Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarTesla Cybertruck first off-road test: electric pickup sacrifices body parts struggling up small hill
Tesla Cybertruck has been delivered to the first buyers for a few weeks now and there are more and more testimonials, for example about the range. Now a Youtuber has tested the e-pickup off-road for the first time. During the test, it was noticed that the truck has differential locks, which are designed to prevent the vehicle's drive axles from spinning independently and are often used in off-road vehicles to improve traction and manoeuvrability in difficult terrain.
Ironically, however, the Cybertruck was delivered without the software that activates these differential locks. On the other hand, many off-road vehicles don't even need a differential lock, such as the Subaru. It uses a system called Active Torque Vectoring (ATV) - ATV is an electronic system that controls the distribution of torque between the front wheels by applying the brakes to one wheel as soon as it starts to turn. This prevents the wheel from spinning and improves traction on the other wheel. However, this option is not yet available in the Cybertruck's off-road mode.
Cybertruck has difficulty getting up small hills
Youtuber @VoyageATX was at Hidden Falls Adventure Park in Texas with two friends, one in a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness, the other in a Toyota 4Runner. He explains that he and his colleagues are still inexperienced in off-road pickup driving, so for safety's sake they have an experienced companion. The road is rocky to start with, but a conventional pickup can easily handle this.
At around the 4:27 mark, the Cybertruck has to negotiate a small but steep hill and, unlike the other two vehicles (which are not even pickups), fails to do so despite several attempts. Only after many more attempts and broken plastic flaps does the e-pickup finally make it up the hill.
Cybertruck seems immature
Whether this was due to the driver's lack of experience with off-road pickups or simply a lack of software is not entirely clear, but discussions with experts after the tour suggested that it was most likely due to a lack of updates. In addition, as the driver later found out, Tesla's DIY maintenance guide recommends removing the flaps before off-roading, but this is not mentioned in the owner's manual. This information is also hard to find in the DIY guide.
The Youtuber also removed the hubcap covers during the journey as they fell off several times off-road. Another annoyance for the driver was that every time he got out of the car, the off-road mode disengaged and had to be re-engaged. This is particularly annoying if you forget to reactivate it and continue driving in on-road mode. The pickup's excellent front camera is praised, and driving through mud and downhill is no problem.
A social media commentator has suggested that Elon Musk may have been under pressure to launch the pickup because he had repeatedly postponed it and suffered a lot of ridicule as a result, so he may have rushed to launch a somewhat immature truck (at least in terms of off-road capability, towing and some other features).
Long wheelbase a problem?
The Cybertruck also has a long wheelbase and is heavy. At first glance, these two characteristics might seem disadvantageous for a pick-up. However, despite the long wheelbase the Cybertruck has a bit more ground clearance than other pickups such as the Ford F-150 Lightning or the Rivian R1T, which can make it easier to negotiate obstacles such as rocks and roots.
A long wheelbase is often associated with less agility, but in the case of the Cybertruck, the turning circle is surprisingly small, probably thanks to the extra rear-wheel steering in Tesla's drive-by-wire system. It remains to be seen how the truck will behave off-road and hopefully improve after any updates.
Quelle(n)
