- A Rivian navigated a hill that the Cybertruck had previously struggled to climb.
- Earlier this month, a series of videos showed the Cybertruck spinning its wheels on a dirt hill.
- Elon Musk has promoted his truck as tougher than most trucks.
A Rivian R1T truck appears to have outperformed a Tesla Cybertruck on an off-roading course.
Videos posted online earlier in November appear to show the Cybertruck struggling to gain traction on a steep slope and sliding along some turns in sandy terrain. The video was originally posted on Instagram by Jason and Rochelle Paul, under the handle @stretch_thecj2l, but has gained nearly 500,000 views on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
The initial Instagram post said that three Cybertrucks were being tested at Hollister Hills, a popular off-roading area near Monterey, California. The videos led some Tesla fans to speculate online that the Cybertruck might not be as tough as Elon Musk had originally advertised — especially as other videos showed a 1946 Jeep CJ-2A navigating the same hill with ease.
To make matters worse, a video of one of the Cybertruck's biggest rivals appears to have also one-upped Musk's truck on the same section of trails.
The video, which was posted by an account on X over the weekend, appears to show a Rivian RIT spinning its wheels for a few seconds at the bottom of a hill called the "Stair Step," before successfully plodding up the hill without a hitch.
"Cake walk! Tried to copy what the Cybertruck did," @omg_tesla said on X
Cake walk! Tried to copy what the Cybertruck did https://t.co/t9gkJKfBXw pic.twitter.com/pBDnFw7kcw
— omg_Tesla/Rivian (@omg_tesla) November 12, 2023
The X user posted a second video of the Rivian R1T slowly climbing the same portion of the course.
"Stair Step is made from mostly cement," they wrote. "They made it to be a low traction surface and offsetting the steps making the vehicle climb and flex or articulate its suspension. As more vehicles drive up, they leave behind trails of dirt making it more slippery."
In contrast, the videos of the two Cybertrucks that appeared to have been testing at the course showed the trucks struggling at the bottom and top of the hill.
"Is it even on?" a woman in the video asked at one point while watching the Cybertruck.
It's not the first time people have spotted a Cybertruck struggling to navigate difficult terrain. In May, an X user posted a video that showed a Cybertruck allegedly stuck in a field of mud in Texas.
Spokespeople for Tesla and Rivian did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An auto expert previously told Insider that it's unfair to judge a vehicle off a prototype, especially one that has gone through rigorous and potentially damaging testing.
Musk has said the vehicle is designed to be the ideal car for an apocalypse — with its supposedly bulletproof stainless-steel exterior and even an added option of fixed bulletproof windows. During an interview with Joe Rogan earlier this month, Musk confirmed the vehicle can raise its ride height to avoid obstacles.
"Normally in other vehicles — gasoline or diesel vehicles — you've got the differential which hangs down low between the rear wheels," Musk said. So you look under a truck, there's almost always a differential there that's hanging down pretty low. So if you hit the diff on a rock, you'll break it. But no, the bottom of the Cybertruck is completely flat and has the best clear height of any vehicle."
