I was at a festival, and there were some Tesla representatives offering free test drives of their new product: the Tesla Cybertruck. Now right off the bat, I want to say that I am not interested in Tesla as a company or their vehicles, and I am not someone who is a fan of Elon Musk and his antics. However, the Cybertruck is such a polarizing and controversial vehicle that I, deep down, wanted to drive this thing and see how this thing rides. Prior to this, I have never driven an electric vehicle, so imagine my first electric vehicle I get to drive is one of the most controversial vehicles ever produced in recent memory.
Not to sugarcoat it, but the Tesla Cybertruck is probably one of the ugliest vehicles I have ever seen in my life with its angled styling and lines. This vehicle only exists to satisfy Elon Musk's mind and nothing else. The exterior lighting is bright, and I hoped that it would blind me from looking at this abomination.
I had about 15-20 mins to drive around in the Cybertruck, and surprisingly there was no Tesla representative sitting with me in my test drive. I could drive as crazy as I wanted to (within the law). I sat inside the vehicle and the Cybertruck's interior was very minimalist. Most of the controls were on the large touchscreen, and the steering wheel was not a normal steering wheel that you would see in any car, but rather an abnormal "yoke" design, which does help with front visibility a bit.
In operating and driving the Tesla Cybertruck, I had to retrain myself a bit on how to drive. Instead of a normal gear selector, you select your gear (park, drive, reverse, etc.) on the corner of the touchscreen. Instead of a normal turn stock behind your steering wheel, the turn signals are physical buttons on the yoke. The truck comes to a complete stop when you release your foot from the gas pedal, instead of when you apply the brake. This proved to be a bit of a challenge when reversing the car into a parking spot, as I would usually rely on letting go of the brake first to get the car moving slowly.
So, talking about the actual driving experience, I thought the driving was fine. I took the Cybertruck on some empty straights where I could really test the car's acceleration. I think I went from 0-100km/h in about 3 seconds flat, which is insanely quick. The steering is quite twitchy as well. You only need to turn the yoke slightly and the car will respond accordingly. On the touchscreen, there are so many cameras that show you everywhere around the car for traffic and other obstructions. There is also a virtual mode on the touchscreen where it can sense all the traffic around you, and you can see the representation of the traffic on the screen.
With all that said, after this test drive, I still would not purchase a Tesla Cybertruck. I would not buy it simply because of the high price, poor quality, constant recalls, and perception that I am supporting a pseudo-despot like Elon Musk. I would not buy it simply because of how the car looks. I do not want to have the shame of being in the driver's seat of a car like the Tesla Cybertruck. I can have all the fun driving the car, but then I will have to stop, get out, and look at what I just drove. That is what will make me want to vomit.
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