What do you love or hate about other off-road vehicles

[Chaparral]

I hope Scout will create a tiered structure that balances affordability with some degree of luxury that a lot of people using their rigs as daily drivers have come to expect (good sound isolation/comfortable interior with quality materials/acc/lane departure warning/heated[cooled!] seats, etc).

While I want a truck that is rugged and reliable, I don’t want to spend $60k for a rubber floor, plastic no-scratch interior and no creature comforts (based on the reveal I think Scout gets this).

Personally, I’d pay extra for a rubber floor.

Cleaning carpet is always a big pain, especially if you have a dog that sheds or are in and out in a muddy environment or going off road in a dusty environment

I’m sure Scout will serve a range in terms of luxury. I think what we saw a the reveal is something a bit higher end, I’m not convince that what we saw will be very easy to keep clean. I do expect the base model to have cheaper surfaces and I hope its interior will also be easier to wipe down. For example, the wood in the reveal vehicles looks like is has a very rough texture. I love the look, but doubt it is easy to wipe down. If so, this might be a design failure because being easy to clean should be a design remit requirement.

 

[TaconicBear]

Speaking of insulation, both thermal and sound, it must be UN-attractive to rodents! No blown-in or sprayed-on soy based materials would be a good start. Soy based insulation jackets on wires is also a problem in some Toyotas. I suspect soy is not the only culprit, it's just the one I know about.

 

[LastDayScout]

Speaking of insulation, both thermal and sound, it must be UN-attractive to rodents! No blown-in or sprayed-on soy based materials, would be a good start. Soy based insulation jackets on wires is also a problem in some Toyotas. I suspect soy is not the only culprit, it's just the one I know about.

Huge issue! I hope Scout takes note of this point!

 

[JasonF]

Ok Scouts,

Our designers and engineers are looking for some more feedback from all of you and this time it is on:

What do you like or dislike about other off-road vehicles?



Thanks in advance for your opinions!

- Jamie

I do enjoy vehicle with heads up display
Easy replaceable body panels

 

[Rkm921]

The worst thing is when an off road vehicle tries to church it up for the grocery getter and EV market; selling out. Keep the soul of the vehicle in mind when you resurrect this icon. If you wanted to make another EV then invent it and target the street queens. SCOUT … maybe try building a decision matrix and identify the desired criteria before ruining such a great name with EV and hybrid only options.

 

[J Alynn]

Personally, I’d pay extra for a rubber floor.

Cleaning carpet is always a big pain, especially if you have a dog that sheds or are in and out in a muddy environment or going off road in a dusty environment

I’m sure Scout will serve a range in terms of luxury. I think what we saw a the reveal is something a bit higher end, I’m not convince that what we saw will be very easy to keep clean. I do expect the base model to have cheaper surfaces and I hope its interior will also be easier to wipe down. For example, the wood in the reveal vehicles looks like is has a very rough texture. I love the look, but doubt it is easy to wipe down. If so, this might be a design failure because being easy to clean should be a design remit requirement.

In person the wood had a smooth enough finish to wipe down and clean. I touched a sample in the design center (not the vehicles-) and it’s a pretty smooth surface. The wood graining makes it look more tactile than it actually is. The reason I touched it was exactly why you were concerned-it just looks like there’d be a lot of texture

 

[Scoutsie]

The worst thing is when an off road vehicle tries to church it up for the grocery getter and EV market; selling out. Keep the soul of the vehicle in mind when you resurrect this icon. If you wanted to make another EV then invent it and target the street queens. SCOUT … maybe try building a decision matrix and identify the desired criteria before ruining such a great name with EV and hybrid only options.

Well, I can’t wait to destroy the soul of Scout with my EV Scout. Going to make sure my seats are period-proof.

 

[Chaparral]

In person the wood had a smooth enough finish to wipe down and clean. I touched a sample in the design center (not the vehicles-) and it’s a pretty smooth surface. The wood graining makes it look more tactile than it actually is. The reason I touched it was exactly why you were concerned-it just looks like there’d be a lot of texture

That’s good to hear.

 

[dleepnw]

own a quad motor R1T with 20" AT tires. here's what like and dislike

LIKE

• swiss army knife vehicle can handle most offroad trails, overlanding, and great on road ride to get there and back
• amazing ground clearance, love the air suspension to vary height
• quad motors and instant torque are insane
• approach, departure and breakover clearance very good with raised suspension
• underbody shield gives peace of mind
• built in air compressor is clutch
• insane water fording depth capability
• powered tonneau is nice, manual is good too - built in rails to support these are clutch.
• storage options make it super useful to store gear everywhere
• love all the cameras to give you visibility
• auto-leveling is great for camping

DISLIKE

• camera quality sucks on 1 gen R1Ts, hard to see details. also need camera under the front of the vehicle.
• even though there is a motor at each wheel, algorithms have trouble with certain offroad situations.
• needs better low end torque control (probably related to the previous point)
• needs low speed, offroad cruise control
• no grab handles sucks (yes it has overhead ones but they are useless)
• physical buttons would be better for ease of use than touchscreen to access certain functions
• no space for full size spare on R1S (mention this because i am interested in the Traveler)
• air compressor overheats, probably needs larger version.
• suspension is loud. no engine makes wind noise more noticeable. needs better NVH.
• very few aftermarket options for all sorts of accessories

 

[Moates442]

It doesn't only apply to off roaders, but poor visibility where you can't see the corners is annoying to me. Land Rover does a great job of their seating position and line of sight. I also hate when the vehicle is too wide. Most trails are narrow, and it doesn't work very well to have a really wide truck. Turning radius, need I say more. Lack of grab handles. Poor Suspension Nothing worse than a punishing suspension that you have to rip out and replace with an aftermarket set up. . Again, go drive a Land Rover product. The off-road settings and control are sublime. Ride quality on the street is superb.

Likes: Well, simplicity. Don't over engineer it. Maybe not the best place to mention it, by Titan Utilitrak bed is the best invention ever. And I haven't seen anyone else build one quite as good. Has anyone driven a Land Rover product? They are full time 4-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case, and they drive like a normal 2- wheel drive vehicle. Most 4 -wheel drive vehicles drive really bad in 4WD.

 

[eightOne]

Dislike: Companies who release an off-road variant but the front bumper hangs so low and hides so much of the tire that the vehicle is defeated by anything more challenging than a maintained forest road.

 

[TaconicBear]

It doesn't only apply to off roaders, but poor visibility where you can't see the corners is annoying to me. Land Rover does a great job of their seating position and line of sight. I also hate when the vehicle is too wide. Most trails are narrow, and it doesn't work very well to have a really wide truck. Turning radius, need I say more. Lack of grab handles. Poor Suspension Nothing worse than a punishing suspension that you have to rip out and replace with an aftermarket set up. . Again, go drive a Land Rover product. The off-road settings and control are sublime. Ride quality on the street is superb.

Likes: Well, simplicity. Don't over engineer it. Maybe not the best place to mention it, by Titan Utilitrak bed is the best invention ever. And I haven't seen anyone else build one quite as good. Has anyone driven a Land Rover product? They are full time 4-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case, and they drive like a normal 2- wheel drive vehicle. Most 4 -wheel drive vehicles drive really bad in 4WD.

 

[TaconicBear]

My biggest dislike is the size. Today's trucks get bigger and bigger. I recall when the Suzuki Samurai was sought after for off road use. The Scout 80/800 body was about the perfect compromise (yes, early Bronco too) between having useful space to haul your gear and being small enough to get down the track through the woods. Since then bigger and more macho and whatever has reigned. Today some pickups cannot see a pre-school child 14 feet in front of them without looking at a grille mounted camera's image. Off road with my Scout 80 I know where the LF tire is, it's 4" in front of my left foot -- not much need for a wheel-well mounted camera. The old Scout did its duty too in building our house, carrying 12' 2x10s and sheets of plywood on the roof rack. You just had to be good tying knots and not drive too fast. I'm not saying I don't enjoy driving Toyota's 4WD computer with luxury seating and a phenomenal sound system, but the only reason I own it is to trailer my Scout 80s and 800s to Scout gatherings and truck shows. I hope that in edition 2 or 3 of the EV Scout we will see a revival of the Scout 80 concept, small , simple, and tough.

 

[CarTechGeek]

I think your large scale rust worries are history in this day and age.

Not at all. Ask anyone that lives in where they use road salt. Rust is still a problem for owning vehicles at 10+ years.

Body on Frame trucks are still extremely susceptible to Road Salt, as frames tend to have openings, and not so great corrosion protection.

Though from the Scout announcements the frame will be galvanized, which is a massive step forward since AFAIK, none of the other truck makers galvanize their frames.

 

[CarTechGeek]

My biggest dislike is the size. Today's trucks get bigger and bigger. I recall when the Suzuki Samurai was sought after for off road use.

Agreed, everything just keeps getting bigger, heavier and more complex . I really liked my Dads Cherokee (XJ). Dimensions and weight. Easy to drive in city traffic, easy to park anywhere:

https://offroadingpro.com/jeep-cherokee-xj/

– L x W x H: 167.5 x 67.9 x 64 inches - ~3400lbs curb weight.

Current Bronco:

https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/bronco

L x W x H : 198.9 x 79.4 x 78.7 inches ~ 5300lbs curb weight.

IMO, peak Jeep was the Jeep TJ. Coil springs but still small and simple.

 

[R1TVT]

own a quad motor R1T with 20" AT tires. here's what like and dislike

LIKE

• swiss army knife vehicle can handle most offroad trails, overlanding, and great on road ride to get there and back
• amazing ground clearance, love the air suspension to vary height
• quad motors and instant torque are insane
• approach, departure and breakover clearance very good with raised suspension
• underbody shield gives peace of mind
• built in air compressor is clutch
• insane water fording depth capability
• powered tonneau is nice, manual is good too - built in rails to support these are clutch.
• storage options make it super useful to store gear everywhere
• love all the cameras to give you visibility
• auto-leveling is great for camping

DISLIKE

• camera quality sucks on 1 gen R1Ts, hard to see details. also need camera under the front of the vehicle.
• even though there is a motor at each wheel, algorithms have trouble with certain offroad situations.
• needs better low end torque control (probably related to the previous point)
• needs low speed, offroad cruise control
• no grab handles sucks (yes it has overhead ones but they are useless)
• physical buttons would be better for ease of use than touchscreen to access certain functions
• no space for full size spare on R1S (mention this because i am interested in the Traveler)
• air compressor overheats, probably needs larger version.
• suspension is loud. no engine makes wind noise more noticeable. needs better NVH.
• very few aftermarket options for all sorts of accessories

I would agree with all of your LIKE items above, and I would add in that the SW updates have made the truck even better... Never would I have thought that I would own a depreciating asset like a truck that would actually improve over time. Sure, it is still depreciating in terms of value, but it has gotten to be a better truck as a result of advanced planning, connectivity and interoperability between systems (through updates). I know that Scout will benefit greatly from the VW/Rivian investment, and will speed deployment for features that would otherwise be built from scratch. Lastly, remote/mobile service has been to my house 2X (which is great!) and the warranty that Rivian provided to 1st gen owners boosted confidence and resulted in more conversions of reservations. R1T has been the best truck I have ever owned.

In terms of dislikes, my cameras work great, so no issues there, but would agree on the Oh Shit handles - even just to help getting in and out, since I have no running boards. I would also agree that the truck is so quiet that you can hear the suspension more than anything else when driving at lower speeds over uneven surfaces.

The three biggest things I like about the Terra (compared to the R1T) are:

1. Roll Down Rear Window - Loved this on my old Tundra
2. 350 miles of pure EV range (adding 60-65 miles to what I see on 20's with AT's will be great)
3. 5.5' bed length.

The R1T bed is just a tad too small for me. Works well most of the time, but I often travel with skis, so I had to build a custom ski box that sits over the bed rails... I can fit a pair of 188cm skis in the bed, but on a diagonal, so you lose storage if you criss-cross a bunch of skis in the bed of the R1T, and I don't want a ski box up high over the glass roof for a bunch of reasons.

 

[LastDayScout]

Agreed, everything just keeps getting bigger, heavier and more complex . I really liked my Dads Cherokee (XJ). Dimensions and weight. Easy to drive in city traffic, easy to park anywhere:

https://offroadingpro.com/jeep-cherokee-xj/

– L x W x H: 167.5 x 67.9 x 64 inches - ~3400lbs curb weight.

Current Bronco:

https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/bronco

L x W x H : 198.9 x 79.4 x 78.7 inches ~ 5300lbs curb weight.

IMO, peak Jeep was the Jeep TJ. Coil springs but still small and simple.

I love XJs and have restored many of them. They are a great size.

 

[eightOne]

Agreed, everything just keeps getting bigger, heavier and more complex . I really liked my Dads Cherokee (XJ). Dimensions and weight. Easy to drive in city traffic, easy to park anywhere:

https://offroadingpro.com/jeep-cherokee-xj/

– L x W x H: 167.5 x 67.9 x 64 inches - ~3400lbs curb weight.

Current Bronco:

https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/bronco

L x W x H : 198.9 x 79.4 x 78.7 inches ~ 5300lbs curb weight.

IMO, peak Jeep was the Jeep TJ. Coil springs but still small and simple.

Same concern about size. My LR3 isn't what I would call nimble, but it maneuvers well enough. Plus, I love the split gate in the back for sitting and relaxing.

LR3
L x W x H: 190.9 x 75.4 x 74.5 inches ~5796 curb weight

 

[DJones76]

Didn't read all of these responses but since we're talking off-road, will we have the ability to lift the Scout up 4, 6in for more off-roading experiences?

 

[Shootz_Shotton]

1) I have a 2021 Tundra and it does not go into 4WD or come out of 4WD as easily as I would like.
2) More compartments to keep things
4) A better system to be able to download Apps that can be used for 4x4 or overlanding.
5) An onboard air compressor.
6) I heard the new Ford trucks have too much fiberglass and panels have to be replaced vs. using steel where it can be bent back out and will hold up better.