Tesla Cybertruck: Wonderfully weird, just weird or new design trend?With its angular body and sparse interior, it’s safe to say the Cybertruck won’t be mistaken for a conventional pickup
Initially, the Cybertruck will be available in two all-wheel-drive versions — with up to 845 horsepower — with a base rear-wheel-drive model coming for 2025. PHOTO: TESLA PHOTO: TESLAListen to this article00:08:31
Love it or hate it – there appears to be no middle ground – on the most controversial of all Tesla EVs.
The prototype Cybertruck pickup was first shown at a Los Angeles press event in 2019. It made headlines for its weird garden-shed appearance and its shatterproof windows that famously, well, shattered when Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen tossed a steel ball at them, on purpose.
At first, the Cybertruck appeared to be a fanciful concept, but Tesla – which has never been one to follow any type of rules – decided to actually build it.
Four problem-plagued development years later – there was a pandemic, after all – the production-ready Cybertruck has at last seen the light of day, and in November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk delivered the first small batch of Cybertrucks to reservation holders at an event at the automaker’s Austin, Texas, factory.
The Cybertruck bed can handle 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) of payload. PHOTO: TESLA
It goes without saying that the infamous Cybertruck won’t be confused for any other pickup. The apparently bulletproof stainless-steel body panels remind us of the DeLorean DMC 12 sports car from the early 1980s. The cab-forward design’s enormous windshield is kept clear with a single driver’s side wiper blade. As there are no door handles to be found, entry is gained by pressing a small button below each side window.
The four-door Cybertruck’s angular shape cleverly disguises the four-foot-by-six-foot bed and its power-operated tailgate. The bed can handle 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) of payload. A power-retractable tonneau cover helps keep cargo safe and dry. There’s an additional small stowage spot located under the hood and a huge area beneath the molded composite load floor.
The Cybertruck’s sparse interior has little more than a giant 18.5-inch display and a 9.4-inch screen behind the centre console for rear-seat riders. PHOTO: TESLA
The Cybertruck is about the same length as the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup, but the Cybertruck is narrower by about 10 centimetres and has considerably less height. The Tesla holds about a 10-centimetre advantage for the distance between the front and rear wheels, which should help provide rear passengers with sufficient legroom.
The minimalist interior includes little more than a giant 18.5-inch display and a 9.4-inch screen behind the centre console for rear-seat riders to use.
The Cybertruck rides on an adaptive air suspension with up to 43 centimetres of ground clearance. That’s plenty for rock crawling and boulder hopping across some seriously rough tundra without harming the undercarriage. Rear-wheel steering is also included, which helps reduce turning radius and is handy for parking or manoeuvring through tight spots.
The Cybertruck has about a 10-centimetre advantage over the Ford F-150 Lightning for the distance between the front and rear wheels, which should help with rear legroom. PHOTO: TESLA
Two Cybertruck models will be available at the start.The two-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) version makes 600 horsepower and has a zero-to-60-mph (96 km/h) time of about four seconds. Maximum range is 540 kilometres (340 miles), according to Tesla.
The Cyberbeast model has a front motor and one for each rear wheel and is rated at 845 horsepower. The zero-to-60-mph (96-km/h) time drops into high-two-second territory. Vehicle range is slightly less at about 510 kilometres (320 miles).
Available for 2025 will be a rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive (RWD) variant with an estimated 300 horsepower. The zero-to-60 mph (96-km/h) time is 6.5 seconds and the maximum range is estimated at 400 kilometres (250 miles).
