Musk had enough of the Falcon Wing Doors yet?

[Diavel]

Ok let me just say this one thing about human behavior.
If one is happy, they will either a) enjoy and be quiet, b) show it in person to others who care, c) not really post about it online unless there is a motivation, or simply acknowledge that the said feature is good.
If one is sad, a) they will bicker about it very likely on online forums and social media, b) rinse and repeat step (a)
I for one am getting the X over the S(which I lust after) solely for the FWD and utility.
X = S + FWD, hence X >> S

X=S+FWD+6 seats-HP, hence S=X

HP= handling and performance

 

[systemcrashed]

Looking at your attached photo, why doesn't the lower part of your FWD go higher in your garage? It would certainly seem like it could. This is exactly the same position we end up with on our FWDs when they are acting up, even with a 12' ceiling and lots of room to the sides.

I believe the doors are detecting the lower ceiling height. I have not had it act up at all yet, it has actually been working very well. I can actually open this garage door fully with doors up like this, if they were fully opened I wouldn't. Definitely more room than sliding by a 10" thick SUV door, I have many marks on that plywood from the conventional doors.

 

[AnOutsider]

now the Model 3 is slated to have them (on a mass production vehicle) and I bet the problems with them will be few and far between -- and all those soon-to-be new Tesla owners are looking forward to them and will be loving them.

From what has been shown, model 3 has aston martin like handles (push and lever pops open), and the X has button handles. I think it's safe to say the retractable door handles are an S thing for now (and are still problematic, I just had one replaced and now another needs it).

 

[elguapo]

I am not a Tesla apologist. Happy to discuss my extreme disappointment with lack of third row legroom (my 44" son complains he's cramped), or the fact that much cheaper card have far better BSMs and other tech.

That said, I love the FWDs because they really do make it easy to get kids in and of of car and help in tight spaces.

However, I hate the attention they draw, but that just comes with the territory. They are far more useful than my Odyssey's doors and they do protect you better in rain. Odyssey is, of course, a far better cargo hauler, but I digress.

Love the FWDs, have several complaints on other parts of car.

 

[mcmcmc]

I am on the fence. As someone who has put down a reservation on the X, and about to order one, I saw it in the flesh and found that the FWDs are overly careful. In several cases, they didn't fully open when you were standing close (even with sufficient clearance). I also find it hard to imagine it won't attract unwanted attention. I really cannot imagine using them at night outside. It's a masterpiece of engineering and design, and impressive that you can choose how quickly they open, but I think there's an inherent security risk that other cars in the same price bracket won't suffer from.

Has anyone had any security issues with unwanted attention when opening the FWDs in a busy space, or late at evening in the vicinity of questionable characters? I did read some comments earlier in this thread about now wanting to attract attention or feeling uncomfortable using them?

 

[Xpress]

Of course the people who own an X love the doors! How many potential buyers are reconsidering or not getting an X BECAUSE of the doors?? Count me as one of those not getting it because of the FWD and the non-folding seats....

 

[jeffro01]

Hey, Jeff. I'm Mark.

Nice to meet you.

I find the doors annoying, cumbersome, and gaudy. My kids ride in the back and buckle themselves in. We realize few of the benefits with all of the drawbacks. No question I'd have preferred "normal people doors," but I also don't think Tesla's going to be redesigning the X. Some people really like the attention they bring. I don't. Because I hate to open them in a crowded parking lot, I throw my shopping items in the passenger side of the front seat instead of on the floor of the back seat. In my S, I nearly always use the space behind the driver's seat.

To put some positive spin on this otherwise negative post, I do find they're excellent for "airing out" a hot car.

Nice to meet you as well. You'd be the first then... Granted I've only met 5, including you, X owners so 80% is pretty good... LOL

Jeff

 

[jeffro01]

Of course the people who own an X love the doors! How many potential buyers are reconsidering or not getting an X BECAUSE of the doors?? Count me as one of those not getting it because of the FWD and the non-folding seats....

I get not getting an X because of the non-folding second row, only partially though now that I've seen a few X's in person. Not buying because of the FWDs? That one I'll never understand. I'm not saying your wrong or that there is anything bad about your opinion, I simply don't understand it. The FWDs, to me at least, one of THE signature reasons to buy an X...

Jeff

 

[vandacca]

I get not getting an X because of the non-folding second row, only partially though now that I've seen a few X's in person. Not buying because of the FWDs? That one I'll never understand. I'm not saying your wrong or that there is anything bad about your opinion, I simply don't understand it. The FWDs, to me at least, one of THE signature reasons to buy an X...

The FWDs prevents (or at the very least, significantly hinders) the roof being used to haul cargo. You can't easily have a roof rack (sea suckers currently is the only solution) and hence can't put a cargo-box, bikes, mattresses, etc. up there. This is further compounded by 2nd row seats that don't fold. To some, this may be a deal-breaker, especially one-car families that use the vehicle for all their needs.

 

[jeffro01]

The FWDs prevents (or at the very least, significantly hinders) the roof being used to haul cargo. You can't easily have a roof rack (sea suckers currently is the only solution) and hence can't put a cargo-box, bikes, mattresses, etc. up there. This is further compounded by 2nd row seats that don't fold. To some, this may be a deal-breaker, especially one-car families that use the vehicle for all their needs.

Understood completely, I've just never had a use for any of those things in my life to date... Like I said, I'm not saying there is anything at all wrong with not wanting to buy because of the FWDs, I'm not trying to be judgmental or critical in any way. I'm just saying I don't understand the position. No worries.

Jeff

 

[ohmman]

The FWDs, to me at least, one of THE signature reasons to buy an X...

And I don't think you're unique in that assessment. There are plenty who agree, and bought the car because of those doors. I've got friends who are jealous of the car for the doors alone. And believe me, I try to assuage their jealousy!

For me, the signature reason to buy an X is that it's electric. There aren't other electric SUVs available, so that's how we wound up with the X. Had there been an alternative, maybe an Audi, we'd still be on the fence because of the Supercharger network, and probably would have still gone Tesla. To me, this is a statement about all of the great things Tesla has done - they were able to sell me a car with doors I really, really didn't want by setting themselves apart in other important ways.

 

[Epymian]

I agree with Ohmman and Jeffro. I think electric and FWD and big windshield are the big three cool things about the X. I scratched the roof of my SQ5 with my studded winter bike tires heaving it up there in the winter onto the roof rack and am much happier using the hitch rack now. We have Kayaks and SUP's but I have an old armada to haul those around. The amount of grit that falls off those is not something I want to put on top of my 200K car. I love my soon to be sold off SQ5 and my buddie's Macan S is also tres cool but the Tesla is the best in terms of raw driving pleasure and experience. I love the instant acceleration when passing. This thing cuts through traffic like a shark on amphetamines.

I did not realize the second row seats do not fold and this is the only think I would change. It is not a deal breaker though for me.

Most of the complaints related to the Tesla (including my own whining) relate to what it cannot do. We all want a fast cool car that drives like a 2 seat roadster, accelerates like a lambo V12 and hauls stuff like an F350 but that is not going to happen (well we did get 2 out of 3 IMO). I have to say I love it for what it can do and when people see the FWD they all go wow and OMG and *sugar*, dude that is so cool. Which it is.

 

[ssq]

X=S+FWD+6 seats-HP, hence S=X

HP= handling and performance

Dang! I am trying hard to not lust after the refreshed S! You know already I like the S better when it comes to looks and driving feel

 

[SCModelX]

I love my doors. They operate nearly perfectly. They open as fast as a mini van. What's not to like? I'm not seeing that, at all.

 

[Buddyroe]

After reading through this this thread from owners who love the FWD, I agree with this from the OP. I just didn't realize he was speaking to himself at the time I first read it.

Haha. I WISH I was right 99% of the time!!

 

[Xpress]

The FWDs prevents (or at the very least, significantly hinders) the roof being used to haul cargo. You can't easily have a roof rack (sea suckers currently is the only solution) and hence can't put a cargo-box, bikes, mattresses, etc. up there. This is further compounded by 2nd row seats that don't fold. To some, this may be a deal-breaker, especially one-car families that use the vehicle for all their needs.

Agree completely. I don't want wet skis in the car or boots and want a roof box to maximize cargo hauling for ski trips, mountain biking, etc. I'd prefer more Utility rather than fancy doors.

 

[electricity]

mmm to the people that complain about the doors, there is plenty of cars out there without the doors and more utility, many will also come fully electric in the future so you can wait a bit (i say this in a very respectful way) but you also need to understand that Most people love them and that makes Tesla and Elon right about having those doors, its the end of story.

 

[Sunlight]

I have been following with great curiosity the whole FWD saga from the very first reveal. Personally I would not want FWD as I prefer simple(r) stuff and wonder what they will be like after a few years and who would be able to fix them?! Not yet convinced that the advantages outweigh any disadvantages.......

But, having said that, we will only be able to reflect on whether FWDs were a great idea ahead of the times when we see whether they die out with this Model X and the next Tesla SUV has ordinary (or different) doors.

OR whether they are adopted by other manufacturers and become, not only super reliable and robust but also commonplace on more expensive Teslas. Maybe in ten years (like powered sliding doors) they will be fitted to many cars where their benefits warrant it.

I suppose one would have to call them a 'dead-end' if they died out with this version of the Tesla X.

 

[Monkey]

We've had our X for 6 weeks and have over 2000 miles on it. Our eXperience has been mostly trouble free, no issues related to doors and nothing pressing that I need to make a service appointment for. That said, I wasn't so sure I was that interested in the FWDs before getting the car. I almost changed the order to a Model S many times and would have done so had the refreshed S come along a bit sooner that and if I could convince the wife to accept one less seat.

So after the time we've had with our X, I have to say the whole family likes the FWDs. They work as they should 99% of the time and with the latest updates have become more conservative in their operation. They are very practical in most situations and do offer a lot of utility over normal doors. Overall they are great and I'm glad we have them. Only have two complaints with the FWDs and those are:

1> Speed, or lack thereof. Sometimes I just want to throw something in the back seat quickly and I can usually do this a whole lot faster with a normal door. Not that the FWDs are slow, they're as quick at this as a minivan slider. But I'm used to it now and it really isn't a concern once you're used to it. I do find myself in certain situations where I would normally leave rear doors open and yet I close the FWDs, only to need to re-open them. This is a problem with me, not the doors. I don't think I would have that problem if not for reason number 2 below.

2> The attention. Every time we open the doors people stare. People have to come ask questions. A few are truly interested in the car and know what it is. Most however are driven by other reasons. Holy crap... I hope a ton more of these get delivered in my area and people get used to seeing them because I'm going insane. We get more attention in the X, once the doors go up, than when I go for a ride in my friend's Lamborghini. People can stare all they want, I'm just done with the constant unwanted interactions with the public and other unwanted advances or commentary. It's not that I'm anti-social or anything like that and most of the interactions are just fine. But a few of the interactions have been downright unpleasant.

 

[CarlK]

Every other car maker will design SUV's with FWD's . I have no doubt about that.

I would say any SUV at this price level must have FWD's in a few years. Koreans will start to put them in even lower priced SUV's. They don't have a choice. It's just a so much superior design. You got to have it to appreciate it. Elon will make it to work perfectly. He did not stop trying to send a rocket to outer space AND to land one on the ocean becuase these are hard to do.