Steer-by-wire systemSome Teslas adopted a curious yoke in place of a steering wheel circa 2021, perhaps to make your EV feel more like the Formula 1's unconventional steering mechanism that it's modeled after. The yoke's reception was controversial to say the least, so the Cybertruck fortunately went for a yoke-esque, squared-off "wheel" design this time around. Beyond that, there was one item of note that you wouldn't be aware of unless you drove it: steer-by-wire. Most consumer vehicles use mechanical steering that allow you to quite literally turn the wheels of the vehicle via a gear mechanism combined with power steering to make it easier. Steer-by-wire is all electric and has no physical connection between steering and the wheels.The Cybertruck Owner's Manual says it works with "sensors in the steering column [that] communicate electronically with the steering racks. As a result, steering Cybertruck feels more responsive and requires less effort from the driver." Marques Brownlee notes in his review that you only have to turn your wheel slightly less than 180 degrees to max out the vehicle's turning radius — no more doing the ol' hand-over-hand motion when pulling a U-turn. Brownlee praises it for making tight driving (such as parking) a lot easier, provided you can get used to it.A bottle openerYou read that right — the Cybertruck has a built-in bottle opener. No, we're not talking about the CyberOpener that you can buy for $50 off Tesla's website (a Cybertruck-shape piece of milled metal), we're talking about one right there in your truck bed. The opener is a tiny nub that mounts along the Cybertruck's L-rails inside the bed. At first glance, you might mistake it for a tie-down anchor to keep heavy loads in check. It's unobtrusive and blends in well with the aesthetic, and is easily removable once you get back from your next fishing trip. Owners of the Foundation Series get it for free, but everyone else can secure their own for $25.Why did Tesla decide to include a bottle opener, of all things? Probably because this EV is meant to be taken on hikes, camping trips, and used to tow your boat out to the lake. Nothing goes better with those sorts of activities than an ice-cold drink.A hidden second trunkOne of the great things about EVs is that they typically have way more storage space compared to their ICE kin. Once you remove all those unnecessary extra components like gas tanks and transmissions, you end up with a ton of leftover space. After all, the battery and electric motor often only take up the undercarriage and chassis. Most EVs thus give you a full trunk, plus a so-called "frunk" (a trunk at the front of the vehicle under the hood), and often even more. The Cybertruck has a full truck bed and frunk, and there's one additional hidden underbed compartment. After opening the tailgate, you can engage the handle and crack open a small cooler-sized area. It's highly useful as either extra storage space or a semi-secret place to keep things you wouldn't want in plain view when the tonneau cover is open.As a bonus, the underbed compartment includes a drain plug you can fill with ice to transform the area into a cooler. You can empty out the water with ease later on. It may also simplify your regular cleanup if you hose out the compartment with the drain left open and keep water out of the truck bed.
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