Rivian reveals pricing and trim details for its R2 SUV
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Apologies to Rivian for my fat-fingering the date in the CMS, which resulted in the embarrassing breaking of their embargo for a few minutes yesterday. If you saw this article then and were wondering why it vanished, it's because of me, the idiot.
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We are all human. Things happen. The unintentional intrigue adds to their exposure, IMO.
The R2 is more expensive than I was hoping for... but it is the right kind of vehicle I want. Size, EV, capabilities.
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It's expensive, but take a look at the Toyota subreddits. People are paying $50k for a Rav4 with dealer markup. I know which I'd prefer.
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It will be interesting how Rivian decides to release the R3. If they follow this pattern and release the high end first it seems like it would be coming out at the same time as the R2 Standard, both roughly around the same price. Of course that depends on if/how much more the R3 is delayed.
Anyways, good to see more options hitting the market instead of just more news of EVs being pulled.
Anyways, good to see more options hitting the market instead of just more news of EVs being pulled.
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Dang. I was interested until I saw no carplay. Also not a fan of the services subscription model they are joining along with other manufacturers. I guess I can keeping driving what I have.
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The R2 premium seems pretty good? I guess it will depend on what options are needed (IMHO, 360 view is required for a large vehicle). I'm comparing to the Hyundai Ioniq 9 that starts at $59k in base trim.
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Respectful counterpoint: Average new gas-powered cars are at about $50k, so the pricing for the R2 is right there. Factor into the price the lack of costs for gas, oil changes, transmission fluid changes, belts, etc. and you save a ton of money if you can charge at home.
The cost of ownership for my R1T is far, far below my old Xterra. With not having to purchase gas, I'm saving $200 or more a month just on that one item.
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Rivian will be fine, especially with GM canning Brightdrop they'll have enough work to keep them afloat even if their consumer side went to zero.
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infernal666
Ars Praefectus
I was actually wondering what was going on, thought I was having some heavy deja vu for moment.
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"Midsize". And the hood goes to the top of the armpits of a grown man standing next to it.
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I think in Doug Demuro's video he said the door latches are electric. Is that the only option or is there some way of actually getting your kids out of the back seat in the case of a crash?
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InfiniteJester
Ars Centurion
Those prices are not bad.
That middle tier speaks to me.
What would shout at me is an RWD version with the middle trim. I’ve had my lolfast EV; now I just want range, range, and more range.
That middle tier speaks to me.
What would shout at me is an RWD version with the middle trim. I’ve had my lolfast EV; now I just want range, range, and more range.
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The Ioniq 9 is more than a foot longer than this, fwiw. It's really only just longer than an Ioniq 5.
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I like a lot of the ideas in the Rivian but do we really need to be adjusting every single possible thing in the car through a touch screen?
I really, really just want to be able to adjust my HVAC or other basic driving tasks without looking at or talking to my vehicle.
I quite like the look and the color of this particular incantation.
I really, really just want to be able to adjust my HVAC or other basic driving tasks without looking at or talking to my vehicle.
I quite like the look and the color of this particular incantation.
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Yeah, at less than $60k in this market for the fully loaded one? That's actually good value. Without driving it I don't know how it stacks up against the iX3, which would be my current pick for the best ~$60k electric SUV.
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Our second vehicle is a 2016 Forester which we don't drive much so it's got some legs still. The larger cargo space, especially the boxy cargo area, is very important when we go on long trips.
There's plenty of EV solutions for things like the Rav4 and other slope-backs, like the Ioniq 5 for instance, but the picking is much thinner for the Forster/Outlander boxy cargo area. I've been watching this space very carefully and this is the first I've seen in the mid-size category with this very practical layout.
The Model S can match it through sheer size, but also costs dramatically more money (and no longer exists). The Ioniq 9 might be a good match, and a good price, but has significantly less ground clearance and other layout issues (it's absolutely in the running though).
So while YMMV, and maybe this is really niche, the R2 seems to really hit the mark for our use. The Forester and Outlander aren't huge sellers, but they're definitely out there, so the market exists.
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Reposting my comment from yesterday about pricing --
R2 base pricing starting at $48k feels steep, but then I remember we live in a world where you can't get a CR-V or a Rav4 for a number that starts with $2 or a Highlander/Pilot for a number that starts with $3 - and it doesn't seem particularly expensive. The R2 seems pretty compelling, though I'm really interested in more info about the R3/R3X before I get too hyped up on the R2.
R2 base pricing starting at $48k feels steep, but then I remember we live in a world where you can't get a CR-V or a Rav4 for a number that starts with $2 or a Highlander/Pilot for a number that starts with $3 - and it doesn't seem particularly expensive. The R2 seems pretty compelling, though I'm really interested in more info about the R3/R3X before I get too hyped up on the R2.
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It will be interesting to see how the sales of the Model Y Performance are affected by the launch of the R2 Launch Edition/Performance models. And once Rivian gets their autonomy stack out the door, how it compares with Tesla’s FSD.
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I'm cross shopping this with the Honda Passport Trailsport, and man, it's better than I expected. Might wait for the Premium trim though.
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I was also questioning their future until VAG invested a nice chunk of change into them and Tesla became stale and toxic. And they've become a common sight in the more affluent suburbs around here. Hopefully the R2 makes them a more common sight everywhere.
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Who said people are letting it slide with Tesla? You have no idea what the counterfactual is, ie how successful they'd be if they supported CarPlay. All you know for sure is that lack of CarPlay hasn't made Tesla a small, money losing company as it did with Rivian.
I'm not going to drop $60,000 USD on a vehicle that lacks table stakes features. Conversely, if a company that wasn't as expensive as Aston Martin or as low end as Hyundai (say Ford, Tesla, Honda, etc) said they were going to support ALL the CarPlay features like CarPlay ultra and Car Key (and update as necessary OTA), I'd buy in a heartbeat.
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Not sure which picture you're looking at, but the only one with a grown man in it has the hood just past his belly button.
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targetnovember
Ars Scholae Palatinae
I think Rivian's branding is pretty exceptional. I think they've successfully created their image as an entry luxury, adventure focused brand with nice materials and a tech focused EV without the fascism. The EV components parts aren't as up to date as the BMW iX3 or Volvo EX60 and probably upcoming Lucid midsize, but the software is in a good place and the vehicles are friendly and conventionally shaped, useful SUV boxes. Good brand, good software, and good enough EV tech might be enough to keep them going.
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I love my R1S that has 2 years left on the lease, but it does have a few gaps. Hopefully the R2 will be successful so they can continue to refine and improve the overall offerings.
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It's definitely an investment, but I've invested in solar at my home too, so charging is mostly free for me. That is a big advantage since I no longer have to pay for gas or oil, and maybe that will help you when you're considering your options.
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I agree with you about not supporting CarPlay. We use the built-in Apple Music app in our R1S to solve the streaming problem, and the nav is top-notch with the Rivian/Google integration there. The biggest gap remaining is the ability to activate hands-free calls or texts without having to turn to Alexa. Hopefully they'll see that Tesla is adding CarPlay, if they do, and follow suit.
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Big cars are expensive. This isn't a Kei car, this is a 5-6,000lb ish SUV.
People seem to be numb to how big vehicles are now because the big cars have gotten as large as Sherman Tanks, so anything else looks "small".
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Agreed 100%. We'll be headed to Portland to test drive an R2 as Washington doesn't allow this yet.
I think ride quality and build quality will determine the success or failure of this model. While my R1T has had virtually no issues so far (just a 12v battery replacement), I see plenty of complaints about build quality which doesn't help.
And as to CarPlay, I used to be one that wouldn't consider a vehicle with CarPlay. But for me, other than hands-free texting, the continued updates to Rivian's software has made it quite good and user-intuitive. Now I get in a rental car with CarPlay and miss my Rivian's infotainment system.
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Slightly better than expected. I figured $60k, with an additional upsell for autonomy and other options. Instead it's $58k with everything included.
As a day 1 reservation holder, I am very excited for this car. I wasn't sure if I was going to wait for the advent of Lidar before buying mine, and I'm still not 100% sure. But the prospect of free-for-the-life-of-the-car Autonomy+ is very compelling, even if it's not going to be quite as capable as it would be with Lidar.
As a day 1 reservation holder, I am very excited for this car. I wasn't sure if I was going to wait for the advent of Lidar before buying mine, and I'm still not 100% sure. But the prospect of free-for-the-life-of-the-car Autonomy+ is very compelling, even if it's not going to be quite as capable as it would be with Lidar.
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Price seems about what is to be expected for a premium EV experience in 2026, not a deal, but still attainable for a decent amount of the population. What I don't love the way that AWD is hidden in the upper two trims. I understand that this is a different animal than the Toyotas, but I quite like Toyota's model of AWD being available on everything for $2,000 regardless of trim.
I have a few other thoughts. If it does have electric door handles, that's a bummer. Doing everything through the screen, even if the screen is better than 90% of the competition's screens is still suboptimal for climate and media controls. I do really like the size, shape, and style of this thing. And there seems to be some legitimately clever features. Also, why do automakers keep putting bigger and bigger wheels on their models?
I have a few other thoughts. If it does have electric door handles, that's a bummer. Doing everything through the screen, even if the screen is better than 90% of the competition's screens is still suboptimal for climate and media controls. I do really like the size, shape, and style of this thing. And there seems to be some legitimately clever features. Also, why do automakers keep putting bigger and bigger wheels on their models?
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