I just wrote what I intended to be a measured review on the Tesla Cybertruck. I simply drove the machine and wrote down my thoughts. My review pointed out the truck’s flaws and ultimately concluded that I think it’s “cool” despite its controversial founder. That may sound like the most lukewarm take in automotive media history, but even it was enough to cause people to go absolutely crazy. 442 comments (and counting)!
I initially wondered “How are you supposed to write about the Cybertruck these days without people getting upset?” I’ve concluded that the answer is: You can’t. The Tesla Cybertruck should be renamed the Tesla Powderkeg, and reviewing it is totally pointless.
I’m exhausted by the comments sections of my Tesla Cybertruck review. Readers are pissed. YouTube viewers are pissed. Twitter/x users are pissed. Your neighbor’s dog that just laid a mound on your lawn probably did so because it was pissed. Everyone is pissed! And I don’t like it; I want people (and dogs) to be happy. I want them to enjoy their Sunday, not spend it banging away at a keyboard arguing with people.
But like I said, folks were LIVID the other day. “spooky cartoon spider-man,” in particular, let me HAVE IT on Twitter:
Do I think ripping on such a handsome devil’s looks because said HD called a truck cool is a great way to spend a Sunday? Not at all! Go outside! Throw that dog a frisbee so it doesn’t shit on your lawn again!
To be sure, I get why everyone is pissed. The Cybertruck’s primary proponent, Elon Musk, is a ridiculous person who has offended numerous groups, including ones that have already been marginalized. That’s a big deal, and it’s good that people take that seriously. But if you’re going to promote social unity/fairness, you gotta practice what you preach! That’s the thing about the Cybertruck and my review; it turned people who are normally nice and rational, and who regularly speak up to preserve civil discourse and dignity, into that which they denounce.
There are plenty of parallels to the current political situation. You have one group that believes that you must actively and endlessly hate someone or you yourself are condoning all of the bad things they’ve ever done (one commenter even wrote “There are some people (myself included) that consider Musk a large enough problem that they will judge a persons character when that persons uses or praises his work.” For reference, Tesla sells half a million cars annually in the U.S.). And then you have the other group that worships that person and thinks that anyone who slightly criticizes him is an ignorant hater.
While I think both groups — those who love Tesla and those who loathe it — have good intentions, oftentimes neither can think clearly. One is blinded by hatred, one is blinded by admiration; it really is a tale as old as time.
As such, writing my review was pointless. Solely because I called the Cybertruck “cool,” people are throwing tomatoes and soiled underpants at me and my beautiful, carefully crafted words, saying the writing is somehow “flawed” and that I wrote it solely for “clicks.” Clicks?! THE AUDACITY.
To be a bit more serious: I’m sympathetic to these folks. They are commenters on this site, and I’m grateful they’re here — even the ones who make fun of my looks. At the very least, they are purporting to be standing up against bad things Musk has said. To them, they are championing for a better, more civil, more accepting world, and that’s what we should all want. Does being mean online help their cause? Probably not, but the anonymity provided by the web often ends this way.
But it’s not just the haters, it’s also the lovers.
They believe Musk is saving the world, and in some ways, he’s definitely helped! He’s pushed the world towards electrification, which will end up having huge positive climate change implications (a macho Cybertruck to lure folks away from fuel-sucking SuperDuties could help, too). He’s changed the way the world does space exploration with SpaceX. And he’s done a bunch of other great things, but as was the case before when talking about his flaws, no matter what I say here, I’ll get criticized for not mentioning all of what he’s done. Suffice it to say: He’s done some amazing things in addition to the dumb things he’s said and done.
So when Musk fans see all the compromises I mention in my review and say things like “It’s a dumb, poorly disguised ‘hit piece’ peppered with ads. Don’t waste your time. Zero real insight,” I’m sympathetic. They want Musk to succeed — to sell lots of trucks, so he can save the universe.
I don’t think either group has bad intentions (and we here at The Autopian are totally cool with both writing in the comments section (in a civilized way) their strong opinions about the truck or Musk). I think the problem is that there are only two vocal groups. This is the world we live in today; it’s black or white, and there is little nuance. As a result, people in both groups are allowing the topic to get the best of them, and neither group is going to actually read a Cybertruck review with an open mind, making my endeavor to write one — as previously stated — thoroughly pointless.
Maybe I Should Have Included In My Review Every Single Good And Bad Thing Elon Musk Has Ever Done
Lord knows I’m fallible. While I did point out that the truck cannot be disconnected from highly controversial CEO Elon Musk, some folks felt I should have criticized Musk more. They wanted me to make a special exception for this vehicle review and add a paragraph about the transgressions of the CEO of the company that built the truck.
I personally think that pointing out that people have big feelings about Musk is enough, especially given that The Autopian (and everyone) has written ad nauseam about Musk and his foolish words/actions. I’ve never seen a car review spend that much time focusing on the transgressions of a company exec; plus, I know Elon proponents would have demanded that I add another paragraph of all the good stuff Elon has done. Should I do this for all cars? When I write about Lucid, exactly how many paragraphs do I need to commit to the Saudi Royal Family and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi? If I write a VW review, do I need to talk about Dieselgate? Should reviewers of the Ford Model A and VW Beetle have included paragraph-long asides in their reviews about Henry Ford’s nasty prejudices and the Third Reich, respectively?
[Editor’ Note: I feel sort of compelled to step in at this point, because I’ve been separating the terrible people who ran the companies of the cars I’ve loved from the cars themselves for pretty much all my life. That’s what happens when you’re a Jew who loves VW Beetles, like me. At some point, you just have to let the car be the car. This I suppose can bleed into the idea of separating the art from the artist, which I think generally I tend to do as well, though there’s always some point of too far or too much. Or at least, there can be. It’s blurry, and I think at this moment we’re in an era where no one wants to see gradients or shades, everything is all or nothing, so you either hate the Cybertruck with the heat of a thousand suns or love it with the heat of an equal and opposite number of suns. But that’s not how reality works.
We’re going to be deeply fucked if we, collectively can’t get past this. Not everything is pure good or pure evil, but we can always try to keep our eyes on being as good as we can to as many people as we can, and if that means that sometimes we accept that people will find a truck cool even if the guy whose company sells it is a steaming pile, then maybe that’s not the worst thing. I’ve never seen car fandom/hatedom quite like this ever before, and I sincerely hope this is an inane phase we’ll get past, because at this moment, we all seem kind of nuts. – JT]
No one is objective, and not everyone writes from my perspective, but my perspective is that Elon Musk is a lot of things both good and bad, but he’s definitely a bit of an edgelord with some awful takes and even awful-er communication skills. And because of his megaphone, those are indeed a big deal. My perspective is also that people care about the Cybertruck, and I care about trucks, and I want to know how the truck drives. Doing so, and communicating it in a cogent, uncontaminated way, is my job.
And I have to believe that what some people want is a car review without politics. I’m not saying “stick to sports,” as we write often about politics, and the larger world has to be considered when talking about Tesla — but how much throat-clearing is enough throat-clearing? It is, in a way, absurd to assume that anyone reading a review in The Autopian doesn’t already know about Elon Musk and hasn’t already formed an opinion about him.
Think about how many Tesla Model Ys are sold each year (I’m using this example because loads of them are already out; you likely know somebody who owns one) — roughly a quarter million. The people buying that car just want a good, clean, fun-to-drive, cheap-to-operate car. LOADs of people who drive a Model Y are not Elon Musk supporters. And when they read a review, they want a review — they already know about Elon and his weirdness. They want to know what the reviewer thinks of the Model Y so that they can make an informed purchase. While I suspect Cybertruck shoppers are a bit more opinionated on Musk’s antics than Model Y owners given the polarizing nature of the truck, many — and I’d guess the majority — just think it looks cool, and want to know what it’s like to drive. “It’s only a ’cause’ to you. To me, it’s a truck that does what I need it to do,” writes Cybertruck owner Loudog in the comments of my article. “It’s my money. I had an F-150 I daily drove before this (A Powerboost. Excellent truck but too many recalls.) Now I drive a Cybertruck.”
So that’s how I approached the Cybertruck. I drove it, I thought it was cool, I noted that I thought it was cool even though it had some major flaws, and then I wrote just that, while noting, of course, that it’s a product of a controversial man named Elon Musk (whom you can read about on your own, separately). It was measured, thorough, neutral, and nuanced, and that was my mistake.
I should have acknowledged exactly how much of a jerk Elon Musk can be, while also acknowledging all the things he’s done, while also acknowledging that he didn’t do all those things himself, while also acknowledging the global importance of Tesla, while also acknowledging the local impacts of Tesla, while also, maybe, finding a few minutes to write about the actual vehicle. I’ll do better next time. For that dog, and for your lawn.
Finally, to avoid ending on the sad realization that a simple review of a controversial truck championed by an insanely controversial man caused the internet — a place that struggles with nuance and subtlety — to lose its mind, here’s a comment from “Lost on the Nürburgring” that is fair and manages to be critical of the review and the car, but in a way that’s not completely devoid of reason.
Fair enough. We all have differing appreciation of vehicles for a variety of reasons, in all directions. Even leaving Tesla’s majority shareholder out of the assessment, I just find the Cybertruck a deeply silly vehicle, it’s ugly, there are much better trucks out there, there are better EVs out there, it’s too big/heavy, it’s made out of a silly material for cars, the flat panels are an empirically poor choice for the construction of the vehicle, it’s poorly constructed, it’s charmless. I just fail to find what its value proposition is at any level, other than you’ll get plenty of attention driving it around.
Side note, my initial comment did seem tonally to be more negative towards you than was in any way my intent. I read your whole article on the Cybertruck and enjoyed it, even if I disagreed with most of it. But we can agree to disagree, all of us, I hope, in our passion for various cars.
Now go grab that frisbee. Maybe I should have done that myself instead of wasting time writing a review of a Cybertruck that people have already decided to love or hate! [Dog takes second shit on lawn].
Well I’d like to start off by saying I appreciate DT’s largely unbiased reviews of vehicles. I think the nice thing about this site (and why I’m a velour member) is that you guys review all cars and this is a place for everyone.
If I could pinpoint the issue, I’d say people have lost the concept of what an opinion is and how to respond to it. It’s not just cars, it’s everything. People will see you provide an opinion on something (whether that’s a measured review or a hot take) and automatically start drawing conclusions, taking it very personally, and generally forgetting that you don’t have to agree with someone’s opinion. It can exist on its own. You can disagree, which is what a lot of people have politely done in the aforementioned CT review. Or you could see DT saying “I think this car is cool” and immediately think to yourself “you’re wrong”, as if a subjective take on the “coolness” of a car can be wrong.
And I’ll never understand how you can be so upset by something as insignificant as a car review that you’re willing to resort to argumentum ad hominem, or start attacking the way someone looks.
I could literally go on for days ranting about the pro-Tesla and anti-Tesla people (equally annoying groups), but no one wants to hear it and most people feel the same. But what I do believe is that you shouldn’t be part of this community if you can’t take a step back and realize “not everyone likes the things i do and that’s ok”, or if you’re so weak minded that you’re willing to attack someone personally over the review of a fucking car.
Well put!
I concur with Trenton’s comments. In addition to the even-handedness of your reviews (which is noted), I also appreciated the context provided from your own personal experience. Without getting into the ethical morass of separating Musk from his company, or the products it makes, I think the CT is, in ways, like a Jeep. To a degree, it is a vehicle that carries an image with it, has a number of inherent compromises, has a loyal fanbase, and (fair or not) assigns a certain perception of the owner.
I think your segue was absolutely germane to the review.
Also, more war stories like that if it’s possible. Please and thank you.
Gladly!
Hey, at least your CyberTruck takes are less divisive than your timing belt takes.
[Edit: For the record, I’m teasing. Please take it as a joke.]
I didn’t even read the review because the Cybertruck is unlikely to ever be available in Oz and the number of comments already suggested it was a shitshow in the comments section.
As for wether it was a pointless review…given the intensely personal response….no, I don’t think so. You did your job. Yes it made some people unhappy but that’s the nature of so many public service jobs. Some people are inevitably unhappy but you’ll find on reflection that most people end up satisfied at best or indifferent at worst.
Funnily enough, Tesla vehicles are very rarely reviewed in Australian media (let alone motoring media) as Tesla does not have or support a press fleet. So the outlets often have to try another way to procure a car…or not bother.
You may need a new segment titled “Breakover Angle”. Just saying
As everyone’s favorite Sith lord once said “If you’re not with me, you’re against me” and I can’t think of a better way to describe the state of the internet today.
It’s a problem I started realizing I had too, and I’ve spent the last year or so correcting it which also includes spending less time online. It started taking a toll on my mental health. Aside from direct communication with IRL friends, I tend to avoid social media once I’m home for the night. I completely abandoned reddit.
I can’t write a comment on any website regardless of the topic at hand without getting a handful of angry troll comments from people pissed off I don’t view things the way they do. Particularly with politics. I don’t want to turn this into a political rant, so I’ll keep it short. I’m a moderate, center-left, but if I say anything -positive or negative – in either direction… the commenters act like I just shoved someone’s kid to the ground. It’s ridiculous.
The problem is that there is no real conversation online. People just shout past each other without having to engage them. Everyone is trying to “win” their argument, but there is no winning, No compromise can be made that way. In real life, you have to actually look someone in the face when explaining your stance. That’s WAAY different. It reminds me of how differently people communicate based on the method at work. People are more bold/less receptive in email and on the phone than they are in person.
That’s exactly it. In real life, that’s how I argue, but I slowly realized that my online arguments were less about coming to an agreement, and more about trying to bring the other person down. I started emulating the very behavior I hated. Dropping Reddit (IMO, one of the most toxic websites around) was the key for me. I recommend others do the same if they haven’t already.
With that said, I’m incredibly passionate about the things I love and believe in, and I will shut down (poetically, not hatefully) people who are arrogant, disrespectful, or just flat out say hateful stuff about those things.
Taking a step back and looking at how the internet works, controversy gets attention.
I’m probably feeding the troll here, the point Horizontally Opposed made, but this post is already at 304 comments, and the original one is at 448 comments. Most of the posts on the top page have under 100 comments. I cannot see the views but I think its fair to stipulate they are proportionate to the comments.
People are reporting threats for going against the Tesla fans:
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/04/04/tesla-owner-reports-threats-praising-ford-mustang-mach-e-elon-musk-sergio-rodriguez/7076886002/
So going with Tesla is likely the safer option, even if the noted “spooky cartoon spider-man” implies the author is uncool in a picture that makes him look reasonably cool. Also, not that “spooky cartoon spider-man” was not already a household name, but note the Streisand effect, unless the author and Twitter celebrity are intentionally upping each other’s profiles in a manufactured beef?
Reviewing the Cybertruck is not pointless, it keeps the lights on.
For something like the Model 3 there is a separate the man from the art discussion. Not for the Cybertruck. The vehicle itself is the problem.
“Pedestrian protection with that unyielding front end is a big no for export as it stands, although Tesla continues to push in certain markets. Lars Moravy boils it down to two other things: ‘One, the truck market in the US is huge and two, European regulations call for a 3.2mm external radius on external projections. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2mm radius on a 1.4mm sheet of stainless steel.'”
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/tesla/cybertruck/buying
“Adrian Lund, former president of the IIHS, has expressed concern, stating, ‘The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it’s going to cause more damage to them.'”
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/12/tesla-cybertrucks-sharp-edges-and-rigid-body-raise-pedestrian-safety-concerns/
I have a Silverado crewcab. It is admittedly indifferent to pedestrians, but it does create potential risks just to make a spectacle out of using a stupid material like stainless steel. My Silverado might pass by someone who needs help, but the Cybertuck stops and kicks them. That is not “cool.”
^does *not* create potential risks
To all you Tesla fans sending death threats: Maybe you should check out the resume of the person BEFORE you threaten them:
“Rodriguez, 41, a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and specialized in explosive ordnance disposal, is now a military contractor”
Weirdly, comments are not a good indicator of post performance. Some of our best posts of all time have just 50 or so comments.
David’s Cybertruck posts are doing about average in traffic. A random RV post beats them in that metric. But comments are off the charts.
What’s the definition of “cool?” That’s the whole point. Quantify it, give me a metric, measure the objective “coolness” of the CT on a numerical scale. You’re going to need some controls for this experiment too, so you’re going to need to find cars that everyone thinks are cool and cars no one thinks are cool. Good luck with that.
If you want to get technical, “cool” as a measure of temperature can be somewhat quantified, and I think the CT is “cool” when it’s stored around or below room temperature.
CyberTruck is the new Harley Davidson
EXACTLY THIS. We can all point to several obvious reasons why genteel public discourse is nearly dead (I’m looking at you US politics and social media), but we need to get over this deeply odd time. As JT put it, “We’re going to be deeply fucked if we, collectively can’t get past this.”
DT – Your review wasn’t pointless. It will never be pointless for us to have thoughtful, objective, and evidence-based journalism. I could not care less about the politics of Elon; however I have been curious to learn how a product that his company sells, something that actually exists in our physical world, stacks up when viewed objectively. You delivered spectacularly, as always.
If anything is pointless, it’s the comments section of a website, or at the very least putting value on anything that is said in a comment (yes, I’m aware that this is a comment and that statement is very meta).
I have to disagree with one of your points: the comment section of a website is its community, and that’s far from pointless on a site that desires to foster that sense of community, both for its own good, and the benefit of its readers.
Unfortunately, more often than not, comment sections just turn into a mess of individuals attacking each other instead of having real conversations. I’m thankful The Autopian is committed to fostering a community where the readers can contribute and engage in thoughtful, informed conversation with each other.
What Dave said.
I don’t think the comments on appearance or other personal attacks were even worth responding to, and there were a lot of more thoughtful comments that weren’t highlighted above. Most of the commentary below the pins was impassioned, but at least tactful. I don’t see that as a bad thing. Comment sections are good, and I will die on that hill.
What, comments can be pinned down?
Oh no, another way to get disappointed on my contributions to the conversation!
hahaha (you’re fine)
Agreed. There are a couple other websites in which the comments quickly devolve into politics and name-calling. Those websites are much less enjoyable than this one.
You’re right. The comments section for the Autopian is a pretty nice community. I like being a car nerd with y’all.
“I like being a car nerd with y’all.”
This needs to be on the next Autopian shirt.
Meanwhile, over on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/comments/1dlx2ph/ultramaga_buys_cybertruck_to_support_elon_crashes/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
That was me. So yay!?
That was written as part of describing Musk as a problematic artist. The site has a huge set of readers from all different backgrounds and I wanted to explain and give examples for people who didn’t know the term. It’s not just me, others hit on the same point. Jason directly hit on this as an ed note above.
So look, Musk’s particular brand of shithead hits pretty close to home, I’m going to have really visceral reaction.
David, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aiming directly at you. I think I was more trying to discuss why it’s such a contentious topic. And also to inform those who don’t understand the anti-Musk sentiment just why it exists.
For a longer read about the issues involved in dealing with problematic artists I like article: https://the-artifice.com/problematic-creators/
As for:
No, I do not. Read about Karl Popper’s Paradox of Tolerance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance.
The challenge is this: we get it. Honestly, I get that you find Musk contentious, and I understand that others do. Everyone knows this. We really don’t need anyone to preach it at us again or waste our time assuming we didn’t hear you. We did. Preaching at people that already heard and disregarded your peeve is a waste of everyone’s time.
Now here is a car. It does some freakin killer things and it has compromises just like every other vehicle has. Appreciate it for what it is or don’t buy it. All vehicles have this issue to some point… it’s just a thing. I have one. It’s spiffy, and I answer a lot of questions about it. I’d love to hear about your car too! I’ll bet it’s very cool. THAT is what I believe this place should be about and I’m here because I love the writers and most of your comments. Please don’t flush that like the last lightning bolt place. Thanks.
Counterpoint: If we can’t get an absurdly large portion of the population to understand that vaccines work and the earth is round, it’s safe to assume that constant repetition is actually necessary for most concepts.
The assumption that someone is defective because they don’t agree with your point of view and won’t engage in rational debate is the corrosion that is destroying good things, like this site. I heard you the first time. I don’t agree. I’ll be happy to have this debate over a beer and present actual data, but I’m tired of having it here. Let’s talk about cars instead.
I’m not referring to you but, in general, there are a LOT of “defective” people but it’s confirmation bias pumping algorithms, social media oligarchs, etc. that make them that way, not just because they’re disagreeable. You can’t have a productive conversation or debate with someone that doesn’t share the collective definition of reality we all participate in but interact with differently.
Shared reality is based on shared understanding of reality. Data. I appreciate feelings, but far too many people substitute feelings for data these days. When I get blasted by feels it’s like getting blasted by white noise, and I can’t tell if you’re aiming at me or someone else. Assume I heard you, and I’m happy to have a reasonable conversation about why.
Hey! So I caught your comment about “whining” about pronouns. We take trans rights seriously around here and will not stand for the belittling of trans people or their allies.
Let this be a warning. People who like to mock trans people will be banned. That may not have been your intention, but I have to make that known. Sorry.
I respect you for what you are, not what group you’re part of. I hear your warning. It’s your site and my money, so do what you like. I’m a member so you have my email and I’m happy to engage with any more discussion in this via that medium. Thanks.
Thank you so much! But this is isn’t about me. We are unapologetically supportive of trans people.
We do not like policing the comments sections. I mean, we don’t even have a real “grays,” just an inconsistent spam filter. However, this is one thing all of us feel strongly about. Jalopnik’s readers had a transphobia problem and we thought that was pretty messed up given that there was a trans person on staff. So, that isn’t welcome here. And yes, we have banned members for ignoring warnings.
As stated, I understand your warning but I may not be up on your terminology, because this is a thing I don’t track. However, it is a thing getting shoved down my throat and that’s *really* annoying, and yes that was part of the comment stream earlier too. Combine that with multiple personal attacks and I get testy, because I’m human. I will continue to enjoy your writing (You write really well!). More weird trailer stuff please!
Loudog, nobody is trying to jam trans or anything down your throat. Mercedes and I and thousands of other trans people have been quietly functioning in society as much as we’re allowed for centuries, and have done you no harm. Heck, odds are we’ve never even met. So worry about the things that really affect you and don’t waste your time on harmless trans people.
I don’t, honestly. I’m betting you’re an awesome human just like Mercedes is, and other folks I know and have worked with in that community. (Off topic, but I care enough about you to explain): Forcing a language and a way of speaking on people *is* an attack, and I’m not the only one that believes this. It’s straight out of “1984” and “Newspeak”. I’d like to find a middle ground so I use “they” and “that individual” a lot. Sometimes “fellow Earthling”. The language is inextricably linked to the cause, it’s going to end up causing a lot of very horrible results, and I’d rather not see that. I appreciate your kindness in reaching out, and I hope you’re having a fantastic day. Thanks!
(edit: better word)
Calling yourself a Handsome Devil and giving it the acronym HD made my day.
That said I am not a big fan of the “both sides are the same” in the following paragraphs which had big Paradox of Tolerance vibes.
But ultimately, it’s not like your review is what is going to move the needle on sales and continue to fund said controversial (rightfully so) CEO so it’s just subjective fun at the end of the day.
You’re still HDDT in my heart.
David, I never bothered to comment on the review because by the time it was up there were already 300+ comments and they were…something. But now I’ll jump in to say I thought your review was a great read and well written (same with this rant!).
I really agree that automakers need to stick to the spirit of the concept/design more often, as with the Jeep. But, the caveat should be that the initial design should be inherently good. In the CT’s case, everything about the concept was bad IMO. The CT is less about remaining faithful to a concept to avoid the death by 1,000 cuts and more about being stubborn and owning the haters, etc.
I also get how tiresome it must be to have to deal with an executive when writing about a car, but I think in this case the car and its champion are inextricably linked, moreso than with just about any other car I can think of from my lifetime. The S, the 3, the Y and the X are all very “car-like” vehicles and can be considered and evaluated less emotionally and without getting into the Elon of it all. But the CT is pretty obviously a pet or vanity project of his, and so his values – or at least everyone’s individual perception of his values – get projected onto the object. So yeah, people either see it as grotesque or aspirational.
So back to the car… If I try to consider it in a vacuum, I see an ugly vehicle that does nothing better than its competitors except for attract attention. And from what I’ve read here and elsewhere, it’s poorly executed and filled with flaws that would have been easy to avoid. So I disagree with your conclusion that it’s cool, but I ain’t mad atcha! I appreciate how measured you were in your review, and yours was probably the only review I’ve seen that didn’t seem like the writer had their mind made up a couple of years before the CT actually hit the market. You deserve credit for that!
Unfortunately this is similar to the situation with Star Wars. I object to some of the conclusions you drew in the article (much as I object to some of the decisions made in regards to Star Wars) and would love to discuss that further, but unfortunately any reasoned arguments being made get drowned out by the flood of assholes using it as a conduit for their pent up vitriol at people who dare disagree with them.
Fortunately, I don’t care about the Cybertruck or Tesla that much anymore so loss of that forum for discussion isn’t a big deal. I was a huge Star Wars nerd at one point though and now I just wish the franchise would go away for a while to let things cool off. It won’t, of course, but that’s the sad state of affairs these days.
I may not share every bit of your taste post-Hollywoodification (a handsome devil can only become so handsome before his power gets out of hand), but you never fail to deliver on journalistic integrity. Can’t wait to see your Aztek-survival journey. The Autopian remains a pillar of impartial and topical reporting.
I don’t think the vibe of the comments should have been “Musk is garbage human, so product must also be garbage”. Your point is taken; if time was spent in that vein, they missed the point.
My issue with your article was, and citing you above, you drove the vehicle and reported on it. Everything you reported attested to its robust shittiness. Then you summarized by saying it was cool.
Nah, man, it sucks horsepiss. Cool things aren’t THAT flawed.
Didn’t read your article (I find Teslas boring), but I’m sorry it stirred such a childish controversy.
Great rant, this one, congrats David!
(AU collects his dog’s poop).
I thought the CT article was even-handed.
But moderation (in the sense of central-ness, not censorship) is apparently not well-loved these days. Hatred should never be a personality (whether it be hatred of Musk or other divisive political figures), but it seems like people can’t (figuratively) look past that. Even as they’re (literally) staring at a screen whose technical history they don’t know produced by a manufacturer they’ve likely never heard of powered by power sources they don’t really understand.
I have neighbors that have CT’s and Ineos Grenadiers and more typical bouji vehicles like G-Wagens and X5’s.
The CT is different. That’s neat. It makes compromises. But I don’t really put it in any kind of special category there – as DT wrote, 90% of Jeeps never go offroad but their owners want to project an image of rugged outdoorsiness and capability, even though it means that they’re more likely to roll their car and have to shout to be heard when going above 60MPH. Fine. Same thing for people who have Mustangs that they don’t track, pickup trucks that they never load, and so on. Will I buy a CT? No. I’ve seen far more Rivians on the trail and I’ve yet to see a single CT.
But man, I wish people could just avoid projecting a smorgasbord of perceived beliefs and injustices onto a single car. It’s just a car.
You owe an apology/explanation to nobody. Generally speaking, humans are garbage and you can write whatever you wanna write on your website. People will literally become irate at the mere existence of a car and there’s nothing you can do about it. You aren’t allowed to think something is cool because some people think it’s ugly and dumb. If it were me I’d be reveling in the fact that I successfully trolled both sides and caused a bunch of morons blood pressure to skyrocket.
I really liked your review. It was measured and well written. And I’ve finally had the chance to see a few of these things on the streets.
Nope – NOT cool. Kinda lame, in fact. Doors without handles (exterior & glove box): lame (should prioritize function over form). No speedo in directly eyesight: lame. Fart mode? Really lame. And the fact that the dishwasher I just bought has more color options: Off the charts lame. (should I go on?)
If a cybertruck makes you happy, go for it! But it’s not cool.
I didn’t even read your original article, I saw the headline and went straight to the comments for the madness.. the Cybertruck is dumb, people are going to rabidly defend it or pick it apart, you knew that going in!
I believe the big deal w/ the CT vs. the Model 3/Y isn’t really the Elon thing – and the reason you’re getting so much blowback is simply because you wrote an opinion piece calling the CT “Cool”.
The latter are vehicles based on reasonably conventional ideas. Sure the execution has been off, and some features are just a bit unusual and others are user-unfriendly – but they’re not senselessly stupid or in your face enough to actually be received as a rolling billboard saying “Let them eat cake.” So people don’t generally have quite the knee-jerk reaction to the 3 and the Y
Whereas the CT is a completely ego-driven, 5 years late, overhyped, poorly designed, shabbily built, sociopathic, fucked up and dangerous, “I will literally cut you into shreds and you’ll come back asking for more” rolling guillotine.
You literally have the scars to prove it.
Had your article been one that was less of a justification for calling it “cool” and more “Here’s the things that are brilliant and work – here’s the things that don’t and suck” – which I believe was really the intent of your article in the first place – you might not be getting quite the heavy-handed response.
In the end – it’s an opinion piece. And for every opinion, there’s going to be people who agree, and others who will not only disagree vehemently, they’ll pick up a Keyboard/Uzi/Guilloutine/Cybertruck to prove their opposition.
Social media poisons people into the belief that everything is either good or bad with nothing in between, it’s an echo chamber for both extremes. Anytime you see someone say something along the lines of “unless you believe _____ you’re worse than Nazis/Communists/Cartoonishly-evil-person” just disregard what they say, there is no reasoning with them at that point.
I also see tons of people give their opinion and just presume it to be fact, even so far as attacking people for suggesting they are wrong. It’s crazy how far diluted people can get.
Anyone who made fun of or insulted David Tracy personally because of the CT article should be ashamed. Like that spider-man guy. Ain’t no reason to personally insult somebody over this. Disagree with the article all you want (I do!), but don’t devolve into personal attacks.
And like Torch said, we gotta learn to separate the stuff from the other stuff sometimes.
David, I thought the Cybertruck article was thoughtful, informative, and entertaining. I started scrolling through the comments but quickly noped out. Having recently bought a Ford Lightning I appreciate your insight to what is a competitor to it, highlighting the quirks and compromises while also providing a viewpoint on why those compromises have been made. Please don’t let this experience dampen your enthusiasm for everything automotive, anytime I see your videos on Instagram your passion is contagious and inspires me to get back into my never ending car projects.
Oh, and for the record, I will gladly smackdown anyone who throws shade at David Tracy. The man bought me a Slushee.
I just went back in the timeline of articles and took my time to read it. Everything is on point, you guys should put Cybertruck articles under members only files, here is a space to support each other and we may have different hot takes or opinions but getting offensive behind a keyboard doesn’t solve anything, you better be at least Velour :p
As the owner of a 4-4-2, I am offended by the 442 comments. If our commenters can’t have the good taste not to schlep a classic Oldsmobile into this, then what has the world come to?
now THAT is a cool car
If someone gifted me a CyberTruck, I would immediately sell it and get a Ford Ranger or Maverick for truck use, and probably a Honda Accord for daily driving.
Maverick Hybrid should make a great daily driver.
Agreed, but my wife says I drive my current CR-V like a coupe or sport sedan, so I assume I would probably do the same with the Maverick. I’d likely end up with the Accord Sport-L, or a Civic Si
I wouldn’t accept a gifted CT because the insurance and registration cost (by percent of value here, a bit like a tiny property tax) are bonkers and the gifter better be paying that.
Otherwise I’d daily it. And weld some 1993 Ford F-350 door handles to it.
Fridge magnets work too! First thing I tested. Ironically, this thing costs a teeny bit *less* than the F-150 it replaced to insure. Interesting, that.
The analogies to Lucid and Ford are not on point. In those instances, the relevant products are not designed to be a physical instantiation of the house of Saud or the Dearborn independent.
The cybertruck is different. It *is* a manifestation of its creator’s ideology. This is no secret. It’s for that reason if got built despite each and every fault you pointed out in your review. And so if you’re impressed and think it’s cool despite or because of the way it came to be, you need to be willing to acknowledge this.
I’m very disappointed that the approach you’ve taken to criticism that you claim is too binary, too polarized, is to flatten it into one perspective that can be discounted as over-the-top. If you are looking for a deeper conversation, you have to be willing to engage.
Specific feedback to journalism was not invented when the first blog comment section opened. Being receptive to (sometimes negative) feedback as been an integral part of the process since people would write letters to the editor.
I hope you all will consider how feedback fits into the process and how expressing disagreement or dissatisfaction with the way a particular issue is discussed can be (and should be) considered a productive part of what we’re all doing here, on both sides of the masthead.
I’m sorry that your last few days have been frustrating. But I really hope that once things cool down, you will find space for the feedback that was earnestly trying to enhance what you do and the conversation we all share
Additionally — I take issue with the way you point to the Loudog thread as an example of productive discussion. You’re really going to throw a bone to the guy that complained about people “whining about their pronouns”?
I really did hope that all of you would recognize that there’s no value to contributions that denigrate so many members of our community.
Excellent point, it was indeed disapponting about the bone being thrown to such a person. In fact that’s why I stopped engaging with that person as it indeed was not productive and not being met in good faith; the responses were rife with jeers and straw man (ha) arguments among others. Good grief. *eye roll*
I stopped engaging with that guy when someone suggested some gentle consumer protection regulations might be a good idea … and he went straight to “why don’t you move to China then and have your life run by the CCP!?” Just lazy trolling.
A. The CT being a “physical manifestation of its creator’s ideology” does not mean you don’t review it for how good or bad it is as a product. He mentioned it, that’s all it needed since his review was how it is at being a truck and an EV. But he absolutely did acknowledge it.
B. The criticism is too over the top. If people are making a judgement on these cars based solely on the personality disorders of the CEO, they are not relevant to reviews that want to focus on how good they are at being vehicles. The old, jello-picnic site is still there for these takes.
C. It seems there is plenty of feedback from both sides so what would you really like to change if there’s plenty that like it and plenty that don’t?
D. The Loudog thread was ridiculous on both sides and I’m pretty sure that guy was trolling all the haters because they came at him so hard for liking what he decided was the right buy for him.
It seems that there are too many people that have decided the social justice angle of every product and every product creator needs to be this lofty, deciding factor. I for one do take some of that into consideration but it has gone too far. The policing of everyone’s opinions and purchase choices by those that have decided what is right and wrong for the rest of us is something that I think Jason lauded to in his editor’s note. It’s about time we stopped the level of judgement.
It’s like everyone has decided to be the hall monitors of the world and if you don’t make the socially-approved choices you get put in detention. Just let people be.
No, I learned a lot on that thread. You folks have no idea how much you can learn if you try. I know a lot more about how you think and what you care about, so that’s interesting.
IDK, I think the Lucid point is valid. The company is actively and mostly financed by the PIF, which is controlled by MBS. While Lucid may not be an extension of his id, it’s closely linked.
We didn’t delete any posts so far as I know and variously interacted with what people posted, including this post. We’ve had many Musk discussions on this site and, in this case, I think the reference to him was proportional to how important we thought it was to the review.
I agree, the Saudi government funding is very problematic.
Lucid is also problematic because of its primary owner, but there’s a big difference: To my knowledge, the Saudis are not involved in the design of the cars. There’s a much more direct link between Elon and the Cybertruck than there is between Saudi Arabia and the Lucid Air. It’s a nuance, but it’s also significant.
Maybe it’s just me, but I have a much easier time evaluating the Lucid as a car distinct from the company’s ownership than I do anything coming out of Tesla these days. Most of which seems to be a manifestation of Elon’s hubris.
To be clear, I’m not arguing that the Saudis are better or worse than Elon. They both suck and I probably wouldn’t buy a car from either. I’m just arguing that one has a much more visible and direct tie to the actual product that makes it much harder to disentangle the two.
Issuing an important clarification:
Under no circumstances do you have to hand it to the house of saud
As to the second point, I get that you don’t want to talk about it anymore. But if you don’t want to talk about it anymore, dismissing the real frustration people have about this truck and what it stands for is not going to help.
I think you missed that people made ad hominem attacks, there is a way to be constructive in disagreements without the vitriol that people type.
I think you missed the third paragraph of my comment.
Man, I didn’t even get a chance to finish reading the review. By the time I started there were over 200 comments nagging at me to skip and read through that instead. I appreciated what I did read of your review and the points made. I still haven’t read the comments nor will I at this point.
Some times you just have to step back and have yourself a Joe Dirt moment and remember:
“You gotta keep on keepin’ on. Life’s a garden: dig it. You gotta make it work for.”
Keep on doing what you do David.
You may have over 440 comments, but your YouTube video has over 3200 views and I can’t tell how many clicks you have had on the review here or on other sites. My point is that the commenters are a small fraction of the people who have read or seen the review. The commenters are not a random, statistically significant, representative sampling of your readers. When you have unsolicited responses like this, you tend to get a “J shaped” distribution. People who have overwhelmingly negative feelings are most likely to respond, People who have overwhelmingly positive feelings are next likely to respond, and people who are ambivalent are least likely to respond. My point is, don’t take the comments as being representative of your overall readership. They mostly represent the extremes, and particularly the negative extreme.
You quoted a commenter as saying this: “I had an F-150 I daily drove before this (A Powerboost. Excellent truck but too many recalls.) Now I drive a Cybertruck.”
Talk about cognitive dissonance; hasn’t the CT already had multiple recalls with more expected on the horizon? Lol…
Overall, you indeed did do a good job of reviewing the vehicle, both in your original review and in today’s article, especially with all the thoughts you included in the latter. You found yourself in a deeply unenviable spot, that’s for sure! Guessing you’d rather be back in the trenches with twrenchfoot, ha… I daresay I’m not at all alone in saying your work is greatly appreciated.
The CT just got recalled again. I think that’s 5 in less than a year, if memory serves correctly. But yeah, tell me again how cool it is despite any one of the unique things listed in the article would be enough to sink any other model. I think this thing is destined to be the Edsel of this generation of vehicles.
I’ll be happy to talk about it, and how the F-150 was down for 6 weeks and the CT is fine. I think the F-150 is pretty spiffy, but not as good for me needs, of which you have very little clue about.
Okay Lou, you do you and keep imaging you know what I have clues about.
I dislike the Cybertruck on multiple levels. On one hand it’s a big, ugly, heavy piece of trash that perpetually looks dirty and has garbage crash safety. On the other hand it’s built by a company that is run by a garbage person who is like an Austin Powers movie villain.
That being said, I don’t understand how attacking somebody that is reviewing the vehicle makes any sense. Y’all are a media publication that makes money from clicks/views, you kinda have to review whatever’s popular if you want to stay relevant, that’s just the truth of it.