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.
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?
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.
I’ve had my R2 now for a few weeks, and I really don’t think it’s worth $60,000. Maybe $45,000 at most. Rather than try to recreate the R1 as a less expensive vehicle, they should have created a true mass market vehicle that everyone can actually afford. This has too many features that people don’t really need. Let’s take out things like a radio to save a few dollars, but put in high-end processors for self-driving that most people don’t need. Instead of making expensive toys for a smaller market, let’s make functional vehicles that everyone can buy and more can help the environment.
Sounds like a Chevy Bolt is what you really want.
Ha!
All any of us want are some proper Chinese EVs. Cheap and good.
No none of us want cheap Chinese evs. We want tariffs put on them so vehicles will be made here in the USA so there will be jobs here and we quit funding our enemy so much!
Jose – thanks for this. Have had my r2 for about a week. Beyond the satellite radio, the biggest current annoyance is no texting? Assuming that will come with autonomy. Do you have a good resource on how to manage the controls on the left side of the instrument cluster? I am lost there.