Drivers in the market for a new luxury car should avoid the Tesla Cybertruck. While the new truck appeals to some electric enthusiasts, it’s definitely not for everyone. We’ll define what makes a good luxury vehicle and highlight various issues that make the Cybertruck less appealing for people who want a comfortable, stylish vehicle.

What Is Luxury in a Vehicle?

Before tearing into the Cybertruck for not being a luxury truck, a luxury vehicle, or even a good car overall, let’s discuss what makes a vehicle luxurious. A luxury vehicle has many solid attributes both under the hood and inside the cabin. These often include higher-end finishes and more technical and comfort-focused amenities like safety systems and speakers. A powerful motor also helps. The ride should be smooth and barely noticeable, even over rough pavement. The visual appeal of a luxury car can be unique, though many vehicles noted for luxury have a reserved but classic look, with Rolls Royce, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz often sporting a wider grille.
With that definition out of the way, let’s discuss why the Cybertruck doesn’t fit the bill.

The Ride Isn’t Luxury Car Comfortable

One feature that luxury car owners value highly is superior, or at least better-than-average, ride quality. The idea here isn’t that the ride should be cloud-like all the time, but it should be good for the type of vehicle. Trucks are not commonly known for having an exceptionally smooth ride, but the Cybertruck is well described as a bit firm, which means that the driver and passengers will feel bumps as the truck doesn’t adapt to them especially well.

A driver who doesn’t want to carefully time sips of coffee should avoid the Cybertruck because the ride might not be what you’d expect from a luxury car.

The Build Quality Isn’t Good

Tesla has faced considerable criticism over the build quality of their vehicles. The Tesla Cybertruck is no exception. During the vehicle’s production stage, Musk emailed staff stating that panel gaps and tolerances should be within microns. He didn’t specify a unit of measurement the company used when they discovered issues with the vehicle, but we are sure it wasn’t small. While there are many reviews out there for the Cybertruck, a statement from the CEO telling his workers to do better is more trustworthy than the overly positive reviews provided by electric vehicle fans who choose to overlook manufacturing challenges. But just like you’d turn to review websites for everyday items and BonusFinder in Canada to compare payout casinos, it’s always a good idea to consult various sources for a more well-rounded opinion.

Compare this to many of the luxury brands that have been around longer. While manufacturers like Lexus, Audi, and BMW, just to name a few, have had ample time to work on problems, you won’t find many faults with their vehicles at first or second glance.

Interior Issues

The interior of the Cybertruck isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either. Perhaps Tesla is taking a sustainability approach, as they don’t use genuine leather in their trucks. Instead, Tesla owners sit on synthetic leather, which just isn’t as pleasing as the real thing. This is disappointing, considering that many manufacturers have an available upgrade to go beyond traditional leather.

Another big problem is that Tesla features a large touchscreen dashboard to access all your controls. The screen itself is responsive, but the issue is that the Cybertruck lacks the physical buttons with tactile feedback that many drivers appreciate. In addition, if the screen malfunctions or breaks, good luck accessing settings.

Taller backseat passengers may also find issues with the angular roof stealing the headspace that would be ample in a similar SUV or truck. The roof lines lead us to our next point—the exterior of the Cybertruck.

The Exterior

Since good design is so often in the eye of the beholder, defining a good exterior for a luxury vehicle is difficult. We can, however, say that the Cybertruck certainly takes a different route than a traditional truck, a luxury vehicle, or much of anything else. Two of the best words to describe how the Cybertruck looks are “pointy” and “industrial.” Given that the outline of the truck is mainly composed of slightly tilted lines and triangles, we genuinely don’t see the visual appeal. And, considering all the memes about it, we’re clearly not the only ones who feel this way.

Charger Issues

While we don’t have a problem with electric vehicles, the Cybertruck requires a unique assessment, as, according to many owners, the charging port can develop issues easily. Some drivers have reported that the plug on the charger gets stuck in the vehicle, whether using a Supercharger on the road or charging at home. When this happens, the truck may or may not charge. The driver then must confront the separate issue of unplugging the charger from the truck and moving on. The way to solve this is through an obscure method of prying into the tailgate to find a small cord meant to release the charger port and give it a yank. If the cord doesn’t break first, the charger should be released.

Range Problems

Many new electric car drivers experience range anxiety. Unfortunately, the Cybertruck doesn’t do much to stop those fears. A MotorTrend test against a Rivian and a Ford F-150 Lightning revealed that all three trucks fell well below their EPA estimated range, with the Cybertruck taking the second steepest drop from an expected 318 miles to 224. While we don’t endorse the F-150 Lightning as a luxury vehicle, owners get a roughly equal potential range for more than $20,000 less.

Conclusion

The Tesla Cybertruck is not a luxury vehicle. The new truck from Tesla has many unique properties, including battery power, an odd design, and efforts to be versatile. Still, its many weaknesses are glaring for drivers who want an upscale vehicle that is easy to use and mostly free of build quality issues. As a result, we suggest you look elsewhere in your vehicle search.