Rivian Recap: 08/14/2026
Hey there,
Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for August 14th, 2026.
We finally get the 2027 version of R1S and R1T, a peek into the R2 delivery experience, USB-C charging confusion, and R2 audio is... good?
Let's dive in!
Software
I've had a long standing beef with Rivian audio ever since they made the poor decision to drop Meridian audio early on with Gen1 vehicles.
Meridian actually sounded pretty solid, and every single in-house solution since then has progressively gotten worse (spoiler: until now).
Their "Elevation Audio" removed speakers and reduced the power in Gen1 compared to the original Meridian solution.
For Gen2, they went further by lowering the power even more, introducing an even lower "base" tier that meant you could still spend around $100k on an R1S that didn't even come with a subwoofer.
And the reason this is under software instead of hardware is that the tuning of these systems, especially in Gen2 at launch, was absolutely abysmal.
The disparity between what Rivian offered compared to a $50k Model Y was pretty shocking, and really held back what was otherwise a compelling package.
If we were rating audio systems of Gen2 at launch, it would've been like this:
Rivian Meridian Audio: 6/10
Gen1 Elevation Audio: 4/10
Tesla Model Y Premium: 9/10
Gen2 Premium Audio (at launch): 0/10
It was the worst sound system I had ever heard in any vehicle at any price point.
(For comparison - R2 Premium Audio (at launch): 5/10 )
Through the power of software and many focused attempts, they finally improved Gen2 audio by leaps and bounds to be barely acceptable and no longer completely insulting.
Gen2 Premium Audio today: 4.5/10
I covered this as part of the major software comeback story in my longer term Gen2 R1S 👇
The fact that software alone make such a significant improvement to the user experience doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who has experience with the power of room correction software.
I've used multiple types of room correction software in our home theater setup and the results have been truly outstanding.
There are limits to what it can do, but the results when the hardware itself is quality can be night and day, here's a screenshot of my home setup:
One thing most people don't realize about Tesla is that they didn't just build a quality internal audio team (they did that too), but they also worked with people who have real domain expertise in this area.
A big contributing factor was DSP Concepts, and explains why the early (2018) Model 3 we rented for a cross country trip in August 2020 had a really underwhelming audio system but newer Teslas absolutely rock for audio.
That brings us to Rivian R2 audio and the shocker is... it's pretty good now!
When I did my initial demo drives on June 9th, the audio was "fine" but was a bit sloppy and completely fell apart at higher volumes (18+).
I picked up my R2 last Friday (video below), and it was running the new build of 2026.26.0 and then immediately updated to 2026.26.41.
Audio quality was noted in this release, and it really shows.
To get a feel for an audio system I try to live with it for a while on a flat/default EQ curve to see how it was intended to operate "out of the box".
Most Tesla sound systems sound pretty great with a default EQ curve because they've had considerable effort to tune the system to an appealing flavor, which having a slightly opinionated sound day one is the right call.
The vast majority of people just play music and never even think about an EQ, so giving them a better than a true "flat" sound is the best experience. Someone who cares about a flat sound profile is going to know about the EQ.
(For the nerds, most audio systems target the Harman Curve)
I have to say, while not perfect, I'm very impressed with the changes already.
With about a week under my belt now, I feel comfortable saying this is the best audio system that has shipped in a Rivian so far, and there is headroom left.
Some key positive points:
- R2 premium audio no longer falls apart at 18+ volume levels
- Quite a few low end frequencies are better represented
- The mid range (which was most anemic) is more evenly balanced
- This is the first Rivian system where I decidedly prefer the Atmos/Spatial experience vs the stereo mix.. which is a HUGE departure from Gen2
What still needs work:
- There are particular low end frequencies that still struggle to dig really deep
- My torture test of female vocal heavy songs that were miserable on Gen2 are now doable in R2, but still lack the detail and sparkle that top end systems handle in really impressive ways
I can't overstate just how much of an improvement this over prior Rivian audio systems, and even from early versions of R2.
Going back to my rough rating scale, after this software update, I'd put the rating like this:
Rivian Meridian Audio: 6/10
Gen1 Elevation Audio: 4/10
Tesla Model Y Premium: 9/10
Gen2 Premium Audio (now): 4.5/10
R2 Premium Audio (now): 7.5/10
This is comfortably considered a good audio system now in my opinion and is one of the most shocking parts about R2 since delivery.
I couldn't be more pleased to say: Listening to music in R2 with the upgraded sound system is FINALLY very enjoyable.
Here's to hoping the team can continue to deliver a few more polishing refinements to bring it the rest of the way there, and of course in future videos I will have several tips on how to get the most out of the system.
But for now... I'll be enjoying rocking out to music in my R2.
Hardware
It was a big week for hardware personally, and Rivian in general!
To start, as mentioned last week, I took delivery of my R2 Performance.
While it's the end of a chapter I loved with the R1T Dual-Max (errr, "Dual Long Range"... more on that shortly), it's the start of an exciting chapter with R2.
I realized going into this that many potential R2 buyers are going to be picking up not only their first electric vehicle, but also their first direct to consumer purchase experience that Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla offer.
That's why I tried to document the key points of what it's like to go through this process because it can be a bit unsettling for those who aren't used to it.
However, once you go through it you'll immediately realize just how superior it is to the standard dealership experience.
I fully intend to never buy from a legacy dealership ever again if I can avoid it, and will be seeking direct to consumer brands whenever possible.
Next up we finally got the 2027 update for R1S and R1T!
It looks like they've been in production for nearly 2 months, so it's nice to get the official announcement and release.
While fairly mild, we got more changes than we did for 2026 to hold us over until what is expected to be a much larger "Gen3" update next year as a 2028.
The big headline difference comes for R1S with the long requested introduction of captains chairs for the 2nd row.
The new captains chairs feature is available on all power train configurations, but interestingly captains chars are FORCED on Ocean Coast and Slate Sky interior color options for Performance and Quad trims (still optional on the premium trim for both interior colors).
That means you can only get a bench seat if you choose the Black Mountain option for your desired power train.
Importantly these captains chairs fold completely flat to accommodate transporting large items and being suitable for camping, albeit with a gap to contend with between those two seats.
It seems like Rivian shrunk the bolstering so they could lay flat, which was notably the reason given to remove this feature in R2 as it "reduced occupant comfort too much".
Many families have signaled that the lack of captains chairs was a primary reason they were not considering an R1S, and is something I brought up July of last year in my quad first drive review that would've helped sales more.
Here's a run down of the other changes for 2027:
1. The lineup has been renamed to match R2 and Tesla
Dual Large = Dual Premium
Dual Max = Dual Premium Long Range
Tri Max = Performance
Quad is unchanged.
The dual-motor "Performance Upgrade" had been renamed to "Power Upgrade"
2. Wheel, Tire, and Darkout Changes
- Dual and Tri (Premium and Performance) now default to the "range" wheels instead of sport brights for R1S.
- Premium trims now bundle darkout with the dark wheel options, otherwise bright badging returns as the base. Performance and Quad are darkout only.
- R1T gets a new base wheel/tire combination that comes with an All-Season tire that is more efficient while still rocking a 3 Peak Snow Rating.
This All-Season with 3 Peak is the default option for R1T Premium, and a no cost option for R1T Performance. It offers 380 miles of range in the Max battery pack configuration, which is 10 miles more than the true All-Terrains.
Considering the comfort of 20" wheels, 3 Peak Rating, and slightly improved range vs All-Terrains at no additional cost... this would be my go to pick.
They also get you on a Goodyear tire instead of Pirelli, which is likely a plus for tire wear and longevity.
3. Paint color changes
Unfortunately, it looks like Rivian is trying to kill Red Canyon... again.
They made a run of 2027 in Red Canyon, but clicking that option indicates you have to grab them while you can which infers they are going away.
Why can't we have real colors? (Because people don't buy the, I guess.)
We do at least get a new, very nice, silver. LA Silver is now gone, and has been replaced by Esker Silver for both R1S and R1T.
Here's what is unchanged from 2026:
- No changes to the steering wheel (so no R2 inspired Halo Haptic Wheels)
- Still no included mobile charging kit (this is very lame at this price point)
- No audio hardware changes
- No thermal improvements
- 4G LTE without 5G like we have in R2
- Seemingly the same, older, infotainment computer called XMM2
- No changes to the autonomy hardware
These are still nice vehicles, and the addition of captains chairs specifically are going to be a huge win for a lot of families.
But I would have a hard time getting overly excited about the 2027 model years without at least seeing some infotainment upgrades to be at parity with R2.
It seems we are going to have to wait another year or so for a more major revision to address the underlying weak points for the Rivian flagship.
Next up we had Quinn Nelson (of SnazzyLabs) express frustration over the low power delivery of USB-C in his Rivian R2.
But in a twist, it turns out that while still poor power delivery, even the manual is incorrect in what it states each port can deliver.
While the manual states that each port can delivery up to 15w of power, with 30w of total available power across all ports, that isn't true.
It seems the headrest ports can only deliver around 10w of power, while the center console ports can actually delivery up to 100w of power.
If Rivian has left a 120v 3 prong outlet on the back on the center console like we see in R1, this wouldn't be quite the issue.
However, the only true high power delivery we get in R2 is a 120v and 12v tucked all the way in the far back left of the vehicle. So powering anything other than the most modest phone or tablet is going to suffer.
I need to do some testing to see if there is still an issue in R2 like there was in Gen2 of R1 with the e-fuse that would easily trip for anything of consequence that would ask for a higher draw.
Previously, I found even trying to charge my drone batteries using the console USB-C in our R1 vehicles to trip the fuse and delivery nothing.
While R2 is a vehicle designed to hit a particular costs, life would've been a lot nicer for the tech equipped had all ports delivered 100w of power.
Community
A while back I shared a photo of our setup from Fathers Day where I plugged in a smoothie machine to the back of our R1T, which as a total hit.
Now, we have Steve who setup an ice cream machine to watch a meteor shower... this is what it's all about!
I love seeing people going out in their Rivian and just living their best life.
For many, the idea of having a huge battery you can plug in something like this to make a core memory without much else from the factory is magical.
Good job Steve!
Next up we have Ben who put his new Rivian R2 to good use during a storm where they lost power for around 20 hours and it was too hot.
Being able to stay comfortable, and run power to your refrigerator so your food doesn't spoil is a pretty neat trick.
This kind of thing has me excited for the loooooong promised vehicle-to-home (V2H) capability where the Rivian could in theory automatically power the whole house without having to physically be inside the vehicle.
Fingers crossed we finally get something later this year!
Worth Checking Out - VION
The R2 is finally in-hand, and the road trip is just waiting on the ability to get in for my booked appointment to apply paint protection film (PPF) to the front end for some protection before I lay down a ton of miles.
But I'm also mindful of the heat that venturing into the middle of the desert can take with an all glass sunroof, despite the special infrared coating treatment that Rivian has done to try to reduce the heat entering the cabin.
Thankfully, VION is far along in development for an R2 shade and I'll be getting one of the first units to stress test on the road trip.
While sometimes it's awesome to have an open cabin feel, getting some reprieve along with the huge benefit for a cabin that cools down dramatically faster with quieter HVAC operation is a welcome change on hot days.
VION now has an update to their popular R1S kit that can perfectly fit the 3rd row as well now, and a gray version for light interiors.
As a subscriber to the Rivian Recap, you can get 10% off anything site wide with code "TRAVIS", on what is already a stellar product for the price.
Check out their sunshades, carbon activated air filters, and more:
VION Sunshade // VION Air Filters
My thanks to VION for helping make this newsletter possible.
Latest Deals
The 2027 models are finally here!
But as expected, the new models don't have any particular special deals on the table and instead the focus is on clearing out 2026 inventory.
Given how minimal the changes are for 2027, unless you have been specifically waiting for captains chairs (or maybe even prefer Slate Sky with a bench seat), it makes the most sense to scoop up a discount on 2026 models.
As a result, we've seen price reduction on many remaining inventory vehicles.
Check out the price reduction on R1S.
Check out the price reduction on R1T.
Oddly, Rivian seems to have closed the 0.99% financing offer early for 2026 R1 Tri vehicles and replaced it with 1.99%.
Here's what's sticking out for deals this week:
Dual Large (3.99% + Price Reduction) [Lease vs Buy Example]
2026 R1S Dual-Large (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Large (Premium Audio, Utility V2 Tonneau)
Tri Max ($3k Lease or 1.99% for 60 months) [Lease vs Buy Example]
All R1 referrals also get 3 months of free charging on the Rivian Adventure Network, as well as some shop credits (varies by trim).
I hope enjoyed this week's edition of the Rivian Recap. Let me know what you'd like to see more of in future editions!
Even if you just want to say hi, hit reply – I'd love to get to know you 👋
Stay curious ✌️,
Travis Ketchum
P.S. Thinking about buying a new Rivian?
Make sure you use a referral code. A friend, a neighbor, or someone who has helped you along the way.
Here's mine: TRAVIS4699411
P.P.S. Here are some tools and resources you may find useful: