The Tesla Cybertruck’s Stats Look Solid if You Forget Elon’s Promises
If we didn’t know anything about the Cybertruck before yesterday, I think we’d all be a lot more impressed.
I'm tired of hearing about the Tesla Cybertruck and it's my guess you are too. It's been a long few years of drip-fed news with Elon stans and anyone who dares oppose them battling it out on Twitt... er... X? Anywho, conversations about the divisive design have never been civil and the constant debates over engineering details are exhausting.
But now that we've finally learned more about it, I think it might be better than expected.
By no means am I hopping on the bandwagon. I'd still buy a Rivian R1T if I had the cash. But the running is a lot closer than before now that the Cybertruck's stats are more or less finalized.
It can tow 11,000 pounds, which is less than the 14,000-pound max that Musk promised but still more than a Ford F-150 Lightning. Its 2,500-pound max payload and 6,850-pound curb weight also mean you could put a Miata in the bed (if it fit) and still tip the scales below the GMC Hummer EV. The Tesla's $60,990 starting price is nowhere close to the initially predicted $39,000 entry point, but by golly, it's cheaper than the $74,800 base R1T. You still get more for your money with the Rivian as it packs a dual-motor drivetrain as standard; optioning the Cybertruck with AWD makes it roughly $80,000.
The sucky part is that Musk over-promised when he really didn't have to. It's fine that the Cybertruck tows "only" 11,000 pounds! And after seeing the price hikes other electric trucks have made, we knew that sub-$40,000 model would never happen. It also doesn't need to be bulletproof. Why would that matter? My pal James Gilboy wrote a whole post about the Cybertruck only withstanding fire from a subsonic .45 ACP round rather than a 9mm Parabellum as was originally advertised. The vast majority of folks couldn't care less, and misleading them to believe the vehicle is more capable than it actually is comes off like Tesla isn't confident in what it's bringing to the table.
I'm not sure it's possible to view the Cybertruck separately from Musk. On its own, though, it's fairly impressive—styling and dumb brake lights notwithstanding. I honestly didn't think we'd see the day that it reached production. When my coworker Maddox went and saw one at Tesla's NYC showroom, I had to eat crow because I've often been outspoken about it in our staff's Slack. Sure, the panel gaps are bad, but the thing exists.
I'll refrain from making any true judgments until I test it myself, and I'm sure we'll find flaws like any reviewer does with Tesla products, but I already respect it more than I thought possible. If only Musk let it speak for itself.
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