cars in greater numbers. Just in time, it seems, which is precisely what the R2 was designed for.

Does this R2 unit have bad motivation?

No doubt burned by the serious headaches induced by the simultaneous launch of three products last time, Rivian is cautiously rolling out the new R2 in four versions by the end of 2027.

The only R2 available at launch is the Performance model at $57,990, which is actually $59,485 with the mandatory $1,495 destination charge. However, it makes 656 horsepower and 609 pound-feet of torque through a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup. Zero to 60 mph is a quick 3.6 seconds, and the EPA-estimated range is 330 miles.

The Launch Edition adds Autonomy+ for life (Rivian’s L2+ hands-free driving system), which typically costs you $50 per month, a one-time expense of $2,500, and a towing package rated at 4,400 pounds. Yes, it’s not what many would call cheap, but the entry R1S costs $18,000 more and produces 123 fewer horsepower in base form.

The Premium model will follow in late 2026 at $53,990. Same 87.9 kilowatt-hour battery, same 330-mile range, but with 450 horsepower, 537 pound-feet of torque and a zero-to-60 time of 4.6 seconds. Still dual-motor all-wheel drive. Then the Standard Long Range model arrives in early 2027 at $48,490 with single-motor rear-wheel drive, 350 hp and zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds. Rivian estimates up to 345 miles on a single charge, effectively making it the furthest in the range, but only by 15 miles.

This very important Standard model at the attractive price of $45,000 ($10,000 less than a base model) Volvo EX40, and $5,000 less than Tesla Model Y Premium AWD) arrives last, at the end of 2027, with a reduced range of around 275 miles. All four versions feature a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector with access to Tesla’s Supercharger network and a claimed 10-80% charge time of 29 minutes.

But here’s the thing: the first R2s won’t be as technically good as the models that arrive about six months later. For what? Rivian’s sophisticated new RAP1 processor, a custom 5-nanometer chip delivering 1,600 TOPS (billions of operations per second) that powers its upcoming Gen 3 autonomy, won’t be available on R2 models until late 2026. The electric vehicles also won’t have lidar initially. So this basically means that early adopters of R2 are getting Gen 2 hardware, not Gen 3. L2+ battery life, not L3.

Now, Rivian is at pains to point out here that the Gen 2 Performance R2 will supposedly be capable of point-to-point driving later this year, but would you like that or rather wait a few months for the Gen 3 Level 3s to contain “the most powerful combination of sensors and inference computing in consumer vehicles in North America,” according to Rivian. senior vice president of electrical equipment? I know what I would do. I also know what Rivian wants you to do: ignore this inconvenient fact and just hand over the much-needed money, please. These sales goals will not happen on their own.

Better than Big Brother

Delays in Gen 3 hardware aside, Rivian has sprinkled more than a little magic dust on its R2. The Performance version actually outperforms the base R1S in terms of power and range, despite its significantly lower price. Yes, the R1S has more space (three rows) and its air suspension can lift it to almost 15 inches of clearance, as well as level the EV on sloping ground (the R2’s 9.6 inches are fixed), but in almost every other area the R2 presents a tougher argument to answer than the R1S.

For a few days outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, I participated in a brand-hosted media campaign (Rivian paid WIRED’s travel expenses) and tested the R2 on highways, mountain roads, and moderate off-road terrain.

The really good news is that much of what made the R1 such a hit with critics has either been retained, modified or adapted here on the R2. The exterior design, for example, immediately reflects its big brother, but is cleverly not simply a scaled-down version of this electric vehicle. The team managed to reduce the size to a length of 185.9 inches while maintaining key proportions, so you get a five-seat SUV that is unmistakably Rivian but in no way feels tiny or austere compared to the seven-seater.

The headlights remain resolutely cheerful, the square profile pleasantly robust. The rear windshield goes all the way down (but not on the base model), disappearing into the bodywork, which required a lot of fiddling with the rear wiper so it didn’t need to sit on the glass and kill functionality. Speaking of which, it reminds of the unfortunate Fisker Oceanone button deletes all five windows at once. The trunk is perfectly usable, capable of storing a suitcase and a backpack, or six bags of groceries.

Inside you still have the flashlight in the door and the large responsive central screen, but look closer and you can see where cost reductions have taken place. Below the SUV’s beltline is where the materials, which would have remained premium in the R1S, are less sumptuous. But it’s done tastefully and, unlike the Range Rover Velar, it never makes you feel like Rivian is punishing you for lowering the price list. For example, the R1’s wooden dashboard frame has been replaced with something much less expensive, but it doesn’t feel cheap.

Headroom and legroom are exceptional, so no one in the rear seats will feel shortchanged. Storage is also good, with not one but two glove boxes, and now room for large water bottles in the doors. The 40/20/40 split-folding second row lets you fold down the center section for skis, or you can drop that rear windshield and have it hang out the back.

Hello Halo

Whereas Rivian has been criticized for an almost complete lack of switchgear in the cabin, unlike virtually every other automaker. reconsider this ill-advised decision to remove buttons, those familiar with the R1S’s interface will know how intuitive the brand’s on-screen controls are. It’s this user-friendliness that allows Rivian to get by without CarPlay and Android Auto. Roughly. Setting up driver profiles is a breeze thanks to the on-screen tutorials, which are of a caliber that Apple would be happy with. That said, there are still functions that most will want physical buttons for, like climate control.

But the one feature I predict many competitors will try to copy is Rivian’s excellent new Halo haptic wheel on the steering wheel. Created seemingly in response to those who criticize the car’s lack of buttons, Halo places the most used controls within easy reach. These two toothed wheels scroll up and down, or tilt from left to right, to manage air conditioning, music, driving modes, etc. The six-direction haptic wheels allow you to pull them sideways in either direction from behind or in front of the steering wheel; the scroll resistance also changes depending on what function you’re trying to change, but it doesn’t feel digital at all, but entirely analog.

Rivian has created an all-new, naturally intuitive, tactile control system that breaks the mold of traditional steering controls. Many have tried to rework or reinvent the steering wheel buttons, and many failed. This Halo wheel system, however, is remarkable and instantly makes you wonder why we haven’t seen this solution before. Plus, because it’s completely digital, new controls can be mapped to the wheels. I’d like to see regenerative braking levels controlled by the Halo system, for example, and not via the screen.

On (and off) the road

The Performance model I drove is as quick as the specs above suggest, but we really expect that from almost all electric vehicles. Throttle mapping is predictable, but the default regenerative braking is far too wild. Just as with acceleration, the handling of electric vehicles is now quickly becoming homogeneous, with only a few welcome surprises, such as BMW’s iX3which managed to hide its considerable weight in an almost magical way.

The R2 unfortunately cannot conjure up a similar disappearing act. Even if you feel planted on the highway and fast country roads, there’s no denying the physics of this b attery, and you can feel the weight of the vehicle in the tightest turns. That’s not to say the R2 handles badly at all. It’s a nice walk. But having experienced what’s possible with the BMW, so successfully manipulating the suspension in real time, there’s no denying that it’s now the benchmark everyone should aim for.

Take the R2 off-road, and just like with the R1, it’s more than capable of getting you out of trouble. Rivian claims that 40 percent of its owners drive their cars off-road, and that’s a high proportion, much higher than you’d find with the Range Rover, for example. Rivian’s Off-Road Architect sat alongside me as I drove the EV up a steep mountain pass to a viewpoint with deep ruts and large rocks in our path. The R2 took uphills and downhills without issue, although such an escapade would only be advisable in the AWD version. The SUV, I am assured, will not tip over until it exceeds 35 degrees. The vast majority of people won’t want to go anywhere near that number.

Ready for some power, R2?

Rivian hasn’t provided official figures, but despite its less aerodynamic frame, the R2 is said to have a power consumption of between 3.7 and 3.9 miles per kWh, depending on the model. Actual efficiency will vary depending on speed, temperature and load and will likely deviate significantly from these figures.

For example, my test model, which was likely used on the highway, had an efficiency of just 1.6 miles per kWh over a 19-hour, 360-mile driving period. But, given a low average speed, it’s fair to say that the car was also put through its paces in several off-road races.

As for charging, while the R2 offers an acceptable charge time of 29 minutes from 10 to 80 percent, the now five-year-old Hyundai Ioniq 5 with its 800V infrastructure, it beats that by a whole 10 minutes using a super-fast charger.

Another downside is that there’s a reason this isn’t a full review but rather a first drive: Rivian’s much-talked-about new AI driving assistant isn’t active yet. Apparently it will roll out later this summer. Additionally, its Level 3 autonomous driving system – technology that Rivian boasts of and won’t share with Volkswagen – is not yet available for testing, and the existing L2+ universal hands-free autonomy simply allows Rivian to keep pace with its rivals rather than get ahead.

All of this means we’ll have to revisit the R2 to see if this mass-market Rivian really lives up to the hype. For now, the R2 pulls off the balance-ability trick, delivering a luxurious experience despite the price and good handling. If the next-generation technology proves to match this midsize SUV’s winning design and capabilities, the R2 could just be the much-needed revenue driver the company needs.