Reviewing Tesla's Model X ~ Smarter Car Reviews

With a lot of news about this car that has been so recently launched, we’re proud to be reviewing this car that has been touted to be “the safest, fastest and most capable sport utility vehicle in history” (from the 2017 Good Design Awards Winner’s List).

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The Car

There has obviously been a lot of hype about how the Model X looks, but before we get into that, overall, we’ve heard the basic spiel about how it is the world’s first long-range and entirely electric SUV. The fact that it’s the second car to be released by Tesla in Australia has also driven demand for the car as it’s getting released just now.

Model X shares a lot with Model S from the US build and a lot of the parts like the chassis and the structure as well as all the electric bits seem to be taken from there as well. But let’s start talking about what is the most obviously different on the model X – the Falcon wing rear doors.

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Similar to Gull-wing doors, the rear doors open upwards to give your friends and families a really impressive facade akin to a particular movie about the future (or is it the past?) car which needs no naming. The power actuated and capacitive, inductive, and sonar sensors help to manage how they open – that includes tight parking spaces and any other potential obstructions like low roofs and perhaps a too-eager bystander. There is a pivot in the center of the doors which allow them to fold away and avoid all these potential accidents.

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But besides all the great showmanship, it seems like you’ll get bored of the novelty too quickly. It takes about 5.5 seconds to open and close, and being so “smart” has actually made the doors quite stupid – those sensors can act up pretty easily and that can get irritating pretty quickly especially when there doesn’t seem to be any apparent issues in the way. After a while, you’ll find this feature terribly redundant and unfortunately, you’ll be wishing that you could just open and close the doors regularly to save yourself some time and perhaps ease your frustration. This feeling will go away every time you find someone new to show off to.

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As far as equipment go, there are 3 trim levels, P75D, P90D and P100D right at the top of the range. They are all 4 wheel drive and even at the base trim level, include pretty good equipment. Of course the more talked about options like the self driving capability and the Ludicrous Speed upgrade come at the top but we’re not quite sure that you’ll like what the price looks like at that level. To be honest, every and anything extra is going to set you back by a pretty penny, so be careful what you end up ticking off on your options list.

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The 5-seat configuration is standard as well, with options for 6 or 6 seats. A sub-zero weather package for heated seating and a heated steering wheel is also available, as is a paint and wheel upgrade.

The Model X has not been tested on the ANCAP rating scale yet, but from the looks of the results from other testing boards such as the US Transport Authorities The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it looks like the car has scored a perfect rating in every test category and sub-category and is set to do so when it gets tested here too.

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The Drive

Nobody buys the car solely based on its looks, so we think that you’ll be quite pleased once you get into the driver’s seat. Sans the kids or any other back seat passengers, you will truly get to enjoy the pleasures of a great vehicle.

Having electric motors at each axle give you four-wheel drive and also an amazing amount of horsepower. All that electricity powering up your car is going to give you a tremendous amount of torque and we haven’t even started talking about the infamous Ludicrous Speed mode yet. This expensive upgrade adds software changes and a “smart” fuse which will increase your battery’s output which allows your vehicle to race all the way up to 100km/h in 3.1sec.

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With a top speed of 250km/h and a total possible range of 542km, the Model X is really trying to prove (and succeeding) that there is still a lot more that an electric vehicle can offer you.

You’ll likely need watch the battery if you’re intending to do a lot of high speed racing though as it heats up quickly and the fans can quite noisy trying to cool it down. At this point your acceleration is going to start losing its punch. But honestly, in an everyday drive, you really won’t have a chance to run your car ragged too often, so it’s nothing that a little cooling off period won’t fix; you’ll be back to those high speeds in no time after a little rest.

The Model X also offers you a pretty comfortable ride at all other times, regardless of how high you ride on your wheels. The tyres will give you a good grip on the road but watch it when you’re on tight turns. The suspension is compliant and we didn’t find it too stuff. Body roll is also minimal and the feedback through the steering wheel is consistent and stable. You’ll also find the 17-inch touchscreen a treat to use as it is easy to master the different screens and with such a huge display, even if information wasn’t so simply displayed, you’d find it easy enough to learn when you first start using it

Finally, we talk about Autosteer, which is the lane-keeping steering assist technology. There is currently no news on whether this technology will be fully available as an autonomous self-driving option in Australia but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. The Autopilot function we found is pretty intuitive in terms of the controls it takes over – the brakes, speed and steering but for the moment, we would stick with handling the car yourself given the pleasant driver’s experience it provides.

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The Interior

The interior of the Model X is pretty luxurious, with all black leather seats, wood trim and that huge touchscreen up front that controls every from your doors to all the amazing tech that has been built into the car. And of course being electric, you’ll hear the big difference on the road where the car itself is virtually silent and all you will here will be the sound of everything that’s going on outside of your cabin.

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The handles are depressed in instead of pulled out to open the doors up and you can opt for the convenience pack so that all the doors can be remotely opened and closed. An addition option is available for your touchscreen command centre too.
Less raved about but equally as impressive is actually the glorious windshield that stretches into the roof. There is a dark tint on the roof portion of the glass so your cabin acts less like a greenhouse The colour of the interior may cause the car to be a little bit claustrophobic once everybody has been loaded in though, especially if you’re seated further back in the car but luckily there is a white upholstery option.

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Back to talking about those showy rear doors though, the one other good thing about those flashy things is the ease of access to the backseat that it provides to your passengers. With the 6 seat option, it’s literally a walk right through the car to get to the decently airy last row, otherwise the second-row seats move with a press of a button located on the seat itself. Unfortunately there is no recline option for the seats but they do slide forward and tilt so if you’ve opted for 7 seats it won’t be too much of a struggle to climb back.

Luggage capacity at 2180 litres with the third row seats folded flat, but if you’re at full capacity of 7 with luggage, then you may want to look at the optional towing package (again more money needed) which should give you enough power to pull a trailer for all that extra stuff.

Overall

We thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the model X given how much the whole industry has been talking about its capability. We were not disappointed with all the hype and we found the car to be luxurious and impressive in terms of styles and looks and even the power of the car matched up pretty much to what we’ve expected.

Now the bad news, is that the car obviously does not come cheap. Ever trim is going to set you back a fair amount and you’ll have to consider what options you want and how that matches up with your budget. But considering that the car runs on electricity, there’s a real feel-good aspect about getting on the eco-train and of course, there’s also the perk on the virtually non-existent queue when you go to Supercharge your car.

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The car is still in its early stages and there some faults and errors that some of our testers have found due to the sheer amount of technology that has been infused into the vehicle. Elon Musk himself admits that there are some areas of the car that needs improvement. He sides that Tesla has gotten “too excited” about the vehicle, not missing the chance to drop hints about the next line up in the company’s manufacturing schedule.

We’d suggest to go into the buy with your blinkers off and accept that as fantastic as all these features are (ahem those dooes), there is a propensity for the car to have issues. And at the rate you’re paying for the car, it seems to be a borderline decision for

Thanks for Your Vote

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Original : Tesla - Model X

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