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5 or 6 seats?

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I had decided on the 5 seat configuration. But then I noticed a difference in the seats. The 5 seat version has an ordinary "bench", whereas the 6 seater has more premium seats, almost like the front ones. Im thinking about sacrificing some cargo space for more comfortable seats.
What do you think?

Also: I don't seem to notice much of a difference in the floor of the trunk, is it just higher or does it not make a difference?
 
Consider whether or not you may need the rear A/C unit that only comes with the six or seven seat configurations. Some five seat owners in hot climates are not happy.

GSP
 
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Personally I love the extra space of the seater. Once you put down the 60/40 split seats, it's massive for hauling a ton of stuff. Good utility.

I sat in the 6 seater. Like the look of the seats but 3rd row headroom is very tight. I would also get the center armrest option now. It was somewhat uncomfortable in the back seat without leaning on something for a while.
 
As the guy with the 6 seat X said, as he looked at my 5 seat, while super charging, "wow, you have a lot more space than I do." He is right. Just travelled from So Cal, to Ptld, OR with just about as much stuff as we carried in the Honda minivan. I was very pleasantly surprised how much the car held (within weight limit too). I took some pictures which I hope to post soon.

If you need max. space order the 5 seat. If you want fancy seats order the 6 or 7. Yes, rear view viability has been greatly improved with the 5 seat middle headrest being lowered (vs. the 7 seat second row middle seat head rest).
 
5 seater is more cost effective, better utility, makes the vehicle lighter (no rear seat weight, no additional AC load or weight) and give you a lot more cargo room, really depends on where your personal needs are - right?

Also who cares about the view out the back - you have a rear view camera and they only thing you will see is everyone else falling behind you as you accelerate....
 
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The cargo space is pretty important, but so is comfort. If I'm gonna spend 100k on a car I want it to be absolutely perfect. There's an event at our tesla dealer soon with different variations of the cars. Hopefully they'll have the 5 seater there so I can see if it's acceptable.
Thanks for all the help!
 
I had decided on the 5 seat configuration. But then I noticed a difference in the seats. The 5 seat version has an ordinary "bench", whereas the 6 seater has more premium seats, almost like the front ones. Im thinking about sacrificing some cargo space for more comfortable seats.
What do you think?

Also: I don't seem to notice much of a difference in the floor of the trunk, is it just higher or does it not make a difference?

Yes, five-seater has manual bench that does not move forward or backwards. 6/7 seaters have non-folding electric second row seats (plus folding third-row seats). In the 6/7 seater the second row seats move back and forward and can tilt a little (the entire seat), the 5 seater the seats can not move forwards or backwards but can recline their backs with a manual lever (larger tilt for the seat back than the 6/7 seater whole-seat tilt). And of course in the 5 seater the second row can fold in two parts and it has an extra storage compartment in the trunk where the third-row folds into on the 6/7 seater.

You may also want to read this thread about 5-seater's lesser cooling system:

A/C Effectiveness in 5-seat configuration - Predictions?

As for details on the Model X 5-seater trunk, here is a summary of sorts:

Evolution of the Model X 5-seater trunk
 
I love our 6 seater and definitely wouldn't trade it for a 5. My thought was, how often am I really going to use the full "utility" of my X? I know I'm not loading plywood or anything else in there. I have a pickup for that. I find there is quite a bit of space with one or both seats folded down in the rear, and for our use, just wouldn't use the extra space. We had a Subaru Tribeca with fold down rear and center seats and I think I used the full fold down capabilities only a couple of times, and that was for moving from one home to another.
 
Agree with several of the folks who've posted on the preference for the 6 seater here. After some debate between 5 and 6 seat MX, we opted for the 6 seater, as it seemed more spacious, and offered an easy way to load small kids (which seem to be about the only people who'd fit) into the back seat, as well as our pups. Even though the new bench came out a couple of days after we confirmed our order, we didn't really see the utility, as I think that there's value in having that empty / open space between the seats, IMHO.
 
Indeed, @Ryshaw. And of course when that summer heats comes, the additional ventilation and separate rear A/C controls in the 6-seater are welcome.

And it still feels special, that "aisle" in the middle. Totally stupid, because I know they just yanked a seat from therem, but still nice.
 
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I'm in Scottsdale and just examined a 6 seater in the Tesla store. The 6 seater does look nice, but to be honest, there is no legroom in the third row. As well, for those who are sensitive, it is easy to get car sick in the third row - at least for me. With the 5 seater, the second row seats 3 adults comfortably (the bench feels lower), it reclines as opposed to only tilting, and you can fold it for increased storage. I'm happy with my choice.
 
I'm in Scottsdale and just examined a 6 seater in the Tesla store. The 6 seater does look nice, but to be honest, there is no legroom in the third row. As well, for those who are sensitive, it is easy to get car sick in the third row - at least for me. With the 5 seater, the second row seats 3 adults comfortably (the bench feels lower), it reclines as opposed to only tilting, and you can fold it for increased storage. I'm happy with my choice.

Legroom in the third row is indeed limited, though if you only have one person there on a six-seater, they can put their legs between the second-row seats. I should also mention that elbow-room is very limited on the six-seater and the latest changes to the trunk walls also help ever so slightly by addind a big of extra space there.

I haven't measured, but it is also possible five-seater has slightly more legroom on the second row than the six/seven-seater in its furthermost back position. Also the five-seater shoulder-room might be better than six-seater since you can more easily just slide yourself towards the middle on that bench.

Here is one description of the six seater second-row from a more hulkier guy:

First time in back seat. Not good.

I have sat in the second-row of my six-seater and as a sort of normal sized chap I found the shoulder-room fine and legroom okay, but it is by no means massive. It is in the "normal backseat" range of space. Not in the "luxobarge" range. You are definitely more comfortable in the back of an Audi A8 than you are in a Model X. Still, those separate seats are nice in some ways...

Though, talking about getting sick in the back seat, it can not be ignored there are reports of some TMC members getting sick on the back seat of the five-seater due to heat and lack of sufficient airflow there:

A/C Effectiveness in 5-seat configuration - Predictions?

So as always, buying a Tesla is learning to make trade-offs. My recommendation to OP and all is, find out everything you can possibly find out beforehand and then make what is the right trade-off for you.
 
It all depends on your usage. While not a 6 seat configuration, I went with a 7 seat for the same type of reasons (hauling people) The middle row seats are the same with the middle one removed in the 6 seat configuration. Here are my thoughts.

- The 7 seat configuration did not fit my needs since the middle row does not fold. I found I haul things (that don't fit) more than I haul people.
- Towing solves some of the above, but is silly when you need to haul something that is large, but extremely so (dog crate vs a couch)
- Rear air is dependent on where you live. On really extreme temperature days, we find even in the 3 row/2 fan configuration it can get too hot/cold in the 3rd rows. The middle row is typically comfortable either way. With 3 rows set on auto, the 2nd heater/ac turns off when there is no weight on the rear seats.

There's of course little things - leg room, ingress, spacious feeling, etc. The biggest thing is really - do you need to haul large items? Or do you need to haul people?
 
The comfort of the 2nd row seats is subjective, but the utility of the different configurations is pretty clear. The 6-seater can carry more people (perhaps more comfortably, but comfort is still subjective). The 5-seater can carry more "stuff" and larger "stuff" (e.g. dog crates). You need to decide based on what is more important to you, but I do recommend trying to base your decision on hard criteria rather than the more subjective ones (including the cooling).
 
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I fully intended to go with a 5-seater, until I test drove the 7-seater. That center middle-row seat headrest blocks most of your view out the rear view mirror (and I do mean MOST). Forget what someone said about the nifty always-on rear view camera. It has a fish eye lens and doesn't provide an adequate view for the purpose of normal driving (though great for backing up). It was so bothersome during the test drive that I decided that I did NOT want that center seat there under any circumstances, so even though I don't have kids, I got the 6-seater as the only option without that damnable center seat headrest. (You'd think Tesla would provide a removable headrest for that seat, but no.)
 
I fully intended to go with a 5-seater, until I test drove the 7-seater. That center middle-row seat headrest blocks most of your view out the rear view mirror (and I do mean MOST). Forget what someone said about the nifty always-on rear view camera. It has a fish eye lens and doesn't provide an adequate view for the purpose of normal driving (though great for backing up). It was so bothersome during the test drive that I decided that I did NOT want that center seat there under any circumstances, so even though I don't have kids, I got the 6-seater as the only option without that damnable center seat headrest. (You'd think Tesla would provide a removable headrest for that seat, but no.)

The 5 seater has almost no obstructed view to the rear. 7 seater has highly obstructed view.
 
I fully intended to go with a 5-seater, until I test drove the 7-seater. That center middle-row seat headrest blocks most of your view out the rear view mirror (and I do mean MOST). Forget what someone said about the nifty always-on rear view camera. It has a fish eye lens and doesn't provide an adequate view for the purpose of normal driving (though great for backing up). It was so bothersome during the test drive that I decided that I did NOT want that center seat there under any circumstances, so even though I don't have kids, I got the 6-seater as the only option without that damnable center seat headrest. (You'd think Tesla would provide a removable headrest for that seat, but no.)
I guess you never test drove the 5 seat car. Tesla did fix the head rest obstruction in the five seat model. The middle headrest is lower than the two side seats. I guess your Tesla person wanted to upgrade you to a 6 seat. I love the space the 5 seat provides.
 
I fully intended to go with a 5-seater, until I test drove the 7-seater. That center middle-row seat headrest blocks most of your view out the rear view mirror (and I do mean MOST). Forget what someone said about the nifty always-on rear view camera. It has a fish eye lens and doesn't provide an adequate view for the purpose of normal driving (though great for backing up). It was so bothersome during the test drive that I decided that I did NOT want that center seat there under any circumstances, so even though I don't have kids, I got the 6-seater as the only option without that damnable center seat headrest. (You'd think Tesla would provide a removable headrest for that seat, but no.)

@rainforest is right. 5-seater has not only a lower second-row seating as 7-seater, but it also has a much smaller/lower middle headrest than the 7-seater. Your experience in the 7-seater thus is not indicative of the 5-seater in this regard.

6-seater of course has pretty good visibility towards the back too and the best if you drop down the third row...
 
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I think it really depends on what you need it for most. Do you have a family to haul around? What's everyones age and the typical trunk load for when you all go out or have errands?

I have the 6 seater and have been thinking of going to the 5. One thing which is really annoying is that when the third row is folded down, the gap in the middle of the second row allows for items to slide and move forward. It's sent some items flying to the front and quite annoying. Every time I've needed to haul things, even four wheels, it wasn't as easy to haul items.