Walking toward the Cybertruck already feels different from approaching almost anything else on the road. There is no conventional grille, very little traditional body sculpting, and almost no attempt to disguise the massive stainless steel surfaces. Instead, you get sharp angles and an unmistakable silhouette that looks more like a movie prop than a production pickup. Once we started driving, the reaction from everyone around us became part of the experience. People stared, passengers pointed their phones toward the truck, and pedestrians stopped to take pictures. Even a completely normal drive suddenly felt like an event. The stainless steel exterior is also more than styling, with Tesla using a hard stainless steel exterior structure designed around durability. It means the Cybertruck does not simply look unusual from the driver seat. It changes the atmosphere around you everywhere you go. Car and Driver

The biggest surprise arrived the first time I turned the steering wheel. Looking at the Cybertruck from outside prepares you for something that should feel like a massive conventional pickup, but the steering immediately challenges that expectation. Tesla uses steer by wire with four wheel steering, and the steering can travel from one extreme to the other in less than a complete rotation of the wheel.

Tesla lists just 0.94 turns from lock to lock. Tesla Instead of repeatedly crossing your arms during a tight turn or parking maneuver, small steering inputs can produce significant changes in direction. Rear wheel steering also helps the truck rotate through tighter spaces than its size initially suggests. After a few minutes, I stopped thinking about how unusual the system was and simply started enjoying it. Even independent testing has found the setup remarkably intuitive once you actually experience it.

This is where the Cybertruck goes from entertaining to completely ridiculous. Selecting Beast Mode unlocks the additional performance available from the Cyberbeast three motor powertrain. Tesla officially describes Beast as the mode for additional performance and acceleration, while the Cyberbeast uses one electric motor at the front and two at the rear. Tesla Early specifications placed output at roughly 845 hp, while Car and Driver recorded a combined 834 hp specification for its tested Cyberbeast.

Either way, the number almost becomes irrelevant once you experience the launch. Tesla claims 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, and Car and Driver achieved exactly 2.6 seconds in independent testing. MotorTrend even recorded 2.5 seconds. Car and Driver Pressing the accelerator feels less like building speed and more like being released from something. There is no traditional engine noise building toward a gear change. You simply get immediate force, your body gets pushed into the seat, and this enormous stainless steel pickup suddenly accelerates like an exotic performance car.

The acceleration might be the headline, but it was not the only reason I kept smiling. What makes the Cybertruck so entertaining is that almost every interaction feels unusual. The steering feels different. The view through the windshield feels different. The enormous central display dominates the minimalist interior. The air suspension gives the truck a smoother personality than its aggressive shape suggests, and its height adjustable setup can alter the way the truck sits depending on how you are driving it. Car and Driver described it as surprisingly smooth riding despite its large all terrain tires, while Tesla allows drivers to adjust acceleration, damping, and ride height through its different road modes.

Then there is the silence. Experiencing supercar levels of acceleration in something this big without the usual engine soundtrack creates a strange disconnect between what your eyes see and what your body feels. That contradiction is a huge part of the fun.

After spending time with the Cybertruck, I understood why the experience is so difficult to describe using normal pickup truck language. It can still function as a large electric pickup, but from behind the wheel it feels more like an engineering experiment that somehow reached production. You have four wheel steer by wire, adaptive air suspension, three electric motors in Cyberbeast form, and acceleration capable of taking this roughly 6,900 pound truck to 60 mph in around 2.6 seconds.

But the specification sheet is only part of it. The real appeal is how all those strange ingredients come together. Every launch in Beast Mode feels absurd, every tight maneuver reminds you how unusual the steering is, and almost every trip attracts attention. For us, that combination makes the Cybertruck one of the most entertaining vehicles we have experienced and possibly the most fun you can have behind the wheel of something this big.