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  • Elon Musk compares the Tesla Cybertruck to the Ford F-150 and the Porsche 911. How the futuristic vehicle stacks up with the greatest pickup truck and the iconic sports car.

Elon Musk compares the Tesla Cybertruck to the Ford F-150 and the Porsche 911. How the futuristic vehicle stacks up with the greatest pickup truck and the iconic sports car.

Matthew DeBordApr 29, 2020, 03:40 IST

The Tesla Cybertruck.Tesla

  • The Tesla Cybertruck debuted in late 2019.
  • CEO Elon Musk compared it with both the Ford F-150 and the Porsche 911.
  • The F-150 is the bestselling pickup truck in the US, and the 911 is the best sports car money can buy.
  • The Cybertruck actually could combine the best of the F-150 and the 911.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk rarely holds back.

So when the Tesla Cybertruck was unveiled last year, the design blew minds — nobody expected a wildly futuristic pickup made from stainless steel. It looked like it was ready to take on space travel, which makes sense, given that Musk has said he wants to use his other company, SpaceX, to help him retire on Mars.

Musk riled up pickup partisans when he compared the Cybertruck to the market-leading Ford F-150. And he also tweaked the sports-car world when he said that his electric pickup could outdo the Porsche 911.

But how does the Cybertruck really stack up against these legends? As it turns out, I've driven the F-150 last year, and I recently drove a pair of 911s.

Here's the tale of the tape:

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The Cybertruck is like nothing anyone has ever seen before. It looks like it's on loan from the future. It also represents a new direction for Tesla. And to be honest, it's so radical that it could legitimately combine the Ford F-150 and the Porsche 911 in a way nobody expected but that only Tesla could pull off.

Tesla

The Cybertruck, when Tesla starts delivering them, would have access to the company's vast Supercharger network.

A Tesla Model S is parked at a Supercharger station. Alexis Georgeson/Tesla
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The Cybertruck's interior should follow the philosophy that Tesla established with the Model 3 sedan: ultra-minimalist, with but a single screen in the dash controlling most vehicle functions.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla

Tesla has said that the Cybertruck could tow a segment-leading 14,000 pounds, but heavier-duty traditional pickups can tow more.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla
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The Cybertruck is made of stainless steel. Tesla calls the bed a "vault." It has a retractable cover and built-in slots to enable customization.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla

Not everything was a triumph for the Cybertruck on its debut. The special window glass was supposed to be shatterproof, but it couldn't handle a demonstration and cracked.

Tesla Cybertruck. Reuters
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The Cybertruck also outran a Porsche 911 in a drag race. The 0-60 mph dash could be achieved in 2.9 seconds with a triple-motor configuration, and the Cybertruck's range is pegged at 500 miles on a single charge.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla

Tesla challenged the F-150 to a tug-of-war — and the Cybertruck won!

Tesla Cybertruck. Elon Musk via Twitter
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The actual, mind-blowing Cybertruck didn't arrive until late 2019. To say that it evoked a polarizing reaction would be a major understatement.

Tesla Cybertruck. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

The Cybertruck doesn't really have an antecedent, although the concept was teased in 2017 when Tesla showed the world its Semi.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla
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When the Cybertruck landed, the design was divisive.

Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla

Take on the Porsche 911?!?! What was Elon thinking? Well, he was being smart. The 911 is the finest sports car money can buy. If the Cybertruck could steal its thunder, what a selling point!

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider
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The 911's technology suite is up to snuff for luxury performance vehicles with price tags that start around $100,000 and ride to more than $200,000. But we'd expect the Cybertruck to offer much, much more, including semi-self-driving systems.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

So let's be real. The F-150 is a big pickup. The Cybertruck is also a pickup. True, the Raptor is hot to drive. But the 911 exists to drive.

Porsche 911 Turbo S. Matthew DeBord/Insider
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The 911's powerplant is the legendary boxer flat-six, mounted over the rear wheels. Porsche tunes this engine to serve up a range of horsepower output, depending on trim level.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

The back seat?: Forget about it. And cargo capacity is exceptionally modest.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider
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Unlike the F-150 and the Cybertruck, the 911 is a proper sports car — and that means a cozy cockpit that's built for speed. Although it's also surprisingly comfortable.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

In 2020, I've sampled both the 911 4S and Turbo S. I prefer the 4S, but the Turbo S is a beast.

Porsche 911 Turbo S. Matthew DeBord/Insider
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The 911 is all-new for 2020 — the official designation is "992" and remarkably, Porsche has improved the car, setting a fresh standard for a machine that was no stranger to standard-setting.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Hard to believe the 911 has been around since 1963 — and is basically unchanged in terms of the core design.

Porsche 911. Porsche
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From four-wheels and a truck bed to two doors and an engine in the back — we're shifting gears from the greatest pickup in human history to the finest sports car ever made: the spectacular Porsche 911.

Porsche 911 4S. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Brace yourselves, too, for both a hybrid gas-electric F-150 and a fully electric pickup from Ford.

Ford F-150 electric prototype. Ford
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There's no question that the F-150 is still king of the pickup-truck hill, so it's no surprise that Tesla has challenged it. You go after the best! But in 2020, the F-150 is scheduled for a redesign, so the best is about to get better.

Ford F-150 Raptor. Ford

The F-150's infotainment system runs on what is by contemporary standards a modest 8-inch central touchscreen.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
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For the driver, the cockpit combines functionality with a relaxing experience. The F-150 is large, but it isn't difficult to handle.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

Ford offers numerous engine options in the F-Series. I tested a high-output variant of the 3.5-liter V6: The turbocharged mill cranks out 450 horsepower with 510 pound-feet of torque. That beats the 5.0-liter V8 engine by a notable margin (395 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque).

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
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Climbing in and out of the bed is made easy by a stowable step and grab bar.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

Luxe up front, but the F-150 is still a pickup, so it's business in the back. The aluminum construction that Ford controversially switched to in 2014 has held up well — this is an incredibly capable truck.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
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The F-150 4x4 SuperCrew has a nice, roomy back seats with plenty of room for full-size adults to stretch out.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

Pickups are now quite plush, in terms of their interior appointments. One can buy an F-150 that checks off boxes once reserved for luxury cars.

Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
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Ford sells nearly a million F-Series pickups annually, with the F-150 leading the charge. Customers don't always buy basic "work" trucks — my last F-150 test vehicle was a well-equipped 2019 F-150 Limited, that stickered at $74,180.

2019 Ford F-150 Limited. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

Of course, the real comparison for the Tesla Cybertruck is with Ford's F-150 Raptor, the high-performance variant of the pickup.

Ford F-150 Raptor. Ford
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The F-150 can trace its heritage to the F1 of 1948.

Ford F1. Ford

Let's start with America's truck — the Ford F-Series, of which the F-150 is the full-size offering, has been the bestselling vehicle in the US since Ronald Reagan was president.

Ford F-150. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
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