It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally been able to get behind the wheel of the 2022 Tesla Cybertruck* on local soil.
Of all automotive debuts, few have surprised as much as Tesla’s first-ever utility vehicle, the 2022 Tesla Cybertruck. Sporting science-fiction styling, scarcely believable performance, heavy-duty body work, and shatter-proof windows, the controversial dual-cab ute divided online opinion upon its late 2019 unveil.
We ummed and ahhed over whether or not to put a deposit down on the Cybertruck, eventually deciding that a remote-controlled version was probably a better bet. At least until firmer Australian details are revealed, anyway.
Thankfully, Hot Wheels has released a 1:10-size remote-controlled (RC) toy version. It first went on sale in September 2021 with a list price of $199, though a healthy introductory discount via Target had us paying $159 for our car. In the United States, a US$400 (AUD$550) hardcore version with more features and specs was available, though Australian buyers are limited to the entry-level toy version.
An accompanying Cyberquad is shipped with the toy-spec RC Cybertruck that fits neatly into the open-top tray bed, and the steering wheel is modelled like Tesla’s yoke-style steering wheel. The Cybertruck is powered by a non-removable lithium-ion battery (like the real thing!), which powers a small motor on the rear axle. Obviously this is the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version then.
Both the front and rear unibeam light bars light up, and it can apparently reach speeds of up to 18km/h.
You can read our ‘unboxing’ article here, but after a three-hour charge it was time to see how closely the RC Cybertruck resembles the real thing.
After mucking about the office and running into chairs, desks, and colleagues’ feet, it’s immediately obvious that the RC Cybertruck does its best work in an open area.
It’s also not nearly as damage-resistant as we expect the 1:1 version to be. Within 30 minutes of skidding the Cybertruck into doors and trying for big air, it came back dented, scratched and damaged.
While it zips up to speed quickly on carpet and tarmac, those surfaces are a bit too grippy for the Cybertruck and hard cornering will see you flip the ute on its side. Sometimes it rolls back onto its wheels for a cool 360-degree barrel roll, but often it ends up on its lid and needing a manual flip to get it back into action.
Maximum fun is extracted once on a gravel surface, with the big grippy tyres able to kick up gravel for large, sweeping powerslides. There’s enough suspension travel for the high-riding body to monster over sticks and tree roots, though the approach angle is such that you do have to be wary of what you’re going over or you might end up with a dented front-end.
Payload management needs some refinement as the Cyberquad continually fell out of the tray under tight cornering. We won’t delve too far into ride comfort for obvious reasons, but the RC Cybertruck exudes a fair amount of body roll that doesn’t help manoeuvrability.
The Cybertruck does lag behind the steering and throttle inputs from the controller itself, which makes it annoyingly difficult to perform slalom courses or change direction in a hurry. Send it off a ramp (or over a tree root in our case) and the Cybertruck will hold decent airtime, though it does need a kicker to really get lofted into the air.
In honesty, we didn’t expect this Hot Wheels RC car to go the distance. Credit where it’s due – after 20-30 minutes driving this toy-spec Cybertruck around a gravel forecourt, it didn’t die and still had battery charge left to give. It did start to slow down after a certain point, though still moved along with decent pep.
It was sent off benches, into trees, and off kerbs, and though it suffered numerous superficial scars, the mechanical underpinnings continue to operate as intended. We’ve heard stories elsewhere of other RC Cybertrucks breaking after minimal use, so your luck may vary.
Treat it for what it is, a toy-grade RC car, and the Hot Wheels Tesla Cybertruck is an entertaining ute that can give you a hearty smile. Squint sideways and it even exudes some of the attributes from the real thing. Ultimately, though, for $159 you may as well pick one up and have a play – at least the Hot Wheels Cybertruck is a real thing and is available now.
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