Tesla Cybertruck vs. the scrublands and sands of the Negev

Elon Musk is a controversial American billionaire who controls the space venture SpaceX and the social network X. Recently, he had a brief political flirtation with Donald Trump and has a third-party dream tucked away in his fantasy drawer. All of this has turned him into a polarizing figure whom many love to hate. But nothing can take away the credit for the global revolution he launched in the electric vehicle market. What began with middle-class family cars that shattered the fear of EVs continued with a futuristic semi-truck and culminated (for now) in the most controversial vehicle ever – the Cybertruck Beast now lying before us.

The Cybertruck was announced as early as 2019, but production models only hit the roads in 2024. At the launch event, Elon Musk made a slew of promises, most of which evaporated into space. That the Cybertruck would cost $40,000 (it costs over $100,000), that it would have a range of 800 kilometers (450), that production would reach 250,000 trucks per year (only about 20,000 will be sold in 2025), that it would be bulletproof (lightly resistant, partially), and more.

Tesla Israel does not import the Cybertruck into the country. The test vehicle is sold locally by Super Jeep, a company that has already delivered three Beast model Cybertrucks, each with 835 horsepower and 140 kgm of torque. The Cybertruck is priced at NIS 850,000 before VAT, which can be deductible for some buyers. The 600 hp versions are sold for NIS 600,000 before VAT. These are high prices, but in times when a Land Cruiser, Escalade, or Defender costs just as much, it almost seems normal.

We’ll spare ourselves a discussion of Elon Musk’s obsessive and flamboyant personality; millions of words have already been written about the man— a genius with grand visions, a hyperactive businessman with an insatiable hunger for attention. The question we faced today was: What kind of vehicle hides beneath that gleaming stainless-steel shell? Is this just a ‘fake’ event, a PR stunt, or a truck capable of competing in the 2025 automotive market?

What’s certain is that no one is left indifferent when this shiny spaceship emerges from around the corner, and many whip out their phones to capture the moment. You can love or hate the Cybertruck’s design — there is no middle ground. Beyond all that I’ll write here about capabilities, performance, and off-road prowess, the outrageous design is the main reason to buy the Cybertruck; it’s also the main reason many are put off by it.

If I put aside the “stainless-steel fridge” look, I have to say that from the side, I was drawn to the aggressive front end, which reminds me of a prehistoric creature lunging at its prey. The massive 35-inch tires add to its rugged appearance and hint at serious off-road intentions. The triangular roof design hides a cargo bed under the rear slope, measuring 1.30 x 1.97 meters, with a payload capacity of 1,134 kg. A retractable Tonneau cover conceals the equipment in the bed and improves aerodynamics; closing the bed increases driving range by about 10%.

The Tonneau cover is electrically operated, and the tailgate opens at the push of a button; closing it, however, requires muscle. The slanted tailgate makes it harder to reach items at the front of the bed, meaning frequent climbing onto the bed floor. Beneath the floor, there's a 100-liter storage compartment, and under the hood lies a respectable 200-liter frunk. 220-volt outlets allow for powering heavy electrical equipment — and you can even charge another car in need of an electric boost. There’s no spare tire and nowhere to place one except in the cargo bed. That’s a bummer.

The build quality of the stainless steel doesn’t look great; even if we ignore the poorly aligned and uneven panel joints, the finish looks like it came out of a basic welding shop. The sheet edges are sharp and unpleasant to the touch. It doesn’t feel like a vehicle that costs NIS 600,000 or NIS 850,000. The stainless steel can’t be painted, and the only way to reduce fingerprint smudges on the doors is to wrap the body in colored vinyl.

A huge panoramic sunroof opens above the passengers, with no sunshade. On the day of our test, it was 37°C outside, and we had to run the air conditioning at full blast—quite a noisy affair. Beneath the front windshield lies a shelf the size of a baseball field, and there are plenty of storage compartments in the center console and doors. I didn’t like the quality of the materials and finishes; the plastic feels cheap, and so does the synthetic leather, presented in a contrasting black-and-white scheme. The interior trim is rather sloppy, the plastic panels are not firmly secured, and the sun visors feel ridiculous—especially in a vehicle this expensive.

The seating position is quite good, though the forward diagonal view is limited by the roof pillars and side mirrors. Rear visibility is minimal—and nonexistent when the cargo bed cover is closed. The dashboard is minimalistic in typical Tesla fashion, and most functions require digging through the main screen. The modern world is slowly returning to physical buttons, but Elon Musk hasn’t heard about that trend yet. That said, the screen is bright and clear, highly responsive, and packed with about a million options (though there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity). Rear seating is spacious and comfortable, though the sloped roof might be an issue for tall passengers. Rear occupants have a 9.4-inch screen for climate control, watching videos, or playing games. The rear bench can fold up 90 degrees, freeing up a significant amount of cargo space in the rear cabin.

This beast of a machine doesn’t need extreme techniques to blow you away. From a normal start or during high-speed overtakes, you get an instant and powerful pedal response every time. The speedometer spins with dizzying acceleration—posing a real and immediate threat to your driver’s license. Most of the time, you'll want to keep it in the efficient Chill mode, which still accelerates nicely even at 150 km/h and above. Want to impress or show off? Switch to Insane or Beast mode, and you're the fastest cowboy on the road. The motors are whisper-quiet—an almost spiritual experience. Horse owners and contractors will be pleased to know the towing capacity is 4,990 kg.

835 horsepower is an insane number, but it doesn’t mean much without a battery that can keep up. The 123 kWh battery under the Cybertruck's floor is jaw-dropping, though the Hummer’s is even bigger. Tesla claims a range of 585 kilometers, but multiple tests (including our own power consumption) suggest a more realistic 400–450 km. Our aggressive driving didn’t allow precise measurements, but even 400 km is an impressive range for a 3,100-kilogram monster.

An 800-volt electric system enables charging at up to 250 kW at Tesla Superchargers; 15 minutes of charging should add 217 km of range. Tesla will soon offer an optional battery pack for the truck bed, adding another 180 kilometers of driving range.

By pickup standards, it’s definitely comfortable. The rear end doesn’t kick you around, and the body remains relatively well controlled. It performs well outside the city but is less impressive on broken urban asphalt or rocky trails. The massive torque from the motors creates a sense of ease in the cabin—you never feel like the vehicle is straining, and the sensation is addictive, especially in the pickup category. There’s some wind noise, and the A/C can be louder than we'd like.

Our test drive didn’t allow for a thorough examination of road handling, but the Cybertruck feels much more stable and composed in corners than any traditional pickup. The air suspension keeps the body steady, there's minimal body roll, and the front end doesn’t dive under hard braking. The rectangular steering "wheel" looks odd but only requires 0.94 turns lock to lock, making it easy to handle. This is the industry’s first implementation of steer-by-wire, meaning there’s no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels. The steering ratio adjusts based on speed, and curves and U-turns are handled naturally. Curious to see where this tech will go next.

At low speeds (like parking or off-road), the rear wheels also steer. This rear-wheel steering reduces the turning radius and improves maneuverability in technical terrain—very useful with a wheelbase of 3.63 meters. That said, let’s not get confused—the Cybertruck may accelerate faster than a Corvette or a Porsche 911, but it’s not a sports car. It’s heavy, tall, rides on aggressive off-road tires, and behaves nothing like a sports coupe.

We were pleased to find that the Cybertruck devours fast trails at an excellent pace. For technical reasons, we didn’t lower tire pressure, yet it cruised comfortably through rocky tracks and sandy dunes, maintaining impressive balance and seemingly endless torque. The long wheelbase minimizes nose-diving under braking or when hitting obstacles. This is one of the most balanced vehicles we’ve ever driven. Unlike typical pickups, the rear doesn’t bounce you around. At slow speeds on rough terrain, the ride is quite bumpy—but lowering tire pressure would significantly improve comfort. The faster you go, the better the suspension performs.

On technical terrain, the air suspension offers four ride heights: Normal, High, Very High, and Extract. As the ride height increases, ride comfort decreases, and speed becomes limited: 40 km/h in Very High, 16 km/h in Extract. For a particularly gnarly boulder climb, Yariv Keler switched to Off-Road mode, raised the suspension to its max, and crawled toward the rock.

The Cybertruck lacks a traditional transfer case with a low-range (LOW) mode, so I was curious how it would climb a 50 cm vertical ledge. With careful alignment, the Cybertruck crept up inch by inch with remarkable precision—no less capable than a traditional off-roader. The Goodyear 285/65R20 tires provided excellent grip and can be aired down from 50 PSI to 25 or even lower. While the differential locks aren’t mechanical, they function extremely well, and the electric motors can turn the wheels at a snail’s pace—impressive. The approach angle is excellent, the departure angle is less so, and the breakover angle is a weak point. That’s the main limitation that prevents the Cybertruck from being a true rock crawler.

With the remaining battery power, we headed for some dune action—and the Cybertruck performed very well. I have no doubt that with the right tire pressure, it could be a superb dune machine. However, one must be careful not to get high-centered on a dune crest or stuck in a deep sand bowl requiring delicate recovery maneuvers. Once this beast is bogged down in sand, only a helicopter could pull it out. Some American workshops offer steel bumpers with 12,000 lb winches—but in my opinion, that’s the wrong approach. Anyone looking for extreme off-road capability shouldn’t buy a Cybertruck. However, our short off-road test proved beyond doubt that it can handle typical trail routes, fly down paths in Baja mode, wade through massive puddles in Wade mode, and clear moderate technical obstacles.

As such, Tesla is selling less than 10% of the Cybertrucks it aimed to, and they will remain rare and odd creatures—at least for the next few years. On the other hand, if someone is looking for uniqueness and boldness, is intoxicated by high-end technology, and wants to drive a vehicle with extraordinary capabilities—maybe they’ll be the next customer?

Thanks to Yariv Keler Baruch from the Super Jeep workshop for assisting in the test.