diff --git a/lib/vagrant/ui.rb b/lib/vagrant/ui.rb
index 2796720b0..6d1a4faf2 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/ui.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/ui.rb
@@ -175,9 +175,9 @@ module Vagrant
 
       # This method handles actually outputting a message of a given type
       # to the console.
-      def say(type, message, opts=nil)
+      def say(type, message, **opts)
         defaults = { :new_line => true, :prefix => true }
-        opts     = defaults.merge(opts || {})
+        opts     = defaults.merge(@opts).merge(opts)
 
         # Determine whether we're expecting to output our
         # own new line or not.
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ module Vagrant
 
     # This implements a scope for the {Basic} UI.
     class BasicScope < Interface
+      attr_reader :scope, :ui
+
       def initialize(ui, scope)
         super()
 
@@ -283,12 +285,14 @@ module Vagrant
         message = super
 
         opts = @opts.merge(opts)
-        return message if !opts.has_key?(:color)
 
         # Special case some colors for certain message types
         opts[:color] = :red if type == :error
         opts[:color] = :yellow if type == :warn
 
+        # If there is no color specified, exit early
+        return message if !opts.has_key?(:color)
+
         # If it is a detail, it is not bold. Every other message type
         # is bolded.
         bold  = type != :detail
diff --git a/test/unit/vagrant/ui_test.rb b/test/unit/vagrant/ui_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..50ded7798
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/vagrant/ui_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,228 @@
+require File.expand_path("../../base", __FILE__)
+
+describe Vagrant::UI::Basic do
+  context "in general" do
+    it "outputs within the a new thread" do
+      current = Thread.current.object_id
+
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |*args|
+        expect(Thread.current.object_id).to_not eq(current)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "outputs using `puts` by default" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, **opts|
+        expect(opts[:printer]).to eq(:puts)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "outputs using `print` if new_line is false" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, **opts|
+        expect(opts[:printer]).to eq(:print)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo", new_line: false)
+    end
+
+    it "outputs using `print` if new_line is false" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, **opts|
+        expect(opts[:printer]).to eq(:print)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo", new_line: false)
+    end
+
+    it "outputs to stdout" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, **opts|
+        expect(opts[:io]).to be($stdout)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "outputs to stderr for errors" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, **opts|
+        expect(opts[:io]).to be($stderr)
+        true
+      end
+
+      subject.error("foo")
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#detail" do
+    it "prefixes with spaces" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("    foo", anything)
+      subject.detail("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't prefix if told not to" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("foo", anything)
+      subject.detail("foo", prefix: false)
+    end
+
+    it "prefixes every line" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("    foo\n    bar", anything)
+      subject.detail("foo\nbar")
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#output" do
+    it "prefixes with ==>" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("==> foo", anything)
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't prefix if told not to" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("foo", anything)
+      subject.output("foo", prefix: false)
+    end
+
+    it "prefixes every line" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("==> foo\n==> bar", anything)
+      subject.output("foo\nbar")
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#scope" do
+    it "creates a basic scope" do
+      scope = subject.scope("foo")
+      expect(scope.scope).to eql("foo")
+      expect(scope.ui).to be(subject)
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+describe Vagrant::UI::Colored do
+  include_context "unit"
+
+  before do
+    # We don't want any prefixes on anything...
+    subject.opts[:prefix] = false
+  end
+
+  describe "#detail" do
+    it "colors output nothing by default" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("foo", anything)
+      subject.detail("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "does not bold by default with a color" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, *args|
+        expect(message).to start_with("\033[0;31m")
+        expect(message).to end_with("\033[0m")
+      end
+
+      subject.detail("foo", color: :red)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#error" do
+    it "colors red" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, *args|
+        expect(message).to start_with("\033[1;31m")
+        expect(message).to end_with("\033[0m")
+      end
+
+      subject.error("foo")
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#output" do
+    it "colors output nothing by default" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with("foo", anything)
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "colors output to color specified in global opts" do
+      subject.opts[:color] = :red
+
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, *args|
+        expect(message).to start_with("\033[1;31m")
+        expect(message).to end_with("\033[0m")
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "colors output to specified color over global opts" do
+      subject.opts[:color] = :red
+
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, *args|
+        expect(message).to start_with("\033[1;32m")
+        expect(message).to end_with("\033[0m")
+      end
+
+      subject.output("foo", color: :green)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#warn" do
+    it "colors yellow" do
+      subject.should_receive(:safe_puts).with do |message, *args|
+        expect(message).to start_with("\033[1;33m")
+        expect(message).to end_with("\033[0m")
+      end
+
+      subject.warn("foo")
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+describe Vagrant::UI::BasicScope do
+  let(:scope) { "foo" }
+  let(:ui)    { double("ui") }
+
+  subject { described_class.new(ui, scope) }
+
+  describe "#machine" do
+    it "sets the scope option" do
+      ui.should_receive(:machine).with(:foo, scope: scope)
+      subject.machine(:foo)
+    end
+
+    it "preserves existing options" do
+      ui.should_receive(:machine).with(:foo, :bar, foo: :bar, scope: scope)
+      subject.machine(:foo, :bar, foo: :bar)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#opts" do
+    it "is the parent's opts" do
+      ui.stub(opts: Object.new)
+      expect(subject.opts).to be(ui.opts)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#output" do
+    it "prefixes with the scope" do
+      ui.should_receive(:output).with("#{scope}: foo", anything)
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+
+    it "does not prefix if told not to" do
+      ui.should_receive(:output).with("foo", anything)
+      subject.output("foo", prefix: false)
+    end
+
+    it "prefixes every line" do
+      ui.should_receive(:output).with(
+        "#{scope}: foo\n#{scope}: bar", anything)
+      subject.output("foo\nbar")
+    end
+
+    it "puts the scope into the options hash" do
+      ui.should_receive(:output).with(anything, scope: scope)
+      subject.output("foo")
+    end
+  end
+end