The Tesla Cybertruck is completely different from any other vehicle on the road. And, as a motorist with eyeballs, I’ve noticed these sticking out like sore thumbs. Personally, they gave me mixed feelings. But I’ve only been able to take these at face value, having spent no time with the vehicle itself.
That is, until I waltzed into the Tesla showroom in Georgetown, D.C., and was handed the keys (or, rather, the card) to a Tesla CyberTruck. Granted, I only had the truck for an hour, but it gave me just enough time to formulate an opinion on a few things that immediately jumped out at me.
Road Experience: Easy to Drive, Hard to See
The Tesla Cybertruck is big, that’s no secret. But it didn’t handle like a boat, even in the heart of Georgetown. I’d chalk most of this up to the steer-by-wire system, which varies the CyberTruck’s steering intensity based on how fast you yank the wheel. And while there is a bit of a learning curve, the yoke steering wheel is actually really good. If anything, it allows the driver to make tight turns quicker. Only a half turn is needed to get the CyberTruck to full tilt, rather than a turn and some change.
That said, while the feel of the CyberTruck is great, the visibility is not. The first thing I noticed sitting in the cabin was how little you can see what’s immediately in front of you. This was a surprise considering most of the front end consists of the windscreen.But the bigger issue came from the mirrors. The CyberTruck’s tiny triangle mirrors are almost useless for seeing cars. The blind spots on either side are massive, especially since the truck sits fairly high. And the rearview mirror is only usable with the tonneau open.
Now, Tesla did remedy that bug by adding a rear-facing camera to the screen (more on that later). But it does negate years of looking to a mirror. Plenty of times during my drive, I checked behind me by looking up, only to find a rearview mirror blocked by the tonneau. I’m sure one could be trained to look down, but it’s still quite jarring. Perhaps some of these criticisms come from my personal beliefs. After all, I do teach driver’s education as my day job, so the importance of proper mirror checks is always front of mind. But during my mini test drive, I wasn’t always the one driving.
Full Self-Driving: It Works, But Shouldn’t Be Fully Trusted
This CyberTruck came equipped with Full Self-Driving, or FSD. And, at the push of the button, I switched from being a driver to a passenger. I’m truly impressed with how FSD navigated the complex streets of D.C. It made many decisions that I also would have made, and I consider myself a fairly aware driver. So that brought me a bit of comfort.
That said, any self-driving system should be monitored. On a few occasions, the CyberTruck wizzed through a tight street far faster than I feel it should’ve. And while nothing was hit, I’m not convinced the truck knows how far the mirrors stick out. Along these lines, the CyberTruck did come to complete stops at stop signs. But it also stopped very close to any vehicle in front of it. Maybe it’s purposely programmed to tailgate, like all the other trucks do.
But aside from some minor confusion, the CyberTruck handled the drive well. I’m particularly impressed with how accurately it understood what traffic around it was doing. Sure, Tesla’s software sometimes mistakes a garbage truck for a city bus. But it knew where each car was in any given traffic jam. And in Georgetown, there were plenty. So, I quickly dispelled my doubts and trusted the truck.
Does that mean I’d slack off and take a nap? Absolutely not. But I didn’t fear for my own safety while the truck made some critical decisions. Although that could be due to how I set the FSD in advance.
FSD: Drive Modes and Adjustments
Tesla offers three self-driving modes: Chill, Normal, and Hurry. I had my CyberTruck set to Chill, where it kept a steady pace, indicated well in advance when changing lanes, and made smooth and predictable moves. But I’m not sure I love the truck being able to “hurry.” Nor do I love that there’s a slider that allows you to override the posted speed limit. This, in turn, means FSD will go faster than the posted speed limit.
Yes, I’ve ventured into the realm of personal opinion, but that’s part of the job. As someone who watches the behavior of other drivers every day for work, I could foresee these features being abused. At the same time, I never tested the different modes to see how they differ, so I also can’t comment.
Regardless, it isn’t exactly comforting to know that some CyberTrucks will be making quicker, riskier decisions than others. Especially when you consider that the drivers will be focusing less on the road and more on the screen.
The CyberTruck’s Big Screen
Before I can comment on the screen, I have to explain the CyberTruck’s interior design philosophy. Like other models, there are as few buttons and knobs in the cabin as possible. There are only ten buttons on the steering wheel (eleven if you count the horn as a button). Two of them are multi-directional scroll knobs. And that makes for an incredibly clean interior. It allows the dash vent to run uninterrupted the entire width of the front seats. And while it’s a little boring, you shouldn’t be distracted by a car’s interior while you drive.
But your attention will be drawn to the massive screen in the middle. Almost every command you can think of is there. Shifting gears, adjusting mirrors, raising suspension, opening the trunk, and every micro-adjustment you can make to your car’s handling. It’s all found there.
A few times during my drive, with FSD engaged, I found myself glued to that glowing box while fiddling with too many menus. And this is partly because, since Tesla put everything in one place, the screen gets cluttered very quickly. I do think Tesla did a good job organizing the layout once I understood how they organized things. But to find the feature you’re looking for, you’ll have to dig through some sidebars. This was tricky enough to do while the CyberTruck drove itself, and would have been far trickier to do if I was the one driving.
But people will get lost in that screen, whether they’re driving or not. And while I’m not opposed to simplifying interiors, there are some knobs that you need.
Final Thoughts of the CyberTruck Experience
As stated in the beginning, the Tesla CyberTruck is different. In some ways, this is a good thing. I loved being able to whip this massive vehicle around like it was designed for a city. The yoke steering wheel proved to be far more comfortable and enjoyable than I expected. And while the styling is controversial, I appreciate that it exists. Even if some panels are glued on, or a minor accident can total the truck.
I also don’t despise FSD, even if it is a vessel for people to sleep in their Teslas. The CyberTruck made some good decisions while whisking me around town. And while it did, I enjoyed watching it decipher traffic conditions on the big screen. But there are still some things that were neglected during the design process, many of which revolve around safety. The visibility is just plain bad via the mirrors or the windows. And even when the tonneau is open, the rearview is a joke.
Similarly, it’s hard to see what’s in front of you. Especially anything smaller than a car, like a person. And considering the flat front end doesn’t scream pedestrian safety, it makes that fact even more concerning.
But in my test drive, I didn’t crash. Nor did the CyberTruck crash itself. And I walked away from it amazed at the amount of technology jammed into this vehicle. I’m grateful the Georgetown Tesla showroom let me take it for a spin. Even though I made it abundantly clear from the get-go that I’m not in the tax bracket of people who can throw $70,000 on this piece of hardware.
Random Things Noticed
There were a few other odds and ends that jumped out at me while driving that don’t quite fit into the other categories. So here are a few random Tesla CyberTruck factoids that I took note of.
- It is extremely dark in the cabin. No sunroof, tinted windows, and a closed tonneau made it feel like I was driving in a cave.
- Every time a light turns green, it makes a noise to alert the driver. This is helpful when you’re staring at the screen, but annoying when you see the light turn green yourself.
- As mentioned, there are eight buttons on the steering wheel. Two of them are for your blinkers. I can’t tell you how many times I reached for a blinker stalk that is not there.
- To open a vanity mirror in the sunvisor, you have to open/slide three separate panels. Made me laugh, considering how overly complicated that is.
- Park, Reverse, and Drive are done via a slider on the screen, which is not as bad as you think. But Neutral is buried in menus.
- The tonneau cover rattles a lot when you roll it up and down, and sounds like a garage door. Granted, it looks like a garage door, so that tracks.
- I did get looks, and one lady on a bicycle did whack the back of the truck with her hand. If you’re buying this truck, you’re buying into the stigma, whether you like it or not.
Despite these Party Tricks, It’s Still a Tesla
The CyberTruck has, in a way, pivoted the company’s position as both an automaker and a cultural statement. It’s solidified the fact that Teslas are made to be against the grain. But now that the truck embodies far more than just being an electric vehicle jam-packed with the latest technology, Tesla is struggling to sell them.
In Q4 of 2024, Tesla sold 12,991 CyberTrucks. But in the following three months of Q1 2025, just as CEO Elon Musk started his work inside the White House, only 6,406 sales of the CyberTruck were made. A 50% drop in sales that can, at least partially, be attributed to the company’s owner and his actions.
But CyberTrucks aren’t the only vehicles affected. The entire automaker saw a drastic drop in sales in the last quarter, and public perception of the company is shifting even as Musk doubles back and returns to prioritizing his business affairs.
Whether the decision to engage in politics has solidified Tesla’s target buyer or estranged those interested in electric vehicles, it’s difficult to see how the company will recover from the three polarizing months Musk spent in the Oval Office. But the sales figures of his vehicles show signs that his actions are having more negative consequences for vehicle sales and overall profits.
