Credit: Rivian

Between the antics particular to a certain car company and the industrial chaos that was set off by COVID (then compounded by the invasion of Ukraine) it’s easy to have become cynical about things like timelines. And yet, when Rivian showed off a midsize electric vehicle in 2024 and said it would go on sale during the first half of 2026, 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 more superlative version first. That’s the R2 Performance, which starts at $57,990 with the launch package (but not including 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 10-80 percent.

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 with ventilation for the former as well, 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 the way some cars hide an umbrella there.

You can add Autonomy+ (the automaker’s partially automated driver assist), the tow package (4,400 lbs/1,995 kg), and some other colors as optional extras to the Performance trim; they’re silver by default. The launch package includes a lifetime subscription to Autonomy+ as well as the tow package, plus another optional body color.

In late 2026 the R2 Premium goes on sale at $53,990. This has the same 330-mile range and the same 87.9 kWh battery pack, but generates only 450 hp (355 kW) and 537 lb-ft (728 Nm) from its dual-motor powertrain. The R2 Premium does without the semi-active suspension, arrives on 20-inch instead of 21-inch wheels, and features fewer drive modes, doing without rally, soft sand, and launch modes, but otherwise shares its specs with the faster, more expensive R2 Performance.

Single motor in 2027

The single-motor R2s arrive next year, with the $48,490 R2 Standard that uses the same 87.9 kWh battery pack as the AWD R2s. Without a motor for the front axle, the RWD R2 goes a little further: 345 miles (555 km) on a single charge. The motor sends 350 hp ( kW) and 355 lb-ft to the rear axle. Standard R2s come with an all-black interior, and only heat the front seats. The sound system has five speakers instead of nine, there’s no all-terrain drive mode, it rides on 19-inch wheels, and the glass in the rear window doesn’t drop down, so you’ll want a roof rack for your surfboard.

In late 2027, an R2 Standard with a smaller battery enabling around 265 miles (426 km) goes on sale for $45,000. For now, we don’t know much about that one other than its price.

The R2 SUV is an attractive thing, sharing a lot of its looks with the larger three-row R1S, both inside and out. And a rather clever one, too; Volkswagen Group invested $5 billion in Rivian specifically to gain access to its software-defined vehicle technology and expertise.

An AI assistant will come to Rivian’s in-house infotainment system in a future update, an assistant that runs locally via the magic of edge computing. (OK, it actually said “R2 is outfitted with 200 sparse TOPS of edge AI compute dedicated to the in-cabin experience,” but I really don’t like how compute is becoming a noun.) That processing power will also enable Rivian’s Autonomy+. And since this is now Rivian’s fourth product, we can be confident in its ability to deliver the regularly praised cadence of software updates.