If you’re a proud member of the Cult Of Elon, you’ll soon be able to get a modified Tesla Cybertruck from Unplugged Performance. How exciting.
The Tesla Cybertruck is a vehicle of compromise. A figment of one man’s imagination. His hardworking engineering teams have no doubt had to move heaven and earth to make the Cybertruck a feasible reality that complies with the real world’s laws and regulations. Frankly, it’s a marvel that they’ve managed to pull it off. But that doesn’t yet make it a success. Of course, long-term reviews and reports will eventually divulge the truth about the Cybertruck’s qualities, for better or worse, but as things stand the whole concept still feels rather fanciful to me.
If you do happen to like the idea of the Tesla Cybertruck though, please forgive my cynicism. This vehicle is about as divisive as it gets. You’ll either think it’s the coolest car since the DeLorean, or the daftest car since the DeLorean. There’s no in between. And you know what, that’s okay. Who am I to police what people like and enjoy? If you want to spend $60,000 or more on something that looks like a poorly-rendered PS2 sprite, by all means, go ahead. There’s clearly a great deal of enthusiasm for this oddly-shaped truck with dubious launch claims, and although it’s barely had the chance to roll off dealer forecourts, there’s already an aftermarket for it.
Unplugged Performance is an EV specialist based in Hawthorne, California, and over the years they’ve earned the reputation of being the top Tesla tuner on the planet. And, although (as is probably apparent by now) I personally think that the Cybertruck is a massive waste of time and money, there’s a morbid curiosity within me that wants to see what a modified one would be like. So, let’s check it out together, shall we?
UP INVINCIBLE range
Unplugged Performance calls its line of Cybertruck mods the ‘UP INVINCIBLE’ range, and the overarching goal of all the potential mods in the range is to make the Cybertruck more robust and adept at off-roading. We’re off to a good start then.
Specifically, Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer says, “The UP INVINCIBLE® collection is designed to empower Cybertruck owners, equipping them to conquer the toughest terrains, embark on extraordinary adventures, and enhance the Cybertruck’s inherent capabilities. While we are renowned for our high-performance racing suspension and brake upgrades, UP INVINCIBLE is about infusing that DNA into that of the Cybertruck to take it to new heights and enhance the experience at every level.”
Essentially, that’s elaborate PR speak for, “We’ve built an overlanding kit.”
Tesla Cybertruck overlanding mods
So what does this overlanding kit include? Well, I’ll tell you. For just shy of $10,000, Unplugged will supply a 2.5-inch lift kit. At extra cost, there’s also an alternate range of forged alloys and heavy-duty off-road tires, plus an upgraded braking package to slot behind them. This includes rotors, pads, and lines. There are six key body mods to be aware of; flared arches, revised side panels, rock sliders, a roof rack, bull bar, and carbon LED-equipped hood. For extra underbody protection, you can also get a full-length chassis guard.
Once you add all these together, plus a few other small modifications, you’ll be looking at a collective bill of approximately $40,000. If you bought the base-model $61,000 Cybertruck, the full assortment of kit would turn it into a six-figure vehicle. But of course, you don’t have to buy everything that Unplugged offer. You can chop and choose at your will.
At this point, it’s only fair that I admit my stance is softening. All this extra equipment does give the Cybertruck a certain desirability that I just don’t feel with the stock model. Mind you, show me a cool overlanding kit for any of the other SUVs and pickups in this world, and I’d say the same thing. So, can you polish a flawed, stainless steel turd? As it turns out… yeah, maybe you can.
