Traveler Ride Quality and NVH Expectations

  • From all of us at Scout Motors, welcome to the Scout Community! We created this community to provide Scout vehicle owners, enthusiasts, and curiosity seekers with a place to engage in discussion, suggestions, stories, and connections. Supportive communities are sometimes hard to find, but we're determined to turn this into one.

    Additionally, Scout Motors wants to hear your feedback and speak directly to the rabid community of owners as unique as America. We'll use the Scout Community to deliver news and information on events and launch updates directly to the group. Although the start of production is anticipated in 2026, many new developments and milestones will occur in the interim. We plan to share them with you on this site and look for your feedback and suggestions.

    How will the Scout Community be run? Think of it this way: this place is your favorite local hangout. We want you to enjoy the atmosphere, talk to people who share similar interests, request and receive advice, and generally have an enjoyable time. The Scout Community should be a highlight of your day. We want you to tell stories, share photos, spread your knowledge, and tell us how Scout can deliver great products and experiences. Along the way, Scout Motors will share our journey to production with you.

    Scout is all about respect. We respect our heritage. We respect the land and outdoors. We respect each other. Every person should feel safe, included, and welcomed in the Scout Community. Being kind and courteous to the other forum members is non-negotiable. Friendly debates are welcomed and often produce great outcomes, but we don't want things to get too rowdy. Please take a moment to consider what you post, especially if you think it may insult others. We'll do our best to encourage friendly discourse and to keep the discussions flowing.

    So, welcome to the Scout Community! We encourage you to check back regularly as we plan to engage our members, share teasers, and participate in discussions. The world needs Scouts™. Let's get going.


    We are Scout Motors.

dleepnw

Active member
  • Oct 29, 2024
    88
    185
    Seattle
    One of the complaints/feedback Rivian has received about its vehicles is the ride quality and noise. Particularly in the R1S. Rivian has adjusted ride quality several times via OTA updates. In Gen2 version of the vehicles, they made changes to the dampers, spring rates and bushings as well as improved NVH to address it even more. Some of it was warranted is due to the suspension needing refinement and excessive wind noise but I think a large part of it is due to customer expectation. I think many forget or don't realize the R1 was designed as an off-road capable vehicle and would/should ride like one. At the same time, a majority of people who bought/buy the R1S will never take it off-road so they are expecting it to ride like a luxury SUV (which they expect when spending $90-100k). Perhaps they think it should ride more like a Land Rover than a Jeep Wrangler, which by the way it does, but seems like some want it to ride more like a Mercedes GLS or Lexus TX - vehicles that can't touch the R1Ss off-road chops. Just wrong expectations imo.

    I think for the most part, R1T owners are fine with the ride quality because its a truck and thats the expectation for a truck.

    I say all this because Scout may run into this issue/perception with customers who buy the Traveler. Scout is positioning these vehicles as even more off-roady than Rivian, but many are going to buy these and never take them off-road yet still expect the ride quality to be like a non off-road SUV. The initial deliveries it likely won't matter because most of those customers will be enthusiasts. I'd guess it'll likely crop up later as the general public starts to take deliveries. Hopefully Scout can find the right balance.
     
    Last edited:
    One of the complaints/feedback Rivian has received about its vehicles is the ride quality and noise. Particularly in the R1S. Rivian has adjusted ride quality several times via OTA updates. In Gen2 version of the vehicles, they made changes to the dampers, spring rates and bushings as well as improved NVH to address it even more. Some of it was warranted is due to the suspension needing refinement and excessive wind noise but I think a large part of it is due to customer expectation. I think many forget or don't realize the R1 was designed as an off-road capable vehicle and would/should ride like one. At the same time, a majority of people who bought/buy the R1S will never take it off-road so they are expecting it to ride like a luxury SUV (which they expect when spending $90-100k). Perhaps they think it should ride more like a Land Rover than a Jeep Wrangler, which by the way it does, but seems like soe want it to ride more like a Mercedes GLS or Lexus TX - vehicles that can't touch the R1Ss off-road chops. Just wrong expectations imo.

    I think for the most part, R1T owners are fine with the ride quality because its a truck and thats the expectation for a truck.

    I say all this because Scout may run into this issue/perception with customers who buy the Traveler. Scout is positioning these vehicles as even more off-roady than Rivian, but many are going to buy these and never take them off-road yet still expect the ride quality to be like a non off-road SUV. The initial deliveries it likely won't matter because most of those customers will be enthusiasts. I'd guess it'll likely crop up later as the general public starts to take deliveries. Hopefully Scout can find the right balance.
    I hear you and my wife had same response to our Bronco while we had it. Fun for short rides but long drives she expected Acura refinement 🤣. That said I don’t know how you resolve that. I think Bronco is light years better than Jeep on the road but again-wife hated it still.
    Best you can do is emphasize body on frame and elements that separate a legit off road SUV with a Street /luxury oriented SUV’s.
    Not disagreeing, just not sure how you educate people who shop on looks.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Harris005
    Only thing I would add, is that the R1T is THE best riding truck I have ever owned. I have owned trucks since the 90's (Toyota Truck before the Tacoma, with manual locking hubs was my first), through Tacoma's, Tundra's and lastly a Silverado. All very different, but the Rivian def drives more like a sports car than a truck, without giving up any of the truck attributes. It's almost too nice and rides so smooth and is so fast that you can get your self in trouble if you don't watch your speed... It does come at a cost with air suspension, and i think for Scout to compete in the segment on-price and capability, an option with a rugged off-road, coil-over type suspension probably fits the bill for many, and allows for easier repair and customization. Airs suspension generally is more expensive, and I have had some dampers replaced in the R1T under warranty.
     
    One of the complaints/feedback Rivian has received about its vehicles is the ride quality and noise. Particularly in the R1S. Rivian has adjusted ride quality several times via OTA updates. In Gen2 version of the vehicles, they made changes to the dampers, spring rates and bushings as well as improved NVH to address it even more. Some of it was warranted is due to the suspension needing refinement and excessive wind noise but I think a large part of it is due to customer expectation. I think many forget or don't realize the R1 was designed as an off-road capable vehicle and would/should ride like one. At the same time, a majority of people who bought/buy the R1S will never take it off-road so they are expecting it to ride like a luxury SUV (which they expect when spending $90-100k). Perhaps they think it should ride more like a Land Rover than a Jeep Wrangler, which by the way it does, but seems like soe want it to ride more like a Mercedes GLS or Lexus TX - vehicles that can't touch the R1Ss off-road chops. Just wrong expectations imo.

    I think for the most part, R1T owners are fine with the ride quality because its a truck and thats the expectation for a truck.

    I say all this because Scout may run into this issue/perception with customers who buy the Traveler. Scout is positioning these vehicles as even more off-roady than Rivian, but many are going to buy these and never take them off-road yet still expect the ride quality to be like a non off-road SUV. The initial deliveries it likely won't matter because most of those customers will be enthusiasts. I'd guess it'll likely crop up later as the general public starts to take deliveries. Hopefully Scout can find the right balance.
    People who have driven both the R1T and R1S notice the difference in driving dynamics. It doesn't sound like different expectations between pickup and SUV owners. They are both built on the same platform, after all. R1S has a wheelbase almost 15 inches shorter. Here's what Car and Driver said about the 1st-gen R1S: "Ride quality is firm, the steering is heavily weighted, and body roll is far more subdued than you'd expect from a vehicle this big, tall, and heavy—we measured the R1S's curb weight at a whopping 6986 pounds (that's still less than the 7036-pound R1T). But, driven over a challenging road, the R1S's dynamics really turned us off. There's floatiness, front to rear porpoising, and probably the worst thing is that the steering response is out of line with the rest of the vehicle. Turn the wheel, and the chassis responds a beat later, like it’s set up to Scandi-flick sideways into corners. Perhaps the R1S feels so different from the T because Rivian optimized the tuning for the longer-wheelbase R1T and the S didn't get sufficiently retuned?".
    These are the kinds of issues new companies have. Hopefully, Scout can work out the finer details from day one!
     
    To be clear, when you say "1-st gen R1S" you are also referring to an article from 2022 prior to suspension updates. I think it is remarkable that OTA's are able to deliver improvements over time and give Rivian a lot of credit for addressing certain aspects of the R1S ride-quality that needed some tweaking - particularly as a new OEM and for a 1st model.
     
    To be clear, when you say "1-st gen R1S" you are also referring to an article from 2022 prior to suspension updates. I think it is remarkable that OTA's are able to deliver improvements over time and give Rivian a lot of credit for addressing certain aspects of the R1S ride-quality that needed some tweaking - particularly as a new OEM and for a 1st model.
    Correct. It was early 2022 before any improvements. Although, they still have complaints about the new 2025's. That's what journalists do.
     
    Its also what inexperienced EV drivers and car drivers do when they get into a real SUV! I completely agree with the 1st post regarding some of this falling on the drivers (and not the SUV), and based on 4 people I know personally that own an R1S, they have zero complaints about ride quality. I'm guessing that of the 4, only 1 really pushes the SUV hard... The other 3 are more daily drivers around town if I am being honest.

    There are 4 other important things to note:

    1. Drive mode affects throttle sensitivity, which can change drive characteristics of the truck in different conditions
    2. Regen is something that can result in different drive experiences for new EV drivers (with little experience or without changing settings)
    3. Wheel size impacts ride quality
    4. Tire pressure impacts ride quality

    Rivian, like other OEM's has some pretty large wheel and tire combos, and with very high tire pressures, this results in a harsher ride. Personally, I would prefer to have a less efficient AT tire with more sidewall on a heavier truck like this (and I run the smallest wheel size available). Strictly speculation based on my own observations of R1T's and R1S's on the road, I have seen waayyyy more R1S vehicles running 21" and 22" wheels with "all season" tires, and many more R1T's running 20's with AT tires... The R1T truck already rides better, then add the wheel and tire combo with an experienced driver (and one who understands drive mode settings), and you have potentially completely different drive experiences. I cannot overstate the impact that all of these things make, and when you read complaints, you hear very little of the actual tire/wheel/setting configuration on the driver's truck. Just my 02 cents tho!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: J Alynn
    The R1S is a $100k three row SUV with 22 inch wheels and chrome trim. It was absolutely not intended to be primarily an off-roader. It's perfectly reasonable for customers to expect a very good ride.

    As for the Scout, I hope they at least take a look at the older Lexus GX460s. Those were body on frame SUVs with solid rear axles and had pretty fantastic rides all things considered. Of course the Scout is going to be quite a bit heavier with a significantly heavier rear axle which will be a challenge to handle.

    I had an R1T for a year and honestly, my biggest complaint was the wind noise.
     
    Let me say this: My sister owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3 with 12k miles. The ride quality is dismal. The squeaks and rattles are just miserable. I personally find it completely unacceptable. She wants to get rid of it, but she is too underwater to do so. Do not make this mistake and turn out a product like that only the fan bois can accept.

    Now, I contrast that with pretty much anything Land Rover makes. Their suspension is absolutely sublime. Their on-road manners are truly incredible IMO, especially considering they are a full time 4-wheel drive vehicle (they do have a Hi-Lo) transfer case). I don't think anyone does it better than they do. And Land Rover can off road like Billy Goats. We used to lead a group of owners up to Gorman here in L.A. just north of Los Angeles. We would embarrass some heavily modified off-road vehicles with stock Range Rovers on street tires. Very capable machines.

    So, for the money, I would like Scout to bench mark a Range Rover/Defender/or a Disco and make it the best vehicle in its segment.

    VW and the rest of that group know a thing or two about suspension tuning. Not sure if Scout is leveraging that knowledge or to what extent the engineering files are floated, but I hope Scout can meet or exceed customer expectations right out the gate.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Albal and R1TVT
    My wifes bigest complaint about Bronco on road trips is the noise. The Raptor truck is nice and quiet but can be hard to park in cities or other tight parking.

    She really wants a blend of the two. Comfort of Raptor and size of the bronco, but easier to enter and exit as she is only 5'2".
     
    The R1S is a $100k three row SUV with 22 inch wheels and chrome trim.
    Wheels and tires are a configuration choice when building your vehicle - You made it sound like every R1S has 22"s....
    Here's an example with 20's and AT's:

    Screen Shot 2025-01-09 at 5.29.07 PM.png
     
    Out of fairness, land rovers and range rovers are completely off road capable but have all those bells and whistles so I wonder what those buyers expect when they purchase?