Can’t tell which is more ‘rad’, the tail-light design or the flat side panel. Press this wide, black rectangle with the LED dash to open front door. Share - Dear God. This is mad. Mad, mad, mad! Razor-sharp lines, crazy dimensions, jaw-dropping proportions and sheer presence. It truly feels like we’ve walked onto the set of a sci-fi movie. Only, it isn’t. We’re on the outskirts of Surat, where the locals, many never having seen a picture of one, just stare in silence, their minds racing at 1,000kph, mouths opening in slow motion. I initially walk around it in silence too, circling like a kite on a thermal, mesmerised. The shard-like lines, the flat stainless steel panels, the flagrant disregard for convention – it's nuts. And there are no Tesla logos. Anywhere. The longer I stare, the more it feels like it will float up gently into a hover, suck its wheels in and disappear into the blue. It even has that polished metal demeanour of a spacecraft. Tesla Cybertruck exterior design and engineering Polished stainless steel panels, 20-inch wheels Even the headlights are unique, protected behind the ‘brow’ of the bumper. It’s so radical, so jarring; no committee in their right mind would have signed off on this design. It just had to be Musk. In full ludicrous mode. At his brilliant best. Delivering a devil-may-care one-finger salute to a century of automotive design. Of course, he appears to be a bit eccentric, somewhat unhinged. Can you imagine the fireworks display of gamma waves constantly going off in his head? Remember, the Cybertruck is what he did in between catching rocket boosters mid-air, rewiring the automobile, and ‘getting’ Trump re-elected. Genius is a tag he wears effortlessly. 200-litre frunk can carry a few bags if needed. While the Cybertruck isn’t attractive per se, the shock value is so high you can’t take your eyes off it. The stubby bonnet and massive windscreen exist in a single plane, sort of like on a Lamborghini Countach, and then my gaze shifts to the other long line that defines the shape – that long, long tail. The expanse of the glass roof and loading bay is just massive. The tonneau or cover is made of interlocking slats; the flatbed can hold 1,591 litres of cargo, and if you need more, there’s an additional 200-litre frunk up front. The Cybertruck also has a 97-litre storage area under the flatbed. 20-inch tyres apart, there’s not a curve in sight; note the difference in panel lustre. However, the polished stainless steel panels feel very different from any regular car; the short nose isn’t to everyone’s taste, and the Cybertruck seems devoid of details. Take away the somewhat conventional wheel arches and the aero-enhancing hub caps, and the Cybertruck could be a piece of origami. Even rolling back the tonneau and dropping the tailgate is a neat bit of theatre. And can you ignore that 50-inch wiper blade? Tesla Cybertruck powertrain and battery specs 845hp combined output, 123kWh battery pack As with almost everything on the Cybertruck, the construction is radically different from anything else. The stainless steel panels are load-bearing and so tough that the ‘exoskeleton’ doesn’t need a dedicated ladder-frame chassis. This is pretty unique when it comes to trucks. And this isn’t any regular stainless steel; it’s a special alloy known as 30X made for SpaceX’s Starship rocket. It’s so strong that Tesla can only bend and shape it with a special record-breaking press. It feels more like a blend between a pickup truck and an estate car. Also used on this electric truck are the new second-gen 4680 cells that are stubbier and help the big battery when it comes to efficiency. And efficiency is the focus when it comes to e-motors as well; this truck uses a permanent magnet e-motor up front (for greater efficiency) with a pair of induction or Tesla-type motors (patent Nikola Tesla in 1883) at the rear. Total power is 845hp in ‘Beast’ mode. Also, to further improve efficiency, the truck uses special hub caps on its 20-inch alloy wheels, targeting the area that produces the most drag. The charging port sits on the rear fender surround; tap to open it up. Oh yeah, almost forgot, this is also the first car to ditch the 12-Volt battery for a 48V system. It’s such an important step for the car industry that Tesla even wrote a how-to tech manual for other manufacturers. No, seriously. Underneath it all, this radical machine is powered by a 123kWh battery that promises a claimed range of 515km. And with the ability to recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 40 minutes on a 325kW DC fast charger, you can extend the range in a jiffy, too, if a fast charger is available. Tesla Cybertruck handling and performance 0-100kph takes 2.6 seconds, claims Tesla But what truly sets the Cybertruck apart is its steer-by-wire system. What makes it sort of unique is that there’s absolutely no mechanical connection between the steering yoke and the wheels, only electronics and a bunch of actuators. You can turn the steering wheel while the car is off, but the wheels don’t turn. No physical connection between the steering and the wheels. Once on the move, the steering initially feels way too quick. I flick the wheel, and I feel like I’ve hit the lock stops as the wheels are yanked around, especially at reversing and parking speeds. As we exit the gate and get onto the road, I’m hyper-aware and make only very small inputs on the steering. Often, it’s too much. How much lock do you need for a regular U-turn? A quarter turn, 90 degrees of lock, that’s all. Regular corners only need a few degrees, often as little as 30 degrees, and you are through. While the steering does feel scary-fast initially, go faster, and the Cybertruck slows reactions down in a linear manner. And then, my brain adapts very quickly as well. So soon, I’m steering this extended limo-sized pickup like a regular compact SUV, prancing in and out of downtown Surat traffic with the agility of something half its size. The ride is very good, too. After all, this is basically an SUV on tall air springs, independent suspension and high-profile tyres. It’s so good that it rides over holes and craters on the outskirts of Surat like they barely exist. Even more impressive, it manages this without the slightest hint of pitching, bobbing or shimmy; the self-levelling tech and the 48V system doubtlessly coming in handy. And with its suspension capable of rising to 406mm, ground clearance isn’t likely to be an issue either. Traction and stability are very impressive, even when it is greasy-wet. Then, there’s the otherworldly performance. Step on the accelerator in Beast mode, unleash 845hp, and the Cybertruck goes straight to warp speed. The traction is so good that it even straightens my back on the wet, muddy and greasy roads. The hit of performance is so strong that the last thing you will ask for is more power. My vision literally blurs at the edges once it finds traction and just explodes off the line. The claimed 0-100kph is 2.6 seconds! What makes the experience feel even more alien is that the base of the windscreen is set a remarkable 3.5-4 feet from the steering wheel, and the elevated seating position only adds to it. And no other car turns more heads. Whether you’re in a Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren, few vehicles command as much attention on Indian roads. Tesla Cybertruck features and seat comfort The massive central touchscreen houses major controls Apart from the rake of the windscreen, the cabin isn’t very different and is typically Tesla. On the inside, the Cybertruck is very Tesla, with none of that extroverted character carried over to the cabin. This does feel odd. However, quality levels are finally up to luxury car standards. The Alcantara or suede on the dash hits the spot; the fit and finish of the single bar-like air vent is excellent; and the square wheel or yoke is nicely finished, too. As on all Teslas, all functions are carried out via the screen, and this is true of the gear lever too. You swipe up to go forward, which is counterintuitive, and this often causes a mix-up. There’s also a touch panel near the mirror, where you can select ‘gears’. You need to swipe the plastic bit to illuminate the ‘buttons’. The glove box opens like a drawer; the button is on the touchscreen. On the screen, Tesla’s flat structure and a logical one-index menu make it easy to access functions. This comprises all manner of things, including driving games you can play if stuck in a traffic jam using the steering wheel as a game controller. Oh, and how do you open the drawer-like glove box? Via the screen, of course. As on the Model X, you also get helicopter-inspired sun visors fastened at one end by magnets. Though these sun visors are slim, what’s neat is that they fold out and almost double in size in case the sun is at a low angle and getting into your eyes. There’s no traditional central console, as is the case in many EVs, but you do get a rubberised shallow tray, where you can place a bag or other bulky objects. However, care must be taken as stuff could fall over onto the pedals in corners. Also neat are the felt-lined phone holders. Placed at the right angle, they protect your phone and come with very effective rapid chargers built in. Front seats are comfortable, but they lack lateral support. The seats could be better. They come with integrated headrests and are comfortable, but they don’t offer much lateral support. This is strange, especially for a car with this much performance. And while there’s plenty of space up front, the tapering glass roof of the cabin leads to reduced space at the rear. Rear of the cabin isn’t as spacious as the front; glass roof slopes sharply. The dipping glass roof means that headroom could be at a premium if you are over six feet tall. The rear seats are also a bit upright and not as large or commodious as those in the front. Tesla Cybertruck price expectations and verdict If there is an award for the most radically different car ever, I think it has to go to this one – the far-out design, the fresh take on the engineering, the unusual but effective steering system and the supercar-baiting performance. It’s even an off-roader, has a comfortable ride and drives with the agility of a midsize SUV. Let’s not forget it weighs 3.1 tonnes and has a wheelbase that’s longer than that of a Maybach S-Class. Sure, the design isn’t pretty, and the Cybertruck is nothing if not unconventional. Still, the biggest surprise is just how much I liked the Cybertruck, especially as going in, I really didn’t think much of it. A big thank you to the Gopin Group for access to the Cybertruck. Unless Tesla makes a right-hand drive Cybertruck and does something about pedestrian safety, altering all those sharp edges, we are unlikely to see one on sale in India. And that’s a shame. How often do we get something with so much character? How much would it potentially cost? Anywhere around Rs 90 lakh for the rear-wheel-drive version and a crore-and-a-half or more for this Cyberbeast. Also see: