The Rivian R2 center console

Three separate compartments

The console is not one storage space. It is three, stacked from top to bottom, and most of the confusion in aftermarket listings comes from a seller describing one of them while the buyer is picturing another.

• The armrest cubby: The top compartment, a deep open bin sitting directly under the padded armrest lid. This is what people mean when they say "the R2 console cubby".
• The drawer: Below the cubby, sliding out toward the front of the car. This is where larger items go.
• The pop-out cupholders: Forward of both compartments. They fold away flush with the console when you are not using them, which is a neat piece of packaging and something any tray has to be shaped around.

The armrest cubby

The cubby is a single open rectangular bin, left clear from the factory so the whole volume is yours to use however you want.

The depth is the interesting part. There is more room in there than most cars this size give you, which is great for anything with some bulk to it. Small items are the trade-off: in one undivided space they settle at the bottom, out of sight from the driver’s seat, and stacking is not a way around it since the lid still has to close. Splitting the space horizontally is what lets you use it for both.

The drawer and the cupholders

The drawer is the most useful storage in the cabin, and it is also the thing an accessory is most likely to interfere with. A tray can match the cubby opening exactly and still hang low enough to catch the drawer as it slides, and you generally will not find that out until the part is already in the car.

The cupholders fold out of the console rather than sitting open all the time, so the mechanism needs clearance both when it is stowed and when it is extended. The R1 console is arranged differently on both counts, so an R1 organizer needs redesigning around the R2 rather than resizing.

What an organizer has to get right

This is the list I worked from when I designed mine, and it is a reasonable way to judge anyone else’s.

• Rest on the lip, not the floor: Sitting on the cubby’s top ledge keeps the space below it usable and lets the tray lift straight out.
• Clear the drawer: The drawer needs its full travel with nothing touching it.
• Clear the cupholders: Both when they are folded away and when they are extended.
• Close the lid when loaded: Fitting an empty tray is easy. It has to still close with your things in it.
• Leave room for a cable: You should be able to keep something charging underneath without moving the tray.
• Stay put: A tray that slides around in the opening will rattle, which is worse than having no tray at all.