Volkswagen’s Scout brand is getting closer to production of its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck, with these tough EVs set to reach showrooms next year—assuming the brand can extricate itself from some legal drama over its direct sales model before then. With both fully electric and range-extender versions of the vehicles coming, Scout is now emphasizing its models’ shunning of gimmicky, overly high-tech controls. In a not-so-subtle dig aimed at rivals like Rivian, Scout put out a post this week highlighting its use of “real door handles, real buttons, and real knobs”.
Scout Keeps It Simple
Tried and true.
Real door handles, real buttons, and real knobs.
Innovation matters. Elements that work for you, even when your hands are wet, muddy, gloved, or full.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it#ScoutMotors #TheWorldNeedsScouts pic.twitter.com/oaoD0YRXWw
— Scout Motors (@Scout_Motors) February 4, 2026
In a post on X, Scout showed off more of its EV’s interior and exterior design, and there’s a lot to like. Scout said “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—this is a reference to its use of physical buttons and knobs. Its vehicles will also use conventional door handles, not the flush-mounted, electric pop-out door handles that have been the subject of much controversy in recent months. Late last year, the owner of a Rivian expressed serious concern about how difficult his vehicle’s doors were to open if the electric handles failed in an emergency. He specifically said his kids would be unable to escape the car in an emergency, as the manual override handle was far too complicated to access.
Scout EV interior controls S
Scout has obviously been keeping an eye on all of this, turning something as rudimentary as a normal door handle into a selling point. The manufacturer highlights that its vehicles’ controls can be operated even if your hands are full, muddied, or gloved.
In new pictures posted by the brand, the physical controls extend to the roof-mounted panel. The steering wheel also eschews silly capacitive panels for large scroll wheels and real buttons. Scout hasn’t teleported back to the 1990s, though; its EVs still get modern, crisp displays for driver information and the center touchscreen.
Related: China Has Officially Banned Tesla-Style Flush Door Handles
A Turning Point For Modern Car Design?
Scout Motors
The futuristic, obsessively minimalist design trends influencing car design may have finally reached its peak. Scout’s little post marks a return to the sensible functionality enjoyed in vehicles until around the 2010s. This doesn’t mean we have to shun tech like screens, in-car gaming, and over-the-air software updates; rather, Scout is reminding us that new and old can seamlessly co-exist.
Other brands are moving in a similar direction. Audi reintroduced proper steering wheel buttons in modern EVs like the A6 Sportback e-tron, and Kia recently committed to retaining key tactile controls for its models’ interiors.
Furthermore, Scout’s specific mention of normal door handles will avoid it running into future regulatory challenges. China has just banned electric door handles, as found in EVs like Teslas and Rivians. We can expect local safety authorities to adopt similar rules in the near future, as this tech has been linked to several deaths as occupants become trapped in vehicles.
For Scout, usability is being sold as the new luxury, and that’s no bad thing if it makes for safer vehicles.
