So Tesla finally got around to announcing their brand new truck; something Elon Musk has been teasing as the Ford F-150 killer for quite some time. There is a lot to say about this vehicle, and although we here at Driftin' Donuts have not had any hands experience with it or seen it live, we can still run down what it is, how it compares to the competition, and whether or not Tesla has made a grave mistake.

First off, yes, this really is, in fact, the new Cybertruck from Tesla. I'll give you a minute to process it.... When I first saw this design, I thought it was some parody of horribly rendered concept art. This thing strays so much from Tesla's current designs that it seems totally fake. Now I don't want to take away from the specs and that the performance is quite impressive, but we need to talk about the design and get that out of the way.

There seems to be quite a bit of a "love it or hate it" attitude toward the design of the Cybertruck, and for good reason. It looks like absolutely nothing before it. Or does it? If I remember correctly, there once was another car made of stainless steal that had no paint and a very angular, out of this world design.

Ah yes, the DeLorean. It seems cool, but there's a very good reason they never sold well. Usually when you want to copy something and hope to succeed, you copy what works, not something that fails. Tesla completely missed the mark on this one, and while some would applaud them for taking there own path, they're not going to spend $40k-$70k on this truck. History has always favored the people that think differently and create something new; the people that change the way the world thinks of something. Well this is definitely one for the books, and the media cannot stop talking about it. A+ marketing on a D- product is a interesting gamble for people to spend their life's savings on.

Then there's the inside. I've always heard that it's what's on the inside that truly counts. Well this is another fail on the design team. I'd like to personally speak to the person who decided it would be a good idea to put what is basically a sharp granite counter top in a pickup truck. How on earth is that even remotely safe? Just look at it. Where do the airbags eve fit? And it's hard to see in the available pictures, but the steering wheel is pretty much that of a Formula 1 car, making it just about useless for a pickup truck. Now I will say the glass roof looks killer. There's just one problem. When it's sunny and you're just a shade more pale than this truck's tires, your chances of receiving a lovely sunburn will go through the roof. Literally. Especially since it doesn't appear you can cover it. And the headroom looks like what it would be in a small coupe. The whole interior is form over function. It prefers to look cool instead of being practical, which is the exact opposite of what it should be in a PICKUP TRUCK.

Tesla's goal as a company is to convert people to driving electric cars. To summarize their philosophy, electric cars don't need to be ugly and slow. Well the new cyber truck is not slow, but it is undeniably ugly... and it's not converting anyone over. Elon Musk put on a heck of a show and probably one of the coolest launch events I've ever seen. But I cannot imagine this thing selling well. I'm currently writing a review of the Nissan Titan that will be posted soon, and it shows me some things that trucks are capable of doing that the new Cybertruck is going to struggle with.

Towing is one. Now sure, this has a rated towing capacity of 14,000 pounds, and that's great and all, but one thing nobody talked about is that when people tow things, it's usually done over a long distance. Everyone I know that has a truck for towing uses it to take a boat or trailer out of town. You simply can't do that in the Cybertruck! Imagine you're towing a large boat behind you for a weekend getaway, and suddenly you need a charge.

Now you can't tell me that if you happen to get lucky and not have to drive a half hour out of your way to go to a charging station that you're going to want to take your massive truck and trailer, pull it into this tiny parking spot, and wait an hour or more to charge the new massive battery. And all the while, you're thinking about how you could have gotten an F-150 or any gasoline/diesel pickup truck, and there is more than likely already a fuel station on the way to your destination with a large area to pull in and refuel in about 5 minutes. I'm sorry, but this was about as well thought out as Tesla's bullet proof glass that shattered in their demo vehicle.

Despite all of this, there are some good things about the Cybertruck, and those are the spec sheets; something Tesla has always been good at putting very enticing numbers on. Here are the options so far.

• Single motor with 250 miles of range and 7,500-pound towing capacity for $39,900
• Dual motor with 300 miles of range and 10,000-pound towing capacity for $49,900
• Triple motor with 500 miles of range and 14,000-pound towing capacity for $69,900 (launching in 2022 with a 0-60 under 3 seconds)

The pricing seems about on par with the current market and it actually has a lower base price than I would have initially thought. Something else to point out is that it also uses a new unibody chassis like honda did on their pickup, the Ridgeline. Only time will tell us whether that turns out to be a good thing or not, but it seems very promising from an engineering perspective. It does, however, also vastly limit the customizability that is so popular in trucks; a flaw which seems to extend across the entire Tesla lineup.

Here's where the Cybertruck really falls flat; the competition. Elon musk has claimed it is the F-150 killer and always drawn comparisons between the two. He states that the Cybertruck can tow a lot more and is so much more powerful... and he's absolutey right. But he did forget to consider one thing; the F-250. For $40k, the price of Tesla's most basic Cybertruck, you can get a 7.3 liter push rod V8 in an F-250 with a towing capacity of 18,000 pounds. And we don't even need to mention the F-350, but we will anyway. For just a little bit more than the price of the current top-of-the-line Cybertruck, you get a way better interior, exterior, warranty, etc. And if you want to option it out and create a super truck with an ultra nice interior, you can. You can get all of that for basically the same price. Sure, it doesn't have a sub 3-second 0-60 time, but is that really what truck buyers want? I don't think so. They want torque. And even if they do want that, there's a little company called Shelby that is fully willing to make that happen. But if you are dead set on a electric pickup truck, Ford will be releasing an all-electric F-150 soon, and Rivian, who is partnered with Ford, has a electric truck that's a lot more appealing than the Cybertruck. Both will surely be giving Tesla a big run for its money.