I had the chance to get up close and personal with the Tesla Cybertruck.

This is probably the most controversial vehicle in decades and people are very divided, you either love it or you hate it, there’s very few in between.

Having watched the vehicle be reveal 4 years ago, I remember my feeling watching the car drive out on stage. Initially, like many, I thought it was a joke and waited for Tesla to reveal ‘the real cybertruck’. As the minutes rolled on it was clear this was the design and it was certainly incredibly jarring.

This truck made us rethink what vehicles can look like, not only the stainless steel finish, but also the angular design, both in stark contrast to virtually every other car on the road, and made in my lifetime (DeLorean production ended before I was 2yo).

Having purchased the scale Remote Control model of the Cybertruck a couple of years ago, it was finally time to see the real thing in person, as part of the Australian tour.

Cybertruck Up Close

I needed to visit Tesla Service to get a cellular connectivity issue resolved with my 2019 M3P, so booked the appointment at Mulgrave to use the opportunity to visit the Cybertruck and share the experience with my daughter .

As we arrived, we quickly spotted it through the front window…

We headed inside and seen it from a distance.. as we dropped our car to service..

And finally, it was time to see it up close…

Tesla has a QR code check in system and a queuing system setup, so when there’s a lot of people interested in having a look, you join a line of other Tesla enthusiasts.

Thankfully there was just 2 people in that line when we visited.

First impressions of the Cybertruck

There’s no doubt the design is striking, unlikely anything we’ve seen on our roads. For all the photos and video online, I think they just don’t do it justice, it looks far better in person.

As you move around the vehicle, the muted stainless reflects the light, but diffused in a way that reflects broad colours in the area, but you won’t see your reflection in it.

The contrast between the stainless and the black fenders, wheel arches, glass and wheels works really well, broken up by that lightbar up front.

The Cybertruck appears tall (I’m around 6″2′), but when you notice the suspension was at full height, its clear this would certainly feel a lot less confronting at it’s lowest setting.

In terms of it’s size it looks big, but honestly it’s not bigger than some of the massive US trucks we already have on our roads and with its all-wheel steering would likely be easier to park.

Outside aesthetics, there’s really no reason to have angular wheel arches over a round wheel and there’s probably a healthy range impact to this design decision, but it certainly fits with the theme of the car.

Foundation Series

This was a foundation series Cybertruck, which are still the only type of Cybertruck you can buy in the US. So far, only the Tri-motor Cyberbeast and Dual-motor All-Wheel Drive configurations have been delivered. (This was not the Cyberbeast version).

The Foundation series comes not only with the subtle branding on the side of the truck to let people know you get it early (and paid a premium), but also includes Tesla’s Full-Self Driving package which is yet to make it’s way to Cybertruck.

It is not clear if Foundation series will be offered in each new region it goes on sale to, or if this is a US-only option.

Cybertruck famously doesn’t contain any Tesla badging.

Wheels and Tyres

The rims are uniquely Cybertruck and as we see here, did not have the wheel covers on, instead opting for a wheel cap kit that features the Cybertruck logo in the center.

The big 35″ tyres are certainly substantial and designed for on and off-road driving. While the wheel covers have had some issues, I think these really complete the look and cleaning these open wheels would certainly be a regular challenge.

Massive Windscreen needs Massive Wiper

The conversations around the MASSIVE wipers were well deserved, this thing is ridiculously large. Every other car I’ve driven has it’s wipers tucked under the bonnet in their passive state, so to see a wiper (particularly one of this size) on display all the time is certainly unique.

When Tesla finally gets through the US demand, they’ll need to start making a RHD version for markets like Australia and this will need to be flipped to the other side. Last time I see the Cybertruck teardown from @teardowntitan, this would require a fair bit of work to achieve.

I wanted to try and find a unique angle to take a photo from and I think I succeeded here. This shows the front lip of the dash, the rear of the center display (angled instead of curved) and the seats and interior.

Tonneau Cover

The Cybertruck’s bed is covered by a powered Tonneau Cover. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see this in action, or open, but was impressed at the finish on the cover and the integrated buttons to access it (also available from the screen or mobile app).

Internal

The Cybertruck Yoke is easily the best Yoke they’ve produced (in my opinion). It looks like it’d be super comfortable and with the steer-by-wire system, your turn radius is adapted to the speed you’re travelling at. This means you won’t need to cross over your hands for even tight turns.

The rest of the internal aesthetic looks like classic Tesla, clean, minimal, something I personally love.

There’s nice Cyber-specific touches like angled cup holders and its elements like this that makes the whole angled design all fit together.

Exterior

The outside of the truck is what others see and from all accounts, this will turn heads like no other vehicle. That probably won’t last forever, as more of them hit the roads, eventually this will become normalised.

If you’re behind the wheel then you won’t see much of the Stainless exterior at all, but when you step out, and walk away, you’re likely to look back with a smile on your face.

The very practical reason for Stainless is its durability. As someone who’s had a car’s clear coat break up, not having paint on a vehicle is something I can definitely see the benefits of, even if the price of the truck isn’t cheaper as a result.

It’s not clear how many people will actually off-road this thing, bang it up by going bush and bashing it against the side of trees, but as expensive as it is, you could probably park it without fear of door dints which would certainly be refreshing.

Flat floor

As if you needed any reminder that this thing is all-electric, there’s no exhausts and there’s one very flat floor on the Cybertruck. You can see the 4 modules of the Cybertruck’s 4680 battery pack has plenty of clearance from the ground below if you did take it off-road.

Final thoughts

The Cybertruck is a wild vehicle, throwing normal design conventions out the window and a real radical reimagining of what a vehicle can be.

I love that thing exists in the world, that it was designed without fear of turning off people. Far too often in the auto industry we see the marketing people get in the way of the engineers and make them tone it down to nothingness in an effort to appeal to everyone, ultimately appealing to nobody.

The design decision that sits with me the most is the lack of door handles. I love that Tesla pushes forward and constantly asks if there’s a better way to approach something, but I’m not sold that a button here is better than a flush, integrated door handle.

This feels like one decision that helps Tesla, rather than helps the end customer and their passenger. The door handles on Tesla’s Model 3/Y are confusing enough for people, removing them completely is another level entirely.

Overall it was great to get up close and personal with Cybertruck yesterday, it helps you understand the vehicle far better than making assessments from what we see online.

Tesla Cybertruck Australian Tour

The tour is in it’s last week of announced dates, visiting several locations across Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, as part of a wider, global tour. Here are the dates and locations:

Cybertruck Sydney

• Tesla Chatswood: May 6 – 12, 2024
• Tesla Parramatta: May 13 – 19, 2024
• Tesla Miranda: May 20 – 26, 2024

Cybertruck Canberra

• Tesla Canberra: June 16-18, 2024

Cybertruck Melbourne

• Tesla Richmond: July 1-9, 2024
• Tesla Mulgrave: July 10–18, 2024

Is Cybertruck coming to Australia?

Tesla brought the Cybertruck to Australia (and other countries) for a reason.

Tesla made pre-orders available on the AU website (for a period of time) for a reason.

Tesla still has a Cybertruck page on their website (https://www.tesla.com/en_au/cybertruck) for a reason.

There are no guarantees, but I do expect that Tesla will eventually ship the Cybertruck to Australia. They have shipped 5 cars into Australia (Roadster, Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y) so they know Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and how to make a car that complies, so if they want to, I have no doubt they could.

So does Australia want the Cybertruck? I think so. Australia’s Utes, along with SUVs, represent the largest vehicle segments in our country.

There are a lot of tradies that use them for work, every single day and as a work vehicle, the Cybertruck specs in terms of payload, towing, range and performance are likely to meet and exceed the needs of many, as long as they have an open mind.