Rivian made quite a splash back in 2021 with their all-electric pickup and SUV models. While the launch left many people impressed, their higher pricing, pretty much, resulted in less sales than the automaker probably anticipated. To remedy that, the outfit is looking to bring something more affordable to the market in the form of the Rivian R2.
An all-electric mid-size SUV, the electric vehicle retains many style elements from their R1S SUV, from the boxy lines and oval-shaped headlights to the chunky light bar out front. This time around, though, their vehicle comes in more compact proportions, which should prove perfectly suited to its more economical pricing.
The Rivian R2 is two-row, five-seater SUV that runs on pure electric muscle., They offer three types of powertrain setups: a single-motor RWD, a dual-motor AWD, and tri-motor AWD. The three-motor option (two in the rear, out in front) vows to give the vehicle a 0 to 60 mph time of just three seconds flat, making this quite the speedy ride, provided you’re willing to splurge for the pricier trim. Sadly, there are no performance numbers for the lesser models quite yet. You can pair your choice motor with one of two new battery setups, with the better one giving it a very respectable 300 miles of range for taking on longer drives. The car will ship with a Tesla-compatible NACS port, by the way, instead of the usual CCS port you find in other electric car brands, with the outfit estimating a 10 to 80 percent charge taking under 30 minutes.
According to Rivian, the car is built on an entirely new platform separate from the bones of the R1T and R1S, which, we guess, accounts for its smaller profile. The battery design is new, as well, bringing larger cylindrical cells than those in their first two cars, with a structural build that allows the top of the battery to actually serve as the vehicle’s floor.
The Rivian R2 is supposedly equipped with a more powerful car computer, which uses input from a sensor suite consisting of 11 cameras and five radars. The outfit claims, this will allow for “dramatically enhanced autonomous capabilities,” which probably doesn’t mean much, considering the rather unimpressive autonomous driving we continue to see today. Yeah… we’re probably still going to have to drive ourselves in the near future. Inside, the car gets a bit of a makeover compared to their previous efforts. Most notably, they reversed course on the previous decision to eliminate the glove compartment entirely, opting to outfit the new ride with two large glove compartments. Other interior details include steering wheel gets two large scroll wheels, a digital instrument cluster, and a wide infotainment touchscreen running the outfit’s own software.
Like their first two vehicles, this SUV is designed for outdoor adventure. As such, it gets large storage out front for carrying gear, while both rows of seats can fold down flat for laying out an air mattress, making it a viable vehicle for car camping. Rivian also claims they’re developing a bespoke rooftop tent, although details for that won’t be coming out until later.
The Rivian R2 is slated for release as a 2026 production model. No exact prices are announced yet, but they estimate it will start at around $45,000.
