Well, the cliknar scouts just pull the "masked changeling" trick of appearing instead of the mob you half-killed and dropping an augment in the hotzones. So I don't think they count as a preview of the expansion unless seeing the nifty graphic model counts?
As a side note, we had the shaman epic mob in City of Mist (the one you pop after a reaver chain) turn into a Cliknar Scout tonight... and it still had the epic drops and the augment. Nice to see them do it right, I remeber the masked changelings causing issues at first.
I don't have a problem with SoE doing an 85th level content expansion. I think they should keep in mind that the most-liked (from everything I have gathered in game and various forums)expansion since the glory days of Kunark-Velious is The Serpents Spine. An expansion rich in low content all the way up to its cap, with a detailed lore, well developed quest new race (though drakkin seem to be love/hate with no inbetween).
Let me be a cliknar rebel, born in Paineel and worshipping Cazic Thule or Bertoxxulus. Add some new quests to the Paineel newb route through the warrens and stonebrunt (add some stuff so it gets you to 25ish efficiently) and then use Gunthak, Dulak and the Hole with minor revamps... Ta da.. minimimal programming and content for the 1-60 casual fun crowd, all contained within Odus in a logical way.