Tesla accepts Ford’s challenge to a F-150 vs. Cybertuck tug-of-war rematch

Video footage of Tesla’s radical Cybertruck winning a tug-of-war against a Ford F-150 set the car world on fire when it emerged online. While the Blue Oval’s perennial best-seller lost the battle, one of the company’s employees pointed out the fight wasn’t fair, and challenged Tesla to a rematch.

Sunny Madra, the vice president of Ford’s X venture incubator, asked Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk to send his team a Cybertruck so that they can stage a rematch on a more level playing field. The F-150 lost by a wide margin, but many pointed the comparison wasn’t fair because Tesla selected a relatively basic, rear-wheel drive variant of the truck with a 325-horsepower V6 engine instead of a V8 with more ponies under the hood, or a turbodiesel V6 with gobs of torque. Details about the Cybertruck used in the tug-of war weren’t released, but it looks like it got a head start.

Bring it on https://t.co/pCnln1NdRO

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019

Musk didn’t acknowledge the first tug-of-war wasn’t fair. He simply replied — on Twitter; where else? — “bring it on.” Neither side has revealed when or where the rematch will take place, or even confirmed that it’s going down. We can’t imagine Tesla will accept Madra’s request to send a Cybertruck to Michigan, especially considering the model is still at least two years away from entering production. Round two could take place on neutral ground, or Musk and his team could take the matter into their own hands, film it, and post it on the executive’s Twitter account.

The Cybertruck can tow more than the F-150 no matter which version it’s tied to. The triple-motor variant boasts a 14,000-pound towing capacity, which is 800 pounds more than the F-150 can muster. But, keep in mind Tesla’s full-fat version starts at $69,000, which puts it well into Super Duty territory. Ford’s bigger pickup can tow a 37,000-pound gooseneck trailer, or a 24,200-pound conventional trailer. We’d be interested to see how the Cybertruck fares against an F-350 that’s about half the price. Oh, and this time make both trucks 4-wheel drive.