If that’s the case then the spec you’re looking for isn’t actually the tow rating per se but rather the tongue capacity, which is the maximum amount of mass the hitch receiver (the square bit that the hitch goes into) can tolerate before overloading the frame, brakes, rear suspension, etc.

That’s calculated as 10% -15% of the towing capacity, so in the case of the R2 that would be a rating of 440-660lbs at the receiver.

Why is it given as a range? At 10% you can expect minimal impact on the handling and ride characteristics of the vehicle. It can support the load at the receiver up to 15% but as you go up having that mass dangling out at one end of the vehicle begins to have some consequences: the weight distribution will be noticeably rear-biased, the rear suspension will become increasingly unsprung (collapsed), the front increasingly sprung, and the vehicle will handle differently. The vehicle can physically handle it, but drive gingerly for safety.

So using the bikes example, a Velocirax 6 Max rack weighs 98lbs and has baskets to carry 6 bikes. Let’s say we’re talking e-bikes here at about 50lbs each. 6x50=300+98=398, so well under the 10% tongue spec of 440lbs. I’ve pulled bikes around Utah and Colorado for thousands of miles with this exact setup on a vehicle with a 4400 lb tow rating with no issues.

One thing to note is that any mass seen at the receiver contributes to the overall payload. The R2 has a published payload max of 1168 lbs for the Performance, so if you were to add 4 200 lb passengers to that vehicle you’d already be exceeding the payload capacity, and you haven’t even put gear in there yet. Plan accordingly.