u/No_Abalone_960

I got my order invitation yesterday, August 19, 2026, around 10 AM. My reservation was originally placed on March 7, 2024. Just to be clear, I haven’t actually placed my order yet. I’m planning to wait until around March–April of next year before I actually place the order. I’m also saving up for a down payment, so there’s no rush for me right now. I’m also waiting for LiDAR and the RAP1 chip before I commit. The chip is the bigger priority for me, since I’m planning on keeping this vehicle for many years. So while I’ve gone through the configuration process and have a pretty good idea of what my build will look like, I haven’t purchased or locked anything in yet. Just wanted to give out any data points for who ever might need or want some more.

I also didn’t see anything saying I had to place my order by a specific date to keep my spot in line, and I didn’t see a “hold my spot” option either. I don’t have a trade-in vehicle, I’m not trying to time this around a lease ending. I’m also not a previous R1S or R1T owner.

Once you go through the configuration process and select all of your features, you have to leave a $400 deposit to complete the order. I live about 25 minutes from a Rivian service center, so service availability wasn’t a major concern for me. My order window was August–September and that never changed. I had Borealis selected as my favorite exterior color, along with the Coastal White interior.

I’m not sure if your favorites have any impact on the order invitation, because when I selected Borealis, I was shown a message saying:

>

It gave me two choices: Update to available options or Request this build.

For my wheels, I’m planning to go with the 20-inch wheels. They’re going to cost me more upfront, but I’m thinking about the long-term ownership of the vehicle. From what I’ve heard, there are going to be a lot more tire and wheel options available for the 20-inch size compared with the 21s. So even though I like the idea of getting the 21-inch wheels for free, I think choosing the 20s could save me money and give me more flexibility in the long run. That said, I do think the 21-inch wheels look better.

As far as my preferred configurations go, Launch Green and Forest Green are pretty much tied for my top choice. I know it will ultimately come down to those two, just don’t know how I’m going to decide. Borealis would be my third choice.

For the interior, I really want the Black Crater Signature. I’m not a huge fan of the Coastal Cloud Signature. The interior I really love is the Slate Sky Signature that’s available with the Quad packages on the R1S and R1T. I honestly wish Rivian offered that as an option on the R2, because it would have been my ideal interior.

I was watching this video of a third-party powered panoramic roof shade made for a Tesla:

https://youtu.be/EOWadsAErmg?is=fqFKtKn8NqKJBXK6

It got me wondering if there's anything similar for the Rivian R1S or R1T, especially with the R2 rolling out, which I'm planning on getting.

Has anyone seen an aftermarket company making a motorized panoramic roof sunshade/privacy shade for Rivians?

I know there are manual shades available that you have to install and remove whenever you want to block or uncover the panoramic roof, but I'm specifically looking for a powered, retractable shade like the one shown in the video.

I'd love to have something like this for camping, added privacy while charging or sleeping in the vehicle, and to help keep the cabin cooler when parked.

Curious if anyone has heard of something in development or knows of a company working on one.

Unfortunately, my 2016 Jeep Renegade finally died on me a few weeks ago at 137,048 miles.

I bought her in 2018 with 54,106 miles on the odometer. Her name was Blue because she was blue, and I named her after Blue from Jurassic World. She was a great little SUV for years.

About three months ago, the coolant warning light started coming on randomly, saying the engine was overheating. This happened four times in total. Every time, I immediately pulled over, shut the Jeep off, let it cool down, and then continued driving without any issues. There was never any white smoke coming from the exhaust or under the hood.

After the second time it happened, I took her to a mechanic. They pressure-tested the cooling system and couldn't find any leaks. Around that same time, Blue started going through coolant like crazy, but there were never any visible leaks on the ground where she was parked.

She also started shaking whenever I came to a complete stop, like at a red light or stop sign. One time, when my wife pressed the gas, Blue wouldn't move at all. She had to shut the Jeep off and restart it before Blue would drive again.

After the fourth overheating warning, I took her back to the mechanic. That's when they diagnosed her with a blown head gasket. They estimated the repair would cost between $2,000 and $3,500, depending on where I had the work done, but they also said they couldn't guarantee that fixing the head gasket would solve all of the problems.

We decided to replace the spark plugs and ignition coils in hopes of getting a little more life out of her, but that actually made things worse. After replacing them, she wouldn't even start anymore, even after putting the old parts back in.

Before she became undrivable, her trade-in value was only around $4,500. At that point, it just didn't make financial sense to spend $2,000–$3,500 on repairs with no guarantee they would actually fix everything.

I was really hoping Blue would make it until December or maybe early next year because that's when I planned to trade her in ( I had my eye on the Rivian R2). I had been saving up for a down payment on a new vehicle so I could keep my monthly car payment lower. Unfortunately, she just didn't make it that long.

One thing I'll always defend is the Renegade. It seems like a lot of Jeep enthusiasts look down on them because they're not considered a "real Jeep," but honestly, Blue was incredibly dependable for us. Living in the Buffalo / Canadian area, she got us through countless lake-effect snowstorms and some pretty nasty winter weather without ever leaving us stranded. I saw plenty of other vehicles abandoned on the side of the highway during blizzards, but Blue always got us home safely and never got stuck. She was also surprisingly inexpensive to own. Other than normal wear-and-tear items like brake pads, tires, oil changes, and replacing the windshield washer tube, she never really cost us much in maintenance or unexpected repairs until the head gasket failed. Considering we put more than 82,000 miles on her, I really can't complain.

The only real reason we were planning to replace her was because we were starting to outgrow it. My wife and I are looking to start a family, and once you add a dog crate in the cargo area, there just isn't much room left. Otherwise, I probably would have kept driving her even longer.

If Jeep had made an electric Renegade with a little more cabin space and maybe a frunk for extra storage, I would have seriously consider buying one. Even after everything that happened at the end, I'll always have a soft spot for that little SUV.

RIP, Blue. Thank you for 82,942 miles of adventures, road trips, snowstorms, and memories. You may not have been everyone's favorite Jeep, but you'll always be mine.

Just a quick size comparison for anyone interested.
We have a 2025 Subaru Forester, and I backed both vehicles up to the same wheel stop/parking block for reference. Visually, it looks like the R2 has a longer hood, while the Subaru has a slightly longer rear overhang.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a full side profile shot of either vehicle because there were other cars parked next to them.

That said, the published dimensions show the R2 at about 185.6–185.9 inches long, compared to the 2025 Forester at 183.3 inches, so the R2 is only about 2.5 inches longer overall.

I thought it was interesting because the R2 appears noticeably larger in photos, but side-by-side it seems pretty comparable to a Forester in terms of overall footprint.

Recently visited the Rivian Service Center near St. Augustine to test drive the R2 and wanted to share some thoughts from the experience, especially for anyone wondering about dog crate fitment.

Overall, it was a great visit. The staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful throughout the whole experience.

One of the main things we wanted to check was whether our RuffLand kennel would realistically fit in the cargo area with the seats up. We already knew the dimensions suggested it would fit, but seeing it in person is always different. I took some photos in case it helps anyone else researching RuffLand kennel fitment (specifically the Large size or anything smaller) in the R2.

What I liked:

• The RuffLand crate does fit with the seats up.
• I enjoyed the cubbies and the cargo/trunk area on both side sides.
• We also enjoyed the option of rolling down the rear window.
• The regenerative braking worked great, and we tested all three settings.
• Ventilated seats felt amazing, especially in the Florida heat.
• I also enjoyed the haptic feedback wheels on the steering wheel. They didn't get in the way for me as a lot of the reviewers had some complaints about them in my case they worked pretty seamlessly.
• Camera quality looked solid, and I really liked the blind-spot camera views.

What came as a surprise to me was how big the hood was while driving. It does not feel like it's small compared to the R1S, in my opinion, they did a really great job and making the inside feel roomy and not tight/claustrophobic, and making the hood feel big as well makes you feel like you're driving a R1S.

A few cons:

The biggest thing that stood out was the cargo area. I couldn’t find any real tie-down points for securing a dog crate. There are three tether anchors, but those appear to be designed for child safety seats rather than cargo restraint.

That makes me hesitant to use them long-term for a heavy dog crate, especially since we plan on having kids in the future. Child-seat tether anchors are designed for a specific purpose and direction of force, so using them to secure cargo could potentially add wear over time or put stress on them in ways they weren’t intended for making them less save for our child.

I’m wondering if Rivian has hidden cargo tie-downs, accessory rails, or mounting points that we simply missed. We lifted the cargo floor to check and didn’t see anything obvious.

I did notice slots on both sides of the cargo area, though my guess is they’re for a privacy cover rather than structural mounting points. Maybe Rivian could eventually offer a cargo barrier or pet-specific mounting solution in the future.

A couple smaller observations:

• The A/C was noticeably loud, and when it was blasting, it almost competed with the audio system.
• The sound system itself felt a bit underwhelming, though maybe software tuning could potentially improve that.
• We looked for launch mode and couldn’t find it,not sure if it was disabled or removed.

Overall, really enjoyed the test drive and left impressed with the R2. The biggest unanswered question for me is still how to safely secure a dog crate in the cargo area.

Curious if anyone else has figured out a good solution or found hidden tie-down points?