The Tesla Cybertruck hasn’t even been out a full week yet, and already it’s stirring plenty of controversy. From the unusual reveal event to the truck itself, there’s been plenty to talk about when it comes to the long-awaited Tesla pickup truck. With everything that’s gone on, one of the most contentious parts of the reveal sees the all-electric Cybertruck square off against a conventional Ford F-150 in a “tug of war” test.
In Tesla’s short clip, the Cybertruck handily wins the fight, pulling back the struggling F-150 with ease. However, plenty of critics — and yes, we are among those critics — contend it may not have been a fair fight between the two trucks. In Andre’s post yesterday, he suggested that a fight between an F-150 Raptor and the Cybertruck would have provided a more meaningful conclusion. This truck appears to be a 4×2 model with more street-biased tires. It’s unknown which engine the F-150 has either, and we argued in the office that four-wheel drive, a higher rear axle ratio, a low-speed transfer case and the torquey 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine would have given the Ford more of a fighting chance.
Again, we don’t know with certainty which Ford Tesla selected to line up against the Cybertruck. Nor do we know what configuration the Cybertruck was, either. This may have been the base rear-wheel drive model, which would make this an even more impressive feat. Then again, it could also be the tri-motor model as well, making it an apples-to-oranges comparison.
“Bring it on”
For his part, Ford X vice president Sundeep Madra suggested a rematch with an “apples to apples test”. Elon Musk’s response? A simple “bring it on.”
Musk agreed to try loading down the F-150 to provide more weight over the driven wheels, which should help the engine get its power down. That’s one area where the Cybertruck has an advantage, since its heavy battery pack should mean the truck has a low center of gravity and better weight distribution.
