Scout Design Ideas

[TA_n_TN]

Just some design ideas for the new Scout...
The thing that former and current Scout owners love is the sense of freedom / airiness when the top is off like in the pic of this Scout 800


Jeeps and Bronco’s used to have this sense of airiness in the previous versions but in the new versions shown below, because of the pillars / window tracks, it hardly feels that the top is off at all. The new Bronco does a better job of opening things up than the Jeep but it is still confining.


If at all possible in your design journey on the new Scout, please try to keep the open air spirit of the original as much as possible. I know that safety dictates that there be occupant protection in case of a rollover incident, but it doesn’t have to be obtrusive the way the new Bronco or new Jeep are designed. Think minimalist with a rollbar like the pic of the Scout 80 below. Very good occupant protection but still very open and free to the sky.


Just a thought on how to raise and lower side windows on a “minimalist” rollbar equipped 4 door Scout would be to look at the side window design of a mid 1960’s (’65) Lincoln Continental Convertible shown below. The side windows on it could be raised or lowered independently and the rear side window had a seal on its front edge that sealed against the back edge of the front side window to keep out wind / weather.



My personal body style preference is the Scout II and if you could make a 4 door Traveler I'd be all over it, as I'm currently looking at the feasibility of adding rear doors on a '77 Traveler for practicality sake of getting passengers and gear in the back seat area. So the idea of the Continental windows converging together is what I'm looking to incorporate in the Traveler.
Todd (TA_n_TN)

PS. I grew up 20 miles from the Fort Wayne, IN International Harvester Scout plant, so on behalf of all of us out here in “Scout Land” that grew up with Scouts, have owned Scouts, or just appreciate the history of this iconic brand, I want you to know how glad we are that this is coming back and that we are rooting for you and the rest of the Scout Motors Team!

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Thanks for your suggestions. The team will be watching.

 

[difficulTT]

+1 to the convertible concept. Especially for the pickup version!

I am quite torn between a Jeep Gladiator now, while a manual transmission is still available, and patiently waiting for a new Scout.
A convertible pickup truck with a stick checks all the right daily driver boxes for me. However as a lifelong VW/Audi owner, I'll pick VW over Chrysler anyday. Confirmation of a removable roof would go a long way in helping me be patient.

 

[luakgc]

The roof has to come off. That is what makes it a scout. It needs to compete against the Bronco and Jeep who both have removable roofs.

 

[Beach_Bum]

Please offer a a 2 door version. The automotive world has plenty of moar doors.

And don't do what GM did to the Blazer.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Keep it coming. We're passing these along and they are noted.

 

[scoutsruel]

A two door would obviously play into Scout heritage, but certainly I could understand the demographics you may be targeting whereby four door vehicles undoubtedly have broader appeal to an American audience (Bronco 4 door, Ford Wrangler Unlimited, Rivian R1S) with better packaging capability for things like spare tires. One thing that IHC did so well in the 70's was special packages for the Scout (Midas edition, SSII, Shawnee, Spirit of 76, etc). Jeep has obviously tapped into a wide array of special editions over the years and I think Scout will really benefit from doing these as well. Would love to see the split tailgate which was a hallmark of Scouts too. Forward tipping frunk lid like Scout hood?

 

[OleScout]

Please offer a a 2 door version. The automotive world has plenty of moar doors.

And don't do what GM did to the Blazer.

Ah fellow friend from Bronco6g.com, I'm Lewisj41 from that forum.

 

[HattoriHanzoAxleshaft]

I know your engineers are busy, but please find the time/resources to get a team to design a Branded BEV Conversion. PLEASE? I love the whine of the timing gears & thump of my 3.2 4 cylinder... but times have changed. I could fuel my Rig from our Solar/Battery array at our Northern CA home.

Maybe replacement Axles each with a motor/differential, batteries under hood & tunnel area, and as the rear bed floor, maybe battery blocks made to slide in the Saddle Tank area.

With my needs, 70 mph max & 200 hp/tq would be absolutely sufficient, even an upgrade to my 107/170 I have now.

 

[MOFLAK]

I have tons of concepts done with AI

 

[Scotus]

2 Doors. That is all I ask.

 

[Ty M]

I'd love to see wing windows on a new Scout.

Easily removable doors would be nice. I would be happy to forgo power windows for lighter doors. Maybe it would be possible to put the door latch and speakers in the body also to save weight on the door? Then there's no wiring in the door, and no harness to contend with when removing the doors.

And one more vote for a 2 door option.

 

[IdahoJOAT]

The Jeep proved what will sell, and that's 4 doors that open up the market from like 15% of households to 90 percent of households. Then when they compete against the 2 door versions, are still capable of 95% of what the 2 doors could do, plus could tow more, rode better, and in MOST situations off-roaded better too. The 4 doors only suffer in 2 situations: Break over angle and steering radius.

I echo OleScout about the mirror placement, this is a huge plus the Bronco has over the Wrangler. Also about the removable top and the true-offroader. But I go further in saying a true off-roader is reliable. When we think of this, what do we think of?
Positively we think of the Jeep that doesn't break down. The 4-runner too.
Negatively we think of the Bronco tie rod snapping and the wheels cock-eyed on the trail. I've had two JLURs, and to say the joy at seeing that Bronco like that amongst the Jeep community was palpable.
This all equates to... over-building. Don't just say, "Good enough." A big reason the Scout II was so beloved was the strength of the frame. The D44s front and rear. It was glorious.

I will say I don't care about the storable doors. Logically, most people have shit in the back of the rig. While it's a novelty to be able to take them off at the trail, this isn't what most people can do. To design the whole rig around this idea is a mistake. That said, the ability to remove the doors in minutes is CRUCIAL. It's a must-have, just like the top.

Lastly, and this is because I own a 4xe, I think a hybrid version would be extremely nice to have. There's MASSIVE skepticism about an EV on the trail. Range? Charge time? Overlanding? Accidents/recoveries? It's a huge thing, every one of these. But the ability to have an ICE even as a backup is soo nice to have.

Sorry for the rant, these are initial thoughts and my enthusiasm hinders my logical centers.

 

[Schrackensac]

My first vehicle was a 1973 Scout II Pickup Cab. I still have it. My sister had a 1973 Scout II full top. Lifelong Scout fan. Very excited about the prospect of VW doing this right.

The cab and doors have to come off. They just have to. Its not a Scout otherwise, and I think it would be an enormous oversight to leave that functionality out. It would severely hinder sales. There is potential for this to dethrone the wrangler and bronco if its done right.

Personally, I think everything could be accomplished with 2 wheelbases. Think Scout II and Terra / Traveller.

Short wheelbase is essentially a Scout II (2 door).

• Removable full top or pickup cab / rear firewall / rear seats.
• Interior floor / bed / sides of composite, with the flexibility to have it be hard sided for use as a pickup bed, or add a carpet / sound deadening kit for full top and rear seat use.

Long wheelbase is a Terra / Traveller (4 door) gets same as above with a couple additions.

• Assuming the body is a 4 door layout, incorporating a dummy or filler panel (with no windows) that could fill the rear door opening to the sill line. This would be used with the removable rear firewall and pickup cab. Would allow for a standard cab pickup in either short or long wheelbase models. The pickup cab and firewall could be interchangeable between wheelbases.

I realize there are considerations for roll over protection with these scenarios. Surely there is a way to incorporate the rollover structure into either full or half cab tops, and have the connection at the B pillar (and C pillar on full cabs) be robust enough and still removable. Then when you were in half cab mode it would just be a standard pickup. This would also allow for a no top situation and a dedicated bolt in cage if desired.

As far as wish lists items go…

• Quick release seats in the rear, and passenger seat also. Assuming there is a relatively level floor, this would allow one person to have a significant amount of space for car camping or longer item cargo. Rear seat needs to be removable to facilitate pickup configuration.
• If you want to get real wild, team up with Go Fast Campers and integrate a wedge tent into a full top. Accessibility from the interior straight into the rooftop tent would be unique to the Scout.

And for the love, PLEASE offer a dark brown or tan interior. Someone mentioned it earlier, but there is a huge opportunity to revive some of the old color schemes / special editions. I will commit to a long wheelbase rallye in powder blue with both white tops, and a brown interior.

Basically, build the swiss army knife of the automotive world, with a heavy dose of nostalgia and thoughtful design.

Excited to see where this goes and how the community embraces it. And a big thank you to those involved in the resurrection, and for actually encouraging input from prospective customers. I do believe that you will gain a lot of useful feedback from the process, and it has the potential to lead to an amazing vehicle that will start a new generation of scout fans while still satisfying the ones who have been dreaming of the second coming for years.

 

[Nate]

Please don't make a sport version like they did with the Bronco. The Scout is inherently an off-road vehicle and should never be seen as a street car. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't handle and drive well at freeway speeds, there just shouldn't be a street version. With todays technology a well designed car should be able to deliver a comfortable ride as well as be able to tackle rough mountain roads and sand dunes.

Also It would be cool if the 4wd system was more analog. The driver controls basic things like switching from 2wd to 4wd. I don't know exactly how this would work since it is going to be electric but I'm sure something could be designed.

Also, hydraulic power steering would be amazing!

Body wise, desinging it to look and feel like a vintage car would be amazing. I know people want a modern car and demographics might be an issue but a someone who doesn't know much about cars should look at it and be able to tell that its designed off a car from the 70s. The bronco and blazer lost a lot of that.

Keep up the great work! I think its really cool that people are trying to bring back an icon while staying true to the original car, good luck!

 

[bombmachinist]

Please dont do what everyone else does and put a dial for different environments that change how the vehicle behaves. Let my foot do the work. Theres a magic that disappears when youre offroading and the cars computer is doing all the work

 

[azollne2]

Please offer a a 2 door version. The automotive world has plenty of moar doors.

And don't do what GM did to the Blazer.

GM blew it. I was upset for months

 

[IdahoJOAT]

Please don't make a sport version like they did with the Bronco. The Scout is inherently an off-road vehicle and should never be seen as a street car. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't handle and drive well at freeway speeds, there just shouldn't be a street version. With todays technology a well designed car should be able to deliver a comfortable ride as well as be able to tackle rough mountain roads and sand dunes.

Also It would be cool if the 4wd system was more analog. The driver controls basic things like switching from 2wd to 4wd. I don't know exactly how this would work since it is going to be electric but I'm sure something could be designed.

Also, hydraulic power steering would be amazing!

Body wise, desinging it to look and feel like a vintage car would be amazing. I know people want a modern car and demographics might be an issue but a someone who doesn't know much about cars should look at it and be able to tell that its designed off a car from the 70s. The bronco and blazer lost a lot of that.

Keep up the great work! I think its really cool that people are trying to bring back an icon while staying true to the original car, good luck!

Damn I was JUST thinking this.

It's silly, and we all make fun of the Bronco Sport owners...

 

[IdahoJOAT]

Please dont do what everyone else does and put a dial for different environments that change how the vehicle behaves. Let my foot do the work. Theres a magic that disappears when youre offroading and the cars computer is doing all the work

Holy hell, this.

 

[IdahoJOAT]

Just some design ideas for the new Scout...
The thing that former and current Scout owners love is the sense of freedom / airiness when the top is off like in the pic of this Scout 800
View attachment 22

Jeeps and Bronco’s used to have this sense of airiness in the previous versions but in the new versions shown below, because of the pillars / window tracks, it hardly feels that the top is off at all. The new Bronco does a better job of opening things up than the Jeep but it is still confining.
View attachment 23View attachment 24

If at all possible in your design journey on the new Scout, please try to keep the open air spirit of the original as much as possible. I know that safety dictates that there be occupant protection in case of a rollover incident, but it doesn’t have to be obtrusive the way the new Bronco or new Jeep are designed. Think minimalist with a rollbar like the pic of the Scout 80 below. Very good occupant protection but still very open and free to the sky.
View attachment 25

Just a thought on how to raise and lower side windows on a “minimalist” rollbar equipped 4 door Scout would be to look at the side window design of a mid 1960’s (’65) Lincoln Continental Convertible shown below. The side windows on it could be raised or lowered independently and the rear side window had a seal on its front edge that sealed against the back edge of the front side window to keep out wind / weather.
View attachment 26 View attachment 27
View attachment 28

These are just a couple thoughts that I had rolling around in my head.
Todd (TA_n_TN)

PS. I grew up 20 miles from the Fort Wayne, IN International Harvester Scout plant, so on behalf of all of us out here in “Scout Land” that grew up with Scouts, have owned Scouts, or just appreciate the history of this iconic brand, I want you to know how glad we are that this is coming back and that we are rooting for you and the rest of the Scout Motors Team!

Sorry, I can't give ya a thumbs up on this. I'm a huge fan of the Scout II/Traveler over the 80/800.