Compare · Jeep Recon vs. Rivian R2 vs. Scout Traveler

Recon, R2 or Scout Traveler: the first electric 4x4s worth taking up the beach.

Three electric SUVs built to leave the pavement: Jeep’s Recon, on sale now with the doors off; Rivian’s R2, the one with the range and the price; and the Scout Traveler, built in South Carolina for 2027 with a gas engine on board to charge the battery. Here is what the reviews and the makers say, what soft sand does to a battery, and which one you can drive on the Carova beach today.

Request a Recon drive Range on sand

Jeep Recon Moab

On sale now. 650 hp, 222 miles EPA, doors off, $66,995. The one you can request here.

Rivian R2

First deliveries 2026. Up to 330 miles, dual-motor from $53,990. Sold direct by Rivian.

Scout Traveler

2027, built in South Carolina. Up to 350 miles on battery, 500 or more with the range extender, under $60,000 projected. Sold direct by Scout.

Three answers to the same question.

How far can an electric 4x4 go when the road turns to sand? Jeep answers with a Jeep. Rivian answers with a bigger battery. Scout answers with a gas engine that charges the battery as you go.

0Chargers on the Carova beach

222Miles EPA, Recon Moab

330Miles, R2 dual-motor, up to

500+Miles, Traveler with range extender, projected

Recon figure is the EPA estimate for the Moab. R2 figure is Rivian’s estimate for the dual-motor trims. Traveler figures are Scout’s internal projections for a vehicle not yet in production. None of them is a sand figure; see below.

The rivalry

The Jeep, the startup and the one built down the road

The Recon is Jeep’s first electric off-roader, and it went on sale this summer with the Moab trim first: Jeep’s answer to the question of whether an electric vehicle can be a Jeep, with the doors off and 33-inch tires to prove it. The R2 is Rivian’s second act, smaller and cheaper than the R1S that made its name, with the range and the price that make the Recon look expensive. The Traveler is the one that isn’t here yet: Scout Motors, revived by Volkswagen, building it in Blythewood, South Carolina, with the one feature the other two don’t offer, a gasoline range extender.

On sale now: Only the Recon. Jeep is a program brand, so the Recon can go on the sand through our Jeep dealer. The R2 is in its first deliveries and sold direct; the Traveler is a 2027 vehicle sold direct.
The price gap: The Recon Moab is $66,995 including destination; the comparable R2 Performance is $57,990 before fees; Scout projects an entry Traveler under $60,000. Press coverage has already framed it as the Recon costing $9,000 more than an R2 with 100 fewer miles of range.
What only one does: Recon: doors and rear glass come off. R2: the rear window drops into the tailgate. Traveler: a sliding Cabana roof that opens the top, and the range extender.
Where it’s built: Recon on Stellantis’s STLA Large platform; R2 in Normal, Illinois, moving to Georgia; Traveler in Blythewood, South Carolina, about five hours from this beach.
How you buy: The Recon through a Jeep dealer, one price in writing through this program. The R2 and the Traveler direct from the maker at a fixed price, with no dealer in the middle.

How they feel

What the beach will tell you

Two of these have been driven by reviewers; the third exists as prototypes and projections. Here is what is known about each, and where it shows itself on the drive up North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road up the Outer Banks, and on the sand north of Corolla.

Jeep Recon MoabThe one that is a Jeep

Highway 12

Two motors, 650 horsepower and 620 pound-feet, and Jeep claims 3.6 seconds to 60. On the road leg through Duck it is the quickest thing on this page, and the quietest Jeep you have ever been in, because there is no engine to hear.

Climbing in

Square, upright and recognizably a Jeep inside, with the removable doors and rear quarter glass that no other electric SUV offers. On our drives the doors stay on.

Soft sand

Selec-Terrain has a Sand mode, the Moab adds a Rock mode and a 15:1 final drive at the back, and the 33-inch tires aired down give it the biggest footprint here. Instant torque is a gift in soft sand; the question is how much of the 222 miles it spends doing it.

The battery

222 miles EPA, the shortest here, with charging from 5 to 80 percent in about 28 minutes. On a beach day you leave Kitty Hawk full, drive about 22 miles of road each way, and spend three hours on sand in between. That is well inside 222, but it is not a vehicle you take to the Virginia line with a quarter charge.

Who falls for it

The Jeep person who wants the doors off and the electric torque, and is buying the badge as much as the range.

Rivian R2The one with the range and the price

Highway 12

The dual-motor Performance makes 656 horsepower and matches the Recon’s 3.6 seconds to 60; the Premium is 450 horsepower and 4.6 seconds. Rivian’s reputation is for a vehicle that rides and steers more like a good car than a truck, which is what you notice on the patched pavement.

Climbing in

Smaller than the R1S, bigger inside than it looks, with the party trick of a rear window that powers down into the tailgate. Nothing comes off.

Soft sand

9.8 inches of ground clearance, the most here on paper, and dual-motor all-wheel drive on the Premium and Performance. The single-motor Standard is rear-wheel drive and not a beach vehicle; buy the dual-motor one.

The battery

Up to 330 miles on the dual-motor trims, the most here on battery alone, and 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. For a beach day that is a comfortable margin, with the same rule as any EV: no charger past Corolla.

Who falls for it

The buyer who wants the most range for the least money, is fine buying from a website, and doesn’t need the doors off.

Scout TravelerThe one built down the road

Highway 12

No reviewer has driven a production Traveler. What Scout has said: a body-on-frame platform with four-wheel drive, front and rear locking differentials, and an 800-volt system. Expect it to feel more like a truck on the road than the R2, by design.

Climbing in

Seating for up to six with a front bench, and a Cabana roof that slides open across one of the largest roof openings in any SUV. That is the top opening, which is how we like them.

Soft sand

Lockers at both ends is serious hardware for the soft stuff, and body-on-frame is how every pickup on this beach is built. Ground clearance and tire size are not yet published.

The battery

Up to 350 miles projected on battery, or 500 or more with the range extender, a small gas engine that charges the battery and never drives the wheels. On a beach with no charger, that is the feature the other two can’t answer: the sand can drain the battery and the engine puts it back.

Who falls for it

The buyer who wants electric at the wheels and gas as a safety net, likes that it is built in the Carolinas, and can wait for 2027.

Range on sand

The sticker range is not the beach range

Soft sand is the hardest mile a vehicle drives. The tires sink, the drivetrain works, and energy use climbs well past anything the EPA cycle measures. Every electric vehicle sees it; an electric 4x4 at 18–20 psi sees it all afternoon.

There is no charger north of Corolla. The beach leg is about three hours on sand, 22 miles of road each way, and nowhere to plug in between. You leave Kitty Hawk full and plan the day on a fraction of the sticker.

Which is why the range extender matters. The Recon and the R2 ask you to budget the battery. The Traveler carries a gas engine that recharges it as you go, so the day on the sand is a fuel question, not a range question. Scout says about 80 percent of its reservation holders chose it.

And why driving it first matters more than the spec sheet. How much of the battery a beach day really costs is the one number no maker publishes. It is the number you find out here.

A Jeep on the Carova 4x4 beach with wild horses grazing by the dunes. — The Carova beach: sand all the way to the Virginia line, and no charger

The spec sheet, kept short

The few numbers that matter on sand

Recon from Jeep’s launch figures and the EPA estimate; R2 from Rivian’s trim announcement; Traveler from Scout’s own site, where every figure is a projection for a vehicle not yet in production.

	Jeep Recon Moab	Rivian R2	Scout Traveler
Status	On sale now; Moab is the only trim orderable	Performance deliveries from spring 2026; Premium late 2026; Standard first half of 2027	Initial production targeted for 2027, subject to change; reservations open
Power	Battery electric, dual motor, 650 hp, 620 lb-ft	Dual motor: 656 hp Performance, 450 hp Premium. Single-motor Standard 350 hp, rear-drive	Battery electric, or electric with a gasoline range extender; output not published
Range	222 miles, EPA	Up to 330 miles dual-motor, up to 345 single-motor (Rivian estimate)	Up to 350 miles battery; 500 or more with range extender (Scout projection)
0–60 mph	3.6 seconds (Jeep)	3.6 seconds Performance; 4.6 Premium; 5.9 Standard	Not published
Four-wheel drive	Dual-motor all-wheel drive; Selec-Terrain with Sand and Rock modes; 15:1 rear final drive on Moab	Dual-motor all-wheel drive on Premium and Performance; Standard is rear-drive only	Four-wheel drive, front and rear locking differentials
Ground clearance	9.1 inches	9.8 inches	Not published
Tires	33-inch	Not published	Not published
Construction	Unibody, STLA Large platform	Unibody	Body-on-frame
Opens up	Removable doors, rear quarter glass and swing-gate glass	Rear window lowers into the tailgate; quarter windows pop open	Sliding Cabana roof
Charging	5 to 80 percent in about 28 minutes	10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes; NACS port	NACS port; speeds not published
Seats	5	5	Up to 6, with front bench
Starting price	$66,995 including destination (Moab)	$48,490 Standard; $53,990 Premium; $57,990 Performance, before taxes and fees	Under $60,000 expected for the entry model
How you buy	Jeep dealer; one price in writing through this program	Direct from Rivian, fixed price	Direct from Scout, fixed price

Figures as published by the makers and the reviews listed below, checked November 1, 2026. Scout Traveler figures are internal targets, not EPA ratings, and may change before production.

Why this beach

The beach is the road

There is no pavement north of Corolla. Homes in Carova are reached over the sand, so this is real four-wheel drive on soft and packed sand, not a loop around the block.

The road leg is part of the test. About 45 minutes up Highway 12 through Duck and Corolla each way. In an electric vehicle, that leg also tells you what the trip home will cost the battery.

You’ll know by the time you air back up. Half a day is long enough to know whether the range you have is the range you need.

A Jeep Wrangler on the Carova beach with wild horses grazing by the dunes. — A Wrangler and wild horses on the Carova beach

Questions

Straight answers

Can an electric 4x4 drive the Carova beach?

Yes, and people do. Four-wheel drive, aired down to 18–20 psi, is what the sand asks for, and all three of these have it. What changes is the arithmetic: soft sand draws far more energy per mile than pavement, so the range figure on the sticker is not the range you have on the beach. Plan the day on a fraction of it.

Which one can I actually drive on the beach today?

The Jeep Recon. It is on sale now, and Jeep is a program brand, so it can go on the sand through our Jeep dealer. The Rivian R2 is in its first deliveries and sold direct by Rivian, and the Scout Traveler is a 2027 vehicle sold direct by Scout; neither is bookable here yet.

Is there a charger on the beach?

No. There is no pavement north of Corolla and no charging on the Carova beach. You charge before Duck and plan the beach leg on what you bring. That is the whole case for the Scout’s range extender: a small gas engine that recharges the battery while you drive, so the sand never has the last word.

Why does the Recon cost so much more than the R2?

Because it is sold in one trim for now, the Moab, which is the top of the range: 650 horsepower, 33-inch tires, locking rear axle and the doors come off. The R2 Performance that competes with it is $57,990 before taxes and fees. A base R2 at $48,490 is a rear-drive vehicle and not a beach vehicle; the beach needs the dual-motor version.

What is a range extender?

A small gasoline engine that never drives the wheels. It runs a generator that recharges the battery, so the vehicle is always electric at the wheels but can keep going on gas when the battery is low. Scout calls its version the Harvester and projects 500 miles or more with it, against about 350 on battery alone.

Do the doors come off?

On the Recon, yes: removable doors, removable rear quarter glass and swing-gate glass, which Jeep says makes it the only electric SUV you can open up that way. The R2 drops its rear window into the tailgate and pops the quarter windows. The Traveler has a sliding Cabana roof that opens the top. On our drives everything stays on; the Recon’s doors stay on and the tops open.

When does the Scout Traveler arrive?

Scout targets initial production in 2027, subject to change, at its plant in Blythewood, South Carolina. Reservations are open with a refundable deposit. It is a concept-stage vehicle today, and every figure for it on this page is Scout’s projection, not a measured number.

Can I compare one of these with a gas 4x4 the same day?

Yes. Book a Recon and a Wrangler or Bronco, bring a second driver who is 25 or older, and swap at the Virginia line so you each drive both. $325 a vehicle, five and a half hours each.

The Carolina Auto Program · Open all year

Wondering what sand does to a battery? Request a Recon drive.

Book your drive

Pick your date

$325 a vehicle for the full five and a half hours, any month of the year. Request a date on the main page, pick the Recon, and we confirm by email the same day, with the booking link and the online license and insurance check. Questions? Call or text (252) 564-4218.

Electric against gas, same day

$325 a vehicle

Book the Recon and a Wrangler or Bronco, bring a second driver who is 25 or older, and swap at the Virginia line so you each drive both. Half a day each.