My R2 After 2,500 Miles of Real Driving (Video)

I just drove my new R2 Performance Launch Edition from Normal, Illinois all the way home to Orlando, about 2,500 miles in a little under a week, and I put the whole story into the video above.

I get into what impressed me, which honestly was more than I expected going in, along with the stuff that still needs work. The quietness caught me off guard after years of wind noise in my R1S. Universal Hands-Free held up almost the whole way, the software is solid even with a handful of bugs I ran into, and there was one range moment near the end that had me rolling into my driveway at zero percent. I also get into what other owners have been dealing with, because I am not going to pretend those issues are not out there.

If you have been on the fence about the R2, or you just want a real read on what living with one is actually like, give it a watch. Questions are welcome in the comments, and I will keep the coverage coming.

author avatar
Jose Castillo Founder and Editor
Jose Castillo is the founder of RivianTrackr and has owned and driven Rivians since early in the brand's consumer history. He currently drives an R1S and an R2 in Florida and uses Universal Hands-Free every day. As a credentialed Rivian journalist, he has covered the R2 First Drive in Park City and SXSW firsthand and has spoken directly with Rivian's software and autonomy leadership.
Add RivianTrackr as a preferred source on Google

Share this story

2 Comments

  1. Are you disappointed with the range? How do you feel about the exterior button to drop the rear glass, finicky or just a demo vehicle thing? How do you feel about the sound system? And compared to your previous R1 vehicles? Zero mention in any of the videos you posted that I’ve seen. Do you think the semi active suspension is worth the extra cost between performance and premium?

  2. Jose, any indication why you got less range and efficiency compared to Tom (state of charge)… yes the Colorado air is thinner, but he had some temperature swings, wind, and some serious elevation. Just seems odd that when he did that with AT tires, he got more range and better efficiency than you did on flat ground in optimal conditions. Thank you for all your hard work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *