Big one this week, straight from the R2 First Drive event in Park City. Ordering opened, I drove the R2 on road and off road, RivianOS 2.0 got its first real look, the autonomy roadmap filled in with Universal Hands-Free 2.0 and Point-to-Point, and a lot more.
RJ Scaringe went on Masters of Scale and put fresh dates on Rivian's autonomy rollout, with supervised Point-to-Point arriving this year and eyes off driving next year. Here is what he confirmed on the VW deal, Uber robotaxis, and Mind Robotics, plus where I land on whether the timeline actually holds.
The R2 does not come with a traditional FM tuner. It leans on iHeartRadio instead, streaming your local stations over the internet for free. For most owners that is a non issue, since FM usage on the R1 was already sitting in the single digits. The real catch is what happens once you drive past the last bar of signal.
I talked R2 autonomy with Rivian's James Philbin at the media event, from UHF 2.0 and automatic parking to point to point, and walked away thinking the buy now versus wait question has a clearer answer than it used to.
Rivian has filled the Gear Shop with its first full run of R2 accessories, from two wheel and tire sets and a compact spare to crossbars and a HEST camping mattress. Here is everything that dropped and what each one costs.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe just gave the first real timeline for the R3X, confirming the rally-inspired model is coming but still "a couple of years away." Here is what he told The Drive in Park City, and what that phrasing actually narrows down.
The thing that stuck with me on the R2 was not the range or the price. It was the software. RivianOS 2.0 is a full rewrite, and the first thing you notice is how quick it is.
Universal Hands-Free 2.0 arrives in Q3 and finally takes the system off the highway, adding stop light and stop sign response, automatic lane changes on surface streets, Auto Park, and On-Ramp to Off-Ramp routing. It is the groundwork Rivian needs before Point to Point shows up in late 2026.
Rivian's R2 Performance Launch Edition lease numbers are out, and they land right on top of the Tesla Model Y Performance. Both start at $57,990, with monthly payments within about sixty bucks of each other. Here is the full breakdown against the Model Y and the entry R1S, including where the Tesla still wins and where the residuals actually flip.
The R2 will launch without several software features R1 owners use regularly, including Rivian Assistant, Climate Hold, and Pet Mode, with Rivian indicating some will not arrive for at least the first month of ownership.
