5 and 7 seater middle row

[Dilvid]

hey guys,

Literally been on the verge of ordering myself a MX 7 seater when I get told that the new ones, the middle row aren’t electric and can’t be controlled from the console etc.

The show room that’s local doesn’t have any 7 seaters and supposedly no other show rooms in the UK does either so I can’t see it first hand at the moment. I’ve only seen it from a YouTube video.

Sounds bad saying it but does it really look as cheap as it does in the videos? I mean the nice electric seats I’ve seen in the show room etc really wowed me, this manual version I’ve seen now I basically can do that on my current car which cost £50k. The electric finish was what I’d expect from a car costing £100k.

Just feel really deflated as that was a huge selling point for me (rigid body rotated meaning you could keep car seats in while getting into the back seats) and just before I order I find this out (and that was after 3 visits to the show room too always piping on about 7 seater version, no one mentioned the difference to me).

So for the TLDR version. Are the new foldable middle row none electric seats really as cheap as they seem in the videos on YouTube?

 

[caesartheday]

First World Problems
I just picked up my MX 7-seater on Wednesday...didn't see them beforehand...just need 7 for family visits. I personally don't think they're cheap looking - the materials are still the same. Yes - it's a manual process to bring them forward to let people to the 3rd row. Frankly the 3rd row isn't big enough for adults - it's great for kids. I personally don't mind occasionally using my hands as opposed to buttons to move a seat by 6 inches forward - but that's I'm sure personal taste. You press the button on the back-seat, let it release the lock and then manually move the seat forward. My tiny wife can do it in 1 second - really not a big deal for us.

 

[FlyF4]

Uh, not sure what makes you think the 7th seat is different quality. They are all the same. Well at least it was when I saw one at the GF here in Sparks a couple weeks ago. However, I didn't examine it that closely. They just all looked the same.

 

[HugoBoss]

We got the new manual seven seater without looking at it. No showroom had it. We could have gotten the motorized seven seater but I wanted to be able to fold all seats. I am glad I got it. It doesn't look cheap at all. Its basically the five seater but on rails. Can be moved forwards and backwards. We took our X in for service and were given a six seater Wich has the motorized middle row..... Damn its slow. Didn't realise how slow it actually is. Found it anoying and was glad when we got our X back. Another thing I prefer is also the fact I can actually lean the seat back. Not just tilt it. To each their own though. I don't think they look cheaper at all and on the plus side I don't have to worry about motors breaking down.

 

[buttershrimp]

I prefer the 7 seat manual setup, but if I consistently used the 3rd row (a few times a week), I might prefer motorized. Otherwise, seeems that the weight saving and fold flat ability will be great. It’s a shame they couldn’t get the motorized version to fold flat. That would have really been impressive. It must be difficult to do however.

 

[ninefiveone]

The manual middle row is of similar quality to other manufacturers, so that’s not bad or necessarily cheap, and It’s more versatile for cargo

It is not as cool as the electric monopost seats, which are still available in the 6 seater.

Some feel the 6 seater (without center console) makes the third row legitimately livable for adults and easier access for both kids and adults. So if you fall in that camp, you can still get the electric monopost seats.

If not or you have to carry 7 people, then it is what it is.

 

[Dilvid]

Think I’m starting to come round to the idea if the manual seats. Think it was I just felt cheated more than anything as after speaking to the reps for about 4-5 hours across all my visits and emails, no one mentioned the difference between what they had shown me and what I’d get.

Thanks guys, this place helps a lot. It’s always better to get help and advice from people who actually live with the cars.

 

[Daryoon]

We just got delivery of the MX with new fold flat middle row. And I think I'll go against the grain to say that it does look cheaper than the motorized middle seats.

Tesla's interior never has that posh feeling like some of the luxury ICE brands costing half as much. And they are slowly removing the sexiness from the MX by removing some of the automated features that makes the car "furturistic." From the rear spoiler which doesn't move anymore. And now the middle row seats doesn't move anymore..nor looks as nice to be frank. The carpet on the back isn't very appealing IMHO. I wish they still gave the customer the option between the older 7 seater or new 7 fold flat seats.

 

[caesartheday]

Funny you should mention carpets. Now those do feel cheap. I'm pretty sure I'll wear out the driver side floor mat with my heel in 6 months. I removed them to vacuum and was surprised at how flimsy and thin they felt. Overall the carpet surface on the back of the seats and in the cargo hold is really nappy and generally feels pretty cheap - not to mention a pain to clean.

 

[HugoBoss]

Wish the X had less motors everywhere. Prefer it was just like a regular car but electric. Too much stuff to break down. It's fine now but what about when warranty is done?

 

[mxnym]

One big benefit to the bench seat is that it folds flat and you have much more cargo space. One big drawback is that any sort of child safety seat in it can seriously hinder 3rd row access.

When I looked at the 5 seat bench configuration in the showroom, the rep I spoke with about it told me it was the same bench in the 5 and 7 seat configuration, but I don't believe that is true. To elaborate, the bench sections in the 7 seat configuration will lean and slide forward (further than they normally will) to allow access to the 3rd row using a button similar to the fold buttons for the 3rd row, and I doubt that button existed in the 5 seat configuration (the rep certainly wasn't aware of it if it did).

Regarding child safety seats, the bench just isn't as good as those sold in other 2016+ SUVs that I have seen. For instance, I have seen benches in a 2016 Infiniti SUV and a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas each had a tip forward function that allowed you to get them out of the way even though there was a child safety seat, but in the Model X, if there is a child safety seat, then that section of the bench cannot lean forward, and the tip forward function in other SUVs isn't available. With four young children in car seats, I may be able to work around this by leaving the small section of the bench (passenger side) unencumbered if it will slide forward while there are child safety seats in the other two sections, but that will only work well by switching my oldest into a booster seat earlier than necessary (hopefully the MX safety outweighs the loss of the five point harness). I'm told that Elon has twins and triplets, so it this oversight surprises me, but I suppose he already had an X with the monopost seats, and I don't know if his children are in child safety seats anyway.