Tesla Cybertruck Assessment — 3,000 Miles in 10 Days

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My spouse Becky and I acquired our AWD (2 engine) Cybertruck on March twenty ninth, 2024, on the Seattle Tesla Service Middle. The supply expertise was easy and nice.

I used to be excited to see how the Cybertruck in comparison with my 2016 Mannequin S, which has 116,000 miles on it. On April eighth, I headed off for a 10-day, 3,000-mile journey to the Moab space of Southeast Utah and the Monument Valley space of Arizona. Driving with me have been my brother Scott and two longtime pals, Steve and Kevin. This evaluate is a abstract of the driving experiences of the 4 of us.

Driving — The Cybertruck’s “scale weight” is listed at 6,669 kilos on the car registration. It’s a giant car however doesn’t drive like one. The Cybertruck drives higher than my 2016 Mannequin S — I used to be amazed by this truth! The Cybertruck’s trip is smoother and quieter. Steering is simpler than in my Mannequin S. The Cybertruck accelerates like my Mannequin S, even when passing vans going up mountains on steep inclines. The steer-by-wire system, the form of the steering wheel, the quick “lock to lock” vary, and the 4-wheel steering make the Cybertruck straightforward to maneuver. I can steer it with one finger, even whereas parking. The Cybertruck could be very secure when cruising on winding, mountainous highways even at excessive velocity, comparable to when the posted velocity restrict is 80 mph, as is the case in Japanese Oregon and components of Idaho and Utah. The Cybertruck doesn’t drive like the opposite vans I’ve pushed, such because the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, and Toyota Tundra, the place I skilled physique sway, “jiggling,” and bounciness. We favored having the rear digicam view seen on the touchscreen whereas shifting ahead. All 4 drivers agreed that we didn’t want the rear view mirror (extra on that later).

Altering Lanes — The Cybertruck’s know-how gave us confidence when altering lanes. Using the flip sign causes the aspect digicam view to seem on the touchscreen (changing the rear view). A purple vertical stripe seems on the aspect of the picture when an object is within the blind spot. We agreed that we want to nonetheless see the rear digicam view maintained when the aspect digicam view seems on the touchscreen, maybe under the aspect digicam view. Moreover, a purple spot seems on the A pillar when an object is in both aspect blind spot, with or with out the flip sign in use.

Automobile Entry — No door handles and we don’t miss them. We love how the Cybertruck default trip peak whereas parked is the bottom setting, referred to as Entry Mode. This makes getting out and in of the car straightforward, much like an SUV. The rear doorways open vast, about 90 levels, which makes rear seat entry, loading cargo, and inserting kids into automobile seats straightforward. The attachments for automobile seats are straightforward to entry, not like in my 2016 Mannequin S.

Parking — I’m not anxious getting into parking heaps as I used to be with my two earlier Chevrolet Suburbans, which had about the identical dimensions because the Cybertruck. I can park in nearly any house that I park in with my Mannequin S. Once more, the 4-wheel steering and cameras make the distinction. My favourite function whereas parking entrance finish first is the button that you would be able to simply attain together with your proper thumb which shows the low entrance digicam and the 2 entrance aspect cameras, giving a 180-degree view as you progress ahead. My largest concern parking is just not seeing a small youngster, and these cameras resolve that downside. Whereas shifting ahead to get near an object, I do miss the sensors on my Mannequin S which show the space to an object in inches. Not having the sensors appears like a “take away” from my Mannequin S expertise. I can again into areas simply given the good 3-camera/180-degree view that seems on the touchscreen when in reverse. We didn’t use, or want to make use of, the rear view mirror for parking. Throughout our street journey, we would have liked to have one among us get out and information the driving force as we backed as much as the Superchargers (we feared hitting the Supercharger). After a lot apply, I can again as much as the Superchargers with confidence, now that I’ve an understanding of what the cameras ought to show when I’m shut sufficient to cost with out hitting something. I can park the Cybertruck in my storage, barely. My storage is 8 ft vast and 20 ft, 10 inches deep (to the cabinets within the again). When the car is stationary and the driving force unbuckles their security belt, the car routinely strikes into Park (good).

Controls — The 4 drivers thought we might miss the two or 3 stalks coming off the steering column to regulate shifting, wipers, flip alerts, cruise management, and so forth. Nonetheless, all of us agreed that we favored the Cybertruck’s “stalkless” expertise higher! We didn’t must take a hand off the steering wheel to function the controls, they’re all simply discovered on the steering wheel with a proper or left thumb. After a day or two of driving expertise, every of us may function the controls with out wanting. The massive (48 inch) wiper works nice. It may be activated from a button on the steering wheel, which then brings up extra controls on the touchscreen. The wiper might be operated by voice, “Wiper on”, “Wiper off”, “Velocity up wiper”, “Decelerate wiper.” There’s a new set of controls referred to as Dynamics the place a myriad of trip settings can be found.

Entrance Visibility — The massive windshield has nice visibility, however the A pillars on either side trigger “blind spots” which have to be thought-about. I transfer my head aspect to aspect to examine the blind spots, and when at intersections look each methods twice in case I missed seeing an individual or car. I’m used to wanting twice, as my Mannequin S additionally has blind spots with its massive A pillars. The quick entrance finish provides good ahead visibility.

Rear Visibility — Earlier than supply, I used to be anxious about how safely I may see behind me, particularly when the tonneau cowl was closed (its normal state for me). I’m completely satisfied to say I’ve higher visibility behind me whereas driving and whereas backing up in my Cybertruck than in any automobile I’ve pushed. As famous beforehand, when in reverse, the again digicam and each rear aspect digicam photographs seem on the touchscreen offering a 180 diploma view. I additionally use the aspect mirrors. The one time I take advantage of the rearview mirror is to make eye contact with my darling 3-year-old granddaughter when she is using with me in her automobile seat.

Inside — The inside is gorgeous, minimalist, and spacious. All of the seats are very snug. The glovebox opens out like a drawer, which retains the contents from spilling out. The backseat is roomy, the most important backseat of any Tesla. We used each 120-volt AC ports within the passenger compartment. The one factor I don’t like about lengthy street journeys is looking for good espresso. I drink espresso and I’m choosy, as unhealthy espresso is lethal! So I introduced a small Nespresso espresso machine and varied espresso pods (recyclable), a lot to the delight of my crew. We love making and ingesting nice espresso whereas cruising by means of the Mountain West at 80 mph! The inside has stunning accent lighting that may be set to varied colours. The 15-speaker sound system gives one of the best sound high quality of any car I’ve been in.

The glass roof is gorgeous and nicely tinted. On condition that we have been travelling into the excessive deserts with intense sunshine, I bought a third-party sunshade product with a totally reflective coating. The sunshade labored nicely and dropped the within temperate, and thus the necessity for air con. Nonetheless, the product took hours to put in, because it required in depth modifications by my crew. It was apparent that the sunshade vendor didn’t have entry to a manufacturing Cybertruck. This essential truth was not disclosed on the reseller’s web site the place I made the acquisition. A Tesla sunshade was supplied with the truck and it suits nicely, however it’s not absolutely reflective. Nonetheless, the Tesla sunshade will work positive for nearly all of my sunny street journeys.

Exterior — The outside on my Cybertruck appears nice, no imperfections that we observed. The hardened stainless-steel panels are all in alignment. There are not any rust spots. A few of the panel edges are a bit sharp, however after over 4,000 miles of use, nobody has scratched themselves whereas working the car. An inexperienced person will go away fingerprints whereas opening and shutting the doorways, however skilled customers don’t. Collectively, the 4 of us don’t perceive the fingerprint considerations we’ve examine given this can be a truck! Maybe it’s the means we view the Cybertruck — as a utility car that does “metropolis stuff” but in addition goes off street, hauls soiled cargo (like sod and topsoil), and makes dump runs. I’ve used automated automobile washes 6 instances to this point and discover Automotive Wash Mode useful.

Cargo Areas — The frunk is nice for sitting, and gives protected out of doors seating throughout rain (helpful in Seattle). We referred to as it “Frunkgating” (like tailgating). We didn’t use the frunk for cargo house since there’s a lot room within the cargo mattress.

The 6-foot cargo mattress simply held all of our private objects, together with 8 cargo tubs, a cooler, and 4 good-sized backpacks. The truth that the lined mattress house is larger close to the rear window allowed us to put our packs on high of our cargo tubs and nonetheless shut the tonneau cowl.

The cargo mattress is nicely lit, which was very useful at evening. It’s pretty straightforward to climb out and in of the cargo mattress. The mattress has many (movable) tie-down factors, together with a bottle opener (a lot appreciated after a protracted hike). The under-bed storage is spacious and water tight. The tonneau cowl is wonderful — sturdy, nearly utterly waterproof even in automobile washes, straightforward to function (from the rear left nook, from the touchscreen, or from the Tesla app). Folks love the way it utterly disappears when absolutely opened. We didn’t use the facility retailers within the mattress wall, a 240-volt outlet, and two 120-volt retailers. We mentioned how we might use the retailers on a future tenting/climbing journey and settled on a small fridge, a crock pot, and a toaster oven.

After we returned from the lengthy street journey, I began a landscaping mission at my trip house and used the cargo mattress to hold 2,500 kilos of grass sod at a time (twice). We thought-about loading the sod into the cargo mattress with the pallet, however I made a decision to not danger scratching the mattress partitions, so we loaded the sod by hand. The 50 rolls of sod have been too tall to shut the tonneau cowl (no issues). The air suspension adjusted to the load because the sod was loaded. The consequence was that the suspension stayed stage, no sagging. I returned with the final load after darkish and was happy that the headlights have been nonetheless lighting the street and never “looking the bushes” as was the case with my Suburbans when closely loaded. The sod journeys have been 35 miles every means, principally at freeway velocity, with the final mile on an outdated, bumpy, graveled mountain street. I may “really feel” the load of the load, however the truck dealt with the load simply positive on the varied street surfaces. No stability issues.

This image was taken at my off-grid trip house within the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. You’ll be able to see the Starlink antenna on the peak of the roof. The cabin energy system is a mix of photo voltaic (7.4 kW), 2,200 kilos of batteries, and a propane-fueled generator. In an influence system failure, the Cybertruck can energy the house utilizing the 240V outlet within the mattress.

Baja Mode — We had a number of enjoyable cruising by means of the distant panorama in Baja mode. Even with the suspension set at 16 inches of floor clearance, the truck was very secure at 45–50 mph as we climbed and descended hills, crossed washes, and dodged rocks and boulders. We aren’t “off-road guys,” however we may see how succesful the Cybertruck is and the way a lot enjoyable you possibly can have with it off street. I’m completely satisfied to say we didn’t must make the most of “Extract Mode.” This function permits for self-rescue if the truck turns into excessive centered on a rock. Extract Mode lifts the suspension from 16 inches of clearance to 17.4 inches, giving the driving force the possibility to again up off the rock. We additionally didn’t must make the most of “Wade Mode,” which permits the Cybertruck to cross water as much as 32 inches deep at low velocity.

Vary and Charging — The Cybertruck when absolutely charged confirmed 318 miles of vary. We acquired lower than the complete vary which we anticipated on condition that we have been touring by means of the mountains at freeway speeds with maybe 1,500 kilos of people and their gear. Importantly, vary was by no means a priority. We most likely handed two Supercharger stations for each one we stopped at. The car mapped our route suggesting Supercharger stops, estimating the state of cost on arrival, and estimating what number of minutes of charging can be required earlier than we departed for the following Supercharger. Our Supercharger stops ranged from 10 minutes to at least one hour. We have been grateful to have the stops for bio breaks, stretching our legs, and consuming meals. The Cybertruck charged as much as 252 kW on the 250-kW stations, and 151 kW and the 150-kW stations. The charging was a lot quicker than in my 2016 Mannequin S, which maxed out at 150 kW for temporary intervals.

Relating to Degree 2 house charging, since 2016, I’ve charged my Mannequin S at 72 amps utilizing the Tesla Wall Charger. I mistakenly thought the Cybertruck would cost simply as quick. I used to be disillusioned to see that the Cybertruck will solely cost at 48 amps, which is identical Degree 2 charging velocity of all trendy Tesla automobiles. This appears like a “take away” to me, particularly given the Cybertruck’s massive batter pack (123 kWh).

Accelerator Pedal Situation — Whereas cruising by means of Utah, we realized of the reported problem with the accelerator pedal cowl (now a recall). Utilizing the Tesla app, I messaged my native Tesla Service Middle (Bellevue, WA) expressing my concern and acquired a name again in 2 hours (good service). The service individual was unaware of the difficulty, because it had simply been reported a couple of hours earlier. She escalated the difficulty to the Cybertruck crew and stored me up to date as the difficulty was addressed. Within the meantime, on the subsequent Supercharging cease, I grabbed a roll of duct tape from the under-bed storage space and wrapped the accelerator pedal with tape. I reasoned that if duct tape labored on Apollo 13, it might work on the Cybertruck!

Powershare — Since I bought a Basis Sequence Cybertruck, and was thought-about “eligible” (see the Tesla website for particulars), the acquisition value included a bi-directional Common Wall Connector (charger) and a Powershare Gateway. These {hardware} parts, when put in, along with a future software program replace to the Cybertruck, will allow the Cybertruck to energy my house throughout an influence outage utilizing the charger cable. I’m liable for the price of set up, which my vendor estimates at $5,000. Thus far, the seller has put in the Powershare Gateway, and now we’re ready on Tesla for the bi-directional charger. Keep tuned for a future put up about how this all works out.

Abstract — The Cybertruck has exceeded my expectations. It’s an engineering and technical marvel, a pleasure to drive. There’s a saying, “The longer term arrives, simply not in all places on the similar time.” The Cybertruck appears prefer it got here out of the longer term, as a result of it did! While you drive a Cybertruck, you’ve gotten arrived sooner or later.

I count on the Cybertruck shall be America’s best-selling electrical car in its class in 2024 and for years to come back.

By Mark Curtis