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2026 Chevrolet Tahoe ReviewScout Off-Roader Returns as Rugged Retro EV
The resurrected Scout Motors offers a combination of vintage styling, modern tech, and legit off-roadability with two new EVs.
Scout Brand Re-Emerges
As more legacy automakers electrify their lineups and startups like Rivian and Lucid make waves with appealing (yet expensive) new EVs, the prospects for yet another new EV to break through the noise might seem daunting. Scout Motors, however, has two related advantages. First, the Scout brand harkens to the off-roaders built by International Harvester back in the 1960s and ‘70s, lending that ever-salient glow of (bankable) nostalgia to the project. And second, its automotive titan Volkswagen who owns the rights to the Scout name and is underwriting the new American EV brand.
Vintage nameplates and deep pockets are all well and good, but do the new Scout EVs, a truck and SUV, respectively, have what it takes to break into the increasingly competitive EV market? Given what we saw revealed on Thursday, yes, it appears they do. Scout has made it clear their EVs are intended to be legitimate off-roaders, built body-on-frame, capable of giving both the Rivian and the Wrangler new competition.
More Than Nostalgic Styling, but That Too
The first thing you’ll notice about the new Scout Terra pickup and Scout Traveler SUV is the design, meant to evoke the original Scout and Scout II of roughly fifty years ago. Blocky like their predecessors, the new Scout EVs manage to conjure yesteryear without beating you over the head with cutesy historical references. The look is clean and simple. Sure, the rear window of the Traveler SUV angles upward as a clear nod to the original’s design, but unlike the current Bronco, there are no elements on either Scout that might appear odd or incongruent without an OG design to refer back to.
Indeed, the Terra and Traveler feature plenty of new elements to the table. The Traveler SUV for instance has a large retractable cloth top aka the “Cabana Top,” as Scout calls it. Given both the Traveler and the Terra are still in prototype form, we’ll have to wait to see whether this nifty feature makes it to production, fingers crossed. Both vehicles feature short overhangs and prominent bash plates front and rear as well as front tow points and lash points on the hood, all indicators of their off-road aspirations.
Scout Specs & Details
As we noted above, the Scout Terra and Traveler are proper body-on-frame off-roaders featuring a steel frame construction and a solid rear axle. Scout Motors says the vehicles will offer up to a foot of ground clearance, be capable of fitting up to 35-inch tires, and wade up to three feet of water. Towing figures split to 7,000 lbs. for the Traveler SUV and 10,000 lbs. for the Terra pickup, both figures owing to a max torque figure of roughly 1,000 lb.-ft. Scout says the EVs will also offer front and rear locking differentials and an electronically disconnecting front sway bar.
Even with all that off-road emphasis, the company’s zero to sixty estimate on dry pavement is an unsurprising yet no less impressive 3.5 seconds. Even more noteworthy are the range figures for the Scout EVs. An estimated range of 350 miles on a single charge is good (for reference the Rivian R1S offers between 250 and 410 miles of range depending on the battery size you choose). But given their off-road emphasis, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Scout engineers didn’t let that suffice. Instead, Scout will be offering a gas-powered range extender, like the new RAM 1500 Ramcharger, to achieve a maximum range of up to 500 miles. Scout has yet to release final powertrain details, but they have said the EVs will feature an 800-volt architecture and be capable of up to 350-kW of fast charging.
Semi-Lux Interior Rounds Out Scout
The above was certainly cool enough to catch our attention while not being enough for the Scout EVs to transcend their own novelty and achieve something like market competitiveness. At least that’s what I was thinking until I saw the interiors, which are, in a word, gorgeous. The overall design is clean and restrained without being overly austere or antiseptic. There are actual buttons and switch gear to supplement a pair of screens, one for gauges, the other for infotainment. Wood trim, metal, and leather display an emphasis on quality materials. Scout is even offering an optional front bench seat for added nostalgia points.
A split/clamshell tailgate (including swing-away spare tire) opens the Traveler’s cargo area, which includes what looks like a pair of integrated recovery/traction boards. The Terra’s 5.5-foot bed has its own practical flourishes including multiple charge ports and outlets as well as both a step and grab handle for easy side access to the bed. The Scout’s semi-luxury interior adds another, probably critical, point of distinction from its segment competitors.
Scout Motors says they’re aiming for an entry-level price of around $60,000 for the Terra and Traveler with production to commence in 2027.
