Model X - doors...in real conditions/family life?

[ohmman]

I believe I'm on the record on this one (ad nauseum?) in that I'd prefer regular doors also. That said, I'm glad I have our X because the alternative is an ICE. For us, dealing with the flappers isn't as bad as dealing with fossil fuels. You may view things differently.

 

[TacC]

So in summary:

1/ the falcon wing doors - do they work in real family conditions, in particular in crowded areas e.g. pedestrians walking by, narrow roads parking on the side of the road, underground car parks with low ceilings, and how easy has it been to adjust to the doors, if you have had to adjust?;

2/ If you had the choice the now of FWD or normal doors - what would you select?; and

3/ the attention? I know some people have said that they felt like a rock star upon receiving the model X. Has this now died down? This is something that we don't want, we would prefer to be ignored and that the car is just a way of getting from A to B.

1. The doors work in real life scenarios and they come in handy more than you can imagine. As far as the speed, you're talking about 2-3 seconds versus a standard door. And if you're opening them from the fob or touchscreen, you'll likely have the open door sooner than you would with a standard setup.

2. FWD a million times over. Just the ease of loading/unloading a car seat alone makes them worthwhile. They're useful with the six seat configuration where someone can get out of the 3rd row without the 2nd row occupants moving (depending on body sizes, of course). On a side note, the six-seat configuration feels incredibly roomy.

3. You can pretty easily avoid the attention by opening and closing quickly, parking away from crowds, etc. From a practical standpoint, those are solutions looking for a problem. We get comments and stares. We've had people take pictures with the car. We've yet to come across anything negative, though. And everyone has been completely understanding when we're in a hurry or have our son in tow.

Even if you hate the attention that the doors attract, their function makes up for it.

 

[PJ1978]

Thank you all for your incredibly helpful and mixed responses. I think for us the only way forward is to test an X on the road in the conditions we are likely to face. I think some of the concerns do stem from the fact that the roads in Europe, including in Belgium are far narrower, and when we park on the street (for the school run) the sidewalk is also narrow with people walking back and forth and running around the usual school run issues. In simple terms, a new car with fancy doors, that stop when people walk by them...I know what I would have done as a young rambunctious child...

I suspect when we do try it out in practice it will (hopefully) be a non-issue and we are over thinking things, but the doors both in terms of use and reliability remain a concern. Although being in Belgium we are very, very unlikely to have issues with the sensors and the sun!

Am glad to see that a number of owners see the benefits of the doors. I suspect they may be the type of things that you thought you did not need, or even see a need for, but when you use them they are a leap forward. We are now on child number 4 and I have never had an issue bending down and putting them in, but the doors could be a revelation in use.

It is funny that we have little reservation making a switch from ICE to electricity and Tesla has done an amazing job at making these concerns a non-issue, whereas the simple things like doors remain a concern.

Finally, the poster whose X is now pink - brave choice, and I think it looks absolutely fantastic, but certainly not for me.

 

[PJ1978]

Apologies, whoever said above that Tesla should have more women on its design team my wife would certainly agree. Other quirks that raise issues are the second row seats not folding flat (so no camping in the X), the backs of the seats that may look great in a design studio but wonder how they will survive with kids, and the windshield (which I think is great) and the fix which seems silly.

We have also been watching these videos which are incredibly helpful for both the FWD and the front doors.

 

[electricity]

I understand you are watching videos, and have many questions I think most of us go through that, I still like watching the videos even if I have the car allready Having said that I think you are over analizing the door situation. They are just doors with plus and minuses. Regular doors have downsides to but we don't think about them much because they are the norm. What should make you decide on the X is the safety it will provide for you or your family in a case of accident. That is all that matters my friend.

 

[Jeeps17]

I don't know whether it is relevant in Brussels, but to my understanding no one has yet used FWDs in snow and icing conditions.

This is THE issue that concerns my wife (who would be the primary driver).

We will wait to hear from owners who have used their X through "real" winters, and see if there were significant problems.

 

[singleview]

owners who have used their X through "real" winters

Considering the Tesla Model X ... and curious:

• How efficient (or not) is this when dropping kids off at the school pickup/drop off line?
• How much of an issue are the doors in the snow/ heavy snowfall?

Thanks!!!

 

[Scrith]

They're OK, with some minor advantages and disadvantages. I would have rather have seen Tesla spend the time and effort it has spent on then on something with more tangible benefits, like range, a better user interface, better charging, etc.