Scout Motors Traveler + Terra Concepts

Written by Paul Strauss | October 24, 2024

It’s been 45 years since International made its last Scout. The American-built off-roaders return in truck and SUV forms from a Volkswagen-owned startup. Like the classics, the Scout Traveler SUV and Terra truck are rugged body-on-frame 4x4s with all-terrain capabilities – only this time, they’re electric. Reservations open 10.24.24 at 6:30pm EDT.

Both the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck will offer a solid rear axle, front and rear mechanical lockers, and ride on tires up to 35-inches. Expect over a foot of ground clearance on the most robust grades, along with a front sway bar disconnect. The Traveler can tow up to 7,000 pounds, while the Terra can pull 10,000 pounds. The truck benefits from a 5.5-foot bed and multiple power outlets. Both vehicles come with a full-size spare, with the SUV's tire riding on its back door and the truck's tire mounted under its frame.

Thanks to a robust electrical system, the fully electric SUV and Truck will offer up to 350 miles of driving range between charges. Even better, Scout plans on making an extended-range version with a small gas-powered engine/generator to provide up to 500 miles of driving range. The dual-motor, four-wheel-drive system can climb steep grades and zoom from 0-to-60 mph in as little as 3.5 seconds. An 800-volt architecture means it can juice up quickly at 350 kW DC fast-charging stations. Power output is rated up to 1000 lb-ft. of torque.

Scout listened to off-road enthusiasts and stuck with mechanical door handles, knobs, and switchgear for many of its controls. That said, there's still a modern touchscreen for the multimedia system with support for over-the-air software updates.

Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh put it best: “Know this: we are not going to deliver a badge-engineered, jellybean-shaped soft-roader. There are already plenty of those available for people who don’t want or need the serious capability that only a vehicle purposefully designed from the ground up as an off-roader can deliver — that only a Scout can deliver.”

Scout will build the Traveler and Terra right here in the U.S. at a new facility in South Carolina. Prices are expected to start under $60,000 for both models. That's before any government tax incentives. Scout says its first production vehicles will roll off the line in 2027. If you're as excited about these as we are, you can reserve your spot in line by placing a $100 deposit at the Scout Motors website.