Derektsla
Well-known member
- First Name
- Derek
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2023
- Threads
- 16
- Messages
- 295
- Reaction score
- 704
- Location
- Greenville, SC
- Vehicles
- Cybertruck AWD, Model X
- Occupation
- Entrepreneur
- Thread starter
- #1
Wow. It’s been 7 days and I still can’t believe I own of these still. I’m going to try to write a review unique enough to be worth reading. But first. Some context.
I am coming from a 2018 Model X 100D with FSD. Great vehicle, but not all the newest Tesla tech. No horizontal screen, different UI, etc.
Summary:
I love this truck. It looks badass, drives great, and isn’t the same as everyone else’s truck. But, it isn’t perfect, there are things I don’t like, and things that don’t work well. Still, it’s more fun than anything else I have ever driven. This includes Ferraris, Lambos, Mclarens, Baja trucks, off-road UTVs, etc. Why? It’s hard to say exactly, there is something special about it, it’s magnetic. It’s simultaneously badass, luxury, tough and fast. I have never had a new vehicle this cool that I don’t have to worry about scratching or other people denting in the parking lot. When I drive this truck, all my small complaints mostly fade away.
Before I get into the positives and negatives, I’ll talk about the first 3 days. After my drive back from the dealer, of about 2 hours, I was thinking “This is cool, but I am not sure I am going to like this.” I hadn’t driven a pickup in a while, and never owned a king cab truck. On top of that, it was so different. It’s stiffer, has more body roll, more aggressive regen, steering was weird, no stalks, squirkle wheel, and it’s long. My 2018 X was basically a normal (but techie) midsize SUV that drove like a sports car. The truck doesn’t feel like that. It feels like a truck, but from far in the future when trucks are indestructible, high tech and very fast. All that is great, but will I want to drive this every day? The answer is a definite YES, but it took me a bit to get there
After day 3, I started loving the truck. I finally figured out the steering, regen, UI, turn signal buttons, etc. since then, it’s been a lot of fun.
Negatives:
Since that summary ended with the fact that I love the truck, let’s start with what I don’t like.
Now back to the fun stuff. I know why people “think” they should love it, but I want to focus on the more subtle reasons. But in order to do that, I’ll first get all the stuff you expect in a quick list.
The looks, the speed, the futuristic interior, the bed cover, etc. all really cool. Now for my subtle personal favorites that others may not mention.
I am updating this review with this section as there are a lot of things that are not good or bad, but are notable. I might start to love or hate them later, but for now I am not sure.
I could write a lot more, but I’m tired and this post is long. For me, the pros outweigh the cons by a lot. It’s not the best at any one truck thing, but it’s the best package of everything. When I read posts of potential buyers worried about range, or FSD not there yet, or any number of other small complaints, I just chuckle because most of that doesn’t matter day to day. I get to drive something most people thought would never exist, and it’s useful, capable, and techie.
Lastly, the main reasons I wouldn’t recommend you buy one…
I am coming from a 2018 Model X 100D with FSD. Great vehicle, but not all the newest Tesla tech. No horizontal screen, different UI, etc.
Summary:
I love this truck. It looks badass, drives great, and isn’t the same as everyone else’s truck. But, it isn’t perfect, there are things I don’t like, and things that don’t work well. Still, it’s more fun than anything else I have ever driven. This includes Ferraris, Lambos, Mclarens, Baja trucks, off-road UTVs, etc. Why? It’s hard to say exactly, there is something special about it, it’s magnetic. It’s simultaneously badass, luxury, tough and fast. I have never had a new vehicle this cool that I don’t have to worry about scratching or other people denting in the parking lot. When I drive this truck, all my small complaints mostly fade away.
Before I get into the positives and negatives, I’ll talk about the first 3 days. After my drive back from the dealer, of about 2 hours, I was thinking “This is cool, but I am not sure I am going to like this.” I hadn’t driven a pickup in a while, and never owned a king cab truck. On top of that, it was so different. It’s stiffer, has more body roll, more aggressive regen, steering was weird, no stalks, squirkle wheel, and it’s long. My 2018 X was basically a normal (but techie) midsize SUV that drove like a sports car. The truck doesn’t feel like that. It feels like a truck, but from far in the future when trucks are indestructible, high tech and very fast. All that is great, but will I want to drive this every day? The answer is a definite YES, but it took me a bit to get there
After day 3, I started loving the truck. I finally figured out the steering, regen, UI, turn signal buttons, etc. since then, it’s been a lot of fun.
Negatives:
Since that summary ended with the fact that I love the truck, let’s start with what I don’t like.
- Rear view mirror. It’s useless and will likely be removed. This is because it only works sometimes (if cover is open). If you can’t rely on it all the time, it’s annoying to look at it and see nothing. The rear view camera on the screen isn’t great. It’s not clear enough and too wide angle to see things accurately. But, I ended up realizing I don’t need to look at the rear view much anyway. I used to do it way too much. (FYI, as someone pointed out. with tonneau cover closed and tailgate down, if you remove mirror, you have no rear view at all.)
- Side mirrors. The angles that make them look cool also mean that I see less. It’s fine for driving,
but will suck for towing(others fairly refuted this point). Between the mediocre rear view on the screen and small side mirrors, It may be hard to see what I am towing. If Tesla indeed made them easy to take off, that’s awesome, because some of you will replace them for towing. - The smell of the bed. I haven’t seen this anywhere else, but the plastic/rubber in the bed smells bad. It’s like a rubber item that just arrived from China that needs to off-gas. I hope this goes away.
- Learning curve. The steering is different, turn signal buttons that automatically turn off, etc. all awesome! But all strange It takes a bit to figure out.
- No parking sensors. This is still a frustration for me. it’s really hard for me to tell where the front right of the vehicle is. I have a front camera, but I can’t confidently tell if I will miss things due to the wide angle and confusing turning angle overlays. My X would tell me how many inches I was from something, and it was awesome. I will learn where my front end is, but it will take a bit.
- Annoying feature misses. No steam, supports only 2 wireless headphones in the back, and a few other small things.
- No heads-up display. This isn’t that big of a deal, but as things get farther to the right of the center screen, like navigation, it’s not nearly as easy to see as it was in my X.
- Ride quality. It’s fine, but if I am being picky, it rides like a truck. It’s stiffer and you feel more bumps. All terrain tires are noisier and have more vibration over 60mph. The air suspension is great, but not nearly as smooth as my X. But this is a truck, so that’s fine. (others have pointed out that this rides great compared to other trucks. I agree with this statement.)
- The insane attention (temporary). Outside of the hot spots, like TX or CA, everyone will look at you. After 7 days, I have seen people take HUNDREDS of pictures and videos of me. People honk, give me thumbs up, and often let me pass or pull out in front of them so they can see it. This abnormal behavior makes it harder to anticipate what others will do on the road. I will literally be ambushed by people in parking lots that ask questions the second I get out of the truck. The last time I stopped to grab snacks at Publix, I ended up being there for an hour doing a mini car show. I’m social, it’s fine, but I am pretty sure I get more attention than Taylor Swift would right now. I even had two teenagers see the truck in the parking lot, pull in, and search the store until they found me. All to ask if they could follow me for a bit and take video. This is not an exaggeration. My friends thought I was being dramatic until they rode with me.
- (New) It’s a bit buggy. Lots of people have had various issues. Luckily mine are mostly just annoying. Like I keep getting a charging error that scares me, but everything is still working fine for now.
Now back to the fun stuff. I know why people “think” they should love it, but I want to focus on the more subtle reasons. But in order to do that, I’ll first get all the stuff you expect in a quick list.
The looks, the speed, the futuristic interior, the bed cover, etc. all really cool. Now for my subtle personal favorites that others may not mention.
- The sounds. Most every noise this vehicle makes fits the style and I love that. The robust noise when the cabin door latches release is solid. The noise the metal tonneau cover slats make when retracting is so satisfying. The doors closing have a satisfying umph. The windshield wiper moves with a commanding swoosh and thud at the bottom. Lastly, the drive motors are louder. Not an “this is annoying louder.” But a loudness like “This futuristic space machine has a flux capacitor that is spooling up to rocket me out of here!” I grew up near a race track, and some days I really miss the sounds of an engine so finely tuned to go fast, its barely able to stay running at idle! So this motor noise helps me feel like I have more power.
- The steering. I said it was hard to get used to, but once you do, it’s awesome. I’m pretty sure the Cybertruck turns a tighter U-turn than my X does. It feels like the truck needs a ton of space to turn into a parking spot, but it turns so sharp, it’s easy. It’s effortless with steer by wire + rear steer. I hopped in my wife’s minivan today and the normal steering was laughable. It felt like I was steering a pontoon boat that wasn’t moving in the water! Why so much turning? As someone here said, it completely ruins normal car steering, and everyone else should be ashamed
- Sound system. Best ever? not likely, but very good. Bass is lower and has a lot more punch than my X did. It’s not as insane as the 15” sub I had in my old pickup’s small cabin, but it’s good enough I don’t think about needing more. The highs are bright and clear, the mids seem a bit muddy, but are a bit better with mixer tweaks
- The User Interface. It’s very fast, intuitive, and easier to use than my X ever was. Everything is designed for the style of the truck.
- The way the doors open. I hate door handles now. How pointless they seem. I liked my X door buttons but I LOVE the truck buttons. I never loved the fully powered X doors either. It was cool to control remotely, but the door motors always fought me opening them up. Doors that open upwards are too slow and awkward (but I still love the Falcon wing doors!) Handles that pop out? Meh. But, walking up and seeing the white light about the door illuminate telling me the car sees me, then pressing a button and quickly opening the door seems like a perfect blend of tech without annoyances.
- Durability. The stainless is cool. Myself (and everyone posting) about how to keep the truck looking really good is missing the point a bit. It’s industrial design, and isn’t supposed to look perfect. It doesn’t come from the factory anywhere near perfect. People worry too much about this. Not a single person that has seen my truck has mentioned any stains or dirt on it. The stainless is so hard! I slammed my fist on it to show a friend how hard it was. He jumped and said “whoa, what are you doing?” It was a Bad idea, my hand still hurts. Every other vehicle would have had a large dent. I polished with bar keepers friend and I don’t see a single swirl mark that wasn’t already there from the factory. I don’t have to use a 2 bucket wash method when cleaning, or even a new microfiber mitt. I Just wash it. I can park right next to the shopping cart return and not be afraid, such freedom!
- Towing features. It has a built in brake controller for electronic brakes. Near the hitch it has the round trailer connector AND a 4 pin connector next to it. I don’t have to get a harness to convert it for small stuff like my jet-ski trailer that uses a 4-pin.
- Air suspension. Entry mode makes it really easy to get in. It’s nice to be able to ride higher without the need for running boards to step up into the vehicle.
- Cabin noise. The cabin has less air and road noise than my X. This is impressive. It’s harder to judge because the all terrain tires make it worse, but all else equal, it’s better!
- Glove box drawer. I don’t have to worry about crap falling out when I open it! So much better
- Bed locker. It’s great for ratchet strap storage, and other tools you want to have around. It has a drain. I loaded it with beer and ice for a tailgate, then drained it after. It was awesome
- It’s a pickup, but looks like a military vehicle. Not for everyone, but I love it. I am a fan of all the 80’s sci fi like Terminator, Blade Runner, etc. driving it feels like you are in the movie!
I am updating this review with this section as there are a lot of things that are not good or bad, but are notable. I might start to love or hate them later, but for now I am not sure.
- MyQ Garage Opener. I was able to get the adapter for $0.99 via a discount from the QR code in the truck settings. I had to pay $48/year with a 30 day free trial. It's cheaper if you buy longer and I think had a lifetime plan. So far, with my limited use, it performs slightly better than the built in opener on my X. I say that because MyQ knows when your garage door is open or closed. So if I leave my garage open for a quick errand and come home, it doesn't try to close it on me. So for now, the added functionality of that offsets the annoyance of a cost and install for me. However, I can see how others would be annoyed at all this.
- Buttons for turn signals & Steering wheel shape. 9 days in and still having to remember which button is which. I think this will be awesome eventually, but slight pain still.
I could write a lot more, but I’m tired and this post is long. For me, the pros outweigh the cons by a lot. It’s not the best at any one truck thing, but it’s the best package of everything. When I read posts of potential buyers worried about range, or FSD not there yet, or any number of other small complaints, I just chuckle because most of that doesn’t matter day to day. I get to drive something most people thought would never exist, and it’s useful, capable, and techie.
Lastly, the main reasons I wouldn’t recommend you buy one…
- You can barely afford it. It’s cool, but make good life choices
- You have very specific needs like towing a horse trailer 1000 miles a week. Get something else
- You are not social and don’t want people talking to you
- You don’t appreciate the unique looks and engineering. If you are constantly comparing this unfavorably to other standard trucks, that’s a sign you’re stuck in group think and don’t get it.
- (NEW) You are surprised by design decisions for a TRUCK. If you compare features to a luxury SUV at $100k, you will find a lot to complain about. If you compare to any other vehicle at $100k, you will find stuff to complain about.
Just comparing to other trucks... Here is my half-hearted price breakdown.
$80k - For a king cab pickup with plenty of power, towing and covered bed. (Similar F150 is $78,700).
$10k - FSD/early adopter/Powershare/etc tax.
Final $10k - The effort Tesla puts into making everything not suck like other brands, especially in the area of infotainment. This includes paying their legal team to fight lawsuits because someone got in an accident and sued them for not putting a (really annoying) warning message on the screen EVER SINGLE TIME you get in the vehicle! It also includes removing all gasoline so you don't have to deal with the vehicle shutting off the engine at every stop light and you having to push a button to make it stop doing that EVERY SINGLE TIME you drive the vehicle.
PRICELESS - Elon saying it would be super cheap!
See, price it totally fair!Sorry, rant over.
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