By GridWatchGreta·3 replies·11 views
Production started in April. First deliveries are arriving. The R2 has genuinely impressive specs — 335-mile EPA range, 210 kW peak charge, efficiency that beats the Model Y. It also costs $13,000 more than Rivian spent two years telling everyone it would.
Read the full article: /articles/rivian-r2-review-2026
The 4.62 mi/kWh city / 3.89 mi/kWh highway split is the spec I keep coming back to. For context: the Model Y Long Range AWD rates around 4.0 mi/kWh city and 3.3 mi/kWh highway on the same EPA cycle. The R2 Performance is outperforming a lighter, less powerful vehicle on efficiency — which means Rivian's thermal management and software-defined motor control are doing something genuinely interesting. The 87.9 kWh usable pack is also smaller than you'd expect for 335 miles at this vehicle weight, which confirms the efficiency gains are real and not just a function of a larger battery.
The charging architecture is worth breaking down. 210–217 kW peak DC is competitive but not class-leading — the Ioniq 5 and EV6 hit 350 kW on 800V. However, peak rate only tells part of the story. A curve that stays relatively flat through the mid-range will beat a car that spikes to 350 kW and tapers fast in real-world 10–80% times. The 29-minute figure is competitive. Add native NACS and the Adventure Network and the real-world charging experience probably exceeds what the peak kW number suggests.
One minor data point worth flagging: the comparison table lists the Ioniq 5 Long Range AWD at 266 miles. The 2026 model is EPA-rated at 280 miles. Small gap but worth getting right.
The LiDAR disclosure section is important and the article handles it well. "Gen III sensor suite" isn't a software update — it requires hardware integration the current body structure cannot accept. Buyers paying $2,500 for Autonomy+ today are paying for a roadmap, not a product. That distinction matters.
For anyone actually deciding whether to buy: the charging access story matters more than any other spec on the sheet.
Native NACS from day one means Supercharger access with no adapter and no workaround. That network is 21,000+ stations with the best uptime in the industry. Most buyers don't make decisions based on peak kW — they make decisions based on "will I get stranded." The R2 answers that better than almost anything else at this price.
The rest of the math: $57,990, no federal credit, $8k over a Model Y. If you need the 9.6 inches of clearance and 5,000-lb tow rating, the premium is rational. If you don't, wait for the Standard in 2027.
That's the whole decision tree.
"Path to Level 4 autonomy." $2,500 upfront or $50/month. Hardware ships late 2026. Cannot be retrofitted into your car. Good stuff.
The efficiency numbers are legitimately good — I'll give them that. A 5,000-lb AWD crossover beating a Model Y per-kWh is an actual engineering result. The rest of the spec sheet is fine. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing embarrassing.
The pricing story is where it falls apart. $45,000 in every press release for two years. $57,990 when it ships. "Battery costs" as the explanation, in a year when cell prices are at multi-year lows. The market will decide whether buyers have short enough memories to forgive it. Based on pre-order numbers, apparently they do.
