Jay Leno Takes Tesla Cybertruck on 1st Off-Roading Test, Says the Truck Handles Rock Crawling & Water Fording “Like it’s Nothing”

It has been a minute since Tesla released the Cybertruck and in that time, we’ve seen the Cybertruck in all sorts of comparisons. The Cybertruck went toe-to-toe against a Rivian R1T and Hammer EV and was able to break the speed record for pickup trucks.

We’ve seen the Cybertruck maneuver and beautifully handle a go-kart race track. In a drag race, we’ve seen the Cybertruck embarrass the Ford F-150 Raptor R.

Seeing the Cybertruck’s performance has been exciting, however, the Cybertruck is a Tesla and this is somehow expected.

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— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) December 18, 2023

However, how does the Cybertruck stack up in the trucking space and off-roading arena? This is a much more interesting question to ask since the Cybertruck is the first Tesla designed from the ground up for off-roading purposes.

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Lucky for us, Jay Leno, together with Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and Head of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy has taken a Foundation Series Cybertruck to an off-roading trail.

On paper, the Cybertruck looks as though it will be dominant in off-roading situations. The Cybertruck has 17 and a half inches of ground clearance which is the highest ground clearance of any vehicle in its segment.

The Cybertruck also has instantaneous torque response thanks to the truck’s 3 electric motors situated one at the front and two at the back.

The front wheels have a locking differential whereas the rear wheels have 2 independent motors that can operate independently based on which wheel has traction.

The Cybertruck also has “Wade Mode” for fording through bodies of water. In Wade Mode, the Cybertruck directs air from the air suspensions and uses it to pressurize the battery pack in what Tesla calls a Scuba Pack maneuver.

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— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) December 18, 2023

The positive pressure inside the battery pack gives the batteries extra protection from water leaking into them. Elon Musk has confirmed that in addition to driving through water, the Cybertruck will receive a boat mod that will enable the truck to function as a boat on 100 meters of water.

Tesla has also outfitted the Cybertruck with Baja Mode which readies the truck for high-speed off-road racing.

All these features and capabilities are good to see on paper however, how do they translate to real-world off-roading situations? As I’ve mentioned already, Jay Leno, together with Tesla executives has taken the Cybertruck on an off-road trail.

The terrain is a mixture of rock crawling and water-fording and throughout the off-road drive, Tesla's Head Engineer gives an explanation of the various off-roading features as they are used in realtime.

In the video, you can see the Cybertruck utilizing its 17-and-a-half inches of ground clearance to effortlessly clear large rocks. You can also see the Cybertruck utilizing its locking differential and instantaneous torque response to drive over large humps as if they were nothing.

Once through the short off-roading trail, Jay Leno happy with the truck’s performance exclaims the rock crawling “was like nothing.”

Tesla’s Head engineer Lars Moravy and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen go into a lot of detail about the truck’s off-roading capabilities. I highly recommend you watch the entire video for a more detailed explanation.

We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more Cybertruck off-roading and trucking tests surface. Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.

So what do you think? Happy to see the Cybertruck perform effortlessly on an off-road trail? Do you think the Cybertruck will be used more for city driving or off-roading? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Image: Courtesy of Jay Leno’s Cybertruck review

For more information check out: Jey Leno Reveals Tesla Cybertruck Easter Eggs – How to Turn Cybertruck into a Boat (Elon Musk Confirms More Details), Drift Backwards, Hidden Air Compressor, Bolt-on Skid Plates, Basecamp & More

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.