Rivian’s R2 Might Be the Electric Adventure SUV Everyone Has Been Waiting For

Rivian has been teasing the R2 for a while now, dangling the promise of a smaller, cheaper, more attainable version of its beloved R1S in front of adventure-hungry buyers who couldn’t quite stretch to the $77,000-plus sticker of its halo SUV. On Thursday morning at SXSW in Austin, Texas, the California-based automaker finally put numbers to that promise, and, after seeing this in person, the wait might have been worth it.

The R2 starts at $48,490 for the base Standard trim (available in 2027) and climbs to $57,990 for the Performance trim with Launch Package, which begins deliveries this spring. That’s still real money, but for an EV with genuine off-road chops—9.6 inches of ground clearance, a 25-degree approach angle, and a 26-degree departure angle—it puts the R2 in legitimate conversation with the Wranglers and Broncos that dominate this segment. (Reservations are open now for a $100 refundable deposit at rivian.com/r2, with Performance deliveries beginning this spring.)

Rivian’s head of design, Jeff Hammoud, walked a crowd of journalists and fans through the vehicles on display at the company’s Rivian Roadhouse pop-up, and he was candid about the design philosophy behind the R2. “R2 was more about subtraction,” Hammoud explained, “making sure that what we’re removing from the vehicle isn’t something that, in the customer’s eye, makes them look at it and see, ‘Hey, this is a cheaper version of R1.'”

It’s a fine line to walk, and from what I saw, Rivian has largely threaded it. The R2 is unmistakably a Rivian—Boxy! Stylish! Adventurous!—just trimmed down to a more mid-sized, 185.9-inch length and a 115.6-inch wheelbase. It’s nearly 2,000 pounds lighter than the R1, which should make it significantly more nimble on tight singletrack and forest service routes where the bigger truck can feel like a whole lotta truck.

For the outdoor crowd, the numbers that matter most are in the Performance trim: 656 horsepower and up to 330 miles of EPA-estimated range. And 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, to get you to the trail that much more quickly. The more affordable Standard RWD Long Range actually tops the range chart at an estimated 345 miles. In theory, that’s enough to get deep into the backcountry and back without sweating running out of juice. Rivian can also be charged on Tesla’s Supercharger network, with a 10-to-80-percent charge achievable in about 29 minutes.

The adventure utility details are what make the R2 the real deal, though. There’s a 5.2-cubic-foot front trunk that fits a carry-on and a large backpack, or for keeping your muddy gear away from the cabin. The rear seats fold completely flat for sleeping (Hammoud noted that a 95th-percentile male—around six-feet, two-inches—can stretch out full length), and the rear cargo area with seats folded opens up to 79.4 cubic-feet. The drop-down rear glass window—standard on Performance and Premium trims—lets you slide in surfboards, skis, or anything else that doesn’t quite fit with the hatch fully closed.

There are thoughtful details throughout that reveal how carefully Rivian has studied how people actually use their cars. The speakers moved from the door panels to the center console, which Hammoud says improved the sound stage. But the real bonus was the full-sized storage that opened up in the doors as a result. The haptic “halo” dials (think large scroll-wheels) on the redesigned steering wheel let you adjust volume, fan speed, and temperature without taking your eyes off the trail. The nifty door-mounted rechargeable flashlight returns from the R1, a small touch that’s become something of a Rivian signature.

Three new exterior colors round out the reveal: Catalina Cove (a shifting metallic blueish green), Esker Silver, and Half Moon Grey. Hammoud was particularly bullish on the Catalina Cove—”in our studio, it’s probably our favorite one we have”—and he wasn’t wrong. Under the Austin sun, it’s a stunner.

The big question, as always with new car brands, is execution. But Hammoud was candid about how much the company has evolved since the R1. The R2 is built on an all-new mid-size platform, and Rivian seems determined to prove the lessons stuck. “This is our second album,” he said of the R2, “and it needs to be a lot better. And there’s a lot we have learned.”