Rivian R2 Drops Seatback Cooling for Quieter Cabin

I've seen automakers add features mid-cycle, but I can't remember the last time one yanked a feature because the fan was too loud. That's exactly what Rivian has done with the R2's ventilated seats.

Car and Driver reports that Rivian changed the ventilated seats in the R2 SUV to reduce cabin noise. Early R2s had two fans: one in the seat bottom and one in the seatback. Now, starting around VIN 10,000, the R2 ships with just the bottom fan. The seatback cooling is gone.

A Rivian spokesperson told Car and Driver the reason: "Because the seatback ventilation generated excessive cabin noise, we streamlined the system. R2 seat heating is unchanged."

The same spokesperson said the ventilated seats are designed to deliver active airflow through the seat cushion, "where occupants retain the most heat."

Some order holders have had enough. According to forum posts and InsideEVs, a few have canceled their R2 deliveries or paused them over the change.

It's not the first time an automaker has walked back a feature in production, but it's unusual to pull cooling from the back before the car even reaches customers. Rivian says seat heating is untouched, so at least your back won't freeze in winter. But for summer comfort? Your seat stays cool, but your lower back misses out.

• Car and Driver
• noise
• production change
• R2
• Rivian
• seat cooling