2027 Rivian R2 Performance First Test: Does Rivian’s Midsize Electric SUV Live Up to the Hype?

Building cars is no cakewalk, especially for a brand-new automaker, but Rivian has been making it look easy so far. The electric vehicle brand’s first-ever model, the Rivian R1T pickup, snagged our Golden Calipers right out of the gate, winning the 2022 Truck of the Year award. And although the three-row Rivian R1S SUV didn’t match the accomplishment of its stablemate, it still managed to make the finalist round of our 2023 SUV of the Year competition.

The initial success of Rivian’s R1 series of vehicles—and the impressively updated versions of the R1T and R1S that would follow—only served to whet our collective appetites for the arrival of the hotly anticipated midsize Rivian R2. Expectations have been way up high in the sky; could the R2 SUV really match the excellence of Rivian’s flagships at a much more approachable price point? That’s what we endeavored to find out at our proving ground, on the road, and in the dirt.

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R2 Performance: At the Proving Ground

For now, Rivian is only offering the R2 in the top-spec Performance trim we tested, outputting a healthy 656 hp and 609 lb-ft of torque from its dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain. Eventually, the R2 lineup will grow to include a total of three powertrains in all, including a single-motor variant developing 350 hp and a less powerful dual-motor AWD model making 450 hp.

As expected, the 2027 R2 Performance feels quick off the line, with a surging sensation that builds as it picks up steam. We were able to shave two ticks off Rivian’s claimed 0–60-mph time of 3.6 seconds, and it surged on through the quarter mile in just 11.3 seconds at 128.6 mph. For some context, the much pricier Porsche Macan GTS Electric was just barely quicker to 60 mph at 3.3 seconds, but it needed 11.6 seconds to clear the quarter mile, passing the trap slower than the R2 at 121.1 mph.

So yes, it’s mighty quick in a straight line for a nearly 5,000-pound SUV, but the Rivian R2 Performance is also relatively enjoyable to drive when things get twisty. Something of an R1S lite, the R2 has direct-feeling steering with an agreeable front end. While you don’t totally lose the sensation of driving a traditional, boxy SUV, the R2 remains highly maneuverable for what it is.

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That can make it great fun on a back road. As you steer it into a challenging turn at speed, the sense of excitement is enhanced by its controlled body roll. Then, once you’ve got it set up for exit, you can squeeze into its eager throttle and blast out of the corner with extraordinary ferocity.

Its brilliant handling is evident on the test track, as well, but hard, straight-line braking is accompanied by notable body dive. It isn’t an issue if you don’t go all the way to ABS, but it was a different story when ABS was activated around our figure-eight test, which distills a vehicle’s at-the-limit performance into a single, digestible lap time.

During our evaluation, the R2 accelerated and cornered commendably on the figure eight for the most part, but after a couple of laps, we ran up against an issue: Its brakes started sticking in the corners following hard deceleration. We suspect this was a software issue related to its ABS programming, one that held us back from posting a quicker lap time than 25.9 seconds. For a sense of how much performance was potentially left on the table, the Macan GTS Electric pirouetted around the figure eight in just 23.6 seconds, with the Cadillac Optiq-V (closer to it in price and performance) hitting the mark 24.6 seconds.

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As for panic braking, the R2 Performance shows nothing worrying other than the noticeable dive, but it failed to impress given its sporty intentions. A 60–0-mph stopping distance of 123 feet is decent but not great, especially for a sportier SUV. The Optiq-V, for example, stopped in 101 feet, which is closer to what we’d expect from this model. (A less capable and less powerful Optiq Sport did it in 124 feet.) The Macan GTS Electric is a stopping star of the bunch, crunching to a halt in a scant 99 feet.

Ultimately, we suspect the 2027 Rivian R2 Performance’s Pirelli Scorpion MS tires also played a role here in its less-than-stellar achievements around the figure eight and in our brake testing. In the future, we’d love to slap some stickier rubber on this SUV’s 21-inch wheels and get some feedback from Rivian about the braking issues we had to see if those numbers would improve.

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On- and Off-Road Enjoyment

Outside of the track, we spent hundreds of miles behind the wheel 2027 Rivian R2 Performance, and this electric SUV has far more to offer by way of subjective delights than it does with the objective test results. The Performance trim’s semi-adaptive suspension allows you to firm up the dampers for sporty driving but can be relaxed to medium and soft tunes for more comfort and compliance.

Ride feel is solid and controlled in the default All-Purpose drive mode with either of these more relaxed suspension setups accompanied by predictable responsiveness from the accelerator and steering. Regenerative braking can also be configured to the driver’s tastes, but we found the default setting to supply more than enough stopping power to decelerate from freeway speeds into slower traffic. One-pedal driving fans can expect to enjoy operating the R2 with just the accelerator as we were able to do during our test.

Generally, the R2 Performance is quiet, with good sound deadening accompanying the silence of its powertrain. It gets noisier over busy road surfaces, and you can feel the chattering of the worsened ride inside the cabin. The suspension absorbs big impacts with aplomb, however, shrugging off unpleasant bumps while maintaining excellent comportment.

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We also had a chance to play with the 2027 Rivian R2 on dirt roads. There’s an All-Terrain mode for navigating loose surfaces with confidence as well as Snow and Soft Sand settings for more extreme environments. All-Terrain is what you’d normally use to get to the campsite on a trail; it keeps the R2 highly controllable when the pavement ends.

For those comfortable driving off-road with enthusiasm, there’s Rivian’s Rally mode. It combines Sport mode responsiveness with the dampers’ softer setting, allowing the suspension to better cope with rapidly changing surfaces beneath the wheels and tires. This is where the fun begins and where the real benefit of the Pirelli Scorpion MS tires come into play.

We felt so confident ripping around in Rally that we disabled stability control to explore more of the R2’s potential. It’s easy to provoke the rear for a power slide, but you can be confident that the R2 is also easy to collect for the next bout of acceleration. We got back on the pavement satisfied, though we’re more eager than ever to see what an R2 developed by the Rivian Adventure Department (RAD) can do.

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Two Rs: Range and Recharging

When you run out of juice, the 2027 Rivian R2 Performance can charge its 87.9-kWh battery using the North American Charging System (NACS), pioneered by Tesla with its Supercharger network. Like the best EVs, the R2’s onboard navigation takes charging into account while route planning and will direct you to a station if you’re running out of battery during the journey or if you’re going to arrive at your destination with less charge than your pre-set minimum.

Like a Tesla, the R2’s charging port is on the rear of the SUV’s driver side. Unlike a Tesla, the flap has a manual one-tap release, which is refreshing in today’s over-motorized world. If you have automatic charging enabled, you simply plug the R2 into the Supercharger, and it begins fueling up. The instrument cluster display gives you a readout showing important information like time remaining on the charge and miles added.

The R2 charges at a maximum of 230 kW, just shy of a 2026 Tesla Model Y’s peak of 250 kW. Even so, the Rivian juices up more quickly than its rival, adding 130 miles of range in 15 minutes and 202 miles of range in 30 minutes. The Model Y Performance adds 126 miles in 15 minutes and 197 miles in 30 minutes. A charge from 5 to 80 percent takes 30 minutes, beating the other Tesla Model Y variants we’ve tested, all of which have needed more than 30 minutes to do the same.

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If you go for a full charge, the EPA says the 2027 Rivian R2 Performance can travel 330 miles before the battery is depleted. Our 70-mph real-world range test result of 263 miles indicates that you won’t get quite as much mileage on a road trip. That offset of 20 percent is similar to what we’ve seen with the Tesla Model Y; the Long Range AWD example we tested was rated at 311 miles of range by the EPA and drove 252 miles in our 70-mph test. That’s a difference of 19 percent, so Rivian isn’t too far off the benchmark.

Should you need assistance extracting more range out of the R2, Rivian’s Conserve mode weakens throttle response to help you save energy. Driving with this setting enabled for an extended period gave us observables percentage points back to the R2’s arrival state-of-charge estimate.

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Practical Matters

As you’ve likely surmised, actually living with the 2027 Rivian R2 Performance is a breeze. In addition to a conventional key fob that has a rugged-feeling carabiner-invoking clip, Rivian’s app gives you total access to the R2. You can perform a variety of functions remotely, such as controlling the door locks, opening the trunk and frunk, or adjusting climate control. We found the route planning widget within the app to be particularly helpful for laying out long journeys with lots of stops.

Inside the cabin, Rivian’s detailed approach to the user experience extends to your initial setup of the R2, which includes a stylish and helpful guide that walks you through the basics of operating the vehicle while configuring your preferences.

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Ease of use is a dominant theme. Its central 15.3-inch infotainment touchscreen has bars with commonly used controls along the side and bottom of the display, allowing you to access key features without ever going into a menu. A quick controls tab sits either on the right or left side of the screen, showing an audio player and other handy items you can access at all times.

Speaking of hands and controls, the R2’s Halo wheels on either side of the steering wheel add a physical aspect to interacting with the midsize Rivian. Scrolling the left wheel controls audio volume, clicking side to side changes what track is playing, and pushing in pauses. Click it forward, and you can cycle what widget is displayed on the left side of the gauge cluster screen. Scrolling the right wheel adjusts your fan speed, temperature, or cruise control functionality depending on which tab you’ve chosen by clicking left and right. Pulling the knob toward you opens the drive mode selector, and clicking it down chooses a mode.

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Halo wheel motions rely on haptic feedback, giving them the type of physicality we like from a modern vehicle’s interior. Our only gripe with this setup is that some of the side-to-side clicks can be a little cumbersome, but after sufficient time in the R2, we suspect most drivers would know what to expect.

Beyond the digital aspects of the 2027 Rivian R2, there are a wealth of tactile and practical details we love, as well. Storage options abound, including two glove boxes that don’t need an on-screen button to open. The center console has two magnetic wireless phone chargers, plus a slot for stashing a phone you don’t want to charge, with a nice rubber pad for grip.

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The cargo area is enormous. You can fit a ton of luggage, with additional room under the floor and a second tier of storage that can accommodate at least one suitcase, if not two carry-on bags. The rear also has two side pockets, a 12-volt outlet, and a 120-volt outlet. Then there’s the frunk, which can be hard to access for shorter folks but provides meaningful cargo capacity, self-opening functionality, and soft-close latching convenience.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the R2’s party piece, a roll-down rear window à la the Toyota 4Runner. There are two switches inside the cabin, one that lowers the window on its own and another that rolls down all five windows together (great for a hot day). There’s a capacitive touch button on the outside of the R2 that also rolls down this window, but it’s a little finicky and requires a hard press if you want it to work reliably.

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Our final point of reflection on the R2’s packaging: the glass roof. The tinted panel does a great job helping the R2’s boxy cabin feel light and airy, but it struggles to keep the temperature down if the sun is blazing. We drove the R2 back to back with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 that had a roof shade; the difference in cabin comfort was palpable. Hopefully the aftermarket provides a good solution—or better yet, Rivian develops an alternative in the years to come.

Pricing and Value

Our time with the 2027 Rivian R2 gave us the opportunity to deeply scrutinize the midsize electric SUV to determine if it’s worth recommending to new vehicle shoppers. If you’ve made it this far, then you’ve probably guessed that our answer is a hearty yes despite the minor criticisms we’ve enumerated above.

The R2 Performance begins at $59,485. That price also gets you the Launch package, which bundles Rivian’s Autonomy+ hands-free driver assist system, a tow hitch, a physical key fob, and access to Launch Green paint.

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Rivian’s Autonomy+ isn’t quite as sophisticated as Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.6, but it does an impressive job with distance following, lane keeping, and lane changes. Rivian’s hands-free driving should get better with an over-the-air update. Eventually, it will be able to stop at stop signs and red lights as well as travel autonomously from point to point, which will properly bring the fight to Tesla in the self-driving department.

This example has been optioned to $61,485 with the sole extra being a nice shade of Catalina Cove paint. When the Tesla Model Y Performance starts at $59,380, the BMW iX3 starts at $62,850, and the Cadillac Optiq-V begins at $69,295, we find it easy to wrap our heads around Rivian’s pricing. That’s especially the case when we know the eventual rear-drive R2 will begin just above $45,000, offering a tantalizing range of pricing for a variety of buyers. Those early to the R2 party won’t be let down; this Performance model is a worthy follow up to the likes of the R1T and R1S, and we’re looking forward to comparing this version of Rivian’s midsize EV side by side with the competition.