The editor of CAR magazine, Ben Miller leads the rabble of writers, designers, road testers, photographers, videographers and desk editors who make the title what it is today. A graduate from the two-wheeled motorcycle scene, Ben has a shared love of cars and bikes – and is one of our deftest feature writers.
How do you make a smaller, more affordable version of your flagship first car without making it in any way less? And how do relax into your work when you know this ‘difficult second album’ really is make or break; that if it tanks then your job and the company likely won’t survive the fallout.
For the answers, look no further than Rivian’s Max Koff. Cheerful, relaxed and reliably wearing the smile of a man content in his work, Koff wears the pressure of existential crisis lightly. And to understand why, you need only have him talk you around the R2, his baby and only Rivian’s second ever car. Better still, you might be able to persuade him to sling you the keys to a prototype, as we did. ‘I think because I’ve been with the company since the very beginning, there’s always been that pressure,’ says Koff. ‘I mean, you don’t think about it a lot. But I do like it as a forcing function, for added motivation. We had that many times in the past, where we need an investment round to go through or we’d be looking for new jobs. But you’re not thinking about it day to day. We had some soul searching for a little while about four years ago on R2, really getting the vision clear of what we wanted the product to be. But since then it’s been about executing that, and now we’ve gotten it to a point where we’re really happy.’ As with Tesla’s Model 3 growing pains, Rivian’s next phase won’t be easy. But nor was remaining a boutique builder of luxury pick-ups and SUVs an option, successful though the R1 has been. Rivian, founded back in 2009 by MIT graduate RJ Scaringe, must go to the next level, from circa 50,000 cars per year to 150,000 and beyond. ‘The cost of making the vehicles and the price that we’re selling for is finally getting into the right zip code, but it requires scale,’ Scaringe toldlast year. ‘R2 will really help us step change to a much higher level of profitability. Being so vertically integrated hurts you in the beginning, because you have all these fixed costs and no volume to absorb them. Our engineering team is just gigantic compared to what you’d want to have for a company selling 50,000 cars. But the engineering team wasn’t sized to sell 50,000 cars. It was sized to develop this technology platform that is then going to exist across our three vehicles plus R4 and R5. This is really core to the strategy.’: Great to drive on road and off it, cool brand and design, strong ride quality and refinement, state-of-the-art infotainment and self-driving tech, imminent AI assistantIn short, everything, as Koff points explains. ‘If you’ve driven it, you’ll know the R1 Quad is pretty insane ; quad motor, semi-active dampers, air suspension, hydraulic roll control. Here, the mission was to deliver that same experience at essentially half the price, so that we can get more people into the brand. ‘We’ve approached that in four ways. One, was staying true to Rivian’s “adventurous forever” mission statement, so a vehicle you have confidence in; confidence that it can go on-road and off-road, wherever you need to go, and that fits all your gear, your family, your friends, and is made with durable and sustainable materials. Secondly, design; great proportions, small overhangs, big wheels and tyres, lots of approach and departure angle, good ground clearance, and we prioritise the interior package, seating position and outward visibility over aerodynamics – our silhouette is not like the typical teardrop shape . Third, dynamic excellence; duality of on-road and off-road prowess, intuitive controls and responses. And on the software side, an AI-defined vehicle with this rich feature set that keeps improving over time through over-the-air updates, plus a high degree of autonomous capability, which we think will play a major role in the future.’ Common parts with the R1 are vanishingly rare. Instead, the R2 uses a monocoque designed for maximum rigidity and great noise/vibration/harshness suppression. Weight and complexity have been minimised through a focus on a very lean parts count; as is becoming standard practice, the rear floor is one huge piece, in this case a high-pressure die casting. Overall mass is some 1000kg less than the R1, which is as it should be given the new car is smaller, less complex and eschews the bigger Rivian’s body-on-frame construction. The R2’s circa 2250kg mass is competitive versus the likes of BMW’s new iX3 and Volvo’s EX60, though Rivian’s yet to confirm its pack size. Finally, in the cockpit, Rivian’s latest interface thinking is evident in the steering wheel’s haptic ‘halo’ wheels. Incorporated into the horizontal spokes, these are two large, knurled thumbwheels that can rotate, tilt and be pushed and pulled. Stepper motors provide haptic feedback, so you know when you’re increasing the volume versus switching drive mode, and resistance lets you know when you’ve reached the top of a scale. It’s a smart idea, and a logical evolution of the far smaller and more conventional thumb controls in the R1. But there’s a lot of different movements across the two wheels, meaning there’s something of a learning curve initially.The powertrain’s full details remain under wraps for a couple more weeks, but the prototype we’re driving is likely to be from the upper end of the final spec line-up. It features twin e-motors for variable all-wheel drive and a fulsome 647bhp and 609lb ft. That’s sufficient for 0-60mph in 3.6sec and an EPA range of ‘more than 300 miles’. Chassis-wise, the R2 uses semi-active dampers but foregoes air suspension and hydraulic roll control for more affordable springs and roll bars. Suspension is MacPherson strut up front, again for reasons of cost , and multi-link at the rear. Interior space generally is generous, with legroom and headroom for six-footers in the back. A Rivian roof tent will grace the accessories catalogue, as will a bespoke mattress to turn the R2 into an occasional camper – ‘adventurous forever’, remember. Further enhancing that sense of space is the unconventionally vast glasshouse and the power-down rear tailgate window, so your dog can live its very best life on those warm summer evenings. . Early adopters should get their R2s within a month or so. The line-up’s full breadth is yet to be detailed but US pricing will start at just $45,000. That puts the entry-level R2 in the middle of US Model Y pricing, and it is absolutely Tesla’s bestseller that Rivian’s gunning for, as CEO Scaringe points out. ‘There’s a constant debate around how much demand there is for EVs in the United States. The causality of this is, I think, mixed up and not necessarily looked at honestly. If you have an electric car that you’re selling in the market today and it’s not doing well, of course you’re going to say there’s not demand for EVs. But the existence of proof that there’s demand for EVs – that if you have a highly compelling product, it’ll sell – is the Model Y. It sells 400,000 units a year, and it’s six, seven years old. So, there’s absolutely demand. There’s just an extreme lack of compelling choices.’In a word, beautifully. In fact, the R2’s arguably way better than it needs to be given most of its rivals don’t exactly sparkle dynamically. But, like Ford’s original Focus and Renault’s reborn 5, you have to admire Rivian’s determination to make the R2 a satisfying and rewarding driver’s car nonetheless. And perhaps we should have seen it coming. Rivian might be an exclusively EV brand but its ranks are stuffed with petrolheads, from Scaringe and his German modern classic collection to Koff and chief design officer Jeff Hammoud and their beloved dirt bikes. You can feel that enthusiasm in the R2 and the way it drives. Taking the freeway out of Irvine, heading for the hills, the R2 breezes the cruise; quiet, quick when you need it to be and utterly composed. The steering’s already standout, with more weight and feel than is typical for a car of this type. Accurate and intuitive, too, such that you feel confident right away. Not for nothing do videos exist of Koff holding filthily long off-road drifts in an R2, and Scaringe has long talked of its infectious chuckability versus the bigger R1. Through a couple of early slip roads you sense this, the overtly rear-drive feel giving a real sense of balance and easy agility. Nominal torque split is 40:60 front-to-rear, and where the R1 shuts off its rear motor on a cruise, the R2 shuts off the front unit. This prototype’s driver-assistance set-up wasn’t active, but we’ve tried Rivian’s system in an R1S and it’s great, a double-pull of the relevant stalk giving you scores of miles of composed hands-off cruising, with automatic lane changes just a tug of the indicator away. And when you’re doing things the old-fashioned way, the little camera feeds on the driver’s display showing the relevant blind spot when you indicate for a lane change is a really neat feature. The R2 comes alive when we finally reach canyon roads, the tarmac sashaying side to side between rock faces and occasionally corkscrewing back on itself in big, constant-radius curves banked like a toboggan run. It’s an easy prod on the touchscreen to stiffen the dampers and access Sport mode, for the powertrain’s full performance, and thereafter the R2’s uncommonly good fun. Its excellence is built on that most enviable of foundations – great steering – but there’s quality in depth here, with well-suppressed roll, effortless changes of direction, a brake pedal consistent in its feel and action throughout the stroke, and a wonderful linearity to everything the car does. We’re on 20-inch wheels wearing all-terrain rubber – more road-orientated tyres are an option, for a sharper steer and more outright grip – but still the Rivian’s a joy to thread along this wicked stretch of road, turning-in faithfully and holding a line come what may. At one point we’re met with a lump in the road mid-corner, the R2 already fully loaded up at speed as we chase the R1 ahead, and the result is an entirely undramatic single oscillation. In this regard, as with the styling , the R2 is almost European in character, as Koff explains. ‘Compared to R1, we’ve shifted more towards a European style bushing and control strategy with the R2. So, you’ll notice when you hit an impact or a pothole, it’s firm in the R2 but the body structure is stiffer, and we like to call the car’s response a “one and done”. Typically, American cars are softer, so you’re allowing more movement and it’s less damped, so it’s more like “six and done”. You get a more compliant initial hit, but for us six subsequent oscillations are way worse than one quick, higher hit.’ Nosing off the tarmac and onto dirt trails that curl through the California hills, the absence of air suspension means there’s no ceremonial lifting of the body before you get stuck in, as there is in the R1. But with a few screen prods to access the off-road modes you’re good to go – and go it really does. We experienced the car at low speed, on steep technical trails. But with its inherent balance, rear-biased power and ESC-off functionality, the R2’s surely a blast for quicker, more open off-road driving. But the R2’s sorted fundamentals shine here, too, making a mockery of these not-easy trails. With 243mm of ground clearance and super-short overhangs, clearance is rarely an issue. And in the off-road drive modes, on the standard level of regenerative braking, you can tackle climbs and drops you’d struggle to walk with just the single pedal. I’m generally not a high-level regen fan, preferring to do my slowing down the old-fashioned way. But Rivian’s data suggest the vast majority of R1 owners soon find themselves sticking to the standard or high levels, and in the R2 you can see why. It’s so beautifully calibrated, seemingly at all speeds and driving scenarios, that adjusting takes moments. Then you just get on with driving on a single pedal with an ease and fidelity of control that beggars belief. Off-road, we climb a washed-out, grit-smothered 20° climb at walking pace and, at the top, pause simply by relaxing my right foot, the R2 hanging in the air like a 2250kg beach ball on a sea lion’s nose. Hugely flattering off-road, the R2 serves to underline just how good EVs are at this kind of work. There’s no launching yourself at the scenery, hoping to scrabble up with revs flaring and armfuls of dramatic wheelspin. You just climb and descend at any speed you like, carefree as a mountain goat. Enough mammalian analogies – you get the idea.Spacious, classy, quiet, nicely made and comfortable, there’s a lot to like here. Sight lines are excellent, to the benefit of on-road and off-road driving, and the lack of road noise at speed is remarkable given today’s tyres. Rivian continues to go its own way on infotainment, with no CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity, asking instead that you use its own system . Thankfully Rivan’s system is excellent, and should only hit new heights with its imminent AI functionality, particularly when it comes to accurate voice prompting for simple and complex requests. The haptic Halo wheels show promise but need time to master, in part because they offer movement in so many planes. Perhaps, like BMW’s motorcycle equivalent, limiting the functionality to rotation and tilting would enhance accessibility, albeit at the expense of outright functionality.Great looking, impressive to drive, practical and genuinely inspirational, the R2 absolutely lives up to Rivian’s adventure-ready brand billing. To drive it is to begin daydreaming about lost weekends exploring the back country. And of course this is only the start. As a platform for future R2 variants, not to mention the deeply funky R3 hatch, Rivian’s next chapter couldn’t be off to a stronger start. Without European pricing, it’s hard to know exactly where the R2 fits into what is a rapidly expanding and increasingly competitive segment. We’ll have to wait for final pack size and range numbers, but the Rivian looks to give ground to premium European rivals like the iX3 and EX60 on those critical metrics. That said, the BMW and Volvo are $60k propositions in the US, making them considerably more expensive. And though the low-drag Model Y will likely remain the standout option for efficiency at this price point, giving similar range to the R2 on a smaller pack, the Rivian is a car to fall in love with in a way that Tesla’s bestseller – in the nicest possible way – just isn’t.As editor, Ben leads CAR magazine and its content strategy. One of the team who's just as happy on two wheels as four.
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