countryboy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2024
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 298
- Reaction score
- 620
- Location
- East TN
- Vehicles
- M3P | CT FS AWD
- Thread starter
- #1
TLDR-YES! AMAZING!! GET ONE!!! So amazing I slacked off writing this for a few days...
When invited to buy FS (accidental extra RN) it was a mix of excitement and frustration-glad it was finally my turn, but what about... 500 miles? No HVAC in bed or pass thru? A lot more money? My locked in $7K FSD? After a week of indecision, I drove to Nashville and saw CT in person. Ordered right then and there. Logic be damned, who cares if the specs are worse and the price is higher, I needed the alien spaceship!!! Call it a YOLO moment, midlife crisis, whatever, but it was one of the best stupid decisions of my life!
DELIVERY and QUALITY
Biggest non-house purchase of my life... soooo nervous I couldn't sleep for a week. I took delivery 4/10, two days earlier than SC said when I got VIN. No fanfare, but a helpful employee was there for questions and put the temp tags on. I waited until after inspection to pay, about 5 mins with Plaid. No body panel issues, the finish is perfect! A few alignment imperfections I'm sure are considered "in spec" but I'll work on those myself over time.One badly warped upper side panel in the bed that will need replaced (NOT AN ISSUE! Just a good whack to fully seat.) All my settings were automatically transferred from car, even Apple Music was logged in. One malfunction, the tonneau was not closing all the way on the left side and eventually quit working completely. I was able to use service mode to recalibrate motors and it's working again but seems to hang about 4" from closed like something wrong with the track. I'll have SC take a look. Overall, happy, after owning several Teslas and learning to let go of the little stuff. Onto the important stuff...
FIRST IMPRESSIONS... LIKE A TESLA... BUT SO UNLIKE ANY OTHER TESLA
OMG is this even real?! I like driving a lot. Anything from small cars to pickups and even big trucks (drifted a fire engine once), motorcycles, tricycles, anything with a motor... but NOTHING compares to this. As I pulled away in my new rocket ship, I quickly realized SBW is awesome, squircle is weird - body memory wants a circle and I keep reaching for stalks! Everything is intuitively Tesla, I knew what to do and where to find what I need, but so many things are different. Retraining the brain... pushing scroll to engage TACC (NOT voice! there's a button for that now!). Turn signal buttons are opposite what my brain thinks they should be. That ^$&% rear view mirror! But I can see how it will all be relaxing and even easier once body memory kicks in. But now I have to buy the new M3P when it comes out, so I don't have to keep switching from stalks to no stalks! No wait, I'm probably not driving anything but my CT from now on...
QUIET AND COMFORTABLE
Amazingly quiet even on rough road. Tire noise noticeable on the interstate but far from annoying. Country backroads are such a joy. I love carving corners in the M3P but the CT is soooo much smoother, even driving right over the potholes. More sway than M3/MY for sure, but once the sway bar gets some tension on it, feels like it's on rails, albeit not quite the same cornering speed or as tossable as the M3, but still a very competent curve carver, worlds beyond any truck I've driven. The sound of drivetrain is weird, pulsing at light throttle in 35-40 range that sounds like a cat stuck in gearbox, but apparently this normal and I'm learning to love the sound of "takeoff" and "landing". For my 6'2 frame the seats are better than M3 by far. Nice not feeling like the bolsters are squeezing the pulp out of my tooshy. Kids love the rear seat because booster is no longer hard to buckle (wider seat prevents blocking latch) not to mention the screen... less whining = winning!
ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION
Being able to get in easily like a car and then push a button to drive over stuff is even more amazing in reality than I expected. Since the tailgate opens just above my knees in entry mode, loading is way easier, and my dog can jump in instead of needing to be picked up - all the benefits of a low 2wd pickup and a 4x4 monster machine rolled into one. I can't wait for future software updates to enable what this suspension should be physically capable of doing.
SOUND SYSTEM IS GREAT FOR OEM
Used to be a high-end stereo guy. This is not that awesome, but it's the best OEM stereo I've ever heard, a notch above my 2018 M3. Now that I'm old and my ears ring too much, it's good enough to not worry about upgrading. When I got my 2022 M3 one of the first things I noticed is the subwoofer sucks. Measurably worse dynamic range, lower frequencies in the 18 just missing in the 22. Cybertruck has brought the lows back! A bit muddy compared to sealed enclosure but more than enough punch and clarity with tuning of the EQ. Songs with blank quiet spots in the M3 are now filled with happy vibes, maybe not 2000W JL 12W7 kind of vibes, but still good. Just wish I could change EQ presets or at least sub volume with a scroll wheel shortcut! Maybe someday.
AWD IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME
I originally reserved a tri-motor but couldn't justify $20K more for <1.5sec faster with less range. I was worried AWD would feel a little sluggish since I was used to the M3P. NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT THAT. It doesn't slam you back in the seat at launch, but after ~25mph the rockets kick in and it makes up for lost time. Haven't measured to confirm, but 30-50 feels just as quick or quicker than my M3P, maybe just because a 7k truck shouldn't feel this way. There is a certain random spot I use for benchmarking, max speed between two tight turns... "normal" family sedan can hit about 50mph. M3 RWD I could reach 70. 22 M3P can hit 80. The CT got to 76! Bottom line, CT is faster and more nimble than almost everything in daily driving. Jumping out in front of traffic without cutting anyone off is easy! No more waiting for the eeextra large opening just because I'm in the truck. And after years driving a bomb'd 5.9 Cummins, it's really nice not leaving a giant cloud of black smoke every time.
RANGE IS GOOD, EFFICIENCY IS GREAT
Over about 150mi with a mix of traffic doing 50, interstate 75-90, some steep winding backroads, flooring it every time I stopped, average ~380 kwh/mi. A few 8-10 mile trips to town have been as low as 330 kwh/mi. It's amazing how my diesel truck would get ~20mph on the highway but these hills around town dropped it to 8-12mpg if I was lucky. Impact of hills on this truck is soooo much less! More important, no more changing brakes once a year! (on the topic of brakes, agree with general consensus they don't seem super amazing, but so far have had zero issues, will review that more when I tow). Ever since my first Tesla I have dreamed about these EV benefits on my truck.
OFFROAD
Only a taste for now, but steep muddy rock trail with occasional ruts and rocks, definitely not something a Model Y could do without damage. Crawled about a mile, no issues, throttle and traction control are amazing. After that tested an old gravel road with 4-8" puddles and ruts with some washboard that would knock fillings loose in my Ram or Jeep at 5-10mph, but I decided to hit it 30ish and couldn't believe how it soaked up the bumps. I climbed one off-camber hill to test the traction control can do concur - it sucks, for now. Lockers will fix this but I expect more SW improvement as well. For example, when I kept light throttle at the slipping point, it would grab, release, roll back, move forward, lose traction, roll back, etc. But after 5-6 times holding consistent throttle, it tweaked something (brakes?) and climbed right up. Hopefully soon it will detect that more quickly and still not require lockers every time a tire comes off the ground. Lots more testing to come but so far this is almost everything I was hoping for... TESLA PLEASE GIVE US: 1) 4x4 brake hold mode. When you need to get out of truck on a steep hill to check rocks/obstacles it WILL roll backwards! I had to back up 100 yards to a flat spot just to get a closer look at what I was about to drive over. Some days I don't want this much exercise. 2) Cruise control in offroad mode, to keep a nice 1-3mph over rocky stuff without bouncing throttle foot. Also so I can keep it in Baja/High mode when I'm trying to fit in with the other muddy trucks around town without getting a speeding ticket. 3) A factory winch option I can control with Tesla app on my phone. 4) Baja-mode regen levels in normal driving!!! I drove home in Baja mode and couldn't believe the regen that was available, made it almost mandatory to feather instead of just letting off... and I LOVE It, can go just a bit faster, a bit longer before the twisties and still not use any brake pads. Seems like an easy add to tow mode, instead of just adaptive regen, have a button "MAX REGEN" and let our right foot manage it.
CAMPING
Just quick overnight in local campground to test the basics. Other than fielding 2 hours of questions, very relaxing, and awesome camp vehicle. U-turned into the site in a way I could never do with my Ram, maneuvers more like SWB Jeep. Learned I need a new 30 amp adapter for the sites that don't have 240v. Good thing didn't need to charge. AC worked great to make coffee. Will be getting induction plate for the cast iron, cooking over campfire is messy, at least soot comes off the white interior easier than my hands. I'm over 6' so was concerned with the bed, but with my 1" inflatable pads under a 4" memory foam topper it was good as a hotel bed. Plenty of headroom not to feel claustrophobic, although the slanted front bed is kind of in the way, it doesn't hurt when you bang your head into it. If I lie diagonally, I can stretch out fully. But since it was a nice night, opened it up and dropped the tailgate and watched the stars. My copilot (4'8") slept on the floor with back seats folded up. He was comfy except could not change temp from rear only fans. NEED: 1) Opening from cab to bed, even just a slider window. 2)Bed light adjustment via Tesla app. I got all cozied in and realized no way to turn off the bed light without going up front and clicking the screen. If I missed it, someone PLEASE enlighten me lol. FOUND IT! Under controls, you have to SLIDE UP and there it is. 3) Temp controls on the back screen at least in camp mode.
ATTENTION FROM EVERYWHERE
I don't mind the kids hanging out their windows screaming, but was actually surprised, not many seem to notice or care while driving around my small town, everyone just in their own bubble. But in parking lots... different story. One or more people always standing there, jaw dropped. Most want pictures, which is OK except my ugly mug will be all over their FB. MUST GET TINT! Half the people think I made it, or it's a prototype, no idea its Tesla. Almost all love it, especially after I explain 600hp, 0-60, 11K, etc.. only one guy was negative "why'd you buy that thing it's just going to rust" lol ... I didn't have time to school him not to believe everything you read on FB. Most people under 30 know what it is and have seen it online. What surprises me most is the older folks 80+ especially ladies, just love it! Ended up meeting a neighbor I've never talked to, got to chatting about cars and life, making connections I should have made long ago just because it's a reason for someone to say "hi... and WTF is that"? This kind of attention I do like. But the star-like effect with people in my business everywhere I go hopefully wears off soon!
BUT... IS IT WORTH IT?
I still don't think any vehicle this expensive is a smart decision. If that matters, wait a while for the price to come down and used ones to hit the market. But if you love the latest in technology and things that are very different from the norm, and can afford this without destroying your livelihood, DO IT. The only reason not to buy one at this point is if you just can't stand the looks, the attention, or need to tow long distances. No, even then just buy the CT and get an old beater ICE truck to do your towing until the 500-mile version comes out. YOLO!! 
Happy Cybertruckin' y'all... hard to tell in this pic but the hill I'm parked on is at the limits of traction, was up on that root, but rolled back a few feet because no 4x4 BRAKE HOLD!
When invited to buy FS (accidental extra RN) it was a mix of excitement and frustration-glad it was finally my turn, but what about... 500 miles? No HVAC in bed or pass thru? A lot more money? My locked in $7K FSD? After a week of indecision, I drove to Nashville and saw CT in person. Ordered right then and there. Logic be damned, who cares if the specs are worse and the price is higher, I needed the alien spaceship!!! Call it a YOLO moment, midlife crisis, whatever, but it was one of the best stupid decisions of my life!
DELIVERY and QUALITY
Biggest non-house purchase of my life... soooo nervous I couldn't sleep for a week. I took delivery 4/10, two days earlier than SC said when I got VIN. No fanfare, but a helpful employee was there for questions and put the temp tags on. I waited until after inspection to pay, about 5 mins with Plaid. No body panel issues, the finish is perfect! A few alignment imperfections I'm sure are considered "in spec" but I'll work on those myself over time.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS... LIKE A TESLA... BUT SO UNLIKE ANY OTHER TESLA
OMG is this even real?! I like driving a lot. Anything from small cars to pickups and even big trucks (drifted a fire engine once), motorcycles, tricycles, anything with a motor... but NOTHING compares to this. As I pulled away in my new rocket ship, I quickly realized SBW is awesome, squircle is weird - body memory wants a circle and I keep reaching for stalks! Everything is intuitively Tesla, I knew what to do and where to find what I need, but so many things are different. Retraining the brain... pushing scroll to engage TACC (NOT voice! there's a button for that now!). Turn signal buttons are opposite what my brain thinks they should be. That ^$&% rear view mirror! But I can see how it will all be relaxing and even easier once body memory kicks in. But now I have to buy the new M3P when it comes out, so I don't have to keep switching from stalks to no stalks! No wait, I'm probably not driving anything but my CT from now on...
QUIET AND COMFORTABLE
Amazingly quiet even on rough road. Tire noise noticeable on the interstate but far from annoying. Country backroads are such a joy. I love carving corners in the M3P but the CT is soooo much smoother, even driving right over the potholes. More sway than M3/MY for sure, but once the sway bar gets some tension on it, feels like it's on rails, albeit not quite the same cornering speed or as tossable as the M3, but still a very competent curve carver, worlds beyond any truck I've driven. The sound of drivetrain is weird, pulsing at light throttle in 35-40 range that sounds like a cat stuck in gearbox, but apparently this normal and I'm learning to love the sound of "takeoff" and "landing". For my 6'2 frame the seats are better than M3 by far. Nice not feeling like the bolsters are squeezing the pulp out of my tooshy. Kids love the rear seat because booster is no longer hard to buckle (wider seat prevents blocking latch) not to mention the screen... less whining = winning!
ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION
Being able to get in easily like a car and then push a button to drive over stuff is even more amazing in reality than I expected. Since the tailgate opens just above my knees in entry mode, loading is way easier, and my dog can jump in instead of needing to be picked up - all the benefits of a low 2wd pickup and a 4x4 monster machine rolled into one. I can't wait for future software updates to enable what this suspension should be physically capable of doing.
SOUND SYSTEM IS GREAT FOR OEM
Used to be a high-end stereo guy. This is not that awesome, but it's the best OEM stereo I've ever heard, a notch above my 2018 M3. Now that I'm old and my ears ring too much, it's good enough to not worry about upgrading. When I got my 2022 M3 one of the first things I noticed is the subwoofer sucks. Measurably worse dynamic range, lower frequencies in the 18 just missing in the 22. Cybertruck has brought the lows back! A bit muddy compared to sealed enclosure but more than enough punch and clarity with tuning of the EQ. Songs with blank quiet spots in the M3 are now filled with happy vibes, maybe not 2000W JL 12W7 kind of vibes, but still good. Just wish I could change EQ presets or at least sub volume with a scroll wheel shortcut! Maybe someday.
AWD IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME
I originally reserved a tri-motor but couldn't justify $20K more for <1.5sec faster with less range. I was worried AWD would feel a little sluggish since I was used to the M3P. NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT THAT. It doesn't slam you back in the seat at launch, but after ~25mph the rockets kick in and it makes up for lost time. Haven't measured to confirm, but 30-50 feels just as quick or quicker than my M3P, maybe just because a 7k truck shouldn't feel this way. There is a certain random spot I use for benchmarking, max speed between two tight turns... "normal" family sedan can hit about 50mph. M3 RWD I could reach 70. 22 M3P can hit 80. The CT got to 76! Bottom line, CT is faster and more nimble than almost everything in daily driving. Jumping out in front of traffic without cutting anyone off is easy! No more waiting for the eeextra large opening just because I'm in the truck. And after years driving a bomb'd 5.9 Cummins, it's really nice not leaving a giant cloud of black smoke every time.
RANGE IS GOOD, EFFICIENCY IS GREAT
Over about 150mi with a mix of traffic doing 50, interstate 75-90, some steep winding backroads, flooring it every time I stopped, average ~380 kwh/mi. A few 8-10 mile trips to town have been as low as 330 kwh/mi. It's amazing how my diesel truck would get ~20mph on the highway but these hills around town dropped it to 8-12mpg if I was lucky. Impact of hills on this truck is soooo much less! More important, no more changing brakes once a year! (on the topic of brakes, agree with general consensus they don't seem super amazing, but so far have had zero issues, will review that more when I tow). Ever since my first Tesla I have dreamed about these EV benefits on my truck.
OFFROAD
Only a taste for now, but steep muddy rock trail with occasional ruts and rocks, definitely not something a Model Y could do without damage. Crawled about a mile, no issues, throttle and traction control are amazing. After that tested an old gravel road with 4-8" puddles and ruts with some washboard that would knock fillings loose in my Ram or Jeep at 5-10mph, but I decided to hit it 30ish and couldn't believe how it soaked up the bumps. I climbed one off-camber hill to test the traction control can do concur - it sucks, for now. Lockers will fix this but I expect more SW improvement as well. For example, when I kept light throttle at the slipping point, it would grab, release, roll back, move forward, lose traction, roll back, etc. But after 5-6 times holding consistent throttle, it tweaked something (brakes?) and climbed right up. Hopefully soon it will detect that more quickly and still not require lockers every time a tire comes off the ground. Lots more testing to come but so far this is almost everything I was hoping for... TESLA PLEASE GIVE US: 1) 4x4 brake hold mode. When you need to get out of truck on a steep hill to check rocks/obstacles it WILL roll backwards! I had to back up 100 yards to a flat spot just to get a closer look at what I was about to drive over. Some days I don't want this much exercise. 2) Cruise control in offroad mode, to keep a nice 1-3mph over rocky stuff without bouncing throttle foot. Also so I can keep it in Baja/High mode when I'm trying to fit in with the other muddy trucks around town without getting a speeding ticket. 3) A factory winch option I can control with Tesla app on my phone. 4) Baja-mode regen levels in normal driving!!! I drove home in Baja mode and couldn't believe the regen that was available, made it almost mandatory to feather instead of just letting off... and I LOVE It, can go just a bit faster, a bit longer before the twisties and still not use any brake pads. Seems like an easy add to tow mode, instead of just adaptive regen, have a button "MAX REGEN" and let our right foot manage it.
CAMPING
Just quick overnight in local campground to test the basics. Other than fielding 2 hours of questions, very relaxing, and awesome camp vehicle. U-turned into the site in a way I could never do with my Ram, maneuvers more like SWB Jeep. Learned I need a new 30 amp adapter for the sites that don't have 240v. Good thing didn't need to charge. AC worked great to make coffee. Will be getting induction plate for the cast iron, cooking over campfire is messy, at least soot comes off the white interior easier than my hands. I'm over 6' so was concerned with the bed, but with my 1" inflatable pads under a 4" memory foam topper it was good as a hotel bed. Plenty of headroom not to feel claustrophobic, although the slanted front bed is kind of in the way, it doesn't hurt when you bang your head into it. If I lie diagonally, I can stretch out fully. But since it was a nice night, opened it up and dropped the tailgate and watched the stars. My copilot (4'8") slept on the floor with back seats folded up. He was comfy except could not change temp from rear only fans. NEED: 1) Opening from cab to bed, even just a slider window. 2)
ATTENTION FROM EVERYWHERE
I don't mind the kids hanging out their windows screaming, but was actually surprised, not many seem to notice or care while driving around my small town, everyone just in their own bubble. But in parking lots... different story. One or more people always standing there, jaw dropped. Most want pictures, which is OK except my ugly mug will be all over their FB. MUST GET TINT! Half the people think I made it, or it's a prototype, no idea its Tesla. Almost all love it, especially after I explain 600hp, 0-60, 11K, etc.. only one guy was negative "why'd you buy that thing it's just going to rust" lol ... I didn't have time to school him not to believe everything you read on FB. Most people under 30 know what it is and have seen it online. What surprises me most is the older folks 80+ especially ladies, just love it! Ended up meeting a neighbor I've never talked to, got to chatting about cars and life, making connections I should have made long ago just because it's a reason for someone to say "hi... and WTF is that"? This kind of attention I do like. But the star-like effect with people in my business everywhere I go hopefully wears off soon!
BUT... IS IT WORTH IT?
I still don't think any vehicle this expensive is a smart decision. If that matters, wait a while for the price to come down and used ones to hit the market. But if you love the latest in technology and things that are very different from the norm, and can afford this without destroying your livelihood, DO IT. The only reason not to buy one at this point is if you just can't stand the looks, the attention, or need to
Happy Cybertruckin' y'all... hard to tell in this pic but the hill I'm parked on is at the limits of traction, was up on that root, but rolled back a few feet because no 4x4 BRAKE HOLD!
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