The more we see, the more it seems like Tesla is way out over their skis with the Cybertruck. After 2+ years of delays, bad panel fitment, broken bulletproof glass, & broken promises, that’s not really news at this point. But have you seen the latest video of the Cybertruck tackling Stair Steps at Hollister Hills, CA? This is a manmade short/steep dust-covered concrete hill-climb. And the Cybertruck’s results are not spectacular. 

In fairness, there are a lot of unknown factors here…

To play devil’s advocate, filming just about anything off-road has a way of making it look less impressive & less difficult than it actually was. Also, we don’t know anything about the Tesla driver’s experience-level off-road. There seems to be a lot of throttle inconsistency here. A lot of starting-&-stopping, where it should be slow-&-steady. And most importantly, we don’t know what they were trying to achieve. Is Tesla trying to show off here? Or were they out there collecting data for traction control and/or throttle-response tuning & whatnot? The Cybertruck is supposed to start deliveries at the end of the month, so it seems like all that should be well-sorted by now. But one thing’s for sure… 

If I were on the premises as a Tesla representative, I would have made sure this video didn’t see the internet. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the Tesla techies thought this video was pretty dominating. Come to think of it, the only off-road footage we’ve ever seen of the Cybertruck has been… pretty lackluster & dweeby. If the Cybertruck really had more dog in it, I think Elon Musk would’ve shown us by now. 

Tires & air-pressure seem to be an issue in this video. 

I don’t think anyone would’ve held it against Tesla if they swapped to a more capable set of tires & dropped air pressure a little bit for off-road testing. But again – we don’t know what they were testing for. What’s most concerning here, is the Cybertruck’s overall off-road character. Why is the suspension so stiff, with such little travel? At the end of the day, I’m honestly not sure if Tesla understands the assignment. It seems as if they’ve built another car-pod… just with an edgy truck body & more ground clearance this time. Is this what happens when the tech industry plays 4×4? The Cybertruck’s obscene weight, combined with instant over-torque & ill-equipped suspension certainly seems to be working against it. That’s discouraging when it comes to the claimed authentic off-road capability of the Cybertruck.

“We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck.” 

Those are not optimistic words from Elon Musk… about a truck that hasn’t even made it to market yet. 

Ford took advantage of the Cybertruck’s cringe… 

And sent a F-150 Lightning up the same hill to rub Tesla’s nose in it. Humorously, Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley posted it to X. But in actuality, the Ford Lightning only seemed to do slightly better than the Cybertruck. And since this video was more premeditated & reactionary, who knows how many tries (or tweaks) it took to get it right. Is this how you sell $100,000 EV trucks to yuppies? If so, I’m kinda glad I don’t get it. In conclusion…

Here’s a couple videos of legacy luxury 4x4s…

Tackling the same Stair Steps climb… just for reference.

Also for reference…

Here’s Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial with a JL Wrangler knocking out a water-crossing & climb in 1-take. But I guess Tesla doesn’t do marketing.

•get the free S3 magazine app•  (Apple)

•get the free S3 magazine app•  (Android)

Gram Lights Wheels 57NR