Rivian R2 First Drive: The Compact EV That Could Actually Rattle Tesla

Plenty of so-called “Tesla Killers” have come and gone. The Nissan Ariya is dead. The Volvo EX30 is dead. The Volkswagen ID.4 is dead. The Chevy Bolt has been killed off, again. Yet after a day behind the wheel of Rivian’s new compact SUV in Utah, this one feels different, and it might finally have the goods to make Tesla sweat.

• Smaller, more affordable sibling to the R1S, aimed straight at the Tesla Model Y
• Fully retracting rear glass, cleaner styling, and fresh paint options
• Familiar Rivian cabin layout with a 15.6-inch touchscreen and tasteful cost cuts

The 2027 Rivian R2 is the brand’s first crack at a smaller, thriftier SUV, and it borrows much of what makes the R1S such a hit. You get the same rugged personality, similar tech, and the kind of off-road readiness buyers genuinely want right now. Whether it actually dents the Model Y’s sales lead will come down to rollout and marketing, but the product itself feels properly sorted.

Familiar Looks With Smarter Details

At a glance, the R2 reads like a shrunken R1S. Even sitting next to one another, I had moments where the two blurred together. The side profile is arguably the R2’s best angle, and that’s where Rivian’s design team made one of the smartest changes.

On the R1S, there’s an awkward piece of plastic separating the rear door window from a fixed piece of glass. Chief Design Officer Jeff Hammoud told me Rivian originally wanted fully retracting rear glass on the R1S, but packaging and rear-seat layout got in the way. On the R2, every piece of side glass, including the rear window, drops fully into the body. The result is a cleaner shoulder line, lower cost, and that open-air feeling owners actually use.

Other touches are easy to miss. Instead of the badges and side markers scattered across the R1S, the R2 wears a single, cleverly branded illuminated marker just behind the front tires. Wheels come in 20- and 21-inch options. Even the base setup looks good thanks to chunkier off-road rubber that fills out the arches better than you’d expect, while the bigger wheels paired with thinner sidewalls look properly sharp.

New paint colors include a subtle Esker Silver and a really pretty Catalina Cove. If you want a little pop, the Compass Yellow brake calipers and exterior accents add personality without going overboard.

Inside, the R1S Vibe Carries Over

The interior is largely a copy-and-paste from the R1S, which is no complaint. The dash layout is clean, the materials feel unique, and the 15.6-inch central touchscreen tucks neatly into the dash. As with the outside, it’s the small stuff that sets the R2 apart.

A stylish strip of wood trim runs the length of the dashboard. Unless you’ve got an R1S in the garage, you’d never realize it’s roughly half of the full wraparound treatment in the three-row model. It still looks great, and Rivian made the call to keep costs down without making the cabin feel cheap.

Below the belt line, you’ll find injection-molded plastic inserts where the R1S uses more premium materials. By Rivian’s own rule, and frankly by mine too, that’s an acceptable trade so long as it stays out of touch points. Everything above the belt line, including the wood and the leather armrests on the door panels, still feels premium.

Sized to Take On the Model Y

At 185.6 inches long, the R2 lands square in the premium compact SUV bucket. For reference, the Tesla Model Y measures 188.6 inches, the BMW iX3 stretches 188.3 inches, and the Porsche Macan Electric comes in at 188.3 inches. Rivian’s compact is just a hair shorter than the segment benchmarks, which is exactly where it needs to be to feel manageable in a city without giving up usable cabin space.

Why the R2 Looks Like the Real Deal

Plenty of automakers have swung at the Model Y and missed, often because they leaned on bland styling, awkward software, or weak charging stories. Rivian comes in with a different background. It’s a fellow EV native with a loyal following, a recognizable design language, and rugged credibility, all wrapped in a smaller and more affordable package. After my time with it in Utah, the R2 doesn’t feel like another hopeful pretender. It feels like the first compact electric SUV that actually has Tesla’s attention.