🚀 NEW RIVIAN R2 First Drive: Worth the Wait?? (Tesla Model Y Owner Review)

Rivian finally opened the R2 to first drives at its Normal, Illinois plant, where the host evaluated whether the highly anticipated electric SUV delivers on its promise. With order invitations now rolling out and delivery priority tied to R1 ownership, reservation timing, and service-center proximity, the focus quickly shifted to the driving experience. The R2’s traditional boxy shape provides excellent outward visibility, while its cabin is exceptionally well soundproofed, remaining quiet even with optional 20-inch wheels and all-terrain tires. The adaptive coil suspension and highway-focused hands-free system impressed on smooth roads—matching Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot—but the vehicle shows noticeable body roll in corners and an obvious pull to the right under hard acceleration, which the reviewer attributes to torque distribution and expects a software fix for. Despite these quirks, the SUV feels genuinely fun, powerful, and airy under its glass roof, and the host advises booking a demo quickly since early availability will be tight.

• ▶ 0:00 Rivian launched the R2 at its Normal, Illinois plant, marking the first opportunity to actually drive the vehicle.
• ▶ 1:01 R2 order invitations went out; delivery priority is based on R1 ownership, reservation position, and proximity to a service center.
• ▶ 2:50 The host’s ideal spec is Catalina Coast with upgraded 20-inch wheels and BFG tires, though the standard 21-inch wheels look better in person than expected.
• ▶ 4:05 The biggest unresolved question is how the R2 actually drives, with the main goal being evaluating ride quality.
• ▶ 4:35 The traditional boxy design is a major advantage for visibility, offering a straight roofline, tall ceiling, and strong outward visibility compared to egg-shaped EVs.
• ▶ 6:51 The hands-free system is a highway-focused lane-keeping assistant, not designed for stop lights, and feels very much like basic Tesla Autopilot.
• ▶ 9:16 Soundproofing is "stellar" — cabin stays quiet even at 70 mph, despite only the front windows being dual-pane.
• ▶ 10:02 The R2 uses adaptive coil suspension (not air), so it can't adjust ride height but does vary stiffness on the fly.
• ▶ 10:40 Rivian's hands-free highway system is impressive and essentially matches Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot, with smooth, composed lane changes and driving assistance.
• ▶ 12:25 Highway Assist is smooth enough that for most people it will feel comparable to Tesla's Full Self-Driving, and it's "way better" than traditional cars, leaving drivers more refreshed on long trips.
• ▶ 13:11 The driver-attention monitoring is now very sensitive: when the reviewer looked at his phone, the system quickly said "Hey, pay attention," then escalated to yelling, a big change from earlier R1T cross-country drives.
• ▶ 13:39 Despite large 20-inch wheels with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires, the cabin is "surprisingly quiet" with excellent soundproofing; the tire trade-off in noise is minimal.
• ▶ 15:27 The R2 features a configurable driver display that shows traditional instrument-cluster info, assist-system status, and upcoming navigation turns, unlike a Tesla.
• ▶ 17:00 In All-Purpose mode, cornering is not as tight as expected, with noticeable body roll and an adaptive system that intervenes mid-lane-change, leaving the reviewer hoping Sport mode will tighten it up.
• ▶ 18:26 While Universal Handsfree is active, one of the display modes is unavailable; the navigation screen only appears clearly after disengaging the hands-free system, and reactivation with that screen on is not allowed.
• ▶ 19:09 Sport Mode tightens the chassis noticeably through corners, but the R2 still feels tall with significant body roll due to its high center of gravity.
• ▶ 20:04 The large glass roof makes the cabin feel airy and open even on an overcast day, extending back to the second row.
• ▶ 21:07 Under full acceleration, the vehicle pulls hard to the right—a torque-related characteristic the reviewer attributes to the motors, possibly fixable via software.
• ▶ 21:49 Attempting a launch from a red light, the reviewer confirms the R2 has no hidden launch mode, and traction control holds back power during hard acceleration.
• ▶ 22:44 The launch itself is described as "awesome" with zero slippage, building power like a "winding up" sensation that gets stronger with speed for safe, aggressive takeoffs.
• ▶ 24:28 Under acceleration, the car has a very obvious pull to the right, likely from uneven torque distribution, which the reviewer expects Rivian to address.
• ▶ 25:29 Opening the rear window causes no significant air buffeting, and the cabin is exceptionally well soundproofed — even with the upgraded 20-inch wheels and BFG tires, road and surrounding traffic noise is barely audible at highway speeds.
• ▶ 26:46 The R2 has "tons and tons of power" and is genuinely fun to drive, but hard acceleration shows a noticeable torque pull to the right; the reviewer believes software calibration could smooth this out if it's not just a test-unit quirk.
• ▶ 27:29 Universal Hands-Free / Autonomy Plus performed surprisingly “clean and crisp” on almost all major U.S. highways — more advanced than basic traffic-aware cruise control, though not yet capable of automatic lane changes — and the reviewer advises booking a demo quickly, as availability will be tight for the first couple of months.

• ▶ 0:00 R2 Launch, Orders, and First Look (0:00 - 4:09) - Rivian opens R2 orders, shows the test vehicle, and starts the driving tour.
• ▶ 4:09 Initial Drive, Route, and Hands-Free (4:09 - 7:04) - Begins the ride-quality test, plans the route, tries Universal Hands-Free, and compares build quality.
• ▶ 7:04 Cabin Noise, Suspension, and Highway Hands-Free (7:04 - 12:27) - Checks cabin noise, the rear window, adaptive suspension, and hands-free highway driving.
• ▶ 12:27 Autonomous Comparisons and Return Leg (12:27 - 15:27) - Compares self-driving modes, tests attention warnings, assesses tires, and returns through bad weather.
• ▶ 15:27 Displays, Cornering, and Navigation Tech (15:27 - 19:03) - Reviews the instrument cluster, drive modes, cornering, and navigation with hands-free.
• ▶ 19:03 Sport Mode, Roof, and Hard Acceleration (19:03 - 21:49) - Tries Sport Mode, checks the glass roof, and notes motor whine plus torque pull under acceleration.
• ▶ 21:49 Launch Mode and Test Drive Wrap-Up (21:49 - 25:29) - Attempts launch mode, praises acceleration, and wraps up the test drive with first impressions.
• ▶ 25:29 Final Observations and Autonomy Plus (25:29 - 30:07) - Final notes on the back window, power delivery, torque pull, and Universal Hands-Free.