Week 109 was posted by Charanjit Chana on 2019-11-25.
The brutalist design is like nothing else on the market, in any category. The exoskeleton seems like a nod to the DeLorean and the whole thing looks like it was lifted out of a sci-fi movie. I'm still on the fence about how I feel about it's looks, but it has a price tag that makes it accessible and it has performance beyond what should be reasonable.
Cybertruck Features
- Can take a 3,500lb payload (~1,500kg)
- 100litre storage
- Tow up to 14,000lg (~6,300kg)
- Seats up to 6
- Self levelling air suspension
Feature wise, these are the important bits for anyone interested in a pickup truck. As for the interior, it's your 'normal' Tesla affair, with a Model 3 like dashboard layout, but the digital rear view mirror is the stand out piece of kit. Not much about it on their website, but it was instantly noticeable in the vide reviews I saw.
Exact spec depends on the model you go for, but there are a couple of standard features that really take it's durability up a notch:
Exoskeleton
Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection. Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton, every component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass.
Armor glass
Ultra-strong glass and polymer-layered composite can absorb and redirect impact force for improved performance and damage tolerance.
There was a mis-hap during the unveiling where the glass cracked when hit with a metal ball. Unfortunate, but something that will hopefully be sorted before Cybertruck ships. I'm sure it will be the part of the car that now gets featured most in reviews when it comes to looking at it's durability.
Variants & Price
The Cybertruck starts with a base model that has a single rear motor but you can opt for all-wheel drive in both dual and tai-motor models.
| Motors & Drivetrain | 0-60mph | Range | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-motor RWD | <6.5s | 250miles+ | $39,900 |
| Dual-motor AWD | <4.5s | 300miles+ | $49,900 |
| Tri-motor RWD | <2.9s | 500miles+ | $69,900 |
Even at the cheap-end the performance is impressive but if you were to opt for the Tri-Motor variant then you're looking at supercar territory again.
Starting from $39,900, it's way cheaper than I expected and even if you add the additional $6k for full automated driving capabilities, I don't think it's overpriced. And even up at the top end, that kind of power and performance still doesn't seem unreasonable.
Critical Reception
Mixed is the best way to describe how well the Cybertruck was received. Loren Brichter had a decent take on it all in this Twitter thread:
View on twitter
Hard to disagree that this is something very different to the norm. When you look at the competition, nothing really compares to it and while I wouldn't say I was a huge fan of it, I can see the appeal and Tesla are now not only challenging when it comes to emissions, infrastructure and tech, but pushing design of it's products as far as they possibly can.
View on twitter
Carwow have a good video on the 10 things you need to know, The Verge condensed the unveiling event down to 5 minutes, JerryRigEverything gives us his thoughts as a current pickup truck owner and you can watch Marques Brownlee's initial thoughts below:
Alternatives?
If the Cybertruck isn't for you, then you might want to take a look at it's unofficial predecessor, the Truckla. There's Rivian's efforts to look out for in the future too but it looks like the Cybertruck has everyone beaten when it comes to power and performance.
Tags: cybertruck, elon musk, ev, pickup, tesla, cybertruck, elon musk, ev, pickup, tesla