Rivian rates the R2 at 4,400 pounds of towing, a figure the Out of Spec hosts say they had hoped would come in at 5,000. Out of Spec Reviews took a launch green R2 Performance, hitched it to a car hauler carrying a non running Porsche 914, and ran it at the maximum the manufacturer allows. The combined trailer weight came in just under 4,500 pounds with roughly 450 pounds on the tongue, which the video treats as maximum tongue weight given Rivian publishes a 10 percent guideline rather than a hard figure. The rain ruined the day's planned efficiency and performance testing, so the crew went subjective instead, and the answer was more flattering than the spec sheet.

The rating itself is the story worth arguing about. Out of Spec notes the R2 sits between a Tesla Model Y at around 3,500 pounds and a Porsche Macan at 5,500, which puts it mid pack rather than class leading. For a buyer, 4,400 pounds is the line between two very different weekends. It comfortably covers a small boat, a utility trailer, a pair of dirt bikes or an open car hauler with a light car on it, which is exactly the test here. It does not cover most double axle travel trailers, and that is where people get caught out, because a trailer's advertised dry weight and its loaded weight are rarely close. Trim matters as well. The video reports that the entry level rear wheel drive R2 Standard cannot be fitted with the tow package at all, that the all wheel drive Standard Long Range can have it but is limited to 3,500 pounds, and that the full 4,400 pound rating belongs to Premium and Performance. Tow ratings are set under the SAE J2807 procedure, which the video describes as a mix of thermal, suspension and handling tests, so the number is a compliance result rather than a marketing choice. That makes the gap between how the R2 feels and what it is allowed to pull more interesting, not less.

With the trailer connected, Out of Spec measured about an inch of rear squat and roughly half an inch of lift at the front, on a vehicle listed at 6,173 pounds GVWR with 1,168 pounds of payload. Despite that, the hosts say the car barely felt loaded, and that firming the adaptive damper settled the body motions well enough that the softer modes were only worth using to demonstrate the difference. The video reports several software behaviours worth knowing. The R2 keeps its clutch disconnect and stays rear drive while towing, with regen appearing on the rear axle only. Adaptive cruise and lane centering are unavailable with a trailer attached, leaving basic cruise. Power is clearly limited under full throttle in tow mode. There is an integrated trailer brake controller, which the hosts rate highly, though they say it does not blend in under regen alone. Out of Spec reports efficiency of around 1.58 miles per kWh in town, falling under 1 mile per kWh at 70 mph. The hosts also point out that the R2 is small enough that a trailer’s aerodynamic drag hurts it proportionally more than it would a larger tow vehicle already pushing that much air aside. Mirrors are narrower than an R1’s but still cleared a trailer the hosts put at close to the legal width limit, and the low mounted hitch needed a riser, which pushed the reversing camera view further out of position than they liked.

Bottom line: the R2 tows better than it is rated, which is a strange complaint to have about a car. If your towing is occasional, a track day car or a small boat, this is more than enough vehicle and the damper control is worth the Performance trim on its own. If towing is a regular part of your life, the rear charge port is the real problem, not the rating, because charging with a trailer attached at a site with no pull through stalls is a genuinely annoying way to spend a road trip. Buy an R1 for that job.

Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.