A Belarusian who bought a Tesla Cybertruck shared his impressions of the car (14 photos)

Belarusian Dmitry, living in the USA, recently became the owner of a futuristic electric pickup Tesla Cybertruck. While its mileage is low, its owner has already formed an opinion, which he hastened to share.





Before the Cybertruck, I had a Tesla Model 3 Performance. I owned it for about 4.5 years and drove about 100 thousand kilometers. But I had no experience of owning such large cars as the Cybertruck. The largest was the Volvo XC90, which I drove for three years before I bought the Model 3. Therefore, the truck is the first such experience for me.

Why did I decide to buy it? Everything turned out quite interesting. I already bought a Tesla Model 3, drove it for two or three months and understood that my next car would again be a Tesla, the only question was which one. I was leaning towards the Model X. And then the Cybertruck presentation happened. I watched it and thought it was a total joke. I called my friend and said: “We’re probably being played, there will be another car at the end of the presentation.” To which he replied: “On the contrary, I hope not, because this is a unique uniform, I have already ordered it for myself.” I sat for about 15 minutes and thought: the reservation costs $100, I’ll pre-order, and then we’ll see. They will start releasing them in two or three years anyway. Time passed, and this model, as they say, grew inside me. At first I didn’t understand it a little, but then I began to see prototypes that were running. I got excited and really wanted to buy it. By the time they began to be produced, Tesla already had more than two million pre-orders. At first people contributed $100, then $250 to reserve. Unexpectedly, my turn came very quickly, and I decided that it was fate and I had to take this car.



Tesla is currently selling what they call the Foundation Series Cybertrucks. Initially, in the first half of 2024, all cars will come with two engines - Dual Motor. Sales of the Tri-Motor version, called CyberBeast, will begin in the second half of the year. That is, it is a version with three motors, more powerful, which, as far as I remember, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in about 2.6 seconds. That is a very fast car.

People who have made a reservation receive an email with information that you can choose either CyberBeast and wait until the second half of the year, or take Dual Motor. I took Dual Motor. The Dual Motor version costs from $80 thousand, and the Tri-Motor will start from $100 thousand. But at the moment, if people are ready to buy a Dual Motor, then they buy it as a Basic Truck for 80 thousand, but pay another 20 thousand on top. These 20 thousand include white inserts in the interior, PowerShare equipment, which allows you to connect the car to the power supply system at home if the power supply suddenly goes out. Plus Full Self Driving – Tesla technology, thanks to which the car drives itself.

People who have pre-ordered are really looking forward to their cars. Some are already lucky, others are not yet. Nobody knows by what principle Tesla chooses buyers. Maybe they are evaluating different factors: owning a Tesla before, having solar panels at home, batteries for power backup.

I know that the design of the Cybertruck causes conflicting feelings among people. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As I already said, at first I thought it was some kind of joke, but after a while I began to like the appearance of this car. It's like a stainless steel refrigerator and really stands out on the road.





Photos and even videos do not convey how this car looks in traffic, how it looks next to other cars in front of your house. From different angles it is perceived differently: from one – sporty, from another – tall, like a regular pickup truck. We can agree with one thing for sure: this car leaves no one indifferent. That is, people either don’t like her, or she delights them. But the children treat her very positively: they begin to point, laugh, and jump.

Only the lazy haven't criticized Tesla for its build quality before. And on my Model 3, several panels didn't fit very well. But this did not cause any irritation, did not cause problems and was not noticeable. In fact, if you look at any other car the way you look at a Tesla, you can find flaws everywhere. Even among friends who drove a Range Rover Autobiography, the gaps near the headlights did not match.



The interior of the Cybertruck is made very well, I like the materials. But I came after Tesla, I didn’t come after Rolls-Royce, so I’m happy with everything. Tesla's minimalism is exactly what I look for in a car.There is nothing to complain about on the outside either; the assembly is really very good.

The size of the car is impressive, but in the United States a lot of people drive trucks, and the same Ford F-150 or Dodge Ram are about the same size. Of course, after having a small car, I had to get used to the dimensions. But here the rear wheels also turn, that is, maneuvering, consider it necessary to learn again.

Overall I was more worried about whether it would fit into the garage. I was lucky - I entered, however, every time I have to fold the mirrors. Otherwise, for me, who lives outside the city, these dimensions do not cause much inconvenience.

The car has three driving modes. There is Chill - a relaxed mode, Comfort and Sport. In Sport, the Cybertruck handles very clearly, plus the rear wheels steer. Of course, the heaviness is felt, after all, the car weighs 2700 kg, but in sports mode it accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in about 4 seconds. And I would not say that at the same time it is rolly and very different from some large sedan. Of course, when compared with my previous Model 3, it is more nimble. At the same time, the turning radius of the Cybertruck, in my opinion, is almost the same as that of the small “troika”. Again, this is due to the fact that the rear wheels turn.

The interior is a little different from my previous Model 3. I like the LED strip, it's very nice. In general, it’s comfortable, familiar, controlled either through the screen or by voice commands.



In pickup trucks, the backs of the rear seats are often too vertical, but here I already managed to drive in the back - quite comfortably. Mostly, children ride in the second row, and the seat of the youngest child has an adjustable backrest. By the way, children really like the monitor on the back.





I wanted a pickup truck purposefully, because we often go to the mountains to ski. Now the children are riding their bicycles. Accordingly, the Cybertruck was bought for family activities, so that we could go somewhere and not have to think about whether there is enough space in the trunk. You can throw anything into the back. I think it's super convenient.



Some people find the folding side to be a problem in such cars, but I don’t see that as a problem.





Unlike many pickup trucks, the top is closed. It is not completely sealed, but if you put some suitcases there, people from the street won’t just be able to come up and get them. The closed lid can withstand the weight of an adult and is quite strong.



Well, for packages from the store and other small items there is a front trunk.



When the body is closed, it turns out that you actually don’t have a rear-view mirror. But while moving, the image from the rear camera is displayed on the screen. You get used to it within a week and take it for granted.

Many people complain that there are no paddle shifters. Well, I drive on purpose and use the turn signal buttons on the steering wheel at every turn. And after a couple of days I clicked on them, without even thinking, mechanically. And if you remember how we all studied for our license, learned to drive, we kept confusing these turn signals, it was unusual for us. And it will be much easier for our children to switch to a car where there are no steering column switches. Maybe by that time they won’t be anywhere at all.



The Cybertruck has a single windshield blade. And if it weren’t for the joke about the price of half a car, I wouldn’t even think about how much this one and a half meter “windshield wiper” costs. I specifically went to Google and found out: about $400 for the whole mechanism and, in my opinion, $60 or $160 just for the brush. But on the previous Model 3 in 4.5 years I never changed the wipers, so I didn’t even have any thoughts on this topic. I can say for sure: we picked up the car on a rainy day, and this huge brush cleans the window very well. My friends asked me: “Aren’t you annoyed?” But if two wipers in a regular car are not annoying, one is certainly not.

For a week now I’ve been feeling like some kind of celebrity, because wherever I go, people around me are staring and taking pictures from their cars, taking pictures at intersections. I leave the store, and people take selfies in front of the car, many come up and ask questions. As I already said, children are very interested in the car, teenagers are also curious: they ask for a beepSo, turn the steering wheel to see how the rear wheels turn.



In general, the feelings are only positive. Perhaps I am still euphoric after waiting for this car for a long time. But if you ask my wife... At first, looking at the photographs, she was a little worried. But when she saw the car in person and now sees it every day, she really likes it.