Between a certain car company's antics and the industrial chaos set off by COVID (and then compounded by Russia's invasion of Ukraine), it's easy to be cynical about production timelines. But when Rivian showed off a midsize electric vehicle in 2024 and said it would be available in the first half of this year, it meant it. Deliveries of the first R2 SUVs will begin this spring.
As a new automaker, Rivian often does things its own way, but with the R2 launch, it's following industry practice and starting with the superlative version first. That's the R2 Performance, which starts at $57,990 with the launch package (excluding a $1,495 delivery charge). You get quite a lot of electric SUV for that, however: up to 330 miles (531 km) from a single charge of the 87.9 kWh battery pack, with 656 hp (489 kW) and 609 lb-ft (825 Nm) from the dual motor powertrain. Fast charging takes 29 minutes from 10 to 80 percent.
AWD first
The Performance features semi-active suspension, a rear window that drops into the tailgate, an interior with birch accents, heating for the front and rear seats and ventilation for the former, a nine-speaker sound system, matrix LED headlights, and some other neat touches like the flashlight that lives in the side of the door, similar to how some cars hide an umbrella there.