Why no Trailseeker/R2 comparisons?

[rodhx]

When we bought our first Tesla in 2018, we had to drive to Rocklin, CA from Reno to pick it up since there were no SC in Reno at that time. Didn't stop us then and Tesla's mobile service techs came to our home and took care of us as needed. There are now both Tesla and Rivian SCs in Reno so I'm not worried. After we picked up our '23 Model Y in '22, we had an issue with the car concerning a window and they sent mobile service almost immediately. He had the door apart, found and corrected the problem in our garage within .5 hour. No worries here either.

It took Tesla 15 years to put a service center in Alabama. Hopefully Rivian realizes my state exists faster than that.

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[Pablolibre]

I test drove a Subaru Trailseeker Touring this morning. I really liked the vehicle except with maximum regen on it's still a bit less than I'm used to in an EV. Also no spare tire or real room for one. The dealer plus Subaru incentives took off $3400 from the MRSP price. The out the door price (with $1900 in state taxes) was $45K. 75 month financing at 0% interest put the monthly payment at $650. I ran it by my wife (she has a Subaru Forester Wilderness) and she wasn't happy that at 75 mph driving you'd have to stop and charge in about 2.5 hours. (70 mph full range was 223 miles when tested). Her car goes 5 hours at 75 mph on a tank of gas. I'm wondering if the R2 highway range will be long enough for her? She'd like 4 hours for road trips. Given both Subaru and Rivian just have mediocre charging times 10-80%, ideally I'd prefer the same but I guess I'm willing to sacrifice a bit more there. She might approve on the dramatically better highway range and charging speeds of the BMW iX3 or i3 but I know she'll not like the price.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I'll be cross shopping the two.

To be honest most of my off-roading desires are unfulfilled fantasies.

I've barely taken my R1T off-road and nothing I've done would be difficult for either vehicle.

Rivian's strengths are primarily with Software (EXCEPT apple music), and the entire ownership experience.

Subaru will likely have a massive leg up in reliability.

I'm also cross shopping a couple BMW options which I never thought I'd ever say.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Here you go: https://www.autoblog.com/reviews/2027-rivian-r2-vs-2026-subaru-trailseeker-comparison-review

 

[rvnxyz001]

I wish we had a similar review for the R2.

"They're not making this into some special spaceship that only certain astronauts can touch it under the things that matter"

 

[rvnxyz001]

I'm wondering if the R2 highway range will be long enough for her?

Recent highway range tests:

75 mph, Car and Driver:

• Trailseeker Touring: 190 miles
• R2 Performance: 260 miles
• R2 advantage: 70 miles

70 mph, separate tests:

• Trailseeker Touring: 223 miles from 100% to 5%, roughly 235 miles to empty
• R2 Performance: 253 to 259 miles
• R2 advantage: roughly 18 to 28 miles

The R2 has more highway range, but the size of the advantage depends heavily on speed, weather, wheels and test method. At 70 mph, the difference appears much smaller than Car and Driver’s 75 mph results.

Sources: C&D R2, C&D Trailseeker, MotorTrend Trailseeker, R2 70-mph tests


P.S. The R2 is AWD, but its front motor disconnects during steady cruising, so these highway tests were effectively completed in RWD. The Trailseeker has Subaru Symmetrical AWD with both axles active and no RWD efficiency mode. That makes its 70 mph result more impressive, especially with its smaller battery.

 

[rvnxyz001]

Interesting Trailseeker Premium test on the 18" wheels.

They drove it for a week in ~100°F Texas heat with AC running the whole time and reported:

Trailseeker 18":

- 75 mph: 3.6 mi/kWh
- Low 80s: 2.7–3.0 mi/kWh
- City: 4.1–4.5 mi/kWh

At 75 mph, 3.6 mi/kWh with ~71 kWh usable works out to roughly 255 miles.

For comparison, R2 on 21" wheels has generally been around 2.8–3.1 mi/kWh at highway speeds, with the better 70 mph tests ending up around 250–275 miles.

So despite having a much smaller battery, the Trailseeker may end up surprisingly close to R2 in highway range simply because it uses less energy.

This wasn't a full depletion test, though, so I'd still like to see someone run the 18" Trailseeker from full to empty at 70 or 75 mph.

Test:
https://www.speedsportlife.com/2026/08/10/2026-subaru-trailseeker-review/

 

[Nikita]

I'm here because I'm replacing my 10 year old Outback commuter and looking at these vehicles:

-Trailseeker/BZ Woodland
-Crown Signia
-R2 Premium

The price difference is not that crazy, the Toyotas both crest 50k and the Subaru is close. For a bit more I can get the Rivian.

The Crown Signia has the nicest interior of all of them, and is most likely to be extremely reliable, but has outdated technology (even by Toyota standards) and styling, and I don't really want another gas car with a very boring 4cyl engine that requires ICE maintenance, however minimal.

The Toyobaru EV interior, especially the dash layout, is infuriating. What were they thinking? Strongly dislike the wide center console (it feels wider in person than in the photos), plus there's no glovebox, no frunk, no room for a spare tire, 12V issues have been plaguing their EVs for years and the only solution seems to be to delete the phone app. While having a robust service network is a huge plus, it sounds like there is a general lack of knowledge about servicing EVs at an ICE-focused service center.

So that brings me to the R2 Premium, which is more expensive, and less likely to be very reliable (I've worded this carefully ), but is the vehicle I'm most interested in. It makes the technology in the Toyotas look like it's from the last century. Pet comfort mode is a huge plus. The rear window is a nice party trick but I have some concerns about water drainage and wiper reliability.

I'm 100 miles from a service center, I think they'll open one closer to me in the next few years, but that is still the scariest factor. Anyway, I put in a reservation for a R2 and didn't select launch/performance. Hoping to test drive at some point this fall.

 

[VandalSibs]

I'm 100 miles from a service center, I think they'll open one closer to me in the next few years, but that is still the scariest factor. Anyway, I put in a reservation for a R2 and didn't select launch/performance. Hoping to test drive at some point this fall.

Imagine if you were nearly 300 miles away from the nearest one! Oh wait, that's me....

All joking aside, Rivian Mobile service is quite good and can take care of more than you think they could. And the R2 is designed to be easier to service than the R1, so that will help things out too!

 

[rvnxyz001]

and less likely to be very reliable (I've worded this carefully ),

I recommend unsubscribing from the forum, Reddit, YouTube reviews, and any updates from the R2 community. The Toyobaru 12V issue will look like child's play compared to R2 issues
But sure you will be lucky to get a reliable build

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