Toyota shook the side-by-side world at SEMA this year when the automotive giant debuted its Scion-badged UTV. And it was shocking just how close to production the whole thing was, as concepts are usually flimsy, half-built, unengined things built out of styrofoam, spit, and a whole lot of bubblegum and dreams.
Yet, that wasn't the case with the Scion 01.
The whole thing was functional and, well, it was running and driving. The side-by-side concept was powered by a Tacoma turbo engine producing around 300 horsepower, had Fox shocks with 26 inches of travel, and four seats. Toyota was mum about who supplied the chassis, but from our eyes, it looks like a Polaris RZR was the donor for the stretched wheelbase. And in recent weeks, after a few writers went out to a Toyota event in the desert, the Scion 01—which revives the youth brand that Toyota killed in the late aughts—has been witnessed driving around under its own power.
I've asked Toyota if I could drive it, but they said it's not quite ready for folks like myself to shred. But that leads us to the question of whether or not it will ever be ready, to which Toyota's spokespeople have replied with, "Maybe."
"Like, why not have a commercial-grade automotive powertrain [in a UTV] with a real transmission that’ll go 100,000 miles?" Toyota's Chief Engineer of the Scion 01 Concept, Don Federico, told our friends over at The Drive, adding, "Every time I go to my uncle’s cabin in northern Michigan, it’s like you get there on a Friday and then you spend ’til, like, Saturday afternoon trying to get everything up and running and stuff. And spent half your fun time fixing the stuff, and that’s what you don’t want to do."
Now, I'm not sure I totally agree with Federico's take on side-by-side reliability all that much. My Can-Am Maverick X3 hasn't had a single issue since I bought it a few years back, and even when sitting for an extended period of time, it cranks up every single time I push the Start button. But I get what Federico is saying about using an automotive drivetrain and how that would be an easier sell to the powers that be at Toyota in approving the project. It's already built, and would help further amorotize the research and development of the Tacoma's heart.
The cost is already sunk, might as well add some life to it. And if Toyota can figure out how to use other parts from its vast catalog, it makes it even easier to sell to those corporate suits who hate fun.
The Drive's Caleb Jacobs also heard that Toyota was looking at competitors in the space, along with how 27 states around the US already allow side-by-sides on the road as further justification for the project. But as to whether or not we'll actually see it on showroom floors in the near future, everyone is still playing mum's the word. Hints are commitments. But the way that everyone is talking about the Scion 01 concept, as well as recent talks among other automotive CEOs surrounding the cost of "fun vehicles" and how normal sportscars are growing too expensive for most, there's a real chance we could see the Scion 01 go into some sort of production.
Fingers crossed.
