On the road in the Tesla Cybertruck: Fast, handy and lots of problems

Of course, the Cybertruck polarizes – and how. Visually a mixture of off-road pick-up, rolling set square and Mad Max movie car, the almost 5.70 meter long Cybertruck is not for the aesthete and even confirmed Tesla fans have a hard time with the rough squared timber on powerful 285 off-road tires.

Even in southern Florida, where even a pink Lamborghini Aventador or a bright green Mercedes G-Class doesn’t attract anyone’s attention, pedestrians and drivers alike turn around to see the electric pickup truck. We’re heading to the Everglades and since charging stations are rarer there than the stations for the alligator tours, a charging stop at the last supercharger before the Everglades at the Kendall Village shopping center is recommended. With a little searching, the charging flap opens, well hidden in the plastic wheel arch at the back left.

The Tesla Cybertruck design is unique – and idiosyncratic

The clean, angular, large-scale design inside and out is certainly a sight to behold – but it also leads to cumbersome and not entirely intuitive operation. This is evident in the hidden loading flap as well as in the doors without door handles. Here you first have to press a sensor button on the B-pillar before the door opens a crack and you have to reach to the edge of the door to open it.

The result is more handprints on all four doors than on your stainless steel refrigerator at home. The Cybertruck is hardly more pleasing on the inside than on the outside. The controls: typical Tesla, but also a bit difficult to get used to. Since there are only a few buttons on the steering wheel, almost everything has to be controlled via the 18.5-inch display in the middle – from the windshield wiper interval to the air vents, which are electrically controlled at the front and rear. In the rear, the occupants look at a screen that is just 9.4 inches in size.

With a charge level of 95 percent, we set off south with the loading area open. The display quickly informs us that the range has been reduced by 25 miles due to poorer aerodynamics – how thoughtful. So I close the electric loading area blind again and get used to the fact that you no longer have any view to the rear through the interior mirror.

Dust-sensitive cargo should ideally be placed in the interior, as the closed loading area is not completely sealed. There is also enough space for larger items – for example under the back seat. The loading area has a volume of over 3,400 liters, meaning that large items can be accommodated in sufficient space, and the blinds are closed to protect them from prying eyes and too-quick access. All kinds of electrical devices, from kettles to drills, can be connected to the plugs. If that isn’t enough: the towing capacity is 5,000 kg.

Hardly any assistance systems on board

With a range of over 300 miles, the first 20 miles are straight on US-41 W into the heart of the Everglades. Perfect conditions for the much-discussed Tesla Autopilot – actually. This is not currently available for the Cybertruck – not even adaptive cruise control. Not as bad as feared, because the autopilot would have given up anyway on the gravel road of the Loop Road in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

What is striking is that this electric monster, which weighs over three tons, is extremely comfortable to drive. The Tesla handles the countless potholes with ease and comfort. Apart from the all-too-loud four-wheel steering (after 15,000 miles), the Tesla Cybertruck’s noise level is at living room level.

Hardly a puddle or dirt hole is left out to give you the necessary off-road feeling: a tough test for the XXL windshield wiper. This is currently the largest wiper in a production vehicle and is so large and massive that an impulse is passed on to the bodywork every time you change direction. You can feel it even behind the wheel. The journey continues through jungle-like forests, over countless bridges and past many tourists who suddenly find the passing Cybertruck more interesting than the spectacular nature of the Everglades and pull out their cell phone cameras.

Handy and fast

Even in the USA, this spaceship is still a rarity. At the next photo stop, we are approached by a German: “What kind of car is this?” The vacationer says he has never seen anything like it, not even in pictures. That will be made up for in addition to the photo session – the defective LED light bar at the front is hardly noticeable. Back north to civilization, the Cybertruck is hardly less noticeable than it was in the Everglades.

Once back in civilization, a few powerful traffic light starts are a must, given the all-wheel drive and 450 kW / 612 hp. The acceleration is certainly impressive for such a behemoth, as it reaches 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds at full throttle. The all-wheel steering also makes the Cybertruck much easier to handle than you would expect from a vehicle that is 5.70 meters long. Maneuvering and parking are equally effortless, but given the overall width of 2.40 meters, it is likely to be uncomfortable in everyday city life in Europe or on construction sites.

After four hours of driving and 125 miles, the supercharger in Coral Terrace, a southern district of Miami, is reached. The battery level shows 52 percent. The range is solid when you consider that the air conditioning was running the whole time in the 35 degrees Celsius and high humidity. Thanks to 800-volt technology, Tesla promises that its charging master can recharge up to 135 miles in 15 minutes at a corresponding supercharger of the latest generation.

Short waiting times, but high price

The Cybertruck isn’t a rolling unicorn in South Florida either. Throughout the day, there were four encounters with other Cybertrucks. People still say hello to each other. That certainly has a communal feel to it in the otherwise impersonal American streets. And while I’m drinking a Wendy’s lemonade with my passenger during the charging break, I catch myself imagining buying a Tesla Cybertruck if my life were to move to the USA.

This is where the newcomer to the pickup truck comes under a lot of pressure, because the endless waiting times are a thing of the past and the previous surcharges for faster delivery have evaporated. Even Tesla fans report a drop in new prices of up to 10,000 US dollars per week. There is no sign of the black market prices of over 150,000 US dollars anymore and so the basic version of the Cybertruck AWD starts at exactly 99,990 US dollars. The waiting time is currently less than eight weeks.