Rivian reveals pricing and trim details for its R2 SUV

The midsize AWD EV goes on sale this spring, single-motor versions in 2027.

See full article...

 

[NetMage]

It would have been nice to mention this will have a NACS charging port, apparently in the same driver’s rear as the Model Y, so perfectly suited for the Supercharger network today.

 

[Boskone]

And manufacturers are wondering why people aren't buying EVs. I know the Slate truck won't be on the same level, but it a whole hell of a lot closer to my price range.

People buying a Slate probably also aren't shopping new.

 

[binaryvisions]

Wingardium Electriossaaa!
Or did you mean incarnation?

Funny, I actually meant what I said but I have no idea if it's proper (or popular) usage. I've used "incantation" as a slightly silly way to refer to a specific formula of something.

 

[gregrah]

With the R2 launch it’s following industry practice and starting with the more superlative version first. That’s the R2 Performance, which starts at $57,990 with the launch package (but not including a $1,495 delivery charge)

In late 2026 the R2 Premium goes on sale at $53,990.

The single-motor R2s arrive next year, with the $48,490 R2 Standard that uses the same 87.9 kWh battery pack as the AWD R2s.

In late 2027, an R2 Standard with a smaller battery enabling around 265 miles (426 km) goes on sale for $45,000.

I can understand why carmakers go this route and start out offering the higher-spec'd trims while demand is high and production capacity is low. But several times now we have seen lower-priced trims promised by carmakers for the future, only to have a higher-than-advertised price when they finally arrive (if they arrive at all).

The thing that bugs me is when reporters let Rivian get away with saying it "starts at $45,000" (I know this article doesn't do that - but just saying). The R2 starts at $60K, and they shouldn't be able to claim otherwise until they are actually delivering models to customers that cost less.

 

[binaryvisions]

The HVAC, at least, can be adjusted by the right scroll wheel on the steering wheel. You can look up videos on Youtube to see how that works. That being said, I suspect that even with that detail, the R2 will still be too screen-control-heavy for your tastes.

I figured the scroll wheels could be used somehow, but it just seemed unlikely to be able to effectively hit all of the options without a lot of clicking and sliding and whatever other gestures the click wheels use. Overloading the click wheels to handle everything that you might assign a button to seems like an unnecessary complication.

I looked up a video (thanks for that suggestion) and it doesn't look terrible, but also doesn't look great. To be honest, I think my current car (a Subaru) has me gun-shy about anything short of a full suite of tactile controls because the touchscreen-everything is so bad. People already have so many distractions in cars; why must we also force them to look away from the road for basic activities?

 

[ewelch]

Planning to order the R3 in 2028. My last car most likely. I'm done with Subaru and their hybrids and EVs. The company is great, but the dealers are crooks way too often.

 

[srh]

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.

Thankfully it didn't disappear from the full-text RSS feeds

 

[maxbraketorque]

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.

$50K is the average because there is a tail in the vehicle price distribution out to insanely expensive prices. The peak in the distribution is around $40K for gas cars in the same or similar market segment. The only real anomaly in vehicle prices gas pickups. People seem willing to pay ridiculous prices for pickups.

Anyhow, the R2 is definitely above the average for this segment, but it has a great feature set too. As a reservation holder, I'm torn on that to do. Its an awesome looking vehicle with great specs, but I'm not in need of a replacement car.

 

[Ryan B.]

Show me where that makes a single fuck of difference. The only reason to NEED 650hp in a vehicle like this is to compensate for having a very, very small gear shifter.

ETA: Oh no! A mere 350hp and 0-60 in only 6 seconds! What on Earth shall we do?

I was waiting for this reply. Someone out there was gonna be super angry that I would dare to point out that the RAV4 and CR-V - which are both great cars! - are not in the same ballpark as the Rivian R2 just because their exterior dimensions are similar. Maybe, just, I dunno, step away from the screen for a bit?

I said nothing about what a person "needs." If you're talking about needs, I think you'll find most of us could get by with an e-bike + trailer + public transportation.

That seems to be three in your list.

There are two very different shades of green on Rivian's list. One of which is the limited-edition Launch Green, so unless you have an early reservation or already own a Rivian, it's not gonna be an option for you.

 

[El Chupageek]

L1 charging at home is fine for most, I was trying to say as L2 charging shows up at places like grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants, doctor’s and dentist’s offices, even those that can’t charge at home will be able to consider a BEV.

Absolutely a sin of a single data point, but the grocery store in my town of 2500, in my county of 7000, 90 minutes from anything bigger, is right now installing their own chargers because the town owned chargers at the community center are always busy. Regardless of what Trump does there will be more EVs on the road next year than this, and more the year after that - I think plenty of places that want to get folks into their parking lot will see the opportunity (don't know about dentists - they don't do much of a walk in on impulse business)

 

[House of Propane]

Hoo-boy! This comment was like two truths and a lie, but it's like, I dunno, two yeps and a huh? Who said anything about needing 650 hp? The point was that you can't claim a high performance luxury vehicle was in the same class as midrange options with half the power. And that was just a single example of how the alternatives offered weren't in the same class as the R2.

The Rivian R2 isn't a high performance luxury vehicle. It has a great powertrain, but Rivian interiors are not really on par with mainstream luxury brands. It's going to be pretty comparable on the inside to a high trim Subaru/Honda/Tesla.

The comparison to the Rav4/CR-V upsets people because Rivian marketing has primed people to mentally imagine it as mid-size 4Runner SUV competitor but it's a unibody crossover with interior/exterior dimensions much closer to compact crossovers (nearly 10 whole inches shorter lengthwise and less ground clearance than a 4runner btw).

 

[F12]

No android auto... NEXT

 

[El Chupageek]

The Rivian R2 isn't a high performance luxury vehicle. It has a great powertrain, but Rivian interiors are not really on par with mainstream luxury brands. It's going to be pretty comparable on the inside to a high trim Subaru/Honda/Tesla.

The comparison to the Rav4/CR-V upsets people because Rivian marketing has primed people to mentally imagine it as mid-size 4Runner SUV competitor but it's a unibody crossover with interior/exterior dimensions much closer to compact crossovers (nearly 10 whole inches shorter lengthwise and less ground clearance than a 4runner btw).

The Offroad trim for the 4Runner has the following specs:

• Approach Angle: 19 degrees
• Departure Angle: 22 degrees
• Breakover Angle: 24 degrees
• Ground Clearance: 8.8 inches

The perf trim of the Rivian, which is the same price, has 25 degree approach, 26 departure and 9.6" of clearance. I suspect you are looking at the numbers for the freaking $70k (without full armor, wtf) TRD Pro and Trailhunter, which have 10.1" of clearance and way better approach and departure angles (the TRD Offoad is hampered by a dumbass air dam on the front that anyone buying should absolutely remove and get 5 degrees better approach angle)

 

[jbattan]

Doesn't really matter how good it is until it has CarPlay.

 

[NetMage]

don't know about dentists - they don't do much of a walk in on impulse business

No, but lots of places have more than one dentist and if one offers free or even cheap charging and one doesn’t…

 

[grant2]

I was also questioning their future until VAG invested a nice chunk of change into them and Tesla became stale and toxic.

I'll stop worrying about their future when they actually make a profit.

Money-losing companies -can- coast a long time on investor losses.. but automobile companies are not known for having the greatest of longevity in that regard.

 

[RS50]

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.

You do realize the Toyota BZ Woodland and Subaru Trailseeker exist right? They compete with the future base model R2 (with AWD though, a nice bonus), but are a pretty solid option price wise compared to this.

 

[grant2]

The concept that people would prefer a cheaper alternative to BMW even if they had BMW money seems like a seismic shift in the automotive landscape.

No it's not.

People have had irrational love & irrational attachment to <insert every car brand here> beginning since <insert invention date of automobile here>

 

[grant2]

People associate small wheels with the base model, which means you are a cheap peon that couldn't get the good version. I hear you, but we're in a hilariously small minority.

Disappointing though. It is harder and harder to buy a nice vehicle without sacrificing the cheaper tires & improved ride comfort that comes from smaller wheels.

 

[grant2]

.. the RAV4 and CR-V - which are both great cars! - are not in the same ballpark as the Rivian R2 just because their exterior dimensions are similar. Maybe, just, I dunno, step away from the screen for a bit?

They -are- in the same ballpark though, for the 95% of people who are satisfied when their vehicle cruises comfortably on the freeway.

This "step away from the screen if you do not share my priorities" passive-aggressive attitude makes you seem like a penis.

 

[Gillian Seed]

Looks like a Land Rover Discovery. It's about the same size, are Rivian bringing this to the UK?

 

[Caffeinated Sloth]

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.

I bought a RAV4 last year and when I came across the price in the article I thought “I’m gonna have to check these out cuz it’s not that much more than my RAV4”! Then I saw your comment and got a laugh!
Unfortunately, not having Car Play is a deal breaker for me and a lot of others. I really don’t understand why car companies are knowingly losing tons of sales over this when it’s such an easy fix. How anyone who makes the decision to not have Car Play in vehicles today and still has their job is beyond me.

 

[MilanKraft]

Not trying to pee on anyone's E, but having a hard time deciding which new headlight / front "grill" design I like least, the Rivian...

...the Palisade...

...or the Sante Fe...

...is it now out of the question that traditional, swept-back-on-the-corner style housing designs be used (since they look pretty nice generally), instead of "innovations" that make headlights look like either the eyes of a robot from some animated movie (Rivian), a stack of extra thick pancakes (Palisade), or something born of Minecraftian thoughts (Sante Fe)?

Yes I know, it's true: these are lesser concerns than a country being run by war mongers obsessed with peace prices, "gold science" health officials who question proven vaccines for no logical reason, and closet nazis running rampage through everyone's personal data at the SSA and elsewhere.... but still. Can't we just have headlights that look like headlights?

 

[ERIFNOMI]

I admit to being a snob about CarPlay. But I had reason to think about it when I was looking at cars recently...
I decided my bias on CarPlay is based on the crap experience with built-in infotainment stacks.
By all reports Rivian and a few other manufacturers have the built-in experience good.
My basic asks were covered in some stories. Ability to run whatever music App I want. My family is split Apple vs Spotify as well a few other applications for audio.
When those are covered I realized my objections are significantly muted by the benefits of having range and mapping integrated.

You can have integrated navigation with range estimates, automatic routing to chargers, battery preconditioning, etc. with CarPlay and AA. Since my car added support, I haven't touched the built-in maps.

 

[sword_9mm]

Similar ranges as well since even with the hybrid engine the 4runner effective fuel economy off pavement sucks (though sure, you can throw some jerry cans in the 4runner, though you could also throw solar cells in the Rivian)

Lol.

Well sorry Jeff but we're outta juice. Let's set up these solar cells and we'll be out of here in /checks calendar, 2 weeks.

I'll go with the jerry cans.

 

[El Chupageek]

Lol.

Well sorry Jeff but we're outta juice. Let's set up these solar cells and we'll be out of here in /checks calendar, 2 weeks.

I'll go with the jerry cans.

If you are just driving miles sure, but plenty of folks are off pavement to hike or camp during which their car is stationary anyway, and the overlanding movement has been moving to solar for some time to just power their camp. Lots of modest sized foldable 400w panels out there now for that - having a 1200 watt array is totally do-able. It isn't going to get you a full battery, but a jerry can isn't getting you a full tank. And if you are off adventuring for multiple days (which is common) it has the benefit of working more than once, unlike a jerry can. ICE is still a lot more convenient for range, but plenty of scenarios where having a renewable energy source is an advantage

That said, a jerry can won't help when the wrangler you are with breaks down, again.

 

[mediaseth]

The Performance should have the option for 19" wheels. Why do the cheaper versions always get the better wheels?

(yeah.. I don't like big wheels. I did once, in the 70's...)

 

[sword_9mm]

That said, a jerry can won't help when the wrangler you are with breaks down, again.

Well yeah but we were talking 4Runners.

The only time I'd trust a Jeep is if it were being towed by something more reliable.

 

[jay_max]

The Rivian space in Seattle has been allowed to do "public education drives" for about a year now!

I like UVillage, but a weekend in PDX is much more fun.

 

[Snark218]

What people are getting really fucking tired of is people rolling in and complaining about EVs being too expensive, and demanding half the price for twice the capability. While happily ignoring that almost any non-stripped ICE vehicle is $50K nowadays as well.

If they're out of contention for anything costing $50K, that's fine, have at it. But that's not really how this works, sadly and apparently. A middling crusty ICE can cost $50K all day, but only ICEs have to be super-magic and are just below consideration if they don't have 34271089 miles of range and charge in under a femtosecond. Oh, and have to cost half of what their ICE equivalent costs.

Yes, "I don't wanna pay 50K for a new car" is tedious, and why the fuck are you even here if you're not in the market -- it's the bullshit "I won't pay 50K for this EV", happily implying that they DO have the money and WOULD happily pay for an ICE version.

It's the obvious raging hypocrisy and troll whiff that we're getting really fucking tired of here.

Edit: mising leter

Glad I'm not the only one getting powerfully fucking sick of every god damn car thread turning into tedious axe-grinding about price, range, size, touchscreens, minivans, blah blah blah de fucking blah. It's not even about the car under discussion; you could paste half the comments in this thread into any thread about any car and they'd be just as on-topic as they are here, because it's just spleen-venting.

 

[android_alpaca]

$50K is the average because there is a tail in the vehicle price distribution out to insanely expensive prices. The peak in the distribution is around $40K for gas cars in the same or similar market segment.

The long tail of expensive cars does pull up the mean (the average) a bit, but it isn't that far off that much because there are so few ultra-expensive vehicle.sold at those price levels. The median is $47k, that means 50% of vecicles sell for that much or more

As you mentioned, the mode (the peak) is going to be the left of that... but "most" cars still cost more than what people think they are.

For the past 35+ years, 75-82% of people in the US buy used. With cars being roughly 25% more reliable than they were 20 years ago, a lo of the "value shoppers" in the new car market (the ones that just want to buy something that would last them 10-15 years) moved from buying "cheap new vehicle" to buying a "reliable 5 year old vehicle for 40% off MSRP" that still last 10-15 years without mechanical issues. That took the bottom segment off of new vehicle volume, but it's always been more expensive than people thought it was.

 

[sword_9mm]

Glad I'm not the only one getting powerfully fucking sick of every god damn car thread turning into tedious axe-grinding about price, range, size, touchscreens, minivans, blah blah blah de fucking blah. It's not even about the car under discussion; you could paste half the comments in this thread into any thread about any car and they'd be just as on-topic as they are here, because it's just spleen-venting.

Is there really much of anything to really discuss?

Here's a car. It's a car.

Really not much more to speak to.

Unless you want to talk camber, shocks, the car's aerodynamics and wind tunnel results, etc then what is there? Looks nice/Doesn't look nice?

Maybe my imagination isn't working very well.

 

[Ryan B.]

They -are- in the same ballpark though, for the 95% of people who are satisfied when their vehicle cruises comfortably on the freeway.

This "step away from the screen if you do not share my priorities" passive-aggressive attitude makes you seem like a penis.

The "step away from the screen" was an (apparently failed) attempt to get people to take a breath calm the heck down. We're talking about a car. It's just a car.

BUT, since it seems I still am not explaining myself properly, let me try again. I am not talking about people's preferences. I am not talking about what anyone needs. I am just stating simple facts.

In the interest of clarity, I'll start by summarizing the thread that led us to this point. First, someone stated that the R2 is price-competitive in its market because you can't get anything comparable for less. Then someone else replied that of course you can, because vehicles such as the RAV4 and CR-V are the same size and cost less. To which I replied, "Show me the RAV4 or CR-V with 650 horsepower and semi-active suspension."

This was an attempt to point out that product categories exist. I believe it should be intuitively obvious that, to pick just one example, a $40k Ford F-150 is not the same thing as a $100k diesel-powered F-350, even though they are the same general size and shape. Similarly, a BMW M5 sedan is not the same thing as a Toyota Camry, even though they are the same general size and shape.

Set aside any notion of a person's needs or preferences. Can we not at least agree that product categories can, do, and should exist?

 

[Snark218]

Is there really much of anything to really discuss?

Here's a car. It's a car.

Really not much more to speak to.Unless you want to talk camber, shocks, the car's aerodynamics and wind tunnel results, etc then what is there? Looks nice/Doesn't look nice?

I mean, the flip answer is "let's see how it goes without generalized bellyaching," but maybe most car unveiling stories like this that are just initial pics, pricing, and basic specs get 20, 30 comments that are actually on topic. That's fine. There's a lot more to talk about after the initial press drives and more so when writers get them for a week for in-depth reviews. If there's not much to talk about there's not much to talk about. Link to the forums is up at the top.

Maybe my imagination isn't working very well.

If someone is reading a car thread and can't think of anything more interesting to discuss than saddling up the hobby horse and bitching about car prices and the fact that touchscreens and crossovers exist, maybe they could just go read a story they're actually interested in and have something to say about? ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

Lol.

Well sorry Jeff but we're outta juice. Let's set up these solar cells and we'll be out of here in /checks calendar, 2 weeks.

I'll go with the jerry cans.

Trails aren't that long and off-road driving is slow. The longest trail drive I've ever done in one go was 65 miles, doing the Alpine Loop in southwest Colorado, stopping and starting in Ouray. It took seven hours with a lunch break. I was exhausted, hungry, and my tailbone hurt like a motherfucker at the end of it, so I doubt I'd personally tackle a much greater distance than that; White Rim Road in Canyonlands is 75 miles or so, but I split it into two days. At 15 miles an hour, an EV is at its most efficient, because it's not fighting air resistance. Just Googling, a Rivian R1S owner on the Rivian forum reported that they started the loop at 96% and ended it at 66%. So they might suck for traversing the Karoo Desert, but this is the US, and 'round here, a Rivian is not going to leave anyone stranded doing typical recreational trail running unless they're an idiot with no plan.

 

[sword_9mm]

I mean, the flip answer is "let's see how it goes without generalized bellyaching," but maybe most car unveiling stories like this that are just initial pics, pricing, and basic specs get 20, 30 comments that are actually on topic. That's fine. There's a lot more to talk about after the initial press drives and more so when writers get them for a week for in-depth reviews.

If someone is reading a car thread and can't think of anything more interesting to discuss than saddling up the hobby horse and bitching about car prices and the fact that touchscreens and crossovers exist, maybe they could just go read a story they're actually interested in and have something to say about? ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

No way.

No phone casting no buy! (unless it's a mid-80's, brown, manual transmission, Volvo wagon)

 

[demonbug]

When do they start selling blocky metallic blue accent packages with the white version? Maybe a nice two-tone job, with white below and silver pillars and roof; still need the blue accents, though.

 

[Kyuu]

There’s the Chevy Bolt if you want that in EV form.

Also the Volvo EX30. Even has wireless Carplay/Android Auto, for those for whom that's a dealbreaker.

Can't we just have headlights that look like headlights?

Nope. Now that designers aren't constrained by it having to be a lightbulb in an enclosure, they're going to design them. Gonna have to let go of the past on this one.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

Makes me wonder, have we hit the upper limit on the "here are the EVs you can get for under $x?" series?

It'd be much less practical than the previous pieces but the average new car price on the used market could easily get Lightnings and Taycans and Airs (oh my!)

No, I'm going to keep doing them every other week in $5k increments until I get very bored.

There's some good bargains out there!

 

[Dr Gitlin]

Glad I'm not the only one getting powerfully fucking sick of every god damn car thread turning into tedious axe-grinding about price, range, size, touchscreens, minivans, blah blah blah de fucking blah. It's not even about the car under discussion; you could paste half the comments in this thread into any thread about any car and they'd be just as on-topic as they are here, because it's just spleen-venting.

People need to use the ignore function more. Next time you see a random poster come in to complain that the EV isn't $10,000 and only has a range of 600 miles and how much they hate touchscreens and how much they hate CarPlay or whatever, JUST ADD THEM TO IGNORE.

They say you can have up to 1,000 people on your ignore list. Just saying.

 

[some guy in San Diego]

No, I'm going to keep doing them every other week in $5k increments until I get very bored.

And once you get the "used luxury/performance vehicle vs new mainstream vehicle" price points, it can start to get amusing ...