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My comments on 2022 Tesla Model X PLAID

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I took delivery of an April build of a 2022 Model X PLAID 5 days ago, and I have a few observations I thought this community might like to see. I had a 2020 Model X LR before this.

Things I like:
  • The UI is noticeably faster and feels like a totally different piece of software than v11 was for the 2020 Intel Atom.
    • The animations in the "heads up" display for vehicles, signs etc. are butter smooth.
  • Seat coolers! I've always wanted a car that had seat coolers.
  • The center console area is way better. It's way more practical than my 2020 X was.
  • The cabin is noticeably quieter than the 2020 was. I am guessing this largely due to the thicker glass for the windows.
  • You can use your phone as a key or a key card or a key fob. So many options!
  • It's FAST. Really fast. It puts a smile on your face every time you floor it.

Things I don't like:
  • Noise canceling is a total joke. I'm happy that the cabin is quieter overall, but there is almost no discernable difference between having noise canceling enabled / disabled. I can only hope that this will be improved in future software updates. Again, this "feature" is more than lacking. I'm doubling down on this only because the marketing of "Active Noise Reduction" made it sound like this would be a neat feature.
  • Headlights. Where are the MATRIX headlights?? The Sales rep at Tesla told me this VIN has "MATRIX CC" headlights. Pretty sure these are the same headlights from 2020.
  • The inside styling of the front doors feels "cheaper" to me. I get that they are going with a cleaner look, but the 2020 Model X was more to my liking. There is cloth on the door now. Why?
  • The auto present feature is terrible. I don't know what is going on. This worked really well in 2020 Model X, but it is a 50/50 chance with the 2020 PLAID. The door sometimes opens a little, then never swings open. More annoyingly, the door CANNOT be trusted to auto close. With 2020 Model X you could walk away and know that the door would 100% close on it's own. Not with this door. Also, there is way more resistance with these doors when you manually open. You can hear the gears moving when you manually open the door.
  • The capacitive buttons on the steering yoke are terrible. The horn being a capacitive button is terrible. The fact that I have to engage autopilot by pressing a button that doubles as a scroll wheel and triples as a left / right joystick is probably the worst offender of it all. It feels like I am using an Android phone from 2012. I constantly feel like I accidently scrolled the wheel up while trying to engage autopilot.
  • My vehicle came with a couple of issues:
    • There are audible clicking sounds when turning the wheel. It sounds like something is really tight. Almost as if the clicking is coming from the lower control arms or bearings or something similar.
    • There are audible rubbing sounds when turning the steering yoke in certain conditions. Sounds / feels like it's rubbing on another part of the dash or steering column.
    • There is an audible sound coming from the right speakers that is hard to describe. For short bursts of time it sounds like a loose ground hum and sometimes like a high/mid-range static sound. It appears to go away, not sure the pattern yet.
    • Different from the above description, I have noticed sudden quick pops or pauses when listening to music. It feels like it's somehow related to accelerating or braking, but not sure the pattern yet.
Things I'm not sure about yet:
  • The sound system. I consider myself an audiophile. My initial impression is that I don't like the sound signature of this system. The sound is clear, very loud and has zero distortion - and yet the sound is overly harsh and difficult to "warm" up. The bass and subwoofer settings are also configured interestingly. Even though you can independently control the subwoofer level in the UI, it is also unexpectedly tied to the bass slider. For example, if you slide the subwoofer levels all the way up, but bring down the non-subwoofer bass slider down, it will directly impact the sound level of the subwoofer. The subwoofer is not one that you really "feel" but instead one that you "hear" too much, which results in really unpleasant listening experience if you are trying to get the system to have bass that can "punch" the low notes. I'm not sure what kind of DAC / EQ chip they are using, but I hope Tesla eventually allows for more refined EQ control of the sound as I think that most of the negative points I described could be fixed with better control of the sound.
  • The rear display. Initial impression is that it's cool that there is a screen, but the main display is way larger to look at, even from the rear seats. On the other hand, it is nice for rear passengers to control media, select their own media and control things like climate control and seat warmers.
  • The yoke. I am pretty sure I don't like it, but I am trying to give it a shot. Yes, it looks cool. Makes it look futuristic and all. However, it does not add any practical value to driving. In fact, it makes turning objectively worse. Still, willing to give a shot over the coming weeks.
5FCF17E3-A987-4096-A6C1-5A103AAADEAE.jpeg

("TESLA MODEL X.jpg" by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.)
 
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This is a great critique.
Coming from a 2019 dual Motor X into a Plaid I can relate to many of these points.
I happen to like the trim treatment on the inside of the doors but it's a matter of taste.
The lack of consistency on the auto present and close of the Driver's door is disturbing. They seemed to have that technology down pat....until 2022. My car is in the body shop for misaligned panels (at delivery). Hoping that fixes the door. It is especially egregious in closing when exiting.
Although I am sensitive to sound I do not have the degree of sensitivity or refinement that you do, so I will live with the sound system for a while before I pass judgment. It is not very involving but seems adequate. Wish Tesla priortized XM integration in their interface.
Your scathing remarks on Auto Pilot and Yoke were brilliant. I only found out how to engage the Self Driving when I brought it in for the panel alignment issue, 3 weeks after delivery.
The Yoke is wonderful, as long as you're not turning it. At its best it is maybe 75% as practical as a wheel. Definitely looks cool and feels great in the hands.
Thanks for taking the time to review.
 
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Thanks for your thoughts. Most of your questions can be answered by asking, what would improve Tesla'a margins? The move to vinyl seats, cloth on the doors, removing RADAR, removing the rain sensor, etc, etc.

Our Model S had clicking when turning - turned out the buts on the lower A arms were loose. Once they were torqued correctly the sound went away.

Hopefully the SC can figure out your other issues.

Noise Cancelling was only recently enabled in software and will likely remain a gimmick.

This will be my first X so I won't be able to compare the auto-presenting doors and such to the old one. I do hope they work though!

After driving a friend's Refresh MS, I despise the yoke. I have a Hansshow wheel on order and hope that Ryan Huber finishes his work to allow 3/Y stalks to be used. Once I have the Hansshow wheel I will decide if I want to do the 3/Y wheel as well. Others have noticed a "wheel option" in the Tesla Parts Catalog so that may become an option in the future.
 
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  • Headlights. Where are the MATRIX headlights?? The Sales rep at Tesla told me this VIN has "MATRIX CC" headlights. Pretty sure these are the same headlights from 2020.

Can you please dig into this more with your SC (and report back here)? There are multiple reports of this exact issue. My SA tells me that my car has Matrix headlights as well, and I assume he's looking at this same code. But we've yet to see even a SINGLE X with matrix headlights delivered yet.
 
You can just slam the palm or fingers on the right-side buttons and the horn will go off. I believe it senses multiple buttons being pressed at the same time. Also, for cars built after a certain date there is a patch coming out that lets you press the center airbag to sound the horn.
 
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Geezzz... I will be taking delivery of my Plaid next week and after reading your review, I don't feel like taking it anymore. Already I hate the yoke with a passion!!! When I ordered last yr, they told me there will be a choice to pick a yoke or a normal wheel, I found out got scammed last Nov.
 
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Geezzz... I will be taking delivery of my Plaid next week and after reading your review, I don't feel like taking it anymore. Already I hate the yoke with a passion!!! When I ordered last yr, they told me there will be a choice to pick a yoke or a normal wheel, I found out got scammed last Nov.
Some of us are surprised at the deficiencies but that should not overshadow the overall sheer fun of driving this car. The acceleration, handling and clarity of screens and cameras are wonderful. The car is a pleasure to drive. The Yoke is odd but it doesn't totally kill the buzz. Gear selector and turn signal controls seem odd also, but the speed and quickness and dexterity of such a big practical car should not be forgotten.
Have been driving a Model 3 Performance and a 2018 Model X over the last week.
Cannot wait to get back in the Plaid.
 
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I went from 2019 X Raven to Refresh 2.0 S with the Matrix headlights.

On Model S I moved balance rearward so the ball is on the edge the rear seat. I think it’s a bug it’s way to far forward in the S. Not sure how X is. But it made a huge difference.

I like the cloth on Model S doors. Assume it’s similar on X.

Yoke is fine.

No squeaks or buzzes.

I’m keeping an open mind on ANR. I wouldn’t assume it’s doing anything.

I could care less about the ventilated seats and mark my word, they will be the first to make cars look old quickly with stress rips.

Rear screen is kind of useless.
 
I traded my ‘14 MS for ‘22 MX Plaid on Feb 26th. a few additional impressions:
1. Build quality of my ‘14 MS was by far higher. Still very quite with no rattles. MX comes with interesting rattles which I have not figured out yet. It shows up and disappears. This really really annoys me for a car that costs >$140K.
2. Comfort is not as high as I expected.
3. I did not like Yoke at the beginning. But, I now really like it over my standard wheels on my M3.
4. Seats look really nice, but, somehow not comfortable on long rides.
5. Alloy wheels are very nice, but, scratch really quickly. I fixed the scratch and had my trusty local mechanic (Mega Auto Glass & Repair | Rockville | Bethesda | Maryland |) in Rockville Maryland install AlloyGator. Highly recommended. Looks great and will save your wheels and tons of money later.
6. It is annoying that I cannot easily close the door the old fashion way. I have to use the door button to close it or very had to close manually. I am getting used to it, but, passenger side is always an issue.
7. This baby is fast. You cannot deny that you have the fastest SUV in the market for many many years to come. Noone would be able to get close to this. Accelerator never gets old on this.
 
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I traded my ‘14 MS for ‘22 MX Plaid on Feb 26th. a few additional impressions:
1. Build quality of my ‘14 MS was by far higher. Still very quite with no rattles. MX comes with interesting rattles which I have not figured out yet. It shows up and disappears. This really really annoys me for a car that costs >$140K.
2. Comfort is not as high as I expected.
3. I did not like Yoke at the beginning. But, I now really like it over my standard wheels on my M3.
4. Seats look really nice, but, somehow not comfortable on long rides.
5. Alloy wheels are very nice, but, scratch really quickly. I fixed the scratch and had my trusty local mechanic (Mega Auto Glass & Repair | Rockville | Bethesda | Maryland |) in Rockville Maryland install AlloyGator. Highly recommended. Looks great and will save your wheels and tons of money later.
6. It is annoying that I cannot easily close the door the old fashion way. I have to use the door button to close it or very had to close manually. I am getting used to it, but, passenger side is always an issue.
7. This baby is fast. You cannot deny that you have the fastest SUV in the market for many many years to come. Noone would be able to get close to this. Accelerator never gets old on this.
What's your VIN (drop the last few digits)?
 
Can you please dig into this more with your SC (and report back here)? There are multiple reports of this exact issue. My SA tells me that my car has Matrix headlights as well, and I assume he's looking at this same code. But we've yet to see even a SINGLE X with matrix headlights delivered yet.
Is it not the usual thing, that they're there, but not activated?
 
Hello, fellow X Plaid driver :)

Regarding the yoke, you do get used to it. I also initially felt awkward with the yoke but as you get used to it the awkwardness goes away and it feels just as natural as a wheel.

Two pointers I can give you about using the yoke is:

1. When you make tight turns, it's easier if you start pushing up the bottom of the other side of the yoke so that you get a 360 degree turn control with just one hand.

2. Another easy way to make turns with the yoke is to push forward into the yoke with the base of your palm and turning instead of gripping it from the side like usual.


About the speaker noise, sometimes I hear a slight white noise from the front left, usually while I am parked. But it doesn't happen very often and I can't tell what causes it.

My biggest issue with the car is that the glovebox makes a tanging spring noise every time I close it and the rear dome light sometimes randomly turns on while driving. Have you noticed these issues at all?
 
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For you to notice any difference with ANC you have to have your head pressed back against the headrest... and even then its a really really tiny difference.

I could never get the door to self close when walking away to work.... Do I have to have self presenting doors turned on for this feature to work? (this is my first Tesla so I am not sure)

Give the Yoke a little more time, I grew to really like it, especially when you are out on the highway. Even my wife likes it now which totally shocked me, she doesn't really like change and this was a drastic one... But after a few days she said she didn't mind it, and then after a couple of weeks she actually said she liked it.

I have the LR version and the acceleration is stomach churning, rollercoaster feel fast.... I can't even imagine what the Plaid feels like lol, you guys with Plaid must feel like you are taking off in a fighter Jet each time you mash the accelerator.