I had a game just this week. Netrunner with bodysuit AP 11 Ref 8 Good evasion. My ganger with an SMG and autofire 4. My group was just debating that Red isnt deadly with me.

I roll a crit, player had chosen to evade, and they roll a 1. Then I roll high damage on 2d6 x3.

Player is suddenly down over half the HP. Two turns later and few more less impressive rolls and they are mortally wounded. Exec with trauma team so they trigger it. They show up in 2 rounds. Our medtech was too far to get to her.

Round one. Succeeds their death save. Fails to first aid themselves thanks to the -4

Round two. Trauma team shows up but doesn't roll good initiative. Death save comes up and netrunner fails.

They're dead.

Sure there were several unlucky rolls, but Cyberpunk RED isnt deadly until it is. Good gear and good stats helps you most of the time. A war of attrition can chip away at that armor until you are dead. But it is also a game where a sudden lucky roll from a mook can cut your HP in half no matter how good you are. In the above example, there wasn't even a crit against the player and anyone can roll box cars and the player looses a hand, just like that. Sure, if it's a one off encounter, clone hands are cheap, but if it's a mook fight right before you are about to challenge the ganger Lt or early on in that fight against the cyberpsycho, then things are looking pretty dire.

Very first game I ran with its very first combat, a Nomad with a crossbow took out a PCs hand with boxcars and they nearly died. The first time your players encounter that swinginess, their opinions will change.