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Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

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Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#301

Post by consumer451 »

darth_avocado wrote: post #97
iambateman wrote: post #8

The R2 was the first time I seriously thought about spending up on a vehicle. It looks good. But $45k++ is just wild to me. It seems like the market is undervaluing used EV’s, so hopefully the depreciation curve will bring these down to $30k in a couple years for us old-school folks who prefer not to have a $1000/mo car loan.

> But $45k++ is just wild to me It’s just surprising to me that this is surprising to anyone in 2026. New cars are no longer $20-30k in the US and haven’t been since 2021. Average transaction price is now $50k+, so if companies like Rivian that skip the dealership model charge $45k, it really isn’t that expensive. The only new cars under $30k are sedans and hatchbacks. And most of them start at almost $27-30k for bas…

New base Nissan Leaf is ~30k after delivery fee, and looks pretty darn great.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#302

Post by vgeek »

bobchadwick wrote: post #260
grugdev42 wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The car version of this stopped being produced 15 years ago. Old petrol Toyotas and Hondas met your criteria. And the back catalogue of parts is huge and supported for a long time. Modern cars aren't built as well. Maybe the modern non-turbo petrol Mazdas are the best fallback.

Modern cars aren't built as well. Can you cite a source for this? There's no question that they're vastly more complex, but I would think that modern car manufacturing is far more exacting (and efficient) than in the past. If you're saying that older cars are more repairable, I'm happy to agree with you, even without a source to back up that claim.

An easily visible one is air intakes. Many manufacturers have shifted to plastic. Peteo-engineering has advanced a lot, but they will still get brittle and break.

Interior wise, you can look at things like fabric durability-- lower deniers can be cheaper, but will wear sooner. Springs/foam in seats are another example, but this will vary across manufacturers, models and trims.

This isn't exclusive to financial engineering manufacturers like Stellantis or Nissan, either. Toyota has had issues with simple things like rust proofing (whether intentional or not) on 1st generation Tacomas leading to massive recalls and things like plastic timing guides prone to wearing out. Ford with the wet clutches having belts submersed in oil. German cars needing body off access for rear timing chain maintenance at 80k miles. Water cooled alternators (really, VW?). All types of "why?" if you follow cars once they are 3+ years old.

It seems like there are a lot of regressions that probably result from cost cutting, while others may exist to simply drive service revenue.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#303

Post by bdangubic »

Aurornis wrote: post #255
bdangubic wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I put in two years worth of payments for 18 years driving the car (9 since my last payment and 9 more after the maintenance) :)

> I put in two years worth of payments for 18 years driving the car (9 since my last payment and 9 more after the maintenance) :) Plus paying for the car itself You can’t estimate your future repair bills to be $0 I get it that you like the car, but there are some major mental gymnastics happening with your math

I have spent exactly $0.00 on maintenance since 2014 when I bought the car (other than tires, 5G modem and internal battery). not sure what “paying for the car” means, it was paid off in 2017.

to simplify the math:

1. I spent total $90k

2. to have a car from 2014 through 2035-ish

for a $1k/month that would be $252k for my friends :)

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#304

Post by jwr »

bobby322 wrote: post #219
jwr wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad the roads are small. Smaller roads cause slower driving (well researched). As for the cities, it is unsustainable to use cars as the primary mode of transportation within cities. We do want to make cities greener and largely car-free, because cars for individuals simply do not make any sense in a city. We still need roads for deliveries and occasional transportation of heavy or large goods, but transporting…

an families with multiple kids? They should do what? Come now.

A visit to Tokyo does wonders for broadening one's world views :-)

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#305

Post by AH4oFVbPT4f8 »

gorgoiler wrote: post #153

I bought a new salad spinner recently, after having broken yet another one. I’ve had fancy brands like Zyliss and OXO. I’ve had cheap store brand models and cheaper Amazon MYSSNGVWL type stuff as well. Knowing they would probably break didn’t make it feel better when they eventually broke. Anyway the new salad spinner is large, heavy, with a steel pin into a brass bushing, has a metal handle and nylon gears in a seal…

While I can't help you with a car, I share your desire of wanting things with replaceable parts, so I leave you with this, the coffee maker version your salad spinner, https://us.moccamaster.com. All parts replaceable.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#306

Post by darth_avocado »

consumer451 wrote: post #301
darth_avocado wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But $45k++ is just wild to me It’s just surprising to me that this is surprising to anyone in 2026. New cars are no longer $20-30k in the US and haven’t been since 2021. Average transaction price is now $50k+, so if companies like Rivian that skip the dealership model charge $45k, it really isn’t that expensive. The only new cars under $30k are sedans and hatchbacks. And most of them start at almost $27-30k for bas…

New base Nissan Leaf is ~30k after delivery fee, and looks pretty darn great.

I’m not sure if you’re agreeing to what I said or if this is meant as a counterpoint. But that’s kind of proving my point, new cars are pretty expensive these days. If you’re getting a base Nissan Leaf for $30k, SUVs costing $45k don’t sound that unreasonable.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#307

Post by devmor »

freetime2 wrote: post #228
devmor wrote: post #144

It’s really hard to judge the size of the R2. It looks like I’m looking at an updated R1S. Is this thing crossover sized like a Kia Soul or a Rav4? Or is it bigger?

R2's dimensions are 185.6" x 75" x 66.9". The 2026 RAV4 is 181" x 73" x 66.5". So the R2 is slightly bigger than a RAV4. The R1S is significantly larger at 200" x 82" x 77.3".

Thanks! Still a bit bigger than what I'm looking for unfortunately, but maybe we will get a more compact offering eventually.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#308

Post by devmor »

close04 wrote: post #214
azinman2 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had software issues on an ID4 and iX, but I’ve never had reliability problems. The cars always have just worked with no maintenance. Same with my model Y, minus any issues!

Maybe it’s a “but when it happens you’re screwed” situation. I’m thinking of the story of BMW’s battery safety fuse (the one that trips in an accident to protect first responders and the people in the car) actually tripping when you hot the curb or a pothole harder. It requires a very expensive trip to the dealer. Some of my Tesla owning friends keep spending time in the shop getting something about the suspension fi…

> Some of my Tesla owning friends keep spending time in the shop getting something about the suspension fixed 2-3 times already.

They're pretty lucky from what I hear! A friend of mine just sold his Model S because he'd been waiting over 7 months for the shop to source a replacement part. Apparently he'd even resorted to begging Musk to look into it over X because Tesla wont even give him an ETA.

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#309

Post by bobchadwick »

vgeek wrote: post #302
bobchadwick wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern cars aren't built as well. Can you cite a source for this? There's no question that they're vastly more complex, but I would think that modern car manufacturing is far more exacting (and efficient) than in the past. If you're saying that older cars are more repairable, I'm happy to agree with you, even without a source to back up that claim.

An easily visible one is air intakes. Many manufacturers have shifted to plastic. Peteo-engineering has advanced a lot, but they will still get brittle and break. Interior wise, you can look at things like fabric durability-- lower deniers can be cheaper, but will wear sooner. Springs/foam in seats are another example, but this will vary across manufacturers, models and trims. This isn't exclusive to financial engine…

OK, I went looking for sources and found this[1]:

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency assumes the typical car is driven 15,000 miles (24,000 km) per year. According to the New York Times, in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (160,000 km). Due in part to manufacturing improvements, such as tighter tolerances and better anti-corrosion coatings, in 2012 the typical car was estimated to last for 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with the average car in 2024 lasting 160,545 miles according to the website Junk Car Reaper.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_longevity#Statistics

Re: Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV

#310

Post by bch »

fluidcruft wrote: post #257
ta8903 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean like a bus?

Sure except you have your car when you get there, packing is more convenient and it follows you schedule and goes directly between your desired endpoints.

> you have your car when you get there

Depending on the destination of course, I often find having a car in a city like having an albatross around my neck. The benefits or features get outweighed by traffic and parking. I'll take good public transit and a set of headphones.

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