“Rivian R2 revealed: a $45,000 electric off-roader for the masses”

Andrew J. Hawkins, at The Verge:

“Rivian revealed its next electric vehicle, the R2, a more affordable SUV that the company is counting on having a much broader appeal than its stylish — and expensive — R1T trucks and R1S SUVs.”

“Interested buyers can reserve an R2 starting today for $100, with deliveries expected to begin in the first half of 2026.”

First reaction: I love it. At a $100 refundable deposit, I put mine in instantly. I’m not in the market now, but 2026 sounds about right.

“Keeping with its ‘adventure’ ethos, the R2 will also feature a nifty bike mount system that can connect easily with the vehicle’s rear accessory ports.”

Hmm. Hopefully this “accessory port” can yield to a 2" standard receiver. As a bike enthusiast, I’m picky about how I carry bikes, and I’m skeptical that I want a rack from Rivian. I want the flexibility to use what’s on the market. I’m confident that they wouldn’t be so dumb as to rule that out.

“The steering wheel also has a new feature: two giant scroll wheels. The wheels will have dynamic haptic feedback, but Scaringe says they need to be used to be really appreciated. ‘It takes our existing scroll wheel and really up levels it to a degree that’s hard to fully appreciate unless you’re sitting in the car,’ he said.”

“The infotainment system will run on Rivian’s own operating system, and like Tesla, won’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.”

I really like the steering wheels and the controls, although the lack of CarPlay gives me serious pause. Do I really need to put my iPhone on the dash of this thing to use the apps I want? I sympathize with the wish to own and control the whole experience, but the bottom line is that we all have an ecosystem that is embedded in our lives, carried with us all day. We want that to extend to our car, too, not have some separate ecosystem of apps just for that case. There’s a reason this is high up on so many peoples’ list of must-haves. Even if Rivian makes a wonderful experience, it’s still not the one we all use everywhere else, all day.

“The rear seats fold down for additional space — and the front seats fold down as well. Scaringe said this would be an ideal configuration for anyone interested in sleeping overnight in their Rivian R2.”

Very nice! While I’d generally use our camper van for any overnighting, this is a nice touch, as are the rooftop tent and rear-mounted camping kitchen.

“In addition to the R2, the company also announced the R3, a sportier compact SUV, and its performance variant, the R3X. Rivian said the R3 would be even less expensive than the R2, but didn’t release the exact price. Reservations for the R3 will go live at a later date.”

I’ve always loved sporty hatchbacks: my first brand-new car was a Honda CRX, followed by various flavors of Civic Si. The R3X has me intrigued. While I’m impressed with the R2, and it might be better suited to be my next car, the R3X has me questioning it already. I put in my deposit for the R2 in as soon as the button popped up on the website, mid-presentation. If I’d seen the R3X, I might have held off. (Alternatively, I’d have put another deposit down on the R3X, if they were taking them, just to hedge my bet.)