Why no Trailseeker/R2 comparisons?

[Thebandit]

I agree the Rivian is better which is why I'm getting one. But the Trailseeker has a lot of advantages for some people: way more physical buttons, more traditional key/entry/access setup, a much much larger network of service centers, a brand that has actually been around for a while and doesn't have the "operating at a loss, betting the company on this car" startup feel, traditional physical door handles. It's a much more "normal car that happens to be electric" than the R2. Cheaper. Actually available for purchase today.

Oh......... and a real radio

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[smashweights]

Comparisons will come. I, for one, wouldn't consider the current crop of Subarus nor an EV from them.

We have owned a 2009 Subaru Legacy and a 2016 Subaru Forester and while they were good cars, Subaru has tended to live off their outdoorsy and reliable reputation. Design, interior quality, etc have always been pretty mid as a result. I never had any complaints about ours but there wasn't really anything impressive. Their software and infotainment in both vehicles was crummy too. They've always been adequate in most regards without impressing. My father in laws 2022 Outback is better on the software front but the current gen Subie designs are just awful looking.

I also don't trust OEMs that are just dabbling in EVs to see what market demand is. After considering the Lightning just to watch Ford abandon it the risk of an an established OEM ditching support for an EV model is just as real as Rivian not being viable long term.

 

[JeffnReno]

Does anyone really need many of the things we want? Will I ever use any of the trail capabilities of anything being offered by any brand that has them? No to both questions, but it doesn't stop me from wanting them. The R2 will be our 4th BEV (if/when we ever get the invite) and I look at it as a Swiss army knife of BEVs. Can do everything we use our current Model Y for and then some. Maybe if Tesla hadn't took away lane keep without requiring a $99 a month FSD subscription on the new Ys just to have that, we would just be staying in the Y camp since it tows our popup camper just fine, even though I had to install the electric brake controller myself. The R2 tows even more and the controller is part of the software. The R2 checks all the boxes with range, charging, drive feel and comfort, and is actually cheaper than our current '23 Model Y. We'll give Rivian a chance to replace the Y and if it doesn't work out I'm sure Tesla will still be around. I don't need 656 hp or 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. Hell, I keep our Y in Chill mode to keep my wife from complaining plus my old neck doesn't appreciate the neck snapping acceleration most EV offer. But the Semi-Active Suspension among many other things makes me desire the R2 now.

 

[ENVErider]

There are a lot of R2/Model Y comparisons but they seem like two very different vehicles to me. One is an SUV that can off-road and the other is a slightly upsized Model 3 (sedan). Other comparisons here are also with non-offroad capable EVs (BMW, Mach-E, and Ferrari for some reason...).
In fact, it seems to me that the Trailseeker is really the only other off-roadable vehicle around that price point. So while the videos of the R2 are showing it climbing dirt roads and wading through shallow creeks, the only other EV doing that is the Trailseeker and nobody seems to be thinking of comparing the two.

I understand that a lot of people will probably chime in and say something along the lines of "most people won't take these vehicles off-road anyway, so what does it matter?", but if that were the point then the manufacturers wouldn't try to make them capable off-road. They'd just make another Tesla clone. Manufacturers make off-road capable vehicles for people who want to leave the streets. So those vehicles should be compared with each other appropriately.

I'm going to test drive the Trailseeker later today, and I'll try to report back as much as I can. I already test drove the R2, but was disappointed in how little I was allowed to do in the very short time allotted to me in the test drive. The big thing that sucks about test drives for these off-road vehicles is that we can't take them off-road!

Thoughts?

I share your disappointment in that the majority of reviewers use the MY as their baseline comparison vehicle, but I do understand their choice. The challenge for any reviewer is that there is no equal to the R2; maybe the scout will be closer if it ever releases. For reviewers, you first need to decide if you're comparing off-road vehicles that have electric drivetrains, or if you are reviewing EVs that have OTA updates and class-leading tech; the R2 arguably is unique in fitting into both. I think the OTA updates and software based architecture is why reviewers keep choosing the MY as the comparison.
I LOVE the Subaru brand and their decades-long focus on outdoor adventures, but I kinda agree with @NY_Rob in that the Trailblazer is not particularly comparable in either. Yes, ground clearance is only 1-2" less, but the R2 comes with quite a bit more tire on it; 32" to 29" OD and 255 to 235 tire width. On the software side, the Subaru is nowhere near close. I have not heard anyone talking about Subaru's advancements in autonomy, software focus, and OTA updates.
Again, I love the Subaru brand. As someone who doesn't care much about autonomy, and since I read you are prioritizing off-road capabilities, I think you should definitely test-drive it. I do agree that it's the second-best choice for off-roading in this category, but I guess I don't think it's a close second overall.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I agree the Rivian is better which is why I'm getting one. But the Trailseeker has a lot of advantages for some people: way more physical buttons, more traditional key/entry/access setup, a much much larger network of service centers, a brand that has actually been around for a while and doesn't have the "operating at a loss, betting the company on this car" startup feel, traditional physical door handles. It's a much more "normal car that happens to be electric" than the R2. Cheaper. Actually available for purchase today.

Oh......... and a real radio

This is why Subaru did the Trailseeker the way they did - familiarity. They fear ICE buyers won't accept an EV unless it imitates its ICE siblings. While I get the desire for the things you mentioned, it does not necessarily make for the better experience. There is some weird pushback on the modernization of the auto industry now to remain analogue when the rest of the world is moving digital. We go our lives from screen to screen. I don't think lack of buttons is the issue but rather how overkill screens can become and how thoughtless their implementation can be. IMO Rivian strikes a solid balance of screens and buttons. I drive a 2018 BMW and my wife drives a 2026 Model Y. I enjoy both, but using them back to back, the BMW is closer to something from the 80s than where Tesla is today. Cars need to get with the times. The startups get that. The traditional manufactoeers would much prefer to keep things where they are. Also, in my experience, once you go PAAK, it is hard to go back.

I will concede a bigger service network and it being establish brand "helps", in as much as one I expect Subaru to actually support their EVs. Plenty of stories to be found of dealerships having no idea how to fix the EVs they sell or being relegated to a "specialist". Oh, and as smashweights mentioned, just like the Lightning, Subaru can discontinue and abandon the Trailseeker at any second. Rivian does not have that luxury with the R2. I'd put my bet on Rivian in this case. Oh, and FWWI, Rivian has a higher market cap so I wouldn't put the whole "Rivian may disappear at any day with their losses" in the cons section. They will be fine.

I do wish the R2 had regular door handles but whatever. Rivian has their mind made up here so that is the one win I can give the Trailseeker. I do hope the Trailseeker does well even though it does not appear that Subaru in the U.S. wants it to.

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