Rivian Recap: 09/04/2026
Hey there,
Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for September 4th, 2026.
2026.31 starts rolling out to the fleet, R2 update details have a few omissions, R2 crossbar differences, road trip plans, and September deals.
Plus, I finally share my initial 3-week impressions on R2.
Let's dive in!
Software
As of today, the big update of 2026.31 is starting the rollout to R1 & R2 vehicles.
This brings the major overhaul of "Rivian OS 2.0" to the R1 fleet for a more unified user experience across the lineup.
As I mentioned in previous newsletters, there's a lot that I really like about this new update even if it is mostly a fresh coat of paint.
Things like contextual settings menus, searchable settings, consistency in design across apps, and really responsive animations top the list.
However, there are few areas that are regressions in my opinion:
1. Unless there's another way to do it, tapping the camera icon to snag a road cam snapshot is more taps / buried compared to the previous location.
2. Having the music player (optionally) moved to the driver side is great... *but*, when it's on the left side + the new left system controls + navigation instructions, puts the actual mapping portion in the right 30% of the screen.
The margin for window spacing in combination with the left placement of vehicle controls, adds up and makes the visual mapping feel "miles" away.
This may a bigger issue for R2 given the wider aspect ratio of the screen.
All-in, this should be a pretty huge update for R1 vehicles, and I'm excited to try it out on our Gen2 R1S. Having consistency across vehicles should also make swapping back and forth less jarring.
Here's a quick hit list of the tangible improvements for R1 in the update:
- New driver display widget options (current drive stats and even no widget!)
- A dedicated weather app (like R2) for forecasts and AQI... requires Connect+
- Integration with the mobile app for live routing, including the ability to add or modify stops in the app from anyone listed as a driver
- Supports display of negative state of charge upon arrival... perfect timing for my road trip!
- Waze integration for speed cameras and police reporting
RivianTrackr has their usual update video for R1 here.
Things are a bit different for R2 with this upcoming build based on the release notes.
While we get things like the Waze integration, negative arrival state of charge, and mobile route planning integration... the R2 specific features are more limited:
- Auto-tilting sideview mirrors in reverse
- Dual glove box locks
Everything else in 2026.31 for R2 is primarily focused on stability, quality of life, and bug fixes.
You may note the distinct absence of Rivian Assistant, which means R2 still doesn't have a native way to interact with messages, phone calls, request music, or control vehicle elements such as heated/cooled seats etc.
I had hoped we'd get Rivian Assistant leading into my road trip, but it seems we will be waiting at least one more cycle.
We are also missing Camp Mode for R2, but as a quick hack noted by DomDoesMedia is to use Pet Comfort Mode as a substitute. It's not perfect, but it's a work around until we get the dedicated mode in a future update.
Lastly, YouTube/casting is still missing from R2. With the start of football season, I'll be missing that feature for sure.
Hardware
I've been driving my R2 for 4 weeks as of today.
On Monday, I was able to put together what I feel like is my "first impressions", since you need some time in a vehicle before you can truly understand the character of what it offers.
So after a few weeks, I finally know what R2 is like to live with.
This is still far from my full review, as there are many layers of nuance that are different than our time with R1S and R1T. R2 has differences in the power train, sound system, and day to day stuff like the key system.
Before my full review, I want to wait for the software to catch up with the R1 platform for things like Rivian Assistant, and Camp Mode. I also want to see how it does on a long haul road trip to get the complete picture of what this package has to offer.
Is the range going to be a deal breaker for far flung locations?
Can the thermal system hold up in the heat without de-rating like R1?
These answers feel required for a proper full review, but I should be able to get that together in the next month or so.
This past week, my R2 crossbars showed up and have a few surprises.
First, the color was different in person than I expected, with a more graphite look vs the all black aesthetic of the R1 dark crossbars.
By design they are narrower than R1 crossbars (which decidedly do *not* fit on R2), and are seemingly lighter as a result.
Two questions I got on social were:
Does the color match the bumper?
Is there a set screw for adjusting the clamp underneath like R1 bars?
It seems the answer to both, is no.
One thing I checked almost immediately was if the R2 crossbars fit on the OEM mounting plate for your garage.
Due to the changes in the clamp mechanism, R2 crossbars don't fit.
However, this new design has two really awesome benefits:
1. The R2 bars fit the mounting points far more precisely and seem to have a lot less "play" than the R1 bars do for R1S and R1T.
2. The dreaded whistle at higher speeds seems significantly reduced if not non-existent in my initial testing.
The lack of noise was the biggest surprise, because visually they look nearly identical to R1 bars, but the T-channel must have some key differences.
While the bars are on the expensive side at $700 in the Gear Shop, they are top notch in terms of fit and finish as far as I can tell.
They use the same Yakima based key system (SKS), so you should be able to simplify your key cores across other accessories (like a tent, bike rack, etc.) should that be something you're interested in.
I guess that's why they call it SKS (same key system) in the first place ;-)
The first fully integrated Gen3 Autonomy / LiDAR equipped R2 was spotted on the road in what appears to be an employee vehicle.
A Gen3 equipped premium trim (as seen here) is likely the sweet spot that most buyers will end up going for if we fast forward about 6 months or so from now.
It's exciting to see them actually testing these on the road, which means we may be closer to the Gen3 autonomy version of these than we thought.
Just a quick side note, I'm going to have more content coming based on popular demand around sleep systems for R2.
This includes the new iKamper and HEST collaborations for options sleeping both in the vehicle and on top of it.
Getting this done didn't come without a few battle wounds though...
Community
R2 deliveries are REALLY ramping up, with some individual service centers doing 20-40 deliveries per day.
Seeing so many of you getting your invites or taking delivery within a matter of weeks of putting down a deposit makes me happy.
Even with the incomplete software and a few minor things here and there, R2 is such an incredible package that most people aren't aware of...yet.
I'm really hoping I get a chance to connect with many of you along our road trip that we will be heading out for here in about a week.
As of today, here's the route we are looking at:
(I did a social link so you can see a larger version of the map).
The hardest part is that we will have some unpredictability about arrival time at charging stops based on how the range actually does, weather, fatigue, etc.
Once we are actually out on the road, I plan to do regular updates to both X and YouTube social posts so you have a better idea about when we will be arriving at various charging stops along the way.
If this sounds like something fun you'd be interested in, hit reply and let me know which stops along the way are doable for you.
Worth Checking Out - Labor Day Sale
With Labor Day weekend upon us, it feels like summer in the Pacific Northwest came to a sudden end. The nights are cooler, the sun is already setting earlier, and the neighborhood kids are back in school.
But that doesn't mean the good times have to stop, since I'll be blasting my way south to warmer climates in about a week.
Plus, I wanted to send you a little discount on merch for anyone looking to snag a sweatshirt, t-shirt, or some stickers for their new R2.
So if you've been eyeing something in the shop, here's your discount for the next few days. I'd like to ship these out ASAP before hitting the road.
My thanks for your support, it makes this newsletter possible.
FYI - I will have a very limited run of these hats available on hand during the road trip. I know many of you have asked for them, but shipping was a pain so I'll have a few available for purchase in person if you're interested.
Latest Deals
A new month, and a few tweaks to the offers, but they are pretty much exclusive to model year 2026. We do see an interest rate improve for '26 R1 quad models.
There are still some overall price reductions available:
Check out the price reduction on R1S.
Check out the price reduction on R1T.
There is also a weekend discount of $500 for September 4-8.
Here's what's sticking out for deals this week:
Dual Large (2.99% or $1.5k lease bonus) [Lease vs Buy Example]
2026 R1S Dual-Large (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Large (Premium Audio, Utility V2 Tonneau)
Tri Max (1.99% or $1.5k lease bonus) [Lease vs Buy Example]
Quad Max (3.99%) [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: