[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I find the Rivian much more intriguing than the Cybertruck. It actually has some really interesting and new packaging features that really take advantage of the electric platform.

The Cybertruck just comes across as trying really hard for shock value.

The styling is wild, no doubt. The practical truck aspects of this vehicle have been completely ignored, though.

I use a truck daily for work, I tow a holiday trailer in the summer and I do a lot of do-it-yourself landscaping and home reno projects. Basically everything you could need a truck for, I do. I also hate trucks (drive like crap, look boring and ugly, guzzlers, big), but as a utility vehicle for certain tasks, they're the only thing you can use. With that in mind, here's what this truck has that others do not:

1. A retractable cover over the box. No other truck does this from factory. There have been a few attempts, like the GMC Avalanche, but that was a hard plastic tri-fold cover that didn't fully get itself out of the way. That was also a butt-ugly truck that looked like an Aztek.

The retractable cover is huge for people that use their truck as a truck. What are the chances that everything you haul in a truck can be exposed to the elements and theft? Almost nil, yet there is no accounting for this in any truck you can currently purchase from factory. You have to get a tonneau, which sucks because they can also never get fully our of their own way, or a topper, which limits your options for loading the vehicle and for the height of your load. Tesla has solved this in an awesome way with their vault bed. If you don't use a truck, you may not know how huge this is, but it instantly made this truck bed better than every other truck.

2. Ramp tailgate. If you own a truck, you know that lifting really heavy things into the truck can be really fataing hard. Being able to roll/dolly, walk things into this is amazing. I could also see using this to lean into a loading dock. This, too, is huge. I deliver and pick up from loading docks all the time and it can be sketchy (you have to back up to the dock with just enough space to drop your gate, then there is going to be a gap that you have to navigate while crouching under your topper then stepping up onto the dock. It's a total PITA that has now been solved.

And forget work applications with the ramp. What about fun stuff? I put bikes in and out of my truck 20 times a year. It can be awkward and heavy. Can't imagine just rolling the bikes up the ramp. That is insanely awesome and way better than any other tailgate innovation (yes, there has been a tailgate innovation war going on in the industry recently).

3. Electricity for tools. After I got my new F-150 in 2016 I was excited to use the household plug-in outlet. At my first job, I plugged in my sawzall and it tripped the breaker. Turns out those outlets are good for charging a Gameboy and that's about it. It doesn't have enough power to run tools. That's ridiculous. The Cybertruck being a power source for tools is ginormous for people that use their truck for truck stuff.

4. Built in air compressor would be great for guys that run power tools. I don't, but I'm sure a lot of people do. Even little things like inflating your toys at the lake would be pretty fun.

5. The body being super strong is great. I usually get through my leases without damaging the body on my trucks, but I see a lot of beat up trucks out there, so having a more durable body is obviously not a bad thing.

6. Performance. Trucks usually suck. I know some guys opt to drive a truck, but they blow me away. I don't know why - with all the options for vehicles out there - you would drive a truck unless you had to. I have three personal vehicles (shared with my wife) and then my work truck that I lease. It's not even a base trim truck. It's pretty nice with a bunch of options, but it's still the worst driving vehicle in my fleet. The two cars drive the best, and the minivan not far behind. The truck is huge, handles like garbage and sucks back fuel. The Cybertruck is fast AF. Without having a body-on-frame design, it has the potential to handle a lot better, too. For those of us who actually like driving nice-to-drive vehicles, but need the utility of a truck, this is a welcome direction for trucks to be heading.

7. Looks. Obviously I can see what people don't like. It does look unfinished, but I think a paint job would have gone a long way toward remedying that. Also, with the DeLorean looks in addition to the stainless steel colouring, Tesla didn't do themselves any favours by not painting this. Instead of being an asset, the stainless steel has distracted everyone from the more important features of this truck that would actually appeal to people who know where the drawbacks of the current trucks exist and how they have been addressed in this design.

From a truck practicality perspective, this box design is better than anything else out there. The looks of the box (angling back from the roof) don't bother me because I can see how functional it would be with the vault. Trucks are already boring and ugly to me, but we're all just used to them so don't think much about it. The aerodynamics of this - steep in front and steep at the back with the covered box seem like a great way to make a truck.

Other than that, it is pretty crazy looks wise, but I hope it inspires Ford/GMC/Dodge to start pushing the envelope a little so I can actually look forward to my next lease instead of it being a hassle and then driving away with the same old thing yet again. If the Internet backlash has anything to say about it, it'll probably make the big three just dig in even harder on all their boring old lame conservative styling, though.

I am not hearing any backlash against all the great truck innovations they're going for here, though. That's good because if you actually use a truck you'd know just how awesome each and every one of these improvements is to a truck if you can set aside styling for a minute. I hope other truck manufacturers are taking notes - these vehicles can be improved. The fact that the box of my 2016 F-150 is functionally indistinguishable from my Grandpa's 1972 F-150 is ridiculous.