Inside the Tesla Truck: What Most People Get Wrong

Inside the Tesla Truck: What Most People Get Wrong

You’ve seen the stainless steel triangles on the highway by now. Maybe you think it looks like a low-poly fridge, or maybe you think it’s the coolest thing since the DeLorean. But once you actually climb inside the Tesla truck, the conversation shifts from "why does it look like that?" to "how do I actually live with this?"

It is weird in there. Honestly, it feels less like a Ford F-150 and more like a studio apartment in a brutalist building. There is no wood trim, no leather-stitched dash, and—for better or worse—virtually no buttons. If you're looking for the familiar click of a physical volume knob, you’re out of luck.

The Glass Canopy and That Massive Dash

When you sit in the driver's seat, the first thing that hits you is the sheer amount of dashboard. Because of that wildly raked windshield, the dash stretches out nearly three feet in front of you. It’s basically a flat, black shelf. Tesla uses a mix of vegan leather and "cut-and-sew" suede-like materials up there, and if you look closely at the corners, you might even see a tiny wrinkle or two where the fabric bunches. Some owners actually like that; it makes the truck feel less like a mass-produced plastic toy and more like something hand-assembled.

The view out the front is panoramic. The view out the back? Non-existent.

If you have the motorized tonneau cover closed over the bed—which you usually will to get better range—the rear-view mirror is just a dark piece of glass. You have to rely entirely on the high-resolution feed on the center screen. It’s a bit of a brain-scramble at first, looking down at a screen to see what’s behind you instead of glancing up.

Numbers that actually matter for your legs

Tesla didn't skimp on the actual cabin volume. You’ve got 41.69 inches of headroom in the front and about 41 inches of legroom. It’s airy. Even if you're six-foot-four, you aren't going to feel cramped. The back is a slightly different story. While the legroom is great (nearly 41 inches), the roof tapers down sharply. If you're tall and sitting in the back while the driver hits a speed bump, you might actually bonk your head on the glass roof.

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The Screen is the Brain (and the Gear Shifter)

Everything—and I mean everything—lives in the 18.5-inch infinity touchscreen. This is where the 2026 software updates really shine. You get a 3D model of your truck that you can spin around with your finger. Want to open the frunk (the "Powergate")? Tap the screen. Want to slide back the bed cover? Tap the screen.

Even shifting into Drive or Reverse happens on the edge of that screen. There are "emergency" gear selectors on the overhead console near the hazard lights, but they’re more of a backup.

  • The Steering "Yoke-ish" Wheel: It’s not quite a circle, not quite a yoke. It’s a "squircle."
  • Steer-by-Wire: There’s no mechanical link between that wheel and the tires. It’s all electronic. You can turn the wheels lock-to-lock with just a 340-degree turn. It’s sensitive. Kinda "flighty" until you get the hang of it.
  • The Sound System: This is one of the truck’s best-kept secrets. It’s a 15-speaker setup with two subwoofers. Tesla actually routes the bass through the "dead air" in the truck's frame castings. It’s loud, punchy, and honestly better than the systems in the Model X.

Hidden Hardware: Active Noise Cancellation

Here is something most people don't realize: the Cybertruck is physically prepared to be much quieter than it currently is. Recent teardowns and Tesla service tools have confirmed that the truck has Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) hardware built-in, similar to high-end headphones.

As of early 2026, the software for this is still being fine-tuned because the truck's angular cabin creates a weird acoustic "echo chamber" compared to a normal car. Once the OTA (Over-The-Air) update drops, the cabin should get significantly quieter, masking the hum of those beefy all-terrain tires.

Storage and "The Vault"

Tesla calls the bed "The Vault" because once that aluminum cover is closed, it’s supposedly weather-tight and lockable. Inside the cabin, the storage is surprisingly practical.

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  1. There’s a massive bin under the front armrest.
  2. The "glovebox" isn't a door; it’s a motorized drawer that slides out. It’s big enough for a 15-inch laptop.
  3. The rear seat cushions flip up, leaving a flat floor for a dog or a mountain bike.

The truck also functions as a giant mobile battery. You’ve got two 120V outlets in the cabin and a 240V outlet in the bed. You can literally run a circular saw or a refrigerator off the truck's main battery.

Is the Quality Actually There?

There has been a lot of talk about "Foundation Series" trucks versus the newer AWD models. Interestingly, some early owners claim the older Foundation Series seats felt softer and more premium. The newer 2025 and 2026 builds seem to have transitioned to a firmer, more "truck-like" seat foam. It’s durable, but it loses some of that initial "sitting on a cloud" feeling.

Also, watch out for the edges. While they aren't "razor sharp" like the internet rumors suggested, they are hard. If you’re clumsy getting out, you’re going to catch a shin on a stainless steel corner eventually. It’s the price you pay for the "exoskeleton" design.


Making the Most of Your Cybertruck Interior

If you've just taken delivery or are sitting on a reservation, here are the immediate things you should do to master the cabin:

Calibrate your mirrors and cameras immediately. Since rear visibility is a major hurdle, spend ten minutes in your driveway adjusting the side mirrors and getting used to the "always-on" rear camera feed on the top of your 18.5-inch screen. It feels unnatural at first, but it will save you from a blind-spot disaster.

Set up your "Easy Entry" profile. Because the Cybertruck is tall and the "squircle" wheel can be in the way, use the software to create an Easy Entry profile. This automatically slides the seat back and raises the steering wheel when you unbuckle, making it much easier to clear those hard stainless steel door frames.

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Invest in a matte screen protector. The massive center display is a fingerprint magnet. A high-quality matte protector won't just hide the grease; it reduces the glare from that expansive glass roof that can sometimes wash out the navigation maps during high noon.

Check your floor mats. Depending on your trim, you might have basic carpet. For a truck designed for "any planet," the interior stays clean much longer if you swap those for heavy-duty rubber liners, especially since the flat floor design tends to let dirt slide around everywhere.

Monitor your OTA updates for ANC. Keep an eye on your Tesla app for software version notes mentioning "Active Noise Cancellation." When this goes live, you'll want to enable it in the Audio settings to finally take advantage of the microphones and speakers already hidden in your trim.