Transcription
Is this the car that means I can finally stop recommending the Tesla Model Y to everyone because I'm getting so bored of doing that all the time? It's called the Rivian R2 and it's supposed to match the Tesla and even beat it in key areas that will matter to your head. But then it's also got some features which means that it'll also appeal to your heart. I'm going to test these claims by seeing if it can match the Tesla in the areas that matter and then truly win you over with some features you never knew you wanted. Where the heck is the rear windscreen wiper? I'm M Watson and you're watching Car Wow.
The Tesla Model Y isn't exactly a lookup. You buy it because it's a bloody good electric car for your family. This Rivian though is different. Just look at it. It's cool. I can tell you want it already. You can see actually just looking at the two side by side how the Tesla's actually deeper. There's more body of the Tesla. That's higher, but the body is shallower overall. But from the side, the Riven is definitely a cooler shape, isn't it? And brutally honest, it looks like the more expensive vehicle. Wow. You can see how much higher the bonnet is on this. Yeah, it's just got more like desirability, hasn't it, than the Model Y. To be fair on Tesla, I do think they did a fantastic job of updating the Model Y. Like just the front end and the rear end is so much better, but that overall teardrop shape just doesn't really do it for me.
The R2's design follows that of the R1. So, it's quite simplistic, but it has one key design feature, and it is the full length light bar with these daytime running lights, which are oval. Sort of look like a Dyson hair dryer. Style my hair in those. But other than that, it's super simple, but it works. There's no need for like extra detailing and stuff. It just looks cool. There are little features like this, like the illuminated Riv there. Great looking alloy wheels. Those are 20 inch. This one's actually on all-terrain tires, which really do help the look as well. Well, you got pop-out door handles. I'm not the biggest fan of pop-out door handles in terms of using them, but when they are flush with the car, they do look good. Tell you what also looks good, the low shoulder line and the deep windows. Should give you a nice airy feeling inside the cabin. We'll find out about that in a moment.
Now, one of my favorite things about this car is just the fact they've gone for a classic two-box design. It looks like a proper SUV. They haven't just sacrificed the looks in the interest of aerodynamics like Tesla have with the Model Y. You know, that's shaped like an egg, and yes, it improves the air flow, but is it worth it? Obviously, this doesn't have as good a drag coefficient as the Tesla, which will affect the range, but they've counteracted that by giving it a bigger battery. Now they have tried to work on aero efficiency by using this spoiler here along the roofline to smooth the air flow at the back. It has given them a bit of a problem as to where to put the rear windscreen wiper. Now it would have probably gone there but there's a reason it can't go there and you'll find out a little later in the video. Instead, they've actually integrated it here into the back of the tailgate, which is interesting. I do have a concern over it though. I'm pretty sure that if you like park under a tree with all the bits that fall down like that stuff there on the ground, it's going to get all clogged up in there and it'd be a nightmare to clean out. But hey ho, overall this is a great looking car that just makes you want to own it. And there's something else this can do that the Tesla definitely can't.
Right, so we're driving through a national park here and unfortunately yesterday a park ranger stopped the convoy and wanted people to stop filming. There's no cameras allowed on the vehicles. Reason being he thinks the Rivian are filming a commercial, but it's clearly a bunch of journalists just filming content for like YouTube and stuff like that, but who's having none of it. So, we've got to keep our eyes peeled to make sure that he doesn't see us and confiscate our cameras and our footage. Right, so we're heading off-road now onto this trail. I'm trying to film it on my Meta glasses so that the ranger doesn't see that we've got cameras and Louis is doing it on the phone, hence the slightly shaky picture. But let's see what these things can do. If you look over there, you can see some of the hills that they're going up. So, we're in off-road mode. All-terrain ride feels soft, regen standard. Here we go. This is a bit steep here. Let's see what the grip is like going up here. Good thing about electric cars, they're actually better in some ways off-road than internal combustion engine cars because you can just control the power delivery so easily. We've got the camera. Press that and we can see ah look you can see the trail in front of us and it's doing all the traction control and everything for me. Is the torque vectoring? Is it like a diff setting on the rear? Uh, there is a brake brake torque factoring.
>> What percent benefit of a normal proper locking diff do you get with that system?
>> About 30%.
>> 30%.
>> 30 to 40 depending on how efficient it is.
>> Uh-huh. Now you definitely definitely definitely can't do this in a Tesla Model Y. Definitely. Look. Absolutely no way. Look at that. No chance.
>> And that's because this Rivian has about 5 cm more wheel travel, better approach and departure angles, and almost twice the ground clearance of that car. But despite all of this, I still managed to hit something.
>> Oh, good job there's a wrap on this car because um I just managed to drive through some bushes. It's quite interesting to see the chassis articulation there. Oh, there's just so much control through the throttle. In fact, you know what? I wonder if I'm better going regen full.
>> Yeah. So, we do have regen traction control, so it will help you. Uh, but if it gets too steep, we you might need to lean on the brakes a little bit.
>> Yeah. So, the idea with this car is that you do not need your off-road vehicle and your EV for daily. Cuz this combines all of that in one. In fact, this is going to get a bit technical here. Let's follow the car in front. Wee. One of the things about an electric car as well is that it's got a completely flat underside. Obviously, when you're in a nice car, usually have like diffs and bits hanging down. So, what kind of force can this battery pack take? Like, if you whack off a rock.
>> Yeah. So, it can take the whole vehicle loaded to GVW falling off of a rock about the ground clearance height.
>> Okay.
>> Off onto a rock. Oh,
>> so if I went full yeehaw off a ramp and then landed on a rock, we could be in some trouble.
>> Yes.
>> Okay. But for normal off-road driving,
>> off-road. Yeah.
>> As long as you're not going crazy. Wow, look at this.
>> Just keep your wheel. Yep. All the way over there.
>> And we're coming to the end now. Yep. Good. You can off-road.
But the vast majority of EV owners don't really care about off-roading. They're more interested in whether their practical family SUV can embarrass an internal combustion engine car away from the traffic lights. So, let's find out if this Rivian is quick enough. Let's launch this car. Left on the brake. Flo the throttle. Release the brake. Yeah, it just hooked up really well. What we're going to do 60 3.9 seconds. But there's something I need to reveal to you. The battery is at 20%. It should go faster if I have more battery. So, let's fix that. Let's charge it.
Rivian says this R2 can charge at a similar speed to a Tesla Model Y. And they even position the charging flap behind the rear wheel like on the Model Y. So, it's easier to use Tesla's own supercharger network. But how quickly can I charge this Rivian using a normal public fast charger in under 30 minutes? Well, there we go. We've gone from 20% full to 80% full in 26 minutes. It's good. It'll go even faster because they've still got to do some of like the battery management programming. So, it'll actually charge it up to 240 kW. So, that went up to about 190, 180. Let's launch it. 3.75. I wonder if it'll go quicker if I turn the traction completely off. 3.67. I'll take that. Best bit is there's going to be an even quicker version of the R2. They're going to do a tri-motor version. However, if you can't wait until then and you want to save a bit of cash, I've got an option for you. Right now on CarWow, you can actually buy a Tesla Model Y Performance 2022 model year for £32,000, which is really good value. However, there is obviously a risk when you're buying a car used. And that's it could have a dodgy past. That's why I recommend doing a CarVertical history check on any used car you might be thinking of buying. Obviously, the Tesla on CarWow's got a clean report. I mean, there are a few flags, but they're for recourse. Nothing to worry about. However, here's an example of a Tesla Model Y that has a slightly dodgy past. Now, you wouldn't know if you didn't do a CarVertical history check. So, if you're thinking about buying a used car, use CarVertical with the code CARWOW for 20% off. There's a link in the description of this video or you can just click on the pop-out banner or scan the QR code on screen now.
But should you wait for the R2? Well, that depends if it can match the Tesla in some other key areas. It looks good in here, doesn't it? Like real good. And I'll tell you what, you got some real wood as well. And it's not just decorative. This actually is used to seat the infotainment screen. Now, more on that in a bit. But unlike in a Tesla Model Y, you have a driver's display, so you're not looking across when you're driving, which is good news. Also, the Rivian has stalk indicators and your drive select as well. And the damping on it feels really expensive. Quality is good. And you can get in lots of different interior colors and trims. I would go with light wood on the dash and probably light interior, but there's a lot going on actually, even though it's quite minimalistic. There's still different layers and textures and designs. So, it has more personality on the inside than a Tesla Model Y. And there's one innovative feature that Rivian have added for everyone who complains about not having physical buttons for the climate control. Now, still, you operate the climate control through this touchscreen like that. But if you look on the steering wheel, you'll see these two wheels. Ooh. Now, they actually have haptic feedback, but they feel like real dials. You can toggle through the fan and the temperature. And by moving it forwards, backwards, or from left to right, you can go through different modes as well. The wheel on the other side does the volume and different displays. Takes a little getting used to, but once you're used to it, absolutely brilliant solution. It's not perfect, though, because you still have to control things like the mirrors and the steering wheel position through the controls here on the screen by pressing that. And then you use these dials again to move the side mirrors or to move the steering wheel like that. Look. Uh uh uh. These actually feel quite expensive.
And that brings me on to whether this car can actually compete with Tesla on price. This Rivian R2 is insane value for money. It costs the same as the equivalent Tesla Model Y. That means it starts from $45,000. Yes, I know there's a new entry-level Tesla Model Y with nothing in it, but that's for Uber drivers. The one that people want, it's going to cost similar to this. It's nuts. I don't know how they've done it. Obviously, Tesla's got massive economies of scale. Rivian don't have. It's a little bit like your boutiquey cafe doing a breakfast for the same price that McDonald's does an egg muffin. Madness. And this Rivian is available with some features which you just can't get with a Tesla Model Y. You're going to love these. As with the R1, you can get an expensive-feeling torch in the door, or you can actually swap that if you want for an electronic hand warmer. Look at this. For an accessory, it's a special Rivian tent. It's probably going to cost over $5,000, but it's so cool. It's quite easy to get into, feels solid, and there's plenty of space up here. And the best bit is you have an amazing large window to look out of. Obviously, you can pull a blind down and you can even pull a projector screen down and it'll project images so you can sit outside watching films. This has to be one of the most spacious roof tents I've ever been in.
Speaking of space, how big is this car's boot? The boot on the Rivian R2 is huge. It's almost the same size as the Tesla Model Y. So, that has 822 L all the way up to the roof. This has 812. Pretty much the same thing. Up to the load cover that is over 500 L and you got an extra 130 L under there. Look, look at all that loads of useful space. You also have your normal 12-volt socket there. There's 110-volt socket there. In Europe, that would be 230 volts. You have some through-loading and loads of space. If you fold the rear seats down, they do lie completely flat. And I'll illustrate exactly why they lie completely. In fact, now you can get mattresses that are designed to fit exactly in the load area of the R2. And look, there's enough space back here for an adult. Well, two to fit comfortably. Plus, Rivian will sell you a duvet with a print on it that matches the camouflage scheme that they have on their pre-production test vehicles. However, that isn't the only cool feature you can get with this car. You see, the front boot on this car is big enough to fit a kitchen in it. No, no, seriously, it is. It's got 147 L of space, which is bigger than a Tesla Model Y. And if you look here, if I lift it out, you're going to like this. So, let's say you're out camping in your R2. Just open this up and you have an induction hob which you can plug in and run off the car's battery. Look, it's all lit up, ready to go. Then in here, we have all the necessary utensils.
And there's some other cool features inside the cabin. There's loads of useful storage spaces. Got a huge bin under here with USBCs. There's a place there for your mobile phone. It's got wireless charging, somewhere to stand it up if you need it. You also have some cup holders in here. And there's a huge area here for your bag. And then you got a drawer. And Rivian asked customers, "What would you find handy in the cabin?" And they said, "Big door bins for carrying big bottles." It's not just me as into that kind of stuff. You see, look at this. So this huge bottle can fit in this door bin because look that extends. And they've moved the speakers from the doors to here. So you can fit a huge bottle in there. Clever. There's also a place for your glasses down there as well. Now, the R2 has something that the R1 lacked. It is a glove box. Ah, look, they've fitted one. In fact, they've gone one better and just fitted two of them.
But what is practicality like in the rear seats? Once again, it's been really well thought out with loads of cool features. So, you got plenty of storage solutions there. Big door bins again, the tray for your glasses. You have cup holders, a place for your mobile phone, some place to hang an iPad off and USBC charging. There's a nice big glass roof, loads of headroom, loads of knee room, loads of foot space, can stretch out under the seat in front. The seats aren't too low to the floor, so you have decent under-thigh support. Seats are nicely reclined as well. Very, very comfy. You can fit three adults in the back quite easily as well. Plenty of room for everyone. Part of the reason for that is that the sides are quite upright. They don't lean in like I'm pushing people's shoulders together. It's very, very good. Also, the rear windows go all the way down, which is nice. And that brings me on to one feature that I really love about this car. You can lower the rear window. And when you put all the windows down, you get a great air flow through the cabin. Also, by lowering that rear window, you can carry big things such as surfboards in the car.
But that isn't the only cool thing about the R2. The infotainment system is really impressive. So, it's been upgraded over the one in the latest R1. Got really nice graphics, zippy processor. I love some of the color scheme. So, if I go into the climate control system, look, it's like cartoony. And you have a quick access panel here down the side and you can get into the settings very, very easily as well. Plus, if you look at this, you can change some of the layout of it. So, if I put the that up with the music, I can then move the different panels around just as I like it. And it also includes something really clever. This car is available with proper inbuilt AI. Now, I'm not talking just like a simple link to ChatGPT. You can talk to this car like a person and just say, "Oh, I'm a little bit cold in there." And it'll set the temperature higher. You can ask it to like book appointments for you with your friends. So, if you want to go to a restaurant, it'll do all that and put it into your calendar.
>> Can you move my call with Tim to 5:00 p.m.?
>> I've moved your call with Tim to 5 p.m.
>> It's utterly crazy. And it can control lots of features in the car as well, such as the interior of the car as well. So, you can ask it to like lower the windows or raise them and all that kind of thing.
But this car isn't just about the software, it's also about the hardware. The R2 is designed to feel as expensive to drive as the R1, whilst being a less expensive vehicle. Now, they've achieved that by going for a unibody design rather than a ladder frame chassis. Also, the body itself is 20 or so percent stiffer than the R1. There's a big change to the battery pack as well. It's going to be around 80 or so kilowatt hours. And in the R1 you have over 7,000 cells, but in this you have 700 because the cells are much larger. That means that you actually have less wires joining them all together and less complexity, which means fewer things to go wrong. You also have all the control units here in this single pod, which you can get easy access to from this hole underneath the rear passenger seat. Now, as a result of all these changes, this car is lighter than the R1. It weighs in at just over 2.2 tons as opposed to over 3.1 tons. You also have a new brake-by-wire braking system. And in terms of brakes themselves, you've got 350 mm discs up front with two-piston calipers and 336 mm at the back with single-piston calipers. So, how good is this car at stopping from 60 mph? Let's find out. 35 meters is my general standard of. Yes, that's pretty good. What will this actually achieve, though? I am on all-terrain tires. So, 3, 2, 1. I don't think they helped, but let's see. Ah, didn't matter. Bang on. The number 35 meters. Yeah, I'll take that.
The R2 has a dual-motor setup, and the most powerful motor is at the rear, so it has a rear-drive bias to it. Also, at the back, you got multi-link suspension. At the front, you got independent MacPherson struts. Now, on the R1, you get this active anti-roll bar system. They've done away with that to reduce the cost here for the R2. And you have normal standard anti-roll bars, but they have kept the adaptive dampers. So, how does all that affect how this car feels to drive? The R2 handles really well for a big electric SUV. It's quite surprising really. So, it doesn't feel quite as darty or maybe as precise as a Tesla Model Y, but it does that thing right where it just seems to hold on in the bends. Just seems to grip and go around corners surprisingly well. It's one of those cars, right, that you can bother someone in like a performance kind of road like this and they're like, "Why can't I shake that SUV?" It gives you confidence. Like you can feel it moving around and but it's all predictable. It's telling you exactly what it's doing. And the steering is very, very good. It's like totally connected to the car. I feel in tune with it. The thing that I'm not so in tune with though, the brakes, brake-by-wire. I'm not the biggest fan of it. They're okay. I just prefer a more natural hydraulic pedal feel. But the rest of it really good and the performance because it's rear-drive bias. You can really punch out corners. We got the people from Rivian in the back. They're not enjoying this right now, but I am. It's got a slight floaty feel to it, but in a good way. It's fun. Sometimes you don't want a car to be like dead hard and sporty. You can actually have fun in one that just has a bit more movement. And this is definitely one of those cars. But people aren't going to drive this car like this most of the time, unless they're idiot motoring journalists like me. So, let's try it in an environment which is more in keeping with where this car has to perform.
The R2 is a really relaxing car to cruise in. So, seats are comfy, the suspension nice and soft when you got it in the the softest setting. In fact, let's go really soft. I like that. You get a sort of floaty feel to it, but it's almost like just being kind of like rocked to sleep like when you're a baby. It's quite nice. I like it. I'm not going to fall asleep though, don't worry. In terms of noise, I can't hear any road noise at all, which is crazy considering the all-terrain tire. So, that's brilliant. Now, we have acoustic glass here and on the windscreen, but I am getting a little bit of wind whistle from up here, but apparently they're going to be working on a seal across the top of the windscreen, which should reduce that back a bit. But still, you know, 70 mph cruising, it's quiet.
In terms of the range and the efficiency. So, over my drive, I've averaged 3.66 miles per kilowatt hour. Let's just round it up to 3.7. Let's say when you multiply that by the size of the battery, you're looking at a real-world range of around 300, 320 miles, which is pretty good. One of the things that's really impressive about the performance of this car is the overtaking ability. So, I'm actually going to put it into sport mode for this cuz you get a bit more oomph. So, just press that in. Go to sport mode. There we are. Now, if I go to about 50 miles an hour, then floor it. Watch the speed climb. And it just keeps on pulling and building. And that's fast enough now. Really good for overtaking, not so good for your range. Thing is though, why is a big car like this like when it comes to maneuvering around town? It's quite hard here in America to um you know, really find anywhere that's difficult to maneuver. Even like in this is like a trading estate, but everything's just so wide. Let's just check out the maneuverability. Can I get all the way around there? Let's have a look. Come on. We got a turning circle of 12.1 meters, which is exactly the same as a Model Y. And got down, got around there completely. In fact, you know what? Let's see if we can do it again. Use my 360° cameras. This is the tough bit. H is it going to do this? I mean, this is a bit of a big ask. It's close. If it can do this, this will be quite impressive. Oh, camera's good definition, you know. That made it. That is good. And that's also good because you got a flat bonnet. You can just judge where the corners of the car are. And side mirrors are huge. If you at the back's really good as well. Steering is it's not overly light, but it's light enough. I mean, this is just too easy. Even the parking space in America. Look at it. They're just set up for huge vehicles. Although, I still can't manage to park straight in a bay. What is it with me? Let's see how bad I've done. What is it about me? I just no matter what I do, I can't ever quite park in a bay properly. Looks good though, doesn't it?
But where does that leave us? This new Rivian R2 is brilliant. It does all the boring, sensible EV stuff as well as the Tesla Model Y and then does cool things such as goes off-road, has quirky features, and looks absolutely brilliant. If I was in the US, I'd buy one of these things. Unfortunately, we got to wait a few years for it to come to the United Kingdom. Now, you might be thinking, well, if I'm going to get one of these, I definitely want it in that color scheme. Unfortunately, this is a wrap, and it's actually modeled on R2-D2 from Star Wars. And the reason that they're not doing this paint scheme is because Disney would probably sue them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, give it a like. If you want to watch some other videos, click on the video windows. And if you click on the CarWow logo, you can go to CarWow to sell your car the easy way and get an instant valuation. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next.