Article - Tesla Cybertruck: What Will Real Pickup Truck People Think?

[ModelAZ]

I thought this was an interesting read, sorta a view of the Cybertruck from a traditional pickup buyer's perspective. Do we have any of you guys here? What are your thoughts on these aspects that the article brings up?

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-real-truck-drivers-think/

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[shocker]

I'm a very traditional truck buyer. Ranger, F-150, Silverado, Silverado are my last 4 truck purchases.
I also own a Bolt and leased a Volt.
Cybertruck is the have my cake and eat it too vehicle. All the functionality I need in a truck, price amazing, can drive it 80 mph down the freeway for a nickle a mile. Can't beat that.

 

[CyberRich]

The press seems be so worried about whether traditional truck buyers will want the Cybertruck. They are completely overlooking the fact that this vehicle is being preordered by many people that never even owned a truck before. Tesla has opened up a whole new market.

 

[Lee61]

I placed my order sunday, dual motor awd.

 

[Than01002]

I'm a truck guy I've had Nissan GMC ford and Toyota I also use and drive them for work the tesla is a no brainer for me all the numbers are great on this thing cheap to own fast to drive 3500 lbs load which is almost 3 times what my tundra will hold and no gas to buy !!!

 

[Richc22]

I have owned diesel Ford Powerstrokes for years. Tough, reliable, and safe.. i have put over 300k on a couple. Cybertuck is strong, all wheel drive as opposed to my 4x4 f 350 having one wheel that gets power during normal take offs..
Makes sense, especially when my operating costs savings could conceivably pay for the truck..
My hauling requirements have dropped so i do not need 16k fifth wheel capability..
My take? safety is my first concern, my only concern at this point.. the ability to take an impact and occupants remain safe..
All else is gooood..
A truck guys take..

 

[Saskateam]

I have drove service body trucks for years as well as farm trucks and sport trucks. The CT is going to be a lot like driving a service body truck. I have to climb in the back to get anything however with the frunk, under bed storage and pillar storage, I will not need to climb in the back often. As for all the other truck features other than the bed it beats everything else. Great on road great off road and great utility.

 

[Jon Snow]

I’ve owned trucks all my life ... from chey to ford to Toyota to Dodge. Cybertruck is so far ahead of all of these that it was a no-brainer to order the tri-motor.

 

[Cyber1qhorsey]

I thought this was an interesting read, sorta a view of the Cybertruck from a traditional pickup buyer's perspective. Do we have any of you guys here? What are your thoughts on these aspects that the article brings up?

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-real-truck-drivers-think/

The cybertruck will have best in class bed volume and strength, best in class suspension, best in class standard accessories, and best in class hauling. But who's bragging? Range and charging issues will be solved by next gen batteries with internal cell preheating. Supercharger stations dedicated to businesses will round out the business rationale. We're talking Tech for 3 to 10 years from now.
Cyber1qhorsey.

 

[Keeney]

I am looking to replace a Chevy 2500 (non-HD version) 4-door with 6.5 bed. in many regards it is a truck with very similar size, weight, payload, and functionality as the CT.

As mentioned, the CT is really a step up from the 1/2 ton class. In general, the payload and towing capacities are more comparable to the 3/4 ton class. Of course, that increased payload comes at the cost of having stiffer 6000 lb rear suspension, and 80 psi tires which are not going to make the ride as cushy as 1/2 ton trucks a lot of people buy and use mostly as passenger vehicles.

Pluses:
The stainless is a great material for a truck, especially the cargo bed. The price is OK. I am looking to move to an EV and Tesla is easily the leader in EV tech and supercharging stations. The cargo area lighting, built-in anchor rails, and the ramp in the tailgate are nice included "accessories". I am not a fan of covered cargo beds, but I guess its needed for range, so its nice the have that option built in when that range is needed and for those who want a cover..

Abstract Cons:
The big miss is that the side "sails" preclude a lot of versatility to configure the bed with accessories like toppers, campers, tool boxes, racks, 5th wheel hitch, etc. That versatility to customize for different uses is what helps make conventional pickups so popular.

Nit Picks:
As a truck guy, I also worry about all the little things that will annoy me that the other truck manufacturers have learned from decades of experience that Tesla is a rookie at. Especially in regards to the cargo area:

• The total bed area is significantly less than conventional trucks. Its nice to have the 57" width the full length between the wheel wells, but conventional trucks are wider in front of, behind, and over the wheels. For many types of cargo, all that extra space is amazingly useful.
• The corner tie-downs look too small and difficult to apply strap hooks to,.
• The bed surface looks dangerously slippery - it needs a textured surface that would actually work with wet, muddy, compost-covered, or snow-covered boots. For various reasons, longitudinal corrugations are the right answer.
• Similar issue with the built-in ramp. Most ramps are actually ladder-rung style, slatted, punched, or some kind of grating for good reason. Not going to get much traction driving a muddy ATV or dirt bike up a flat stainless ramp.
• The compartment under bed is a bad idea. For example, if hauling dirt, the edges will snag shovels when unloading. Water will eventually leak in. Someday when you need something from that compartment, your truck will have 3500 lbs of other stuff on top of it.
• The tailgate needs supporting straps when open. If the max payload is 3500 lbs, there will be a time when 3500 lbs gets dropped on the back edge of the tailgate during loading or unloading. I have seen older pickup truck tailgates fail just because two big guys climbed on there at the same time.
• The tailgate needs to gracefully handle gravel and other debris in the hinge area. Most trucks let the smaller stuff fall through, and don't get jammed on larger rocks. Worst case, you can pull the gate off to clear that area.
• Tesla has cheated on the bed length in that the back of the cab slants over the bed (maybe 6-8 inches) as does the top of the cab (another 3-4 inches). That is going to matter someday hauling bulkier things like furniture, crates, appliances, ATV's, lawn tractors, other toys. Its really not a full 6.5' bed top to bottom..
• The fact that the back window is the first thing your ATV bumper is going to smack into seems like a bad situation. Conventional trucks have a few inches of clearance distance between the bed top front rail and the window.
• The side "sails" obstruct reaching things in the front of the bed - you have to climb in to get them.
• Cameras are not going to be a substitute for good side mirrors. Especially when towing.
• Rear window visibility is poor. It is nice to be able to see when backing such a large vehicle.
• Everyone I have ever known with a roll cover on their truck, it eventually becomes difficult to operate or jammed with snow or other debris, and they all leak.
• There needs to be a place for a full-sized spare. Put it in the place all the conventional trucks do - under the cargo bed, accessed from below.
• Tesla claims this truck can be shorter than a conventional 4-door with 6.5' bed due to no ICE up front. But its not actually shorter. Its not even as short as they claim it is. What they show in the video compared to the 232 inch Ford is not 232 inches. Its a good foot or more longer. I would estimate more like 244 inches, just like my Chevy and comparable Fords. And they are even cheating on the bed length. The cab is just super long due to that deep dash and slightly reclined rear seating (needed for headroom with the sloped roof needed for aero). The front really cannot be much shorter because front wheels and suspension. and front aero considerations.

I use my truck as my winter vehicle, so here in MN, cold weather operation will be common. A few more nit picks in regards to use in cold weather:

• The large front windshiled is going to be a chore to scrape when scraping is necessary.
• I worry that the defrost capacity will be sufficient to keep that huge windshield clear when driving in colder weather.
• Touch screens suck when wearing gloves.
• Gimicky door handles can freeze or be difficult to use with gloves.

 

[Keeney]

Just used my truck yesterday to haul a piece of exercise equipment and thinking what the experience would have been like in a Cybertruck:

Plus: The ability to lower the bed of the Cybertruck using the air suspension would have been a nice feature to have. Two of us muscled the machine up on to the tailgate, but it was right at the limit of what two big guys could lift that high. Unloading was a similar story. Modern trucks with the high bed height are getting less and less useful for actually hauling things.

Negative: The front of the machine was nicely up against the poly bed-liner in the front of the bed of my truck, with no need for any other cushioning. There were several inches between the upper part of the machine and the rear window glass. In the Cybertruck, the machine would have been up against the window glass. I would have needed to add some dunnage down low in the front. Or go with a four point strapping which takes more time. Trying to hold things back in the truck with just straps also makes me nervous that if a strap works loose the load would be coming through the rear window under hard braking.

Negative: In my conventional truck, I was able to reach over the sides to attach straps to the inside front anchor points without having to climb into the truck. In the Cybertruck, I would have had to climb up into the truck and there would have been limited room to work between the machine and the sides.

Negative: Unloading the machine this morning, there was some icy condensation on everything that was outside due to the temp cycling above and below freezing here. The texture of the poly bed liner worked well and was not slippery when we had to climb in the truck to slide the machine out. The stainless bed of the Cybertruck would have been wet at the very least and may even have had slippery frost on it.

Tie: Even though the useful length of the Cybertruck bed is impaired by the cab sloping back such that its not a full 6'6" top to bottom, the machine would have still fit with the tailgate up.

Bottom line is the Cybertruck would have been OK to do the job, but I will have to get used to its quirks. I would suggest to keep some dunnage (wood blocks) in the bed to help with the sloped front, and a couple of extra straps.