Earlier tonight – well, last night because you’re reading this in the morning – I took my neighbor to pick up his Tesla Model Y that I wrote about earlier, the one where the emergency door release shattered a window. While I was there, I noticed a few Cybertrucks in the lot, which happens to be the first production Cybertrucks I’ve seen in the wild. I’ve seen the prototype one in person, but seeing the actual, production models was interesting. For a size comparison, I parked my Nissan Pao next to one and took some pictures. The thing is big. And kind of clunky. And while I get the appeal, I think, I also get the eye-rolling. But, whatever, this is still a vehicle that everyone likes to talk about so who am I to ruin anyone’s fun?
I think the most remarkable part of the Cybertruck is that windshield wiper. It’s massive. It’s probably 75% of my height, and probably 125% of my net worth. If I installed it on my Pao, it would probably flip the car over if I turned it on.
Is it bigger than most conventional trucks? Modern trucks are generally pretty huge, after all. But most lack such large expanses of unadorned, unbroken, flat metal, and I think that gives an illusion of mass that is unique to the Cybertruck.
The size differences between Pao and Cybertruck are pretty evident from this rear view. The Cybertruck feels long enough that, were I to start at the tailgate in my Pao and attempt to drive to the front, I’d probably have to shift to second gear somewhere around the A-pillar.
And yet, I’d like to point out, the Pao, with its drop-down tailgate like the Cybertruck, is also capable of truck-like acts, even beyond, say, eight bags of mulch. Look:
I’m glad the Cybertruck exists; I think cars that are radically different from the norm are a good thing, regardless of whether I like them or not. And, like it or not, the Cybertruck does represent a pretty radical departure from the norm, so I salute it.
A bit of forced perspective makes my Pao look a lot less small, but I assure you, compared to the Cybertruck, it is. I mean, compared to the average old Buick it is small, as it is to most things on the road, and that includes some horses.
It’s such a polarizing vehicle, the Cybertruck. That’s part of what makes it so interesting. My Pao is sort of a polarizing machine, too, in the sense that there’s people who love it and people who wouldn’t be caught dead in it. But the general reaction when people see it is one of friendliness, where it’s seen as an amusing novelty or even almost how people might react to an otter trotting by.
The Cybertruck isn’t like that; it has its incredibly devoted fans, as well as knee-jerk foes, but it’s sort of inherently confrontational. That’s not really an image I want to just project out into the world at random, firehosing confrontational energy out william-nilliam, but, as is our policy here, I refuse to yuck anyone’s yum.
So, Cybertruck fans, enjoy. Enjoy your huge, sharp-edged, faintly absurd truck. Lots of great cars are absurd, after all.
Wait, this isn’t the shitbox showdown? Well, I vote Pao anyway.
Jason, Your soft spoken genius shines through in finding the perfect tone as usual. The pictures thousand words illustrate the Pao just wants to be your pal, the CT literally projects sharp edges.
Yup. Full credit for generosity of spirit.
Jason, Your soft spoken genius shines through in finding the perfect tone as usual. The pictures thousand words illustrate the Pao just wants to be your pal, the CT literally projects sharp edges.
Yup. Full credit for generosity of spirit.
It’s some sort of optical illusion but in photos, even ones I’ve taken myself, the CT appears to be wider and lower, but when I see one in traffic it looks very narrow and upright. I can’t explain it.
I’ve noticed that too. I think it looks bigger in pictures than in real life, especially compared to your average F150. I can’t explain it either.
My experience is the opposite. It looked large in pictures, and then I saw a few and they looked like 11:10 scale versions of the photos. They’re SO absurdly large and take up a lot of room in parking lot, more like a F250. At least that’s my visual impression. I haven’t measured them. They’re just so big and blocky.
I’m sure someone on the internet has posted a comparison of the dimensions of these things. F150, CT, Chevy, Dodge, etc. Been too busy this week to look.
It’s some sort of optical illusion but in photos, even ones I’ve taken myself, the CT appears to be wider and lower, but when I see one in traffic it looks very narrow and upright. I can’t explain it.
I’ve noticed that too. I think it looks bigger in pictures than in real life, especially compared to your average F150. I can’t explain it either.
My experience is the opposite. It looked large in pictures, and then I saw a few and they looked like 11:10 scale versions of the photos. They’re SO absurdly large and take up a lot of room in parking lot, more like a F250. At least that’s my visual impression. I haven’t measured them. They’re just so big and blocky.
I’m sure someone on the internet has posted a comparison of the dimensions of these things. F150, CT, Chevy, Dodge, etc. Been too busy this week to look.
On my scorecard it’s Pao 1 CT 0. I’m sure there are CT in the nearby big city but I’ve yet to see one. Loads of other tesla product.
On my scorecard it’s Pao 1 CT 0. I’m sure there are CT in the nearby big city but I’ve yet to see one. Loads of other tesla product.
Back in May, Cars & Coffee in Morrisville, NC had three Cybertrucks in attendance. And only one was furnished by the local Tesla dealer! In the past week or so, I’ve seen CT’s in the wild twice, so they’re on the way to just blending into the R.A.T. (Regular-Ass Traffic) like their Model 3 and Model Y brethren.
On the topic of rarely-seen automotive pairings: A few years ago I took what I rather confidently believe to be history’s only photograph containing a VW Polo Harlekin and a Honda Today Pochette.
You must have not seen the Cybertruck rocking the poorly executed 1/4 pink, 1/4 green, 1/2 bare stainless color scheme driving around Raleigh. Hard to blend into traffic when your ugly truck has an ugly wrap job so bad that bubbles and runs that can be seen in passing at highway speed.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing that one. I’ll keep my eye out, though. Sounds like someone is shooting for the Ugliest Cybertruck award, which is a pretty high (or low) bar.
I’ve seen two on the road – one in Wake Forest and one in Raleigh. Both (or was it the same one?) were plain stainless steel. I was surprised at how much smaller it seemed to be in person.
Back in May, Cars & Coffee in Morrisville, NC had three Cybertrucks in attendance. And only one was furnished by the local Tesla dealer! In the past week or so, I’ve seen CT’s in the wild twice, so they’re on the way to just blending into the R.A.T. (Regular-Ass Traffic) like their Model 3 and Model Y brethren.
On the topic of rarely-seen automotive pairings: A few years ago I took what I rather confidently believe to be history’s only photograph containing a VW Polo Harlekin and a Honda Today Pochette.
You must have not seen the Cybertruck rocking the poorly executed 1/4 pink, 1/4 green, 1/2 bare stainless color scheme driving around Raleigh. Hard to blend into traffic when your ugly truck has an ugly wrap job so bad that bubbles and runs that can be seen in passing at highway speed.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing that one. I’ll keep my eye out, though. Sounds like someone is shooting for the Ugliest Cybertruck award, which is a pretty high (or low) bar.
I’ve seen two on the road – one in Wake Forest and one in Raleigh. Both (or was it the same one?) were plain stainless steel. I was surprised at how much smaller it seemed to be in person.
Finally saw my first Cybertruck in the wild. It was parked in front of a house. It looked more like a metal door stop than I expected it to.
Finally saw my first Cybertruck in the wild. It was parked in front of a house. It looked more like a metal door stop than I expected it to.
Our local Tesla dealership park one on their lawn. This dealership happens to be adjacent to a grassy area along an off-ramp.
It looked like some sort of weird art installation that the city had installed that has everyone saying: My tax dollars paid for this?
Our local Tesla dealership park one on their lawn. This dealership happens to be adjacent to a grassy area along an off-ramp.
It looked like some sort of weird art installation that the city had installed that has everyone saying: My tax dollars paid for this?
Oh man, the first thing I thought as I looked at that last image was “wow, the wiper on the CT is up”. I was wrong and it wouldn’t start in the middle of the windshield like that.
But now I really want to see the wiper lifted.
Oh man, the first thing I thought as I looked at that last image was “wow, the wiper on the CT is up”. I was wrong and it wouldn’t start in the middle of the windshield like that.
But now I really want to see the wiper lifted.
Last weekend I saw a Cybertruck for the first time in the wild (so to speak, as it was actually parallel-parked on the side of the street down which I was riding my e-bike home),.and it confirmed the impression I had from pictures. It’s rolling ductwork, with all the visible quality control that field-constructed ductwork generally exhibits.
Last weekend I saw a Cybertruck for the first time in the wild (so to speak, as it was actually parallel-parked on the side of the street down which I was riding my e-bike home),.and it confirmed the impression I had from pictures. It’s rolling ductwork, with all the visible quality control that field-constructed ductwork generally exhibits.
About putting the Tesla wiper on your Pao…do you know what horseshoe crabs can do with their weird, pointy tails? They can right themselves if they get flipped over!
So, if you set it up right, maybe the Tesla wiper could be an emergency tool to get the Pao back on its wheels, should the next deer you meet decide to escalate.
I had the opposite thought — the Pao with that massive wiper would be flinging itself helplessly to and fro, like a helpless little beetle that got stuck on its back and can’t right itself.
Jason, can you try this in real life please? An experiment for science? For the masses?
So, if you set it up right, maybe the Tesla wiper could be an emergency tool to get the Pao back on its wheels, should the next deer you meet decide to escalate.
Use the wiper to smack that $%& deer right back into the woods where it belongs.
About putting the Tesla wiper on your Pao…do you know what horseshoe crabs can do with their weird, pointy tails? They can right themselves if they get flipped over!
So, if you set it up right, maybe the Tesla wiper could be an emergency tool to get the Pao back on its wheels, should the next deer you meet decide to escalate.
I had the opposite thought — the Pao with that massive wiper would be flinging itself helplessly to and fro, like a helpless little beetle that got stuck on its back and can’t right itself.
Jason, can you try this in real life please? An experiment for science? For the masses?
So, if you set it up right, maybe the Tesla wiper could be an emergency tool to get the Pao back on its wheels, should the next deer you meet decide to escalate.
Use the wiper to smack that $%& deer right back into the woods where it belongs.
So glad both you and the Pao are out and about again 😀
Here’s my own little blue Pike car next to some truck some people like 😉
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4xXcl2IFKV/
So glad both you and the Pao are out and about again 😀
Here’s my own little blue Pike car next to some truck some people like 😉
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4xXcl2IFKV/
nice metaphor on life choices, in the form of car side-by comparisons. Did Kant park his car purposefully to make a point how to live your life? No, he did not! Jason 1, Kant 0.
nice metaphor on life choices, in the form of car side-by comparisons. Did Kant park his car purposefully to make a point how to live your life? No, he did not! Jason 1, Kant 0.
Nah I see cybertruck’s and Pao’s everywhere /s honestly though I do not think I have ever seen a Pao in person and have only seen one cybertruck on the road. I have actually have seen more Hummer semi… I mean EV’s on the road. But I agree with sentiment if you like the goofy looks of the cybertruck enjoy. As I see it as no different then enjoying a Kei car, shag van, Subaru Brat, smart car, amphicar (which I actually saw one driving on the road not to long ago) or anything else others may see as impractical or weird weird looking.
Nah I see cybertruck’s and Pao’s everywhere /s honestly though I do not think I have ever seen a Pao in person and have only seen one cybertruck on the road. I have actually have seen more Hummer semi… I mean EV’s on the road. But I agree with sentiment if you like the goofy looks of the cybertruck enjoy. As I see it as no different then enjoying a Kei car, shag van, Subaru Brat, smart car, amphicar (which I actually saw one driving on the road not to long ago) or anything else others may see as impractical or weird weird looking.