Overall
The driving experience of the ModelX is closer to Porsche Ceyenne Turbo with effortless torque, less noise, more space, and a lot cheaper overall.
I have driven the ModelS for 40K miles over last 3.5 years and have been driving the ModelX for a week now. The ModelS will remain my commute car and ModelX will be going to the wife for hauling two kids and their equipment around. This review will compare and contrast my experience between the two vehicles.
In full disclosure, we also retain a real people hauler (minivan) because of three reasons - its ability to comfortably seat 8 people, ability to go long distances using gas powered engine, and ability store enough luggage behind the third row and the cargo box on top-rails. ModelX cannot solve this use-case and I wasnt expecting it to do that either.
Positives
+ From the drivers perspective - much more expansive ride than the ModelS. MS appears a little narrower from the Driver seat
+ The massive windshield is really great and not a gimmick - it has changed the dynamics and experience. It truly gives a perception of being in an open environment rather than the constraints of a traditional car
+ ModelX feels much heavier than Model S and regenerative braking is a lot harder than ModelS because of the weight - I have to started to like the Model X regen-braking and miss it on the ModelS.
+ The interiors are definitely a lot better than Model S, especially the seats. However, no where close to BMW 7-Series
+ Still drives like a car while providing higher ride for better visibility - exactly what a SUV gives and what my wife needs
+ Six Seat version is the best configuration - the third row leg space right behind the second row is very poor (not comparable to mini-van) but when sitting a little slanted, the lack of middle seat in the second row does make it very comfortable as both third row passengers can completely stretch their legs out.
+ Even with all the 6 seats up and in the most comfortable position, there is more cargo space than my Honda Odyssey (mini-van) or BMW X5 (my previous SUV) - because of the fronk. Obviously, the ModelS has the most cargo capacity but it is 5 seater and not 6.
+ The rated range shows up consistent as 265 miles (X90D) and not 257 miles - based on my driving, I am getting about 380 Wh/mile instead of 345 Wh/mile (ModelS 85KW single motor). Mostly, I drive on highways at 75-80 mph.
+ Really love the look of the rear spoiler - I am sure that they will start charging for it as an option down the road (it's default right now).
+ The installation of the rear hitch is very easy and takes a minute to install - maybe all hitches are like that - it's my first experience with a hitch.
+ The ModelX has tire pressure values (in psi) that can be displayed on the dashboard - these seem to not exist on my ModelS
+ The ModelX has a cleaner look from the front as the front wipers hide under the hood whereas on the Models the two wipers are not as well tucked and can be seen from the front of the car.
+ They have improved the Key fob (although it's thicker) for the ModelX with the ability to install a key ring on the bare keyfob - without putting it in a glove like what I have to do on ModelS keyfob. I did not try to install the same key ring on the ModelS keyfob - maybe that will work.
Neutral
= Falcon Doors are working fine and do make it easier to enter and exit the car but I am not sure that it makes sense given the downside of not being able to put a rack on top of the car.
= Standard (Non-premium) sound system is not bad - it sounds as bad (or as good) as Premium Sound on my Model S
= Auto-sensing front door may take a while to get used to it and I am not sure if I will ever get use to it. The reason I am saying is that it does not work consistently and as a result, I have to reach out to the door anyways once in a while.
= Not completely sold on the "autopilot" as it does not detect signaling cars that want to merge in the lane. Also, there are blind spots on the sides of the cars and auto lane change is not as good. I would only be using the auto speed adjusting cruise control - I believe most cars now have this feature
Negatives
- Falcon Doors provide reduced visibility (compared to Model S) when sitting in the second row as it glass top is smaller than what it could have been without falcon doors
- For six seat version, the second row seats should have been little wider than what they are right now - not uncomfortable but if the passenger had wide shoulders, he/she might notice it.
- In order to meet the safety standards (while driving), the second row seats have to be fully back and cannot be adjusted forward to make space for the third row seats. Also, when the car seat with rear harness is attached on the middle row seat, the seat cannot be moved forward. All of this may be software limitation that could potentially be removed in the future. Since I got the six seat version, this is not an issue for me as most people walk to the third row from the center. You may want to do more research on this at the Tesla store when making a purchase
- The trunk is smaller than ModelS - should be obvious given more seating capacity. Maybe they should come up with a longer wheel-base version (Model X-L) and that will give it more battery capacity also.
- From the drivers seat, more road noise in ModelX as well as higher car noise overall - maybe it's my ear. That said, it could be because my ModelS is more than 3 years old with single motor compared to dual motors in the the four wheel drive ModelX. The front motor in the dual motor version is the problem as it is very close to the driver and its noise is very audible. This is making me want a Single Motor version of ModelS in highest capacity battery - it seems like that has been discontinued and only offered on 75KW version.
- The front seat does ride a little high and does not have the option of lowering the seat any more that default - not sure that it's needed but I always feel like lowering the seat to make it similar to driving a ModelS.
- The second row seats are not contoured well for putting the rear harness of child's car seat (not infant car seat) - they slip easily during installation. After some adjustment, the car seat is installed well but it's not the best design of the curves on the seat. Maybe they should have a hole/gap between the headrest and the back of the seat to thread the harness instead of slipping around it.
- Lane Departure Warning on the ModelX is not working - maybe there is software bug that requires a reboot or hardware issue. Planning to reboot today to see if the problem will go away
- I am not a big fan of the glossy rear/back of the seats as they are a dust magnet and show the dust very quickly as they are back in color
- I am flabbergasted that they again forgot to put hooks for coat hanger - it's something that should have been done on the first version of ModelS but heck, it's been four years and they still haven't done it.
- The rear-view mirror is quite small - it should have been designed to be wider and broader
- There is no side-view cameras on the ModelX - something that even my Honda Odyssey possesses (quite neat and handy when turning right)
- Inability to charge properly at the Supercharger with equipment attached on the hitch - they should have oriented the charge port to the front of the vehicle instead of the rear.
The driving experience of the ModelX is closer to Porsche Ceyenne Turbo with effortless torque, less noise, more space, and a lot cheaper overall.
I have driven the ModelS for 40K miles over last 3.5 years and have been driving the ModelX for a week now. The ModelS will remain my commute car and ModelX will be going to the wife for hauling two kids and their equipment around. This review will compare and contrast my experience between the two vehicles.
In full disclosure, we also retain a real people hauler (minivan) because of three reasons - its ability to comfortably seat 8 people, ability to go long distances using gas powered engine, and ability store enough luggage behind the third row and the cargo box on top-rails. ModelX cannot solve this use-case and I wasnt expecting it to do that either.
Positives
+ From the drivers perspective - much more expansive ride than the ModelS. MS appears a little narrower from the Driver seat
+ The massive windshield is really great and not a gimmick - it has changed the dynamics and experience. It truly gives a perception of being in an open environment rather than the constraints of a traditional car
+ ModelX feels much heavier than Model S and regenerative braking is a lot harder than ModelS because of the weight - I have to started to like the Model X regen-braking and miss it on the ModelS.
+ The interiors are definitely a lot better than Model S, especially the seats. However, no where close to BMW 7-Series
+ Still drives like a car while providing higher ride for better visibility - exactly what a SUV gives and what my wife needs
+ Six Seat version is the best configuration - the third row leg space right behind the second row is very poor (not comparable to mini-van) but when sitting a little slanted, the lack of middle seat in the second row does make it very comfortable as both third row passengers can completely stretch their legs out.
+ Even with all the 6 seats up and in the most comfortable position, there is more cargo space than my Honda Odyssey (mini-van) or BMW X5 (my previous SUV) - because of the fronk. Obviously, the ModelS has the most cargo capacity but it is 5 seater and not 6.
+ The rated range shows up consistent as 265 miles (X90D) and not 257 miles - based on my driving, I am getting about 380 Wh/mile instead of 345 Wh/mile (ModelS 85KW single motor). Mostly, I drive on highways at 75-80 mph.
+ Really love the look of the rear spoiler - I am sure that they will start charging for it as an option down the road (it's default right now).
+ The installation of the rear hitch is very easy and takes a minute to install - maybe all hitches are like that - it's my first experience with a hitch.
+ The ModelX has tire pressure values (in psi) that can be displayed on the dashboard - these seem to not exist on my ModelS
+ The ModelX has a cleaner look from the front as the front wipers hide under the hood whereas on the Models the two wipers are not as well tucked and can be seen from the front of the car.
+ They have improved the Key fob (although it's thicker) for the ModelX with the ability to install a key ring on the bare keyfob - without putting it in a glove like what I have to do on ModelS keyfob. I did not try to install the same key ring on the ModelS keyfob - maybe that will work.
Neutral
= Falcon Doors are working fine and do make it easier to enter and exit the car but I am not sure that it makes sense given the downside of not being able to put a rack on top of the car.
= Standard (Non-premium) sound system is not bad - it sounds as bad (or as good) as Premium Sound on my Model S
= Auto-sensing front door may take a while to get used to it and I am not sure if I will ever get use to it. The reason I am saying is that it does not work consistently and as a result, I have to reach out to the door anyways once in a while.
= Not completely sold on the "autopilot" as it does not detect signaling cars that want to merge in the lane. Also, there are blind spots on the sides of the cars and auto lane change is not as good. I would only be using the auto speed adjusting cruise control - I believe most cars now have this feature
Negatives
- Falcon Doors provide reduced visibility (compared to Model S) when sitting in the second row as it glass top is smaller than what it could have been without falcon doors
- For six seat version, the second row seats should have been little wider than what they are right now - not uncomfortable but if the passenger had wide shoulders, he/she might notice it.
- In order to meet the safety standards (while driving), the second row seats have to be fully back and cannot be adjusted forward to make space for the third row seats. Also, when the car seat with rear harness is attached on the middle row seat, the seat cannot be moved forward. All of this may be software limitation that could potentially be removed in the future. Since I got the six seat version, this is not an issue for me as most people walk to the third row from the center. You may want to do more research on this at the Tesla store when making a purchase
- The trunk is smaller than ModelS - should be obvious given more seating capacity. Maybe they should come up with a longer wheel-base version (Model X-L) and that will give it more battery capacity also.
- From the drivers seat, more road noise in ModelX as well as higher car noise overall - maybe it's my ear. That said, it could be because my ModelS is more than 3 years old with single motor compared to dual motors in the the four wheel drive ModelX. The front motor in the dual motor version is the problem as it is very close to the driver and its noise is very audible. This is making me want a Single Motor version of ModelS in highest capacity battery - it seems like that has been discontinued and only offered on 75KW version.
- The front seat does ride a little high and does not have the option of lowering the seat any more that default - not sure that it's needed but I always feel like lowering the seat to make it similar to driving a ModelS.
- The second row seats are not contoured well for putting the rear harness of child's car seat (not infant car seat) - they slip easily during installation. After some adjustment, the car seat is installed well but it's not the best design of the curves on the seat. Maybe they should have a hole/gap between the headrest and the back of the seat to thread the harness instead of slipping around it.
- Lane Departure Warning on the ModelX is not working - maybe there is software bug that requires a reboot or hardware issue. Planning to reboot today to see if the problem will go away
- I am not a big fan of the glossy rear/back of the seats as they are a dust magnet and show the dust very quickly as they are back in color
- I am flabbergasted that they again forgot to put hooks for coat hanger - it's something that should have been done on the first version of ModelS but heck, it's been four years and they still haven't done it.
- The rear-view mirror is quite small - it should have been designed to be wider and broader
- There is no side-view cameras on the ModelX - something that even my Honda Odyssey possesses (quite neat and handy when turning right)
- Inability to charge properly at the Supercharger with equipment attached on the hitch - they should have oriented the charge port to the front of the vehicle instead of the rear.
Last edited:
