Yahoo Autos Tesla Cybertruck First Look: Exterior and Interior Review
While many long-time car enthusiasts know this, it's worth a quick reminder that Tesla just doesn't work with the press. Or at least, most of the press. There are a select few outlets Tesla will go to, but generally the auto press doesn't get any opportunities to sample their vehicles, not without renting or borrowing one from someone, or straight-up purchasing one. So when we were surprised with a Cybertruck on the floor of the Chicago Auto Show, at a Tesla booth, well, we had to check it out up close, and give you some impressions of it inside and out.
And while this is an interior review, it's impossible not to say a little bit about the exterior. The slab sides, simple profile and sharp corners are what make it stand out, for better or worse. It was certainly attracting an incredible amount of attention on the show floor. While journalists were showing skepticism, people outside the media were intrigued and excited by the truck. Even getting up close to it. And there's a reason I specify getting close to it, because that's where flaws and concerns show up.
I'm genuinely not one to nitpick panel gaps, in part because I don't think a lot of average customers are that concerned about them either. But it's hard to ignore the awkward spots where panels meet. Areas such as the base of the A-pillar have far too tight gaps, and around the hood, the gaps are huge. The mismatch in alignment is a bigger deal, as they stand out on a vehicle where every surface is a perfectly straight line or flat plane. It makes panels that aren't exactly aligned or bent at the same angle stand out.
The finish on the panel edges is disconcerting, too. Because of the Cybertruck's ultra hard stainless steel, it makes it difficult to bend panels, which probably contributes to why some of them are a bit off. It also means that each panel has a thin edge, rather than the folded over and slightly rounded edges of conventional cars. What's distressing is that only a bare minimum of filing or sanding has been done to the edges, leaving them sharp and rough. People are going to tear clothes and scrape skin on these things.
And of course, there's keeping it all clean. This example on the floor, undoubtedly gone over carefully to get it clean for the show, still had loads of smears of some kind of dirt or grease. And it was rapidly accumulating greasy fingerprints from people opening doors and generally checking it out. This isn't news for owners of stainless steel appliances. Now imagine if you used your appliances mainly outside. We're definitely going to be wondering what ones in the salt belt like Detroit will look like after a winter or two.
But we've gone on long enough about the exterior, so let's step inside, and things get far better (mostly) from there. Entering involves pressing a button along the windows to pop open the quite heavy doors. They open to extremely wide angles, though, making ingress and egress a breeze. The rear doors seem to reach a full 90-degrees at least, and considering the fairly small aperture, the easy entrance is even more impressive.
