Tesla Cybertruck is in a category of its own for better or worse

DETROIT – Spaceship. Dream car. UFO. Dumpster. Cool. Stupid. Phenomenal. Abomination.

Those were all words used to describe the Tesla Cybertruck during a 24-hour rental of the vehicle in metropolitan Detroit. They were expressed by strangers, friends, family, and auto industry experts and employees.

A word not used much? “Truck.”

That’s because the Tesla Cybertruck is far more “cyber” than “truck.” It indeed has some truck capabilities, such as a pickup bed and other utilitarian features, but it is not a truck in any traditional sense of the word.

It is a unique product that only comes along every so often. Similar to the first SUV, minivan or “roadster pickups” such as the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino, it has created a new segment in the automotive industry that it solely holds.

That’s good and bad for both Tesla and its competitors, specifically the truck-reliant automakers from Detroit that have spent decades refining their trucks to meet the needs of their customers. That includes things such as bed access and door handle sizes to seating height and interior components.

The Cybertruck is not a direct competitor for electric trucks from traditional automakers. The Cybertruck is a “truck” for Tesla fans/owners and an experiment for the company in many ways regarding its technologies, including a new electrical architecture and steering system.

The top vehicles that are cross-shopped for the Cybertruck are Tesla’s other four models, followed by the Ford F-150 Lightning in a distant fifth at 7.4% of potential buyers, according to Edmunds.com.

I drove a roughly $100,000 all-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck in regular driving conditions and traffic in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs, including a short torrential downpour in which the vehicle’s comically large wiper blade performed fine.

I did not test the vehicle’s towing or hauling capabilities, which have come into question recently following reports of problems involving the durability of the vehicle’s aluminum frame. Most notably, in an over-the-top viral video from YouTube channel WhistlinDiesel.

I wanted to have better first-hand knowledge of the vehicle and compare it with electric trucks from other automakers, but that was harder than initially expected. I also purposely did not watch or read any reviews ahead of time about the vehicle before driving it.

The Cybertruck is unlike any other vehicle I’ve ever driven. That includes every all-electric truck on sale today from General Motors, Ford Motor and Rivian Automotive.

The only vehicle to come close to a similar driving experience is GM’s Hummer EV. Both are large, gaudy and outlandish vehicles that are more infamous than they are practical. But the Hummer EV still feels like a truck in its…