Rivian R2 (US) review

The R2’s unibody construction and more traditional suspension set-up, coupled with the tight packaging of all the electrics make it a very firm and composed road vehicle. Coupled with the Performance trim’s semi-active dampers, the Rivian betrays little in the way of body lean or other floaty-boaty behavior. Even at speed, the R2 is nigh unshakable, holding the line through tight turns confidently, if a little clinical.

Perhaps the only oddity of its road performance is how loud the tires can be on certain surfaces and how much manages to penetrate the cabin. Hey, any feedback is good feedback, right?

Different drive modes such as sport do the predictable stuff like firm up the steering and juice up the power delivery, though what the power split ends up being isn’t wholly clear, despite the multiple gauges Rivian provides. Maybe we’re still spoiled from the R1 Quad’s RAD Tuner. Rally mode, one of our faves, is also present, allowing for fast fun on less gnarly surfaces.

We should say at this point that the semi-active dampers are currently exclusive to the performance model, and while we appreciate how this had a hand in rounding out some of the more jarring bumps, we’re curious to see how the rest of the R2 line-up fares without it.

With this said, when it comes to cutting up backroads, the R2 trades off some of the joy for security, in a sense. The SUV will hold its place around a bend, confidently and consistently, though it’s not particularly thrilling. Fair enough, this is the brand-new all-rounder. We’ll give that a pass for now, seeing as performance variants are sure to come.

How about off-road?

You’d imagine that Rivian’s off-road software would be quite effective at this stage in the game, and you’d be right. In the R2, the multitude of drive modes can easily cater to your multi-terrain needs. It seems cliché to say, but the R2 truly does most of the work when it comes to scrambling up or down boney obstacles, making anyone behind the wheel an overlanding superstar so long as they don’t put a wheel wrong.

With 9.6 inches of ground clearance, it’s good for most trail roads or all but the most treacherous wilderness trails. Furthermore, the R2’s tight overhangs give it 25-26 degrees of approach and departure, respectively. Available gauges provide loads of data in terms of car positioning and there’s great use of the SUV’s multitude of cameras for enhanced situational awareness.