Scout Motors is back. The classic brand has been reinvigorated under Volkswagen Group, and not only that, but it has already announced two new vehicles that it plans to launch in the next few years. Of the two, the Scout Terra is the electric truck, and it’s built to offer a modern design with an excellent range and fast performance.
But how does the Scout Terra compare with another popular electric truck, the Tesla Cybertruck? While the Scout Terra is set to be much cheaper than the Cybertruck is now, it’s entirely possible that by the time the Terra is released, it could have a higher price tag than expected, while Tesla lowers the price tag of the Cybertruck. Is one of these trucks objectively better? We put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The Scout Terra and the Tesla Cybertruck arguably couldn’t be further apart in terms of design. Of course, variation is a good thing, at least as long as both options are solid under the hood too.
You likely know what the Tesla Cybertruck looks like; it’s pretty famous. The Cybertruck is angular and metallic, with an angled light bar along the front and a triangular side profile. Some love it, and some hate it. Personally, it’s not for me. But if your vision of the future happens to align with Tesla’s, maybe you’ll find it to be futuristic and modern.
I hope the future looks a little more like the Scout Terra though. The Terra offers a slightly more rounded design and looks like a modern take on the traditional truck design. It’s got thin LED headlights at the front, coupled with a new approach to the classic Scout black mask.
The Cybertruck has a bed size of around 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, which is large enough for most use-cases. The Terra’s bed isn’t quite as large, measuring 5.5 feet long.
I’ve made my opinions about design clear, but ultimately design preferences are subjective, and your opinions may differ. For that reason, this category is a tie.
Winner:Â Tie
Interior and tech
The interiors of these vehicles are quite different too. While the exterior of the Cybertruck looks radically different from anything else that Tesla has built, the interior isn’t quite as novel, though it is still unique. The Cybertruck has a very minimalistic interior with plenty of storage and a large infotainment display. That display actually doubles as an instrument monitoring screen, as there’s no display behind the steering wheel. The Cybertruck has enough room for five people, including the driver.
The Scout Terra hearkens back to the past a little more, but in a good way. It’s not quite as minimalistic, but it looks very premium and well-built, also offering tons of room for storage. Perhaps even cooler is that the Terra has an option for a front-row bench seat, which takes away much of the storage but allows for six total occupants instead of five. In the Terra, there are two screens: one for instrument monitoring and the other for infotainment. Not only that but there are plenty of physical controls for settings like climate and audio. This means you don’t have to go digging through settings in the software just to change the fan speed.
Speaking of software, we don’t yet have a good idea of what the Terra’s software will be like. We’re hoping it will be similar to Rivian’s, given the fact that Volkswagen and Rivian have a partnership. However, it’s entirely possible that it will be closer to a typical Android Automotive design. The Cybertruck offers the same software as other Tesla vehicles, which is a good thing. Tesla is considered to offer among the best software experiences in a car right now — matched only by the likes of Rivian.
Given the fact that we don’t yet know what the software in the Terra will be like, we can really only compare interior design. I like having physical controls, but again, that’s a subjective decision. This one’s a tie as well.
Winner:Â Tie
Performance
Performance is one area where we can start to make some objective comparisons. At the time of this writing, the Cybertruck was available in two trims: the main All-Wheel Drive trim and the so-called Cyberbeast trim. The AWD model offers an 11,000-pound towing capacity and the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The Cyberbeast has the same towing capacity but increases the acceleration speed to 2.6 seconds. That’s extremely quick and faster than the vast majority of production vehicles on the roads today.
The Scout Terra isn’t out just yet, so we can only go off Scout’s performance-related claims. According to the company, the Terra is rated to tow up to 10,000 pounds and will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. That’s faster than the base Cybertruck but obviously slower than the Cyberbeast. It’s possible and even likely that other models of the Terra will be available at some point down the line, offering faster acceleration or better towing capacity. Though to be clear, a 10,000-pound towing capacity is still pretty good.
Regardless, as it stands right now, the Terra won’t be able to tow as much as the Cybertruck, nor will it have an option to accelerate as quickly as the Cyberbeast. Tesla wins this round.
Winner:Â Tesla Cybertruck
Range and charging
Range and charging speed are a little different between these two vehicles as well. Range on the Cybertruck is 301 miles for the Cyberbeast or 325 miles for the AWD model. The vehicle is able to charge at up to 350kW on Tesla’s latest0-generation Superchargers, or at other charging stations that support those fast speeds.
The Cybertruck will soon have an option for a range extender, though. This range extender is essentially a large battery that will take up some room in the truck bed and will bring the total range to a little over 450 miles. That’s helpful, but it’s a shame that you have to use up bed space to get it.
The Scout Terra will be able to charge quickly too, supporting 350kW charging speeds. Not only that but the Terra will also offer a long range. The base model of the Scout Terra is fully electric and offers a 350-mile range according to Scout. That’s better than what the Cybertruck can offer right now. Additionally, Scout says that it will be selling an EREV, or extended range EV model of the Terra. This makes use of a small gasoline generator that can extend the range to an impressive 500 miles.
The base model of the Scout Terra has a longer range than the most expensive Cybertruck, and with the EREV option, the Terra has a longer range than the Cybertruck with its to-be-released range extender. This category goes to Scout.
Winner:Â Scout Terra
Price and availability
The price and availability category is kind of fixed. Why? Well, only one of these trucks is actually available right now: the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck has been on sale for some time now, and you can get one for yourself if you want. The base model at the time of this writing was the AWD model, and it came at $79,990. The Cyberbeast model steps that up to $99,990, which isn’t cheap.
The Scout Terra has only just been announced, and Scout says that production will begin in 2027, meaning that it may not be until the end of 2027 or early 2028 before you can actually buy one. That said, the price of the truck is expected to be cheaper than the Cybertruck, and Scout says that it will start at under $60,000. It’s entirely possible that the Cybertruck will be cheaper by then, especially if Tesla launches a single motor rear-wheel drive Cybertruck, which it says it will launch in 2025.
Speculation aside, the Cybertruck gets an easy win here for the simple fact that it’s the only truck you can currently buy.
Winner:Â Tesla Cybertruck
Overall winner: Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla has won two of these categories, while Scout only has one, so technically Tesla gets the win here. That said, the win is based on a number of variables. For example, if you prefer the design and interior of the Scout, it might win two more points and be the better option for you. Not only that but if Scout is released with a lower price tag than the Cybertruck, it’ll win the price and availability category and be the better option overall.
My advice? If you want an electric truck right now, don’t buy either of these; buy the Rivian R1T. It has a longer range and faster performance than the Cybertruck, while also starting at a lower price. That said, once the Scout Terra is released, hopefully we’ll see a little more competition in the modern electric truck space.
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