The Tesla Cybertruck splits opinions all over the place and that’s true in the upper echelon of automotive journalists too. After publishing a largely positive video review on the truck, Jason Camissa came under fire from The Smoking Tire (TST) Podcast host, Matt Farah. On an impromptu episode of the show, the two talked out the difference of opinion on the world’s hottest truck.
Farah specifically called out the framing that he said Camissa didn’t do. The TST host says that Tesla has lied on numerous occasions and to not make that a major part of the story was wrong. He goes on to complain about other statements in Camissa’s video for Hagerty including a note about how the Cybertruck is as aerodynamic as a car like the Bugatti Chiron. In Farah’s mind, just because that’s true doesn’t make it right for Camissa to compare the two without calling out the fact that the Bugatti is intentionally creating drag in pursuit of downforce.
In any case, these issues that Farah had set off a chain of events that led to the two men having an early morning conversation where Camissa received an apology. Jason’s biggest issue was that Farah “came for his journalistic integrity.” To make it clear just how water under the bridge the whole thing was, the two got together for a podcast to discuss the Cybertruck and their varying opinions on the pickup.
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The two discuss everything including journalistic integrity, steer-by-wire, 48-volt systems, crash test ratings, and more, all colorfully sprinkled with a ton of F-bombs. They even go as far as to talk about political leanings and pedestrian safety. Highlighting their differences is one thing but they they come away with several agreements too.
Ultimately, Camissa competently rebuts most of the complaints that Farah had and rightly points out that only one of them has had any real time around and in the Cybertruck. On top of that, Camissa is quick to note that until public third-party testing happens with the truck many factors like pedestrian safety are unknown.
The truth is that a great deal about the Cybertruck and its design is still a long way off from cementing any sort of lasting reputation. It’ll likely be years before the dust settles.