The Volkswagen-funded Scout brand is bringing back a truck and SUV marque that has been dead for over 40 years, and since 2022 we’ve all been curious what’s going to come of it. But now we have an answer: These are the first two Scout products, and they look absolutely incredible.
The SUV is called the Traveler and the truck is the Terra — names derived from SUV and pickup models (respectively) from the brand’s past. And like those models, these new machines will be body-on-frame, solid-axle off-roaders that try to keep things (relatively) simple. They’re not promising autonomy. They don’t shove every button into a touchscreen. The doors don’t require some weird electromechanical switch. These are two off-road machines that happened to be propelled by electric motors, and they’re starting at a reasonable $50,000 for the Traveler SUV and $51,500 for the Terra pickup. (This is after incentives; retail prices are around $60,000).
Let’s just get straight to the most exciting news: Range Extender. Yes, even though the Traveler and Terra will be offered as fully electric models with about 350 miles of range, there will be 500-mile-range EREV models available. This is huge news.
A Gasoline Range-Extender Called ‘Harvester’
Modern EV technology simply does not allow for a pickup truck or towing/off-road-focused SUV to be built with good range at a reasonable price. It is not possible.
Look at any modern EV pickup truck, and you’ll see that towing performance is poor unless you shove in a humongous, heavy, expensive battery. And any off-road-focused EV has a similar issue of high cost and high weight. What’s more, a fully electric vehicle has significantly limited market appeal when compared with a hybrid, as many EV skeptics remain concerned about infrastructure.
What’s more, huge-battery-equipped BEVs actually can be worse for the environment than range-extended EVs simply because the former often requires 1000 pounds of battery material to solve a range anxiety issue that the latter solves with just a small aluminum motor and generator. Even EV company Lucid’s CEO told me recently: “It Is Not Possible To Make An Affordable Pickup Truck Without An Internal Combustion Engine.”
So this is a moment to celebrate. Scout, like Ram with its Ramcharger, is listening, and they’re building a product that makes sense. An Extended Range EV (EREV) basically acts as an electric vehicle, but when the battery runs low, a small gasoline engine fires up and charges the battery to allow you to continue to drive. It is a truly brilliant powertrain solution and the right one for America in the near and even relatively distant future. From Scout:
From the start, Scout Motors was established as a company that listens to and is guided by consumers. As the shift to electric vehicles accelerates and the mass market more seriously considers electric vehicle adoption, some U.S. drivers have expressed concerns about the ability to recharge while on the road.
Scout Motors listened. The Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck will offer an optional extended range electric vehicle (EREV) energy system, called Harvester. A proprietary Scout EREV energy system will unlock freedom on the road while still delivering off-road capability.
With a small internal combustion engine added to the energy system, the gas-powered engine will recharge the vehicle’s high voltage battery, extending the range to more than an estimated 500 miles while maintaining the electric drive system’s instant response and off-road performance.
With the option to refuel anywhere you can find a pump or a plug, all while maintaining the packaging and performance benefits of an electric vehicle, the Harvester energy system will deliver the benefits customers want in a lifestyle that works for them.
Bravo Scout! Bravo! The benefits of this powertrain are huge, and I recommend you read this piece to learn more. Climate change is about cumulative emissions, and range-extended EVs allow for more people to drive electric as soon as possible.
Off-Road Hardware, Absurd Speed
Scout is billing its brand as a “Connection Machine,” with the focus being on connecting a community of people who love off-roaders, not on connecting Bluetooth devices to fancy infotainment systems that will do everything for you. It’s a back-to-basics approach, with plenty of capability as the main focus. Towing capacity is 10,000 pounds for the Terra and 7,000 for the Traveler, thanks to an estimated 1,000 lb-ft of torque, with each vehicle offering a 2,000-pound payload capacity. Zero to 60 mph will happen in as little as 3.5 seconds, which is just absurd, even if we’ve gotten used to such ridiculous times in EVs.
Let’s get to the off-road goodies: A solid rear axle. How is Scout pulling this off on an EV? I still don’t actually know, but I can’t wait to find out. Here’s a bit from Scout on the body-on-frame platform, the 35-inch tires, the three feet of water fording capability, and the mechanical locker for the electric motor powering each axle:
The Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck will be built on an all-new and proprietary body-on-frame platform with a solid rear axle that is designed to deliver credible capability and off-road performance. The platform is projected to deliver more than 10,000 pounds of towing on the Terra truck, over 7,000 pounds of towing on the Traveler SUV, and nearly 2,000 pounds of payload on both models. In addition, the platform is intended to offer up to 35-inch tires, over 1 foot of ground clearance, nearly 3 feet of water fording capability, a front sway bar disconnect, front and rear mechanical lockers, competitive approach and departure angles, and robust suspension options.
Scout vehicle capability will largely be controlled through a tactile experience. From mechanical door handles, to grab bars, to switches and dials, Scout vehicles will provide a real hands-on user experience.
800-Volt Electric Architecture, 350 kW Charging
The Scout Traveler and Terra will each be built using an 800-volt architecture, so they should charge up rather quickly. “Scout vehicles will use the North American Charging Standard (NACS), 800-volt (V) architecture,” the brand says, with “up to 350-kilowatt charging capability, and will be capable of bi-directional charging.” This means you can charge it, and you can use it to charge other things, like, say, your house after a power outage.
The Perfect Cargo Setup
The ultimate cargo setup in an SUV is simple: A front trunk (frunk) at the nose, and a rear tailgate with a swing-out tire carrier. Frunks are fun and useful, tailgates are fun and useful, and the best place for a spare tire is on the back of a vehicle.
Scout absolutely nailed this. From Scout:
The Scout Traveler SUV and Terra truck are designed as versatile multitools with durable
materials and flexible cargo areas throughout. Both vehicles will include a front trunk capable of fitting golf clubs, a gym bag, and a small cooler, as well as powering multiple devices with 120V and USB-C power outlets.[…]
The Scout Terra truck was designed from the outset with a right-sized 5.5-foot bed. The Scout Traveler SUV offers a rear spare tire carrier that intentionally integrates into the body structure and the graphic of the rear mask, carrying up to a full 35-inch spare with minimal impact to aerodynamics. The Scout Terra truck offers an underbody spare tire carrier for sizes up to 33 inches and an optional in-bed tire carrier for 35-inch all-terrain tires.
I’m curious to see where the range extender will be packaged.
Open-Tops, But Not Removable
The tops on the new Scout models aren’t removable like they are on old Scouts, but that doesn’t mean there’s no open-air fun to be had. Scout says there are “multiple available roof types” that will “offer an open–air experience, but with a refined, quality execution that doesn’t distract from the experience.” There’s a Cabana Top, which Scout says will be one of the largest roof openings of any SUV, plus there will be a huge glass roof with power sunshade.
A Direct-Sales Model
Scout plans to sell its Traveler and Terra directly to consumers.”As an independent American company and startup, Scout Motors is building everything from the ground up—its teams, its factory, its vehicles, and now its own customer experience that is powered by an exclusive Scout Motors retail network,” the brand states.
The company says it will sell and service Scouts directly. “From reservations and vehicle sales to delivery and service, Scout Motors supports the consumer directly. One company, one app, one login, one experience, the brand continues, promising full price transparency and purchase transactions that can be done in minutes. The brand is building workshops and other retail spaces for test drives, servicing, and other in-person interactions.
Scout Promises REPAIRABILITY
Here’s an exciting promise: Scout says its vehicles will be repairable. In a world where a light tap to the back of a Rivian can cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix, this is a huge deal. From Scout:
Scout vehicles are designed for competitive cost of ownership through robust repairability and flexible serviceability. From engineering and manufacturing to the Scout Motors national collision partner network, Scout vehicles will be ready for the real world. Approximately 80 percent of repair types can be completed outside of a Scout Workshop, whether in a driveway or while adventuring.
I’m looking forward to learning more details about this soon. Does this mean there won’t be large aluminum castings?
The Interior
We only have one photo of the Scouts’ interior, which I assume will be mostly common between the two models. The photo looks beautiful. There are nice two-tone seats, two screens, a row of buttons for HVAC and radio controls, and — wait, is this the ultimate in shifters? Is that a column shifter? Holy crap that’s a column shifter!:
Here’s Scout’s description of its interior:
The interiors of the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck follow the same design philosophy: simple and bold, tactile, and fit for purpose, while keeping the customer and how they will use the vehicle at the forefront of the design process.
The instrument panel is defined by a bold upper brow and deep undercut, reminiscent of the original Scout II, with a lower bar that defines the horizontality of the interior layout and frames the screens in between. The center display is complimented by a bank of toggle switches and knobs for easy use of the climate controls.
The Traveler SUV maximizes storage on the inside with a multifunctional console, while the Terra truck solidifies the Connection Machine™ with the available front row bench seat. Customers can choose what is right for them; the multifunctional console and bench seat will be available to order in both the Traveler and Terra models.
The vehicle interiors feature clean, modern lines; durable, sustainable materials; and real knobs and tactile controls combined with Scout Community UX™, a digital user interface that is flexible, configurable, and easy-to-use by both drivers and passengers.
Scout Community UX™
The interiors of the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck follow the same design philosophy: simple and bold, tactile, and fit for purpose, while keeping the customer and how they will use the vehicle at the forefront of the design process.
The instrument panel is defined by a bold upper brow and deep undercut, reminiscent of the original Scout II, with a lower bar that defines the horizontality of the interior layout and frames the screens in between. The center display is complimented by a bank of toggle switches and knobs for easy use of the climate controls.
The Traveler SUV maximizes storage on the inside with a multifunctional console, while the Terra truck solidifies the Connection Machine™ with the available front row bench seat. Customers can choose what is right for them; the multifunctional console and bench seat will be available to order in both the Traveler and Terra models.
The vehicle interiors feature clean, modern lines; durable, sustainable materials; and real knobs and tactile controls combined with Scout Community UX™, a digital user interface that is flexible, configurable, and easy-to-use by both drivers and passengers.Scout Community UX™
The Scout UX is developed to bring people together while in the vehicle. With a combination of thoughtfully developed hardware and knobs, complemented by an easy-to-use digital interface, Scout Community UX is designed to be a versatile multitool and helpful companion.Scout Community UX intentionally does not bury features in menus or screens but rather provides a combination of tactile buttons and knobs with a right-sized, highly responsive digital interface. Together, they ensure intuitive, low-effort interaction and a cohesive user experience.
Scout Community UX intentionally does not bury features in menus or screens but rather provides a combination of tactile buttons and knobs with a right-sized, highly responsive digital interface. Together, they ensure intuitive, low-effort interaction and a cohesive user experience.
I bolded the last bit because I love it. Simplicity. Buttons. Ease of use!
UPDATE: There’s a bench seat option!
David really lost his shit over this one and actually fainted for a moment, falling heavily to the ground while standing amongst the other journalists. He actually said this in Slack:
“It’s like they built this for me
You Can Pre-Order Now
There’s a lot more to the Scout that I haven’t mentioned. The brand says it will offer a bunch of accessories like lights, steps, power things that you can charge with the vehicle, bumpers, winches, etc. etc. And even though Scout preaches a philosophy of simplicity, there will be over-the-air capability, lots of cameras, and plenty of stuff accessed through touchscreens. But not the annoying stuff.
Production is targeted for 2027, and you can put in a reservation as soon as 6:30 ET on Thursday (so, basically right now) by going to the official Scout Motors website and paying $100, which is refundable.
It Looks Like The Perfect Car
This EREV powertrain, the rear-mounted spare, the tailgate, the column shifter, and the gorgeous design all make this Scout Traveler the most exciting product that I have personally covered in my entire career. It’s not just an off-roader, it’s an environmentally-conscious off-roader that’s semi-reasonably priced, easy-to-use, palatable to the masses no matter what their EV infrastructure, and it looks damn cool.
Sure, it and the Terra we see here are just “production-intent concept vehicles,” so who knows what will change as engineers in Michigan prep these things for assembly in South Carolina, but I hope the answer is: Not much. Because as they are, these Scouts — and especially the Traveler — look like perfection. Especially for this decade in auto history.
Images: Scout
I seriously considered putting a deposit down, but I’ve been burned before. Was quite excited about the New Beetle, then the neon*, then the Dart. And the form factor isn’t quite what I’ll be looking for as my first and almost certainly last new car. But, damn if what we’re being told isn’t exciting!
*The neon was more a financial decision as I couldn’t afford the ACR, and used fwd shitboxes were still cheap & plentiful at the time
So fun reading this David. Felt like I was experiencing the event first hand through you, the excitement was that intense!
On my way to work today I was thinking about towing in this thing, specifically the Terra. We have a grand Cherokee diesel and on our last big trip we filled up every 350-370 miles… while towing our 22’ 4500lbs Airstream.
My thoughts, and worries really are about road trip mileage, with the erev. The claim of 500 miles sounds okay. But let’s say it goes 125 miles on battery alone. Then that gas engine goes another 375 miles max and would be filled up every 350 miles or less on a road trip, unladen. Add a trailer in there and maybe 200 miles each fill up? Does that all add up right? I hope I’m getting something wrong here. Of course people will say you have to stop to pee every few hours so what’s the big deal but I can’t tell you how much freedom extra range gives you when pulling a trailer, able to stop when you want at rest stops or appealing vistas and just keep on going not every 200 miles due to fill up necessity, and to take the road less travelled instead of the main highways. I’m extremely excited about the new Scout and hope it will be our next adventure-mobile.
if -BIG IF- but if the electric motor is can make full power from the gas engine running at a steady rate like a lawnmower, or even just offset the heavy power drain of going freeway speeds for extended periods, the drop-off would be WAY less than with a gas engine or even a normal hybrid system… But understand, this website doesn’t have a font I can access to tell you how big… Or does it?
No, no it doesn’t
Still a great blog!
Cool. But no way am I falling for the “reserve your spot now” scam again. There is absolutely no assurance that Scout or even VW will exist in 2027 OR that these will be production ready by 2027. I want to see what cool features they are showing now that end up getting cut on production models due to “costs, production issues, supply issues, etc” for actual delivery.
I still just want a Jimny or a 70’s series LC pickup.
I am not an SUV buyer. I have zero interest in electric cars. I’ve never been much of an “offroader”. I just reserved my place in line.
They absolutely knocked this out of the park.
And I now know what my model 3 is going away to be replaced by. I love the traveler, but I have a big suv as a family car. I need a commuter with 6+ seats and a pickup bed would be nice. I may end up in the market for a bench seat equipped terra. This is amazing!
Hot take (not really): this is what the Hummer EV should have been, REX and all.
Scout nailed this, I want one but I can’t decide between the Terra or Traveler. I hope GM and Ford are taking notes
More of a cold take.
GM has sold 14,000 Hummer EV generating close to a billion dollars in revenue, while Scout is 3 years away. I can’t see how this means VW is the one doing it correctly.
GM is not making $70k per Hummer when they’re only $100K. If they had been lower in price with a range extender, we’d probably end up selling more than the one or two a month that we currently do.
Revenue isn’t profit.
Exactly my point, GM still technically loses money on every EV they build. If they had a Hummer styled vehicle that used a fraction of the batteries and had a range extender engine for a similar price they’d sell more and actually have a profit
They are selling 1400 a month and rising.
https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gmc/gmc-hummer-ev/gmc-hummer-ev-sales-numbers/
GM can barely make a high end truck WITHOUT a battery for under $100k… so there is no way they would make a range extender Hummer for LESS than the EV version.
I want to see dimensions, but… shut up and take my money.
Size & Dimensions: Scout Traveler SUV vs. R1S, Hummer SUV, Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, 4Runner, Kia EV9 | Scout Motors EV Forum – Terra Pickup & Traveler SUV Owners, News, Blog, Community
Enormous. Those are the dimensions.
That is wide enough to require “wide load” markings! Not really, but daaaaaamn.
It appears that Scout included the mirrors in their measurements, which is not the industry standard and is already causing confusion.
It is clear that this is not 5″ wider than a Hummer, this would be obvious in videos if it were the case.
It doesn’t have the marker lights required for vehicles 80″ or wider, so it’s safe to assume that this is 79.9″ fender to fender, just like every other fullsize SUV.
Really curious to see if the Traveler’s length includes the rear spare tire. Without it I’m sure the total length will be less than 200″, if the Defender with and without its rear spare tire are any indicators.
Will they also rust instantly?
Deposit made. I love this thing.
Rarely do I ever see an electric car that I would actually consider purchasing. The Ace coupe from Alpha motors is on my list but it appears to be vaporware. However, the Scout is amazing and as another reader has mentioned “this isn’t a segment that I shop in”. Typically, this is not my style and I am looking forward to this hitting the streets. Now, will it make it out of the dealership at 50k US? We will see…
All in all, I love this freakin’ thing!
These look absolutely gorgeous design-wise. I hope they can stick to those (starting prices.
Interesting tidbit — Now that Class 8 semi-tractors are predominantly equipped with automated transmissions, there’s a growing trend to move the shifter controls away from buttons on the dashboard to a column-mounted stalk. Which looks a lot like the “column shifter” in the Scout’s photos. I wonder if they’ve tapped one of the major OEM suppliers for a variant of an off-the-shelf controller.
They’re not exactly big, honkin’ levers like most of us who’ve driven column-shift automatics or even three-on-the-tree manuals. They’re smaller, stubbier fingertip controls more like GM’s infamous “hockey stick” combined turn signal/wiper/headlight stalk of the 90s; just a bit more ergonomic and refined. But overall, they give the convenience of not having to move a hand entirely off of the wheel.
It’s pretty bad that buttons and a column shifter are major plus points now.
Not bad.
Let’s see if they can keep the price point without adjusting for inflation when it comes out.
Boy is this ever a better effort than the ID.Buzz. Which annoys me, as this isn’t a segment that I shop in. Overall, it seems like Scout is listening to their actual potential customers instead of a focus group comprised of Real People from the Chevy ads. And the bench seat is 100% fucking rad. Hell yeah. So this is a good start.
But before we get too excited, VW/Scout has YEARS to tweak this thing for the worse. Most notably price, as others have said. Those range numbers sure seem optimistic, and I can’t imagine the model with the range extender is going to be attainable to most, even people with a serious new car budget.
I am a little miffed that this expensive off-road market has gotten all the attention and effort from automakers (seriously, look at all the choices you have) yet my sister just went shopping for a compact hatch, and was all but forced into an Impreza. That something I thought was being designed for someone like me in the ID.Buzz is such a disappointing, low-effort, ultra-expensive turd. And I have to wonder if the economy tanks, what’s going to happen when the only serious offerings out there are 80k SUVS? For those of you who are into that, I hope you enjoy. But I hope that someday car manufacturers give the rest of us some attention too.
Amazing how VW could flub the Microbus return so badly on the Buzz and then absolutely nail all of the points on the Scout. Knobs and switches, range extender and a BENCH seat. I never thought I’d do it for any product, but I tossed $100 into the reservation queue. The fact that you can recharge your house with an EV in these times of storms, floods and other disasters is also a huge bonus. Every EV should allow for that. It’s a rolling emergency generator.
FYI at least 1 affordable option for powering at least essentials in a desaster scenario…
Prii can and have been used as mobile generators in disaster scenarios to power home essentials for years.
Hypothetically I would think any hybrid should be capable of meeting this use case and certainly some evs have been intentionally designed with this capability (f150 lightning, Kia ev5&6 immediately come to mind).
I Do love the Scout designers & engineers are also thinking about this important use case!
Well, development was funded by VW through corporate structure, but Scout the company isn’t directly under VW control. And there’s some speculation that VW has kept its hands off because the entire corporation is acutely aware that VW itself has swung and missed too many times already. VW and Scout are distant enough in the corporate hierarchy that the association of the two names seems to have more to do with attaching something new and innovative to the VW name in order to redeem VW than it does to identify Scout as a VW-associated name.
Yeah, this seems to be a distant cousin of the Saturn system. A completely clean slate company (albeit in Scout’s case, there is some extant heritage & branding) that’s owned and funded by a major corporation, but is otherwise totally independent. Hopefully Scout doesn’t follow the same path that Saturn went down and become just another Skoda or Oldsmobile.
Now I’m going to kind of do the same, what I did not like about the ID Buzz review:
it should have a 6-7 liter straight 6 diesel as an option, without any real electrification.
(And -this doesn’t belong to my previously mentioned “dislike” of another article- it should have the shifter of large trucks, where it’s also used to set the level of braking by auxiliary brakes, while off throttle. But instead, here it could be used for adjusting regenerative braking.)
A rivian with a different name and VW reliability. HARD pass. This is not a scout, its a dressed up R1. There is nothing basic or tough about this thing and no one is going to be off roading it. Watch the price climb before the actual sale as well. Total miss imo, and not interesting at all.
A Rivian is a unibody. This is body on frame. Big difference.
your SN is like my life, shouting at clouds all day.
Maybe the frame is different and has more capability, but it looks exactly the same and thats what matters with regular shoppers. I think this thing is too similar for a neich (sp) vehicle that wasn’t going to sell big numbers no matter what. I am also a hater and pessimist! So there is that.
R1 is also pure EV, the EREV is a huge change. I do agree that they look similar, but the Rivian doesn’t have much in way of real off road capability, so I think the target audience is completely different. This will compete more against Jeeps than Rivian. And if the price legitimately comes in around $60k, it’s also a hell of a lt cheaper than the Rivian.
I have no faith in that price, literally 0 faith. And look how long the VW bus took (still ain’t for sale). Like I have said I am a pessimist, but I just really don’t think this thing is anything more than marketing hype. Jeep is dead, I might as well be competing with them right now and I don’t make cars. VW dying and this is a last desperate gasp of breath to be relevant to the US market.
We have seen this cycle like 10 times in the last 4-5 years with this massive hype on cars (bronco, Ram RTX, Raptor R etc…) that are meant to be “manly and off road kings that remind us of the glorious past” and after the initial instagram buyers get theirs, the sales plummet. This is what will happen with Scout but the initial sales will never happe. There are no dealers or support for the product. Only old people know the scout brand, so the youth will pass. And its fucking ELECTRIC only, which no one wants for an off-roader. This is a failure walking and if people get past the hype train its obvious.
I am not the market for this, but I think your pessimism is taking it 5 steps too far and ignoring the facts. Did you even read the article? It is not electric only. It’s basically a long range PHEV, which Jeep is selling by the truck load. Yes it’s electrified, but it is not only a pure EV, and if Jeep can sell the 4xe, clearly off roaders are fine with that. There is a huge market for off roaders, and electric motors have proven to be incredibly helpful when trying to rock crawl. I think this will do very well.
Relevant. https://www.theautopian.com/youre-wrong-if-you-think-the-scout-is-just-like-a-rivian/
“Jeep is dead”? What? Are we talking about the same company Jeep? The company that has sold better during the last 5 years than during any other 5 years in its history? That one, that’s more alive than ever?
I watched a video about the Rivian from a certain well known YT reviewer. He set the Rivian to its highest ride height setting and was able to easily scale a hill that is known to be very difficult for even the gnarliest of off readers. The Rivian did it like it was nothing. I’m not some kind of Rivian fan boy, but it was the real deal.
Fair enough.
Thumbs up emoji
Mrs. DBC said they want an EV convertible for the next car. The Wrangler also has come up in those “wouldn’t it be nice” conversations. I wonder if that opening roof would be close enough. It would also have enough off road chops to get us places we’d realistically go. Hmm….
Oof Jeep reliability vs. Scout (VW) reliability.
Certainly the designers, engineers and most importantly the Sr. Leaders at Scout Have to know what a terrible reputation VW has for reliability and therefore they will have an up hill battle to prove their own reliability
Fingers crossed they pull it off and make reliable products!
guy might as well buy a bus pass.
Ha yep
I drove 3 different (all watercooled) VW over 22 years.
I’m convinced VW (and German cars especially) at least over the past 25 years are intentionally created with design obsolescence in mind more that US domestic brands and Japanese brands.
I’m hoping that the Rivian tie-up makes the software side good. VW’s MEB has been generally reliable on the hardware side. It’s the awful interfaces and laggy software that dings those vehicles. Having switches on the Scout should help. If they do what they say instead of needing five flicks to get the computer to recognize the input.
Agreed.
I am curious to see how VW has built in obsolescence in to their new evs. Which we largely won’t see until enough of them get enough (+100k miles) on them to judge.
My guess is if VW evs are built like their ICE cars… their suspensions will still need to be replaced every 100k miles and supporting systems will have annoying failures like the hv battery pack cooling system, as well.as interior blower fan, windows regulators and Im.certain some of the important and hard to get to electrical parts like the on board hv DC to DC converter and charger are likely to start failing in large numbers.
Fingers crossed I’m being pessimistic here, as I want them to be more reliable than VWs ice cars which from a less.parts to fail perspective bc they’re evs they should
100k miles on suspension components? With the roads and salt around me 60-70k is more realistic. My last car went through 4 sets of struts/shocks. My RAV4 eats rear shocks every few years. Yay Fluid Film for keeping things rust free, if absolutely horribly filthy, underneath.
Holy Toledo.
Yes for each of the 3 vws I had I replaced the front struts + springs and rear shocks.and springs every 100k.
The rear shocks on a 2004 Sienna made it to 180k bf they needed to be replaced. While I was at it I had the front struts and springs replaced (by trusted indy mechanic) and I replaced the rear shocks and springs.
2012 Plug in Prius Made it to 200k bf doing the same all around.
“ Oof Jeep reliability vs. Scout (VW) reliability.”
The difference between being shot or hung.
I just reserved one. It looks like the off-roader of my dreams. We’ll see where the actual execution and price end up, but it doesn’t hurt to get in line. I have never reserved a pre-production car so that tells you how excited I am.
I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t “get” this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy there’s more choice on the market, and I love the retro thing going on with EVs at the moment, but…..
What does this (the Terra) offer 3 years from now that a Rivian can’t offer me today? It’s not range, it’s not towing, styling is subjective but I prefer the Rivian. The Range Extender is the party piece, but not something I personally am particularly interested in. I don’t believe the price for one second, especially announcing it 3 years in advance. Presumably to get the range they’re advertising, with the aerodynamics it looks like it has, and 35″ tires, 135+kWh seems about right? That plus the new factory, lockers, bespoke parts, lack of a network (so far), and other things… There’s no way this thing comes in at under ~$70-75k right?
With VW’s investment and partnership with Rivian, presumably this will have a lot of Rivian input and possibly parts sharing as well… So aside from the Range Extender version, why would I wait for a Terra when I could have an R1T today? The Traveler seems a bit more unique in the marketplace.
I think it is fundamentally different. The range extender is of course one, but if you don’t need it I guess it’s not a big deal. It has a solid axle in the rear, which is another difference. Also the bed is separate from the cab. I can’t see very much parts sharing except for the battery or electric components maybe.
Also you’re not the only one not getting it, everybody thinks it’s a Rivian for some reason. It’s not
And actual body on frame construction
Actual mechanical locking hubs
And they made a point of stating it will be much less expensive to repair in an accident.
And the bench seating
And VW Does actually have a large recharging network, (2nd largest in the US I think), in the US in ElectrifyAmerica.
Does the ElectrifyAmerica network Currently suck ass? Yes. By many, many accounts it most certainly does. With the pending launch of the ‘American’ Scout brand, VW has a strong positive incentive to re-invest in that network to help ensure a positive launch for their new ‘American’ brand And they have the time to do it, should they be so inclined
The Scout is on the NAS (Tesla) charger, so the Electrify America chargers aren’t a concern here.
I hope VW continues to invest in their ElectifyAmerica network and upgrade their leads to NACS
Honestly it makes a Lot of logical sense,.especially since they have already creates such a large network, even if the reason why they had to create that network is bc they were caught red handed cheating on emissions.
Now will they actually Don what makes sense is anyone’s guess
What Scout can offer you 3 years from now that Rivian can’t offer you right now?
Range.
Buttons.
One more passenger.
Solid rear axle, and the significant performance differences associated with that.
Lockers.
Being body on frame and not made from huge castings means that it probably will not get totaled in a fender bender like Rivians can.
My wife approves! We’re putting in a $100.
I saw that taillight shot, and I instantly got angry that Dodge abandoned the racetrack taillight THEY DEVELOPED with the Charger/Dart/Challenger/Durango, and then randomly decided “nah we’re not doing that anymore”
WTFFFFFFFFF
Also, Rivians have always looked like this to me. The scout headlights are infinitely better than looking like this.