Model X review by Autobloggreen.com

[Roamer]

I can't add this to the Everydaydriver thread so I will start another thread. Edits closed out.

My last and final car demo. I promised my wife I would quit taking all her stuff out of her car so strangers could drive it.

Bonnie ratted me out to auto blog green so she gets the credit for this one. I think they did a decent job of explaining the car. Sebastian has an amazing grasp of the tech side of the EV world. Enjoyed discussing the X while sitting in the warm X on a cool Oceanside evening.

Just to clarify, I am perfectly happy with the falcons and pedistal seats in our people haulers. But for me to switch from S to X for my daily driver I want fold flat and lower to the floor second row seats in a five seat car. That would be my EV pickup truck replacement. Someday maybe.

Tesla Model X P90D First Drive

 

[ankitmishra]

These guys are overreacting. Every new innovation can't be perfect right out of the door. There are somethings that only come to light after the product is in the market. They are assuming Tesla isn't fixing these problems and all people will have face them. Again, overreacting. All these reviewers are judging FWD when they are spending most of their limited time with the car sitting in the front seats. It's real benefit/drawbacks would be felt by people who regularly sit in the back row. Again, short-sighted. Except that, cool review. Thanks @Roamer.

 

[bonnie]

I thought it was a pretty positive review. Very nice of you, Roamer.

 

[Roamer]

I thought it was a pretty positive review. Very nice of you, Roamer.

One thing I have learned from these latest demo experiences and my own experiences driving EVs is that it is really hard to explain to people, that have not driven them everyday, how and why this all works. I find it to be a real challenge to get people to understand what they have not experienced in detail. These cars are just not like the next car you rent from Hertz and jump in and drive off. They may be cars but they are a completely new iteration of an old technology. You really have to drive them for several months before your brain cells reprogram and you get why they work.

 

[ecarfan]

One thing I have learned from these latest demo experiences and my own experiences driving EVs is that it is really hard to explain to people, that have not driven them everyday, how and why this all works. I find it to be a real challenge to get people to understand what they have not experienced in detail.

I definitely agree with that viewpoint. I always offer my friends and neighbors (if I trust them to behave like a grownup) to actually drive my S instead of just sit in the passenger seat while I drive. It makes a big difference in understanding the car, but to fully absorb just how great the S is you have to live with it for awhile. This is the real challenge of the transition to EVs. A lifetime of driving ICE's means that people have deeply ingrained assumptions about what a car is and they unthinkingly accept ICE limitations and negatives without questioning them.
I thought the Autoblog X missed too many things, and it's way too brief mention of Autopilot will likely result in many readers thinking that feature can be used on any road if they don't click the link to read more (and many likely won't). There was no mention of how useful the frunk is for additional storage space. There was no mention of the HEPA cabin filter.
The biggest omission was that there was no mention at all of how the Falcon Wings greatly improve 2nd and 3rd row ingress/eagerness compared to conventional doors or mini van type sliding doors! Instead the reviewer dismisses the FWs as being unnecessary and just adding cost. It was as if he didn't even try using them, and then mentally compared them to other SUVs and mini vans.

 

[LetsGoFast]

I had some trouble with the navigation system, where it just stopped giving me a blue line to my destination, a few times,

I get this bug on the S as well. Its funny that I almost never think about it as a problem. I'm more tolerant of glitches on the Tesla than I've ever been with any other car. That probably says something. All in all, I think it was a good review.

 

[Roamer]

Never thought they would transcribe the entire interview. Now you know.


When a conservative and a liberal talk about Tesla

 

[FlasherZ]

Through the multitude of shows that we attend, I get all sorts of random political alignments, likes, and pot shots taken, whether from the left or the right. I'm not exactly a stereotypical person, myself, when it comes to political alignment so I can usually align with anyone on *something* about Tesla. One of the things I love about the Model S or Model X -- it's not just a car that caters to one demographic no matter what the segment.

The only question that I frown at is "what did you have to give for that?" I usually discuss the price of the non-Signature car that I would configure for myself; if pressed, the good news is that I don't mind saying that a smallish investment in TSLA has paid for the premium of being a 2x Signature purchaser.

Great interview, Randy...

 

[Roamer]

@Flasher Z,

I usually give the base price when asked. In this case they asked how the car was configured. I emailed the invoice so they would have all the configuration info. From that point on it became a 144k car. I would have preferred that the reviewer gave the price range but then in auto land they always quote the price as tested.

I also had no idea that Sebastian would publish the entire interview. He asked if he could record the conversation and I assumed he would pull out a few quotes from his audio notes. I was a little shocked when his chose to publish the entire interview. Talk about unfiltered.....

I might have chosen my words a little more carefully had I know he was going to publish it all. But then his readers have it as it was stated with no media modifications.

I enjoy your detailed posts and have learned a great deal from them.

 

[FlasherZ]

I usually give the base price when asked. In this case they asked how the car was configured. I emailed the invoice so they would have all the configuration info. From that point on it became a 144k car. I would have preferred that the reviewer gave the price range but then in auto land they always quote the price as tested.

I think it depends upon what they're trying to understand -- is it "how much can I purchase one for?", or is it "how much is this particular one?" Usually, the questions tend to lean toward the former. For many, if not most of the people who ask me, I would never recommend going with P90D, much less ludicrous configuration. When they revealed the requirement to purchase the performance model as part of the Signature program, my wife and I discussed for a long time whether we should stretch and stick to it; or downgrade to production 90D and wait longer. In the end we stretched, but if I were looking to purchase today I wouldn't buy the performance model.

I don't want to turn people off by telling them it's a $144k car when the answer is that they will be very, very happy with a $95-100k vehicle.

Thank you for the kind words.

 

[Vitold]

Never thought they would transcribe the entire interview. Now you know.


When a conservative and a liberal talk about Tesla

I'm having difficulty identifying who is is the conservative one in that report.

 

[ReturnZero]

I read that interview the other day any thought to myself it might be you, based on the fact that it was in Mesa (I'm from Chandler so I recognized the scenery in the photos straight away) and it was a Sig Red.

I really enjoyed the interview. I thought the implication that it was a surprise that you were so nice being a conservative was absurd, as was a few of his other editorials in the article. Oh well, let people think what they will...

 

[Roamer]

I read that interview the other day any thought to myself it might be you, based on the fact that it was in Mesa (I'm from Chandler so I recognized the scenery in the photos straight away) and it was a Sig Red.

I really enjoyed the interview. I thought the implication that it was a surprise that you were so nice being a conservative was absurd, as was a few of his other editorials in the article. Oh well, let people think what they will...

Personally I kind of laugh at all the stereotype labels. The author came up with the headline and provided the labels. The political parties are like Coke and Pepsi. Both are sugar calories that will kill you if you drink to much.