The Volkswagen Group made waves again in 2022 when it introduced it could be reviving the Scout nameplate for a brand new model of American-built totally electrical vehicles and SUVs, however we hadn’t gotten a lot concrete information concerning the upcoming Scouts past some teasers and learnings gleaned from speaking with the CEO. Till now, that’s. Enter the brand new Scout Terra pickup and Traveler SUV — each names taken from authentic Worldwide Harvester fashions — which had been simply revealed at a sprawling property outdoors Nashville. Technically these are simply idea automobiles, however Scout representatives promise they’re fairly near the manufacturing fashions that can launch in 2027.
We don’t have many powertrain particulars but, however the electrical Scouts could have an electrical motor at every axle and an 800-volt battery pack of unknown dimension. The model is focusing on a most torque determine of 1,000 pound-feet, which is able to ship the vehicles from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.5 seconds and permit them to climb 100-percent grades. No horsepower figures got, and there’ll absolutely be lower-powered variations provided. Charging shall be completed with an NACS port, and the Scouts could have 350-kW fast-charging and bi-directional charging capabilities. Most vary shall be a Scout-estimated 350 miles.
Along with the usual totally electrical setup that had been promised from the beginning, Scout stunned us by saying that each the Terra and Traveler shall be provided with an optionally available range-extender, a small gas-powered engine that acts as a generator for the electrical motors and battery and can improve the utmost vary to greater than 500 miles. Scout is looking this EREV (prolonged vary electrical automobile) setup the Harvester, a callback to the corporate’s roots, and it says going for the EREV will keep the packaging and efficiency advantages of an EV. With the intention to accomplish that, my guess is it will likely be a three- or four-cylinder engine mounted someplace across the rear axle, underneath the pickup mattress or SUV flooring alongside a in all probability small gasoline tank, to retain the inside packaging and frunk.
No matter powertrain selection, the Scouts could have severe capabilities and actual truck attributes. The body-on-frame platform is newly developed only for Scout and seemingly received’t be utilized by some other Volkswagen Group merchandise (although who is aware of how lengthy that can final), and it has a strong rear axle. The Terra will be capable to tow greater than 10,000 kilos whereas the Traveler will pull over 7,000 kilos, and each fashions could have near 2,000 kilos of payload capability. Scout says the vehicles could have over 12 inches of floor clearance, nearly three toes of water fording functionality and “aggressive” strategy and departure angles. Different goodies embody a entrance sway bar disconnect, mechanical entrance and rear lockers, and tires as much as 35 inches in dimension. Scout says there shall be totally different suspension choices, however hasn’t stated what they are going to be. Obtainable from the manufacturing facility shall be a variety of equipment like auxiliary lights, off-road bumpers with a heavy-duty winch and facet steps. Scout will even have powered equipment that may be managed by means of inside switches or the cellular app.
All of that’s effectively and good, but when the design is a flop none of it issues. Fortunately, I believe Scout’s Michigan-based design workforce, lead by former Jeep designer Chris Benjamin, completely nailed it. Each the Terra and Traveler are the right combination of retro and fashionable, with sufficient throwback cues to tie into the previous Scouts with out being too kitschy. Unsurprisingly, from the B-pillars ahead the 2 fashions are an identical, they usually each look fairly large. Scout hasn’t given any dimensions but, however the Terra has a 5-foot-5-inch mattress, an entire foot longer than the Rivian R1T’s. The entrance overhangs are tremendous quick and the hoods aren’t too lengthy both, however each Scouts have a frunk that’s sufficiently big to carry golf golf equipment, a gymnasium bag and a cooler.
The Scouts have a particular upright face with a black “masks” that’s a pleasant nod to the unique fashions’ large grilles. A serrated mild strip surrounds the complete masks, and the oblong headlights on the ends have a horizontal mild strip bisecting them that’s then matched by a small marker mild on the entrance fender edge. The rear ends have equally sized and formed masks and lightweight setups, which I believe seems to be particularly cool on the pickup. The corporate caught with a traditional Scout script for the badging, which is offset and illuminated at each ends.
Rugged sorts shall be completely happy to see that the Scouts have actual bumpers protruding from each the entrance and rear ends, with skid plate parts, distinguished tow hooks and built-in lights. The facet skirts are thick black plastic, however in any other case there’s not a lot in the best way of aggressive off-road styling — Scout says it needed the vehicles to “outline their rugged functionality with out add-on cladding or different adornments.” The fenders are actually properly flared, with solely a slim plastic bit on the edges, and the Scouts have softly sculpted broad shoulders.
The Traveler’s rear quarter window kicks up on the thick D-pillar, an incredible tie-in with the previous Scouts, and the present automobile has a contrasting roof that appears nice. The most effective particulars on the Traveler is the break up tailgate, which creates a pleasant spot to take a seat on or load objects into the seemingly spacious cargo space, and it has a spare tire provider that swings out individually and allegedly has “minimal affect” to the aerodynamics. The Terra has an underbody spare provider that may maintain tires as much as 33 inches, or a bed-mounted provider for the 35-inch all-terrains. That mattress has two 120-volt energy retailers and a 240-volt outlet, and the Terra has steps within the bedside proper behind the rear doorways and well-integrated seize handles on either side of the rear window that ape the form of the facet home windows.
Annoyingly, Scout solely despatched two pictures of the inside, each of the Traveler, but it surely seems to be actually good. Sure, there’s a large digital gauge cluster and a fair greater central infotainment touchscreen, however Scout put an enormous emphasis on having actual bodily controls all through the cabin, like a row of toggle switches and knobs beneath the display screen. The screens are framed by two horizontal bars harking back to the dashboards in previous Scouts, and the multi-tiered heart console has a lot of space for storing and USB-C ports. It’s obtained regular air vents, too!
One of many greatest retro touches is the provision of a bench seat for the entrance row, which shall be provided on each the Terra and Traveler rather than that heart console. Scout will even supply the Traveler with what it calls the Cabana Prime, a sliding cloth sunroof that provides one of many greatest openings of any SUV. You’ll additionally be capable to spec your Scout with a panoramic glass sunroof that fortunately has a powered sunshade. There are a selection of buttons and switches on the entrance of the roof, together with a cool spherical compass.
I actually just like the ’70s-style steering wheel that has rotary knobs and the beginning/cease button built-in within the decrease part, and the shifter is column-mounted to offer extra inside house. This present automobile has an improbable mixture of tan leather-based and gray cloth all through, with loads of contrasting stitching and aluminum accents, however crucially decrease sections are fabricated from extra sturdy plastics so that you received’t really feel unhealthy about beating them up. Scout says the inside is made with sustainable supplies, although no particulars got.
The personalizable infotainment system known as the Scout Neighborhood UX, described as being “versatile, configurable and easy-to-use” and constructed on a “fashionable zonal software program structure” with over-the-air updates and distant diagnostics. We will see an enormous map view dominating the display screen, and a row of shortcut buttons on the backside for generally used options and techniques. The speedometer show seems to be to be a retro horizontal design, which I’m into.
Scout says each the Traveler could have retail costs beginning at underneath $60,000, with the figures going as little as $50,000 with obtainable incentives — which means the beginning value will seemingly be $57,500, with the federal tax credit score taking it to the magic $50,000 mark, and people costs in all probability don’t embody vacation spot. The Terra, in the meantime, will even begin underneath $60,000 and go as little as $51,500 with incentives. If Scout can stick with these numbers, that’ll be a fairly killer value, undercutting present electrical vehicles just like the Rivian and Ford F-150 Lightning. After all, higher-end fashions will definitely be much more costly, and we don’t understand how a lot the range-extender will add onto the worth. The corporate is accepting reservations now to the tune of a refundable $100 charge, which is able to allow you to decide your mannequin and powertrain and reserve your spot in line.
As for a way gross sales and servicing will work, Scout’s doing it equally to different electrical startups by working with a direct gross sales mannequin. Scout guarantees “full value transparency” and a seamless on-line buying expertise that may be completed in minutes. There shall be an “unique” Scout retail community consisting of devoted retail areas and Workshops that can deal with hands-on experiences, check drives and servicing. Scout says 80 p.c of repairs could be accomplished outdoors of the the Workshops, seemingly with at-home servicing, and the vehicles could have “aggressive value of possession by means of strong repairability.”
The groundbreaking of Scout’s model new manufacturing facility in South Carolina solely simply occurred earlier this yr, and whereas manufacturing was initially set to start out in 2026, that has been pushed again to a while in 2027 — a date the corporate says is predicated on present projections and topic to vary. Therein lies one of many greatest issues with these new vehicles. By the point they lastly enter manufacturing, we’ll have seen some large leaps in EV expertise in functionality. A number of corporations are engaged on solid-state batteries that can launch over the subsequent few years, and hell, you should purchase a Rivian proper now that has a variety of over 400 miles.
Nonetheless, I believe the brand new Scouts are superior, and I believe they nonetheless shall be superior after they hit the roads a couple of years from now. Volkswagen Group simply might have fucked this up, and not less than from what we all know thus far, it doesn’t appear to have. American shoppers actually do love and wish legit trucky pickups and SUVs, and that’s what the reborn Scout is delivering.
