You know that feeling you get when you test drive a brand new car then get back in your old used one? Well, I had that feeling today, but it wasn’t what I expected.
This morning, I spent two hours with a new Cybertruck. I looked over the exterior and interior, moved everything, opened and closed everything - including the motorized glovebox, used the touchscreens, and drove for about an hour on back roads, highways, and parking lots.
I first looked over the exterior. Some of the edges of the stainless steel panels were sharp, but not nearly as sharp as the composite bed of my Ridgeline that sliced my finger open. When looking nearly straight down the side, you can see waviness in the flat panels just as you can with nearly any flat metal surface. I touch, tapped, and banged on the panels. they're tough - I don't think you'll be getting any parking lot dings in this contraption. Panel alignment and gaps were very good - better than my Model Y, which was already acceptable in this regard.
Next, I unlocked the vehicle by placing the key card on the B-pillar then pushed the door release button. After the door unlatches, an actuator pushes it open far enough for you to get your fingers behind it and pull it open. The door was heavy and it took considerable effort to overcome the tension of the door checker. This was probably a good thing because it was very windy this morning and the truck was parked closely in between two other new vehicles.
Entering the vehicle was easy since the air suspension lowers itself for entry and exit. The general design and layout was typical Tesla and thus very familiar - it was easy to identify what few physical controls existed based on my previous experience and what I remember from watching reviews. In person, the interior design, materials, and feel were all higher-quality than what I expected from videos. There were plenty of soft-touch materials including padded vinyl and suede with some touches of aluminum trim. The top of the dash is HUGE and the front edge is far, far away. Cleaning the inside of the windshield would probably require a mop with a long handle (not kidding). There is absolutely no sight of the short hood - it's feel like the vehicle stops at the front of the dash. It is very different and will require care and practice not to bump into things - thank goodness for the front bumper camera and self-parking feature.
Like other Teslas, you simply approach the vehicle, enter, then press the brake pedal to "start" it. You swipe the top, left of the touchscreen up for drive or down for reverse. If the touchscreen fails, there are backup PRND buttons that illuminate in the overhead console when you touch it.
After I got over how far away the front edge of the dash was, the next major thing I noticed was the effects of the steer-by-wire. You must forget everything you ever learned about the relationship between a steering wheel and the angle of the front wheels since there is no mechanical connection between the two in the Cybertruck and the relationship varies by speed. At low speeds, barely turning the steering wheel results in a large change in steering angle. No hand-over-hand steering here. You can keep your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock at all times - even in tight parking lots. At first, this caused me to turn much too sharply until my brain adapted to the new steering method, which only took a few turns. At higher speeds, the front wheels turn less so you don't end up driving sideways if the steering wheel gets moved too far. With just a little practice, it began to feel natural and made me wish all vehicles steered like this.
Based the weight of the doors, the heavy feel of the vehicle, and the price point, I expected a luxury car ride and noise level. This was my first significant let-down. The Cybertruck did not feel or sound as smooth or quiet as I expected and not significantly better than my Model Y. The whine from the electric motors is noticeably louder, but not objectionable and a somewhat pleasant sound as far as electric motor whine goes - I’m sure Tesla spent a lot of time tuning it to sound futuristic and powerful rather than like an electric chainsaw from Temu.
Until this point I was on smooth asphalt, but as soon as the road surface became less than perfect, I immediately heard a knocking/thumping rattle inside the dash and a creaking/rubbing noise from the driver's door among other interior noises. Various parts of the entire cabin creaked and rattled when driving over imperfect surfaces. It sounded like a vehicle that had hundreds of thousands of miles on it - not a few hundred miles. Surely, they're not all like this? That was awful. And, Tesla's warranty is iffy on such noises - officially covering them only if they result from a failed component. The advisor said, officially, they only address those noises if reported during the first 7 days or 100 miles, but off the record, said they often fix them under goodwill.
The Cybertruck has a newer and much more powerful self-driving computer than my Model Y and while it was smoother, it still got stuck at a couple of green lights and almost gave up during a U-turn. Full Self-Driving is still a work-in-progress even with the newest computer.
With the powered tonneau cover closed, the rear view is completely blocked. There is a (minimally small, cheap, and removable) rearview mirror for compliance, but even with the tonneau cover open, the mirror and rear window are so small that you can't see much. Instead, a view of the rear camera displays on the touchscreen.
Typical of other Teslas I've been in, the climate control and audio system were both outstanding. I forgot how nice ventilated seats are on a warm day (as I type this, it is sunny and a very unusual 82ºF in the first week of February here in Texas). The power windows are very smooth and quiet. I found the front seats, driving position, and squircle steering wheel to be comfortable. The rear seat bottoms fold up just like the Ridgeline's, but there are no stands/legs taking space below them when they are down. There is a 120V/20A receptacle in the center console and two 120V/20A and one 240V/40A receptacles in the bed.
Like the Ridgeline, the Cybertruck has an in-bed trunk. It uses gas struts instead of springs to save space, but isn't as voluminous as the Ridgeline's and there is no spare tire or tire repair kit. The bed is longer than the Ridgeline's and there are L-Track rails on the sides. LED lights run the length of both sides of the bed. The tailgate has a power open, but manual close with assist, so it is lighter than the Ridgeline's. The tailgate opens only down, so you have to reach over it to access the trunk. The front trunk is big enough for a few grocery bags, but that's about it. I like that it is powered and can be opened from the touchscreen, exterior button, or mobile app.
The gigantic windshield "uniwiper" is almost comical. it looks like a crop sprayer when using the windshield washer because fluid sprays out of multiple nozzle located along the entire blade.
Now, let's talk about that stainless steel exterior. It already had more fingerprints than a refrigerator in children’s day care facility before I arrived and had more after I was done. Rubbing them only made them larger and more prominent. It must be accepted that this vehicle will always have very visible fingerprints, smudges, water spots, streaks, and runs. It looked like someone poured acid on it after I used the windshield washer for a few seconds. This is NOT a vehicle for clean freaks. It can be cleaned, but you would literally have to use a cleaner and cloth every time you closed a door - or wear gloves. The good thing is that parking lot dings and paint chips (because there is no paint) are of no concern. Scuffs and scratches can be fixed at home using a few different grits of sandpaper and a sander (true story - instructions are in Tesla's service information).
Sleeping accommodations are important to me. The front seats do not recline anywhere near flat. Lying in the rear seat (or floor after folding up the rear seat bottoms) doesn't work unless you are a child. I can fit in the bed, but it is isolated from the cabin so there is no climate control. This remains one of my biggest objections to the Cybertruck because of how I use a vehicle.
Overall, I like that the Cybertruck exists. It's fun and cool to see something so incredibly different in a sea of "me, too" vehicles. I appreciate the things you can’t see such as the 48-volt low-voltage architecture and communications bus from an engineering perspective, but those are more important to Tesla than they are to the consumer. I already knew the downsides of having a bare metal exterior. I already knew it wasn't comfortable to sleep in. What I didn't expect was that it wasn’t significantly quieter than my much-less-expensive Model Y, didn’t ride significantly smoother, and had many assorted rattles in the interior.
During my drives, it seemed like everybody stared at me. Kids were jumping around, pointing, and smiling while their parents looked like they wanted to flip me off (not joking).
Based on my experience today, I am crossing the Cybertruck off my shopping list for now. I counted ten new examples sitting in inventory at the small Tesla location I visited and dozens of other Tesla models - mostly "old" Model Ys. Two years ago when I bought my Model Y, you'd be lucky to see a few Teslas on the lot there. So far, the Cybertruck seems like more of a “look at me!” piece with too many compromises than anything else.
I might be able to to get past the fingerprint and stain-prone exterior by learning new methods to clean and repair it. I might have been less agitated by the ride and quietness if not for the interior rattles that made the vehicle feel poorly designed and assembled.
I could have paid cash for one and drove it home today, but I didn’t. Had it met my expectations for quietness and smoothness and had a rattle-free interior I would have considered buying one as a second vehicle, keeping my “old” Model Y, and selling my MX-5 Miata. If I also had a fold-flat front seat like Ford offers, I would have considered replacing my Model Y with a Cybertruck.
I am glad I drove it before buying one. Had I done the opposite like I did with my Model Y and the experience matched today’s test drive, I would have been regretful, disappointed, frustrated, disgusted, angry, and perhaps a few other negative emotions.
This Tesla location expects to have a new Model Y available for demo drives in a few weeks. I look forward to driving it and suspect it will leave a much better impression compared to my current Model Y than the Cybertruck did. I would like to drive another Cybertruck for comparison.
When I returned it to the Tesla store and approached the smiling employee, he asked what I thought about it. I told him that I wasn’t impressed and probably wouldn’t buy one. He genuinely seemed to not have expected my response.
Later, I received a follow-up call from a Tesla employee asking me how the demo drive went and if I had any questions about the vehicle. I told him the same thing I told the employee at the Tesla store and there was an awkward moment of silence before he replied something like, “oh, wow - that’s…not what we normally hear”.
As far as the demo drive process, it’s nice to be able to test drive a vehicle without commissioned salespeople breathing down your neck and no small talk used to qualify you and figure out how much money they’ll be able to squeeze out of you. The Tesla store employees don’t care if you buy a vehicle or not - I like that.
This morning, I spent two hours with a new Cybertruck. I looked over the exterior and interior, moved everything, opened and closed everything - including the motorized glovebox, used the touchscreens, and drove for about an hour on back roads, highways, and parking lots.
I first looked over the exterior. Some of the edges of the stainless steel panels were sharp, but not nearly as sharp as the composite bed of my Ridgeline that sliced my finger open. When looking nearly straight down the side, you can see waviness in the flat panels just as you can with nearly any flat metal surface. I touch, tapped, and banged on the panels. they're tough - I don't think you'll be getting any parking lot dings in this contraption. Panel alignment and gaps were very good - better than my Model Y, which was already acceptable in this regard.
Next, I unlocked the vehicle by placing the key card on the B-pillar then pushed the door release button. After the door unlatches, an actuator pushes it open far enough for you to get your fingers behind it and pull it open. The door was heavy and it took considerable effort to overcome the tension of the door checker. This was probably a good thing because it was very windy this morning and the truck was parked closely in between two other new vehicles.
Entering the vehicle was easy since the air suspension lowers itself for entry and exit. The general design and layout was typical Tesla and thus very familiar - it was easy to identify what few physical controls existed based on my previous experience and what I remember from watching reviews. In person, the interior design, materials, and feel were all higher-quality than what I expected from videos. There were plenty of soft-touch materials including padded vinyl and suede with some touches of aluminum trim. The top of the dash is HUGE and the front edge is far, far away. Cleaning the inside of the windshield would probably require a mop with a long handle (not kidding). There is absolutely no sight of the short hood - it's feel like the vehicle stops at the front of the dash. It is very different and will require care and practice not to bump into things - thank goodness for the front bumper camera and self-parking feature.
Like other Teslas, you simply approach the vehicle, enter, then press the brake pedal to "start" it. You swipe the top, left of the touchscreen up for drive or down for reverse. If the touchscreen fails, there are backup PRND buttons that illuminate in the overhead console when you touch it.
After I got over how far away the front edge of the dash was, the next major thing I noticed was the effects of the steer-by-wire. You must forget everything you ever learned about the relationship between a steering wheel and the angle of the front wheels since there is no mechanical connection between the two in the Cybertruck and the relationship varies by speed. At low speeds, barely turning the steering wheel results in a large change in steering angle. No hand-over-hand steering here. You can keep your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock at all times - even in tight parking lots. At first, this caused me to turn much too sharply until my brain adapted to the new steering method, which only took a few turns. At higher speeds, the front wheels turn less so you don't end up driving sideways if the steering wheel gets moved too far. With just a little practice, it began to feel natural and made me wish all vehicles steered like this.
Based the weight of the doors, the heavy feel of the vehicle, and the price point, I expected a luxury car ride and noise level. This was my first significant let-down. The Cybertruck did not feel or sound as smooth or quiet as I expected and not significantly better than my Model Y. The whine from the electric motors is noticeably louder, but not objectionable and a somewhat pleasant sound as far as electric motor whine goes - I’m sure Tesla spent a lot of time tuning it to sound futuristic and powerful rather than like an electric chainsaw from Temu.
Until this point I was on smooth asphalt, but as soon as the road surface became less than perfect, I immediately heard a knocking/thumping rattle inside the dash and a creaking/rubbing noise from the driver's door among other interior noises. Various parts of the entire cabin creaked and rattled when driving over imperfect surfaces. It sounded like a vehicle that had hundreds of thousands of miles on it - not a few hundred miles. Surely, they're not all like this? That was awful. And, Tesla's warranty is iffy on such noises - officially covering them only if they result from a failed component. The advisor said, officially, they only address those noises if reported during the first 7 days or 100 miles, but off the record, said they often fix them under goodwill.
The Cybertruck has a newer and much more powerful self-driving computer than my Model Y and while it was smoother, it still got stuck at a couple of green lights and almost gave up during a U-turn. Full Self-Driving is still a work-in-progress even with the newest computer.
With the powered tonneau cover closed, the rear view is completely blocked. There is a (minimally small, cheap, and removable) rearview mirror for compliance, but even with the tonneau cover open, the mirror and rear window are so small that you can't see much. Instead, a view of the rear camera displays on the touchscreen.
Typical of other Teslas I've been in, the climate control and audio system were both outstanding. I forgot how nice ventilated seats are on a warm day (as I type this, it is sunny and a very unusual 82ºF in the first week of February here in Texas). The power windows are very smooth and quiet. I found the front seats, driving position, and squircle steering wheel to be comfortable. The rear seat bottoms fold up just like the Ridgeline's, but there are no stands/legs taking space below them when they are down. There is a 120V/20A receptacle in the center console and two 120V/20A and one 240V/40A receptacles in the bed.
Like the Ridgeline, the Cybertruck has an in-bed trunk. It uses gas struts instead of springs to save space, but isn't as voluminous as the Ridgeline's and there is no spare tire or tire repair kit. The bed is longer than the Ridgeline's and there are L-Track rails on the sides. LED lights run the length of both sides of the bed. The tailgate has a power open, but manual close with assist, so it is lighter than the Ridgeline's. The tailgate opens only down, so you have to reach over it to access the trunk. The front trunk is big enough for a few grocery bags, but that's about it. I like that it is powered and can be opened from the touchscreen, exterior button, or mobile app.
The gigantic windshield "uniwiper" is almost comical. it looks like a crop sprayer when using the windshield washer because fluid sprays out of multiple nozzle located along the entire blade.
Now, let's talk about that stainless steel exterior. It already had more fingerprints than a refrigerator in children’s day care facility before I arrived and had more after I was done. Rubbing them only made them larger and more prominent. It must be accepted that this vehicle will always have very visible fingerprints, smudges, water spots, streaks, and runs. It looked like someone poured acid on it after I used the windshield washer for a few seconds. This is NOT a vehicle for clean freaks. It can be cleaned, but you would literally have to use a cleaner and cloth every time you closed a door - or wear gloves. The good thing is that parking lot dings and paint chips (because there is no paint) are of no concern. Scuffs and scratches can be fixed at home using a few different grits of sandpaper and a sander (true story - instructions are in Tesla's service information).
Sleeping accommodations are important to me. The front seats do not recline anywhere near flat. Lying in the rear seat (or floor after folding up the rear seat bottoms) doesn't work unless you are a child. I can fit in the bed, but it is isolated from the cabin so there is no climate control. This remains one of my biggest objections to the Cybertruck because of how I use a vehicle.
Overall, I like that the Cybertruck exists. It's fun and cool to see something so incredibly different in a sea of "me, too" vehicles. I appreciate the things you can’t see such as the 48-volt low-voltage architecture and communications bus from an engineering perspective, but those are more important to Tesla than they are to the consumer. I already knew the downsides of having a bare metal exterior. I already knew it wasn't comfortable to sleep in. What I didn't expect was that it wasn’t significantly quieter than my much-less-expensive Model Y, didn’t ride significantly smoother, and had many assorted rattles in the interior.
During my drives, it seemed like everybody stared at me. Kids were jumping around, pointing, and smiling while their parents looked like they wanted to flip me off (not joking).
Based on my experience today, I am crossing the Cybertruck off my shopping list for now. I counted ten new examples sitting in inventory at the small Tesla location I visited and dozens of other Tesla models - mostly "old" Model Ys. Two years ago when I bought my Model Y, you'd be lucky to see a few Teslas on the lot there. So far, the Cybertruck seems like more of a “look at me!” piece with too many compromises than anything else.
I might be able to to get past the fingerprint and stain-prone exterior by learning new methods to clean and repair it. I might have been less agitated by the ride and quietness if not for the interior rattles that made the vehicle feel poorly designed and assembled.
I could have paid cash for one and drove it home today, but I didn’t. Had it met my expectations for quietness and smoothness and had a rattle-free interior I would have considered buying one as a second vehicle, keeping my “old” Model Y, and selling my MX-5 Miata. If I also had a fold-flat front seat like Ford offers, I would have considered replacing my Model Y with a Cybertruck.
I am glad I drove it before buying one. Had I done the opposite like I did with my Model Y and the experience matched today’s test drive, I would have been regretful, disappointed, frustrated, disgusted, angry, and perhaps a few other negative emotions.
This Tesla location expects to have a new Model Y available for demo drives in a few weeks. I look forward to driving it and suspect it will leave a much better impression compared to my current Model Y than the Cybertruck did. I would like to drive another Cybertruck for comparison.
When I returned it to the Tesla store and approached the smiling employee, he asked what I thought about it. I told him that I wasn’t impressed and probably wouldn’t buy one. He genuinely seemed to not have expected my response.
Later, I received a follow-up call from a Tesla employee asking me how the demo drive went and if I had any questions about the vehicle. I told him the same thing I told the employee at the Tesla store and there was an awkward moment of silence before he replied something like, “oh, wow - that’s…not what we normally hear”.
As far as the demo drive process, it’s nice to be able to test drive a vehicle without commissioned salespeople breathing down your neck and no small talk used to qualify you and figure out how much money they’ll be able to squeeze out of you. The Tesla store employees don’t care if you buy a vehicle or not - I like that.
