Electrical automobiles are inseparable from newness, whether or not it’s new tech, new designs, or new corporations like Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla. However the Volkswagen Group’s new EV-only model additionally depends closely on the previous.
Unveiled Thursday, the Scout Traveler electrical SUV and Scout Terra electrical pickup truck are fashionable interpretations of the traditional Worldwide Harvester Scout. Manufactured from 1961 to 1980, the unique Scout helped popularize the thought of the rugged, off-road-capable utility automobile, setting the stage for contemporary SUVs.
VW cherry-picked the historic Scout identify for what’s in any other case a brand new enterprise, giving the automaker the off-road automobiles that had been beforehand lacking from its U.S. lineup and an excuse to silo growth and gross sales from its different manufacturers. Scout Motors will manufacture the Traveler and Terra at a brand new manufacturing unit in South Carolina, with each fashions anticipated to reach in 2027.
Previous-school in and out
With their relentlessly sq. exteriors, the Traveler and Terra definitely seize the look of the outdated Worldwide Scout. However the similarities are greater than pores and skin deep as a result of, like the unique Scout and different vehicles of its period, the Scout EVs function body-on-frame development, mechanical four-wheel-drive methods, and stable rear axles.
With these old-school underpinnings, the Traveler and Terra have as a lot in frequent with gasoline off-roaders just like the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota Land Cruiser as they do with different EVs. The one firm that’s come near doing one thing like this with an EV is Bollinger Motors, and it’s lengthy since pivoted to business automobiles.
In an identical vein, Scout interiors aren’t nearly tech for tech’s sake. Patrons will nonetheless get a 16.2-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, however all switchgear is analog. You additionally received’t discover any fancy (and fragile) digital door handles like in lots of different EVs. Scout will even supply a entrance bench seat — one thing that went out of style with the final Buick Century — along with extra typical particular person entrance seats with a middle console.
Gasoline-truck functionality
The Scout EVs are in contrast to anything within the VW Group portfolio, and that’s as a result of they provide functionality in contrast to something from the automaker’s present manufacturers. Scout guarantees a most towing capability of 10,000 kilos for the Terra pickup — surpassing most gasoline midsize pickups — and seven,000 kilos for the Traveler SUV. Each fashions additionally boast a 2,000-pound payload capability.
To maximise off-road functionality, each vehicles are designed to accommodate 35-inch tires, serving to present as much as 12 inches of floor clearance and 36 inches of water-fording functionality. They may even be out there with disconnecting entrance sway bars and entrance and rear mechanical locking differentials, the latter dealing with as much as 1,000 pound-feet of torque. That can assist get each automobiles from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, Scout estimates.
The usual all-electric variations purpose for 350 miles of vary, however Scout may even supply a range-extended powertrain dubbed Harvester, with a gasoline engine appearing as a generator to assist recharge the battery pack. Typical DC quick charging is by way of a Tesla-style North American Charging Customary (NACS) connector. The Scout automobiles function an 800-volt electrical structure that permits for quick charging at up 350 kilowatts, plus bidirectional charging that permits the vehicles to behave as cell energy sources. The Terra additionally has AC retailers constructed into its 5.5-foot mattress.
Forging a brand new path
Pricing has crept up a bit since 2023, when Scout CEO Scott Keogh stated the model’s SUV would begin at round $40,000. Scout now expects each the SUV and pickup to retail for round $60,000, though it expects pricing to be nearer to $50,000 for the SUV and $51,500 for the pickup as soon as incentives are factored in. Beginning immediately, prospects can put down a $100 refundable deposit to order one. Gross sales can be on-line, however Keogh guarantees Scout received’t promote buyer knowledge.
Even these costs undercut the Rivian R1T and R1S (to not point out the GMC Hummer EV and electrical Mercedes-Benz G-Class) though Rivian plans to debut its $45,000 R2 SUV in 2026. The Wrangler-like Jeep Recon can be anticipated to beat the Scout EVs to market with a 2025 arrival.
If the driving expertise is as authentically retro because the spec sheets recommend, although, Scout will stand out from the quite a few different electrical off-roaders crowding trailheads and charging stations. Electrical energy doesn’t require throwing out different acquainted features of vehicles, however Scout could be the first model to go all the best way down that path.
