I saw the Tesla Cybertruck in person. It's surprisingly different up close. - Business Insider

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Business Insider Global Tech Editor Alistair Barr stands in a Tesla showroom in San Jose, California, on December 9, 2023.

I'm a car nut. When I was a kid, I read my dad's car magazines religiously.

I love vehicle design and the driving experience. So, when Tesla's Cybertruck came out, I put a $100 reservation down. When early versions began appearing on the streets, I devoured the photos and videos online.

My beloved wife of 20+ years has threatened to divorce me if I actually buy this vehicle. It's divisive, and not just because of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's controversial comments. You either love the Cybertruck's angular look, or you think it's too big and dumb.

The online footage does make the truck look large, especially the back which looks high and bulky in photos.

Tesla put a Cybertruck in its Santana Row showroom in San Jose recently. I drove down to check it out up close, and chatted to customers, employees, and other people who were there.

Here's what I found out, and what I decided about my reservation — and the future of my marriage.

I arrived around midday. The Tesla showroom was relatively busy.

People look at a Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

The truck was cordoned off so you couldn't touch it or get inside.

A Cybertruck cordoned off at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose, California, on December 9, 2023. — A Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose, California.

"They've made it slightly smaller compared to the prototype and you can see it's more compact."

A Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose, California, on December 9, 2023.

A customer in his early 50s wearing a beanie said he'd made a reservation 4 years ago. He recently got the invitation to purchase and paid an extra $250 to secure that. He chose the high-end Cyberbeast model. He came to see the Cybertruck for the first time and said it looked better in person. "They've made it slightly smaller compared to the prototype and you can see it's more compact," he said. His wife stood beside him. I asked if she liked the look and she said yes, although not with the same gusto as her husband.

"Your wife is smart and correct"

The rear of a Cybertruck is shown at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose, California, on December 9, 2023.

A younger man in a brown jacket walked up to the truck. He said it looked cool. His wife beside him said it was "too big." I mentioned that my wife has threatened to divorce me if I buy this truck. "Your wife is smart and correct," she said. Another woman at the showroom said "It's just so big. Too big."

My daughter thought it looked too big to park

A Cybertruck parked inside Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

I brought my 17 year-old daughter with me. She had a negative reaction when she first saw the Cybertruck. "It's just so massive," she said. To her, it looked too big to park. It's bigger than a Ford F-150, which a showroom employee confirmed, saying it's a few inches longer.

I thought the rear did not look too large, and it was slightly lower than I expected.

The rear of a Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

The corners at the back were not too high

However, the sharp corners looked like they might do serious damage to anything that came into contact with them.

The tonneau cover blocks rear visibility

The back of a Tesla Cybertruck at the company's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

When the tonneau cover is up over the truck bay, there's likely to be zero rear visibility when reversing. A salesperson said this is solved by multiple cameras for visibility when reversing and parking.

The Cybertruck's panel fit mostly looked good

A Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

There was one imperfection with how one rear door lined up with a back panel. More on that below.

Up close, the angular steel panels created incredible design flourishes

A steel panel jutted down here and was framed by the Cybertruck's rear light

Tesla Cyberrtruck up close in person — The rear corner of a Cybertruck

One of the Cybertruck's headlights and its front bumper

The Cybertruck's front indicator and wheel

The front wheel and indicator of a Tesla Cybertruck

A view of the Cybertruck's rear end and tonneau cover

The back corner and rear light of the Cybertruck

Overall I came away wanting a Cybertruck more than ever. Now I just have to convince my wife.

That wasn't the case with everyone who visited Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on that day, though. I asked a Tesla salesman about people's reactions to the look of the truck in person. "It's 50/50," he said. "50% of the people who come in hate it and 50% love it. There's nothing in between." The salesman was offering to sign reservation holders up for free test drives of other Tesla cars on the spot. Those who agreed would be moved up in the Cybertruck reservation line, he said, describing this as an in-store offer.

One Tesla employee said the Cybertruck is too expensive

The front wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck at the company's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023. — The front wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck

A young man from Italy stood looking at the Cybertruck. He works for Tesla in Germany on the supply chain side and was visiting for work. He said the truck looked bigger in person, but that was good. Although, he said he would not buy one because it's too expensive.

One rear door didn't line up exactly with a body panel

The side of a Cybertruck at Tesla's Santana Row showroom in San Jose on December 9, 2023.

A couple from Pleasanton, California, popped in to see the Cybertruck in person. The husband said he didn't like how the doors open. He pointed to fingerprints on one side, too. He also said one rear door panel didn't line up exactly with the rear corner panel. I could see it was slightly off, too. While not a huge fan, he predicted that Silicon Valley will soon be full of these trucks, and the radical design will become more commonplace. "This is the place you want to drive the Cybertruck. It's a big place." His wife said she liked the look of the Cybertruck and would drive it around happily. Although she said she preferred the Model Y.

Disappointed by price increases

A woman in her 50s sat on the edge of the showroom looking at the truck. She said the design makes people "pause," which is a good thing. "You want people to notice when you drive by. It's cool. It's very Silicon Valley. Very Elon." However, she said she was disappointed by the increase in price given the range of the Cybertruck. The cheapest model at roughly $60,000 has relatively low range, which is a problem, she said.

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