Motortrend Review: 2024 Cybertruck Dual Motor First Drive: Hype Machine or the Real Deal?

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-tesla-cybertruck-dual-motor-foundation-series-first-drive/

2024 Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor First Drive: Hype Machine or the Real Deal?

Tesla’s futuristic electric pickup truck is a lot more than just a Model S with a cargo bed.

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

Longranger said:

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

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It is really not as bad as people make it seem. In places where you need extra sight, just use the front camera, which is really nice.

With the Cybertruck you have cameras all around your car that you can monitor, two rear view mirrors as back up, red lights for warnings by the side speakers, and animations of everything on the road next to you. Heck, if you want to lower the tonneau cover, you can do that as well.

Longranger said:

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

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The 10-15 minutes I drove it I didn't even notice the A pillar.

Longranger said:

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

Click to expand...

This has been mentioned several times and has been in a few video (non-influancer ones eg.
Throttle House). It gets overlooked unless you get a video or pictures from the driver's eyes.

UPDATE:
The A1-pillar and A2-pillar sure do end up taking up a lot of view from the drivers perspective.


UPDATE 2:

Longranger said:

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

Click to expand...

A few very vocal people who are used to driving vehicles from the last century, with skinny little A-pillars, cars and trucks that would routinely kill or paralyze occupants in rollover collisions, think every modern car has overly thick A-pillars obstructing visibility. People who have walked away from rollovers in a modern car/truck realize the value of crush-resistant A-pillars. Life is good. Life being able to stand and walk is even better.

People who are skilled drivers know that driving in traffic requires a certain amount of moving the head around in 3D space to form an unobstructed view of vehicles approaching from behind the A-pillars. Here's the funny thing, I can still remember my mom and dad making those same head-bobbing motions before pulling out into traffic back in the 1970's when cars had A-pillars skinnier than the wrists of an anorexic model. Probably because they knew if we were t-boned, someone would die.

I see a lot of drivers today who have lost this driving skill, probably because the consequences are not as dire (or have people just become less intelligent?). Probably a combination of both.

I welcome big A-pillars made of high-strength steel (they were mild steel decades ago) and will take appropriate measures to see around them. I've also driven plenty of vans and trucks that had no rear-view mirror (and no cameras) and never felt unsafe because of it. A good driver has awareness of what they can and can't see and takes appropriate measures. Unskilled drivers, who don't take driving for the life and death task that it is, will be unsafe drivers no matter what vehicle they are driving. Only advanced driver training or fully autonomous cars can fix that problem.

I think the visibility experience will be similar to driving the Model X. There are certain sweeping left hand curves in my subdivision that are obscured behind the Model X A-pillar, and I find myself having to lean towards the center to view the road for oncoming traffic. Also, I can't really see the front of the hood when driving. The front ultrasonic sensors give me good visual feedback, but I've become accustomed to where the front is and have no trouble navigating tight parking spaces. Although there aren't any USS on the Cybertruck, the front camera will be a welcomed addition.

Longranger said:

The comments about A-pillars obstructing visibility are harsh. Have not heard the same from forum members who have gotten theirs. Is it significant or a nothingburger?

Click to expand...

A lot comes down to what you are driving now, if you have a vehicle with great visibility the pillars will be a significant adjustment, if you are in a low vis vehicle they are not that bad.

No more A-Pillars

Jay said he liked the A pillar with the window

scottf200 said:

The A1-pillar and A2-pillar sure do end up taking up a lot of view from the drivers perspective.

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camera lense distortion will not give you a proper idea or feel of the perspective from the driver's seat.

Can hardly wait to give you all a personal perspective, but I'm guessing this is a relative nothing burger. Reviewers complained about A-pillar obstruction in the Model 3. I drive with FSD engaged, so when it's released for the CT, any loss of vision from the driver's seat due to the A-pillar will be inconsequential.

Obsessing over the few negative comments, but Motortrend's summary is:

"For now, our first brief taste of the Cybertruck has been very sweet. It's futuristic and whimsical but exhibits the kind of down-to-earth practicality that truck buyers demand. The Cybertruck is a credible competitor for the talented electric pickup trucks already on the market."

On a more serious note, it's the reason I didn't buy an X. It seems like Tesla doesn't care about back seat room, the X is way too small for what is supposed to be their biggest SUV. Combine all of this with the shrunken Model 3 redesigned back seats, it's obvious Teslas aren't made for full sized adults in the back.