The Volkswagen Group made waves again in 2022 when it introduced it will 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 data 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 unique 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 may have an electrical motor at every axle and an 800-volt battery pack of unknown measurement. The model is focusing on a most torque determine of 1,000 pound-feet, which can 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 certainly be lower-powered variations provided. Charging might be completed with an NACS port, and the Scouts may have 350-kW fast-charging and bi-directional charging capabilities. Most vary might be a Scout-estimated 350 miles.
Along with the usual totally electrical setup that had been promised from the beginning, Scout stunned us by asserting that each the Terra and Traveler might be provided with an non-compulsory range-extender, a small gas-powered engine that acts as a generator for the electrical motors and battery and can enhance 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 preserve the packaging and efficiency advantages of an EV. So as to accomplish that, my guess is it is going to be a three- or four-cylinder engine mounted someplace across the rear axle, underneath the pickup mattress or SUV ground alongside a most likely small gas tank, to retain the inside packaging and frunk.
No matter powertrain selection, the Scouts may have critical capabilities and actual truck attributes. The body-on-frame platform is newly developed only for Scout and seemingly received’t be utilized by another Volkswagen Group merchandise (although who is aware of how lengthy that can final), and it has a stable 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 may have near 2,000 kilos of payload capability. Scout says the vehicles may have over 12 inches of floor clearance, virtually three ft of water fording functionality and “aggressive” method and departure angles. Different goodies embrace a entrance sway bar disconnect, mechanical entrance and rear lockers, and tires as much as 35 inches in measurement. Scout says there might be completely different suspension choices, however hasn’t mentioned what they are going to be. Out there from the manufacturing unit might be a spread of equipment like auxiliary lights, off-road bumpers with a heavy-duty winch and facet steps. Scout can even have powered equipment that may be managed by 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 feel Scout’s Michigan-based design staff, 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 similar, they usually each look fairly large. Scout hasn’t given any dimensions but, however the Terra has a 5-foot-5-inch mattress, a complete 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 large enough 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 light-weight setups, which I feel 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 might 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 wished 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 important tie-in with the previous Scouts, and the present automobile has a contrasting roof that appears nice. Among the finest particulars on the Traveler is the cut up tailgate, which creates a pleasant spot to sit down on or load gadgets into the seemingly spacious cargo space, and it has a spare tire service that swings out individually and allegedly has “minimal impression” to the aerodynamics. The Terra has an underbody spare service that may maintain tires as much as 33 inches, or a bed-mounted service 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, nevertheless it seems to be actually good. Sure, there’s a huge digital gauge cluster and an excellent larger 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 under the display. The screens are framed by two horizontal bars paying homage 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 bought regular air vents, too!
One of many largest retro touches is the provision of a bench seat for the entrance row, which might be provided on each the Terra and Traveler rather than that heart console. Scout can even provide the Traveler with what it calls the Cabana Prime, a sliding material sunroof that provides one of many largest 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 variety 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 incredible mixture of tan leather-based and gray material all through, with loads of contrasting stitching and aluminum accents, however crucially decrease sections are product of extra sturdy plastics so that you received’t really feel dangerous about beating them up. Scout says the inside is made with sustainable supplies, although no particulars got.
The personalizable infotainment system is named 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 are able to see an enormous map view dominating the display, and a row of shortcut buttons on the backside for generally used options and methods. The speedometer show seems to be to be a retro horizontal design, which I’m into.
Scout says each the Traveler may have retail costs beginning at underneath $60,000, with the figures going as little as $50,000 with obtainable incentives — meaning the beginning value will doubtless be $57,500, with the federal tax credit score taking it to the magic $50,000 mark, and people costs most likely don’t embrace vacation spot. The Terra, in the meantime, can even begin underneath $60,000 and go as little as $51,500 with incentives. If Scout can follow these numbers, that’ll be a fairly killer value, undercutting present electrical vehicles just like the Rivian and Ford F-150 Lightning. In fact, higher-end fashions will definitely be much more costly, and we don’t know the way 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 can 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 might be an “unique” Scout retail community consisting of devoted retail areas and Workshops that can deal with hands-on experiences, take a look at drives and servicing. Scout says 80 % of repairs could be accomplished outdoors of the the Workshops, seemingly with at-home servicing, and the vehicles may have “aggressive value of possession by sturdy repairability.”
The groundbreaking of Scout’s model new manufacturing unit in South Carolina solely simply occurred earlier this 12 months, and whereas manufacturing was initially set to begin 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 largest issues with these new vehicles. By the point they lastly enter manufacturing, we’ll have seen some huge leaps in EV expertise in functionality. Numerous firms are engaged on solid-state batteries that can launch over the subsequent few years, and hell, you should buy a Rivian proper now that has a spread of over 400 miles.
Nonetheless, I feel the brand new Scouts are superior, and I feel they nonetheless might be superior once they hit the roads a number of years from now. Volkswagen Group simply may have fucked this up, and not less than from what we all know thus far, it doesn’t appear to have. American customers actually do love and need respectable trucky pickups and SUVs, and that’s what the reborn Scout is delivering.
