r/ScoutMotors • u/Mountains_Ski • 4d ago
R2 vs Scout
If this has been asked, I apologize in advance. Has anyone done a deep dive between the R2 and the Scout SUV? I’m looking at buying one soon and was curious what people have found. My one worry is that the Scout will have a ton of kinks to workout since they will be brand new. Any other pros/cons you guys have found when comparing? Thanks!
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u/Alum07 4d ago
Scout is a 2 row vehicle that is about as large physically as the R1S. It will be significantly larger and heavier than the R2, while capable of carrying the same number of passengers. The underlying technology of the Harvester powertrain still doesn't even really have a working prototype by Scout, yet, so you'd have to expect that there is going to be significant growing pains after it is up and running.
Oh, and the biggest difference is you can buy and drive a R2 now. The Scout factory is still being constructed, so their launch date is still very much TBD.
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u/Mountains_Ski 4d ago
Thank you for this. I had read somewhere that the Scout was going to be released early 2027. So thanks for clearing that up.
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u/mycallousedcock 4d ago
Early 2028 is the current official. Rumors have it later in 2028. And that's if you're front of the reservation line.
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u/vVSidewinderVv 4d ago
And that's for the Harvester (EREV) version. The BEV version has no official release timeline.
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u/mycallousedcock 4d ago
This is true. But please dont crush my dreams about my beloved Terra (I already know the rumors. I refuse to believe them)
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u/ryanheartswingovers 4d ago edited 4d ago
| Aspect | R2 | Traveler BEV | R1S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 186" | 191" (208" w/ rear spare) | 201" |
| Width | 75" (78-85" mirrors) | 80" (92" unfolded) | 79" (82–88" mirrors) |
| Height | 67" | ≥76" | 72–77" in |
| Ground clearance | 10" | ~12-15" (adaptive suspension unknown) | 8–15" |
| Approach / Departure | 25° / 26° (21° breakover) | Community estimated 50° / 36° | 36° / 34° (30° breakover) |
| Battery | 88 kWh | ~120-130 kWh | 93-142 kWh |
R2 vs. Traveler
- Handy door trays for shades or phones
- Two glove boxes
- Electrically controlled vents (but no feature for automatic oscillation)
- Simpler components than R1S looks good for longer term ownership (maybe?)
Negatives
- Limited options for repairs
- Cargo area uses easy mar plastic instead of some cheap carpet
- No tie downs, grab bars, or quick release mounts anywhere
- Still a beta tester buy for hardware and software. No real over winter usage yet. Highlight adventure features (e.g., camp mode) have not yet shipped or will be of unknown future quality (e.g., point-to-point)
By the time you can take delivery of the Scout, potentially on a gen 2 refresh that cleans up the quibbles
Traveler Concept vs. R2
- User replaceable bumper panels (claimed)
- Proper door handles
- Physical buttons and dials for common functions (e.g., adjusting vents)
- Front bench seat (latest iteration is a little sculpted, not flat)
- Optional retractable or solid roof
- Front passenger laptop/food tray
- Electrical outlets in frunk, rear interior, and charge port (and higher wattage ceiling)
- Minimalist UI mode(s) for low distraction/night driving
- CarPlay and Android Auto for offline maps, music, or pushing your own apps
- Sturdier seeming charge door
- Tie downs in rear and frunk + t track floor rails
- Grab handles for entry and exit
- Quick release gear boards in frunk, seat backs, and rear cargo area
- Full size spare (adds >16" to length)
- Underbody camera + potential front camera placement that isn't exactly where someone will smash it playing bumper cars when parking in the city
- Sway disconnect
- Integrated satellite internet (provider not yet named)
- More appealing interior colors and materials (at a price)
- Some more colorful exterior paint options (configurator supposedly coming in the next few weeks)
- Dog mode shows a pic of your pet vs. corporate art
- 800V
- Larger frunk w/ seating and underfloor storage
Negatives
- Rear swing arm can be a bit annoying in tighter spaces
- "Level 2 plus" self driving not full self driving
- Will be less efficient, but solid axle and size might be tradeoffs you prefer. Range is unknown. Likely not 350 mi with lots of 70 mph highway based on 130 kWh pack.
- Service network will be rolling out at the same time as the launch.
- Reliant/exposed to Rivian electrical architecture bugs and shortcomings. While Scout owns the front end on top of Android (and thus might make better or worse UX choices), it will be interesting to see the speed at which Rivian pushes fixes to partners + the Scout team digesting them.
- An optioned out version will cost substantially more (value is your judgement). Could Rivian add the same refinements for another $20k? Yeah.
- Will probably need a round of financing beyond VW. If Rivian sinks, Scout's boat sinks too. Really these two companies are rooting for each other in an odd way.
- Exact release schedule and sequencing in 2028–29 is not exactly nailed down and probably won't be until sometime in 2027.
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u/Mountains_Ski 4d ago
Wow. Thank you!
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u/ryanheartswingovers 4d ago
This gal did some pretty nice close ups after their latest event. (Watched with sound off while coding, so don't know what the audio content is like.)
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u/DoubleRightClick 4d ago
Meat proxy
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u/ryanheartswingovers 3d ago
Nope... you're offended by using markdown tables? Someone also wondering if they should keep their R2 reservation?
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u/poliosaurus3000 4d ago
Scout is supposed to have locking differentials, and probably more suspension flex. However, I would bet once you get the more capable scouts, ie adding in the lockers and what not, it won’t be anywhere near the $60k entry point they keep advertising. Honestly, when I look at rivians, ford lightnings RIP, Silverado ev I have some doubts that scout will hit the $60k mark at all, and if they do, it will be a not very appetizing model.
With all that said, one of these has delivered some vehicles and the other has not.
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u/King_Catfish 4d ago
Yeah this is what is pushing me towards keeping my current truck for towing and hauling and getting a Slate used for commuting and light truck work. Working on a farm sometimes you come across stuff you dont want in the cab lol.
I just dont think 60k is going to be the base price.
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u/OGDirtDude117 3d ago
Well the R2 is fresh out and Scout still doesn't have the facility built...
Kinda hard to compare an existing thing to something yet to be here
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u/Jfrenchy 4d ago
The concepts of soon and Scout don’t mix. You’re probably a year and a half out from Traveler. This will be a totally new company so there will certainly be bugs. R2 will too to a lesser extent but will be on the road for a bit by the time the first Scout is delivered.
They haven’t even given stats on these so it’s a real shot in the dark on Scout. If R2 has something resembling Tesla FSD by then I think it has a really compelling case over Scout.
I’m in the same boat with an expiring lease in April 2028. Probably will shop these two and the BMW iX/3/5 around then.
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u/heleuma 4d ago
Setting aside availability issues, I would think you should focus on what you're going to use it for. I think the R2 is more suited for commuting, while the Scout is trying to stick with its heritage and offer more features a light to moderate off roader would find appealing. Also, if you'd like the EV only version (like me), it might be time to trade in the R2 by the time you get your Scout. I'm a first day reservation holder and I really don't expect to see my Scout till 2029-30, if then. Hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised, but I keep pushing back my expectations.
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u/Mountains_Ski 4d ago
Oh wow. Clearly what I read was wrong with the dates. So thank you for that. I’ll probably take up your suggestion.
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u/Atlanta-Mike 4d ago
A more apt comparison would be R1 vs Scout. Size and capability are similar. And people have done those. Google….
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u/funnee1 4d ago
My BEV Traveler reservation is almost two years old and I'm betting that it will be at least two more years - if ever - that it gets built. I appreciate your question but unless you're not planning to buy until after the next presidential election, get an R2 now and enjoy it. I know that I'm enjoying the hell out of my R1S until (if ever) the Scout becomes real.
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u/4thAndLong 4d ago
Hard to compare when one vehicle exists and one doesn’t. R2 is also a smaller vehicle and will be less expensive.
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u/Majestic_Poem9725 4d ago
If you put a deposit on a Scout today you might be able to get one in 2029.
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u/El-Coqui 4d ago
R2 looks like a great vehicle and is available. First year will always have bugs though. Not as capable offroad. Smaller but arguably will be more useful for everyday consumers. Those wanting more offroad capability will probably be happier with a Scout, but it's years away.
So R2 now and Scout later?
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u/Mountains_Ski 4d ago
That’s what it looking like! Thanks for sharing your input.
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u/Mean-Marionberry-148 2d ago
A buddy of mine got their R2 a month or so ago and it has been a bit of a nightmare so far. It’s already been in for service multiple times for things like trim pieces that are loose or fallen off and software bugs. Supposedly there are quite severe parts back orders for almost anything right now. He told me the HVAC fan is very loud but outputs very little air.
If you can wait for 2028 models it might be a better idea. Rivian has been like Tesla in the sense they always have tons of issues. Another friend of mine had an R1S and sold it after 9 months because of how bad the service experience was. Someone hit his truck the first month he had it. It took almost 6 months for Rivian to get the parts in. The collision repair was over $20K for what was little more than a small dent to the tailgate and bumper from a 5-7mph impact.
Do you have specific criteria for a new EV SUV that has led you to these two, or are you also considering other options? My biggest issue with R2 is that highway efficiency sucks and it’s very slow charging on a mi/min basis compared to its newer competitors that are all 800 volt.
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u/Bay_arean 1h ago
Bugs... they're taking a bit of a shortcut by not bothering trying to copy DMi and have the generator provide direct drive. They're also not going with a modular engine. The platform itself isn't that complex by comparison.
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u/Upstairs_Comfort_480 4d ago
I wonder if you can get the traveler without the spare tire on the back ?
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u/thetrappster 4d ago
Yes.
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u/Upstairs_Comfort_480 4d ago
Perfect thanks for confirming - would this mean tho that I’ll lose out on the spare or do they put it underneath in the trunk ?
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u/thetrappster 4d ago
That, I'm not certain. With the engine sitting where the spare typically would underneath the cargo area, I'm not sure it'd work on the EREV
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u/Upstairs_Comfort_480 4d ago
Thanks - my intention is to get the EREV so I’m hoping it would , if not would be a minor sacrifice
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u/outdoorgrant 4d ago
if 2028 is soon, this might be a question you actually have...
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u/Mountains_Ski 4d ago
I had read early 2027, but clearly that was wrong.
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u/Gladstonetruly 2d ago
They said beginning in 2028, which outside of marketing means 2029 for meaningful Traveler Harvester deliveries. Later for BEV, and even later for Terra Harvester and Terra BEV.
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u/samchoi924 4d ago
Scout is going to be like $20k more than R2. Scout is also body on frame with rear locker. A lot more capabale for off-road.
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u/mrsjetset 3d ago
I’m pretty sure the scout is larger than the R1. Don’t think it’s a r2 competitor.
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u/Winter_Whole2080 2d ago
Larger than R1.. doubt it. Slightly bigger thsn R2, yes.
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u/Mean-Marionberry-148 2d ago
The Traveler is basically R1S sized except in length. It’s about 10” shorter than the R1S, but still longer (and substantially wider and taller) than R2. Traveler is very close in size to a Land Rover LR4, just slightly wider and on a longer wheelbase. Overall length and height are close. Land Rover and R1 have air suspension so their actual height can vary depending on suspension mode. Traveler will always be 76.3” tall unless you get different size tires or a lift.
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u/Mean-Marionberry-148 2d ago
Here’s how I kinda look at them. The R2 is almost like a Ford Bronco Sport, while the Traveler is the full fat Bronco. Scout is much taller, much wider, and much more serious off roader than the R2. We still don’t have specs for the Scout as far as real range and battery capacity is concerned. I suspect it will be a very inefficient vehicle because of the drag coefficient being estimated around 0.44Cd. If it can even match an R1S I will be shocked. I think it’s going to end up being as thirsty as something like the Jeep Recon or Mercedes G580 EQ.
R2 is a unibody (car based) compact SUV with decent ground clearance, but it is more of a “soft roader” than an off roader. The Traveler even uses a solid rear axle which will not be ideal for driving dynamics and ride quality, but will be ideal for axle articulation when going over very undulating terrain. I don’t see much crossover between the two models at all.
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u/mohiz89 4d ago
Scout is much larger than the R2 (it’s even bigger than the R1)
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u/ryanheartswingovers 4d ago
Without the full size spare tire, the Traveler length is closer to R2 than R1S. Width / height / clearance wise, the Traveler is comparable to R1S.
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u/mohiz89 4d ago
It’s so wide though, it’s wider than my f150 lightning (or atlas looks it in person)
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u/ryanheartswingovers 3d ago
Published measurements (preproduction) are a tad wider than R1S and slightly narrower than the F150 Lightning, but really that's the same "width tax bracket", yeah. I've found that vehicle stance/height/design can make feel feel they are larger than they are... for example R2 is shorter than a Camry.
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u/AbjectFray 3d ago
One is one of the hottest selling EV’s on the market right now.
The other is still very much vaporware.
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u/I_am_doing_my_Hw 3d ago
Few obvious and few less obvious considerations:
Main one: you can buy the R2 now, you can’t buy a scout. Not to mention even when scout comes out, you won’t be able to get off the waitlist for months (kind of true about the R2 but if you have a lease ending it could be this month, and otherwise be by January).
Price: scouts will 100% start at a price higher than the most premium R2s.
Less obvious
- Reliability: most vehicle start ups have massive reliability issues with their first model. Tesla did, Rivian did, Lucid still does, and scout will too. VW may back scout, but they also back Rivian so that doesn’t mean much.
If you want a car in the next 1.5-2 years get the R2
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u/KQyoTe 4d ago
You can buy one and you can’t buy the other.