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Our surprising (to us) decision to go with 6 seats instead of 7...

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Back to the original subject. I went with the 7 seat because 90% of the time the second row will be as far back as it goes and the 3rd row will be folded flat. The dog will be in the back. I also see trips with 5 people and the dog and luggage. The three second row seats are needed to keep dog in the back. I am hopeful that the high second row seats will contain the dog without any barriers. As people have noted the seats go almost to the roof and visibility out the back is not great with the 7 seater. I will look into putting a protective film on the back of the second and possibly 1st row seats.
 
I tried this today on a test drive. You can have the middle seats up forward and not latched as long as no one is in the seat. I was sitting in the back and moved the seats forward for more legroom.

Back to the original subject. I went with the 7 seat because 90% of the time the second row will be as far back as it goes and the 3rd row will be folded flat. The dog will be in the back. I also see trips with 5 people and the dog and luggage. The three second row seats are needed to keep dog in the back. I am hopeful that the high second row seats will contain the dog without any barriers. As people have noted the seats go almost to the roof and visibility out the back is not great with the 7 seater. I will look into putting a protective film on the back of the second and possibly 1st row seats.

Thanks TarHeelModelX. So, I assume you could push up just the center seat of second row with people sitting in the left and right center seats to approximate the spacing of a 6 seat configuration.

The reason I consider this on topic BajaSurBoy is because if you can achieve a lot of the advantages of a 6 seat configuration while still having the option of having the 7th seat, then this is something definitely to consider when choosing ones seating configuration. I really wish I had never confirmed and could test a 6 and 7 seat version myself while experimenting with the theoretical extra 10 inches the middle second row seat could provide to the third row passengers.
 
I confirmed my order in December for a 90D with 7 seats. Haven't had the opportunity to sit in an X yet. I have three kids -- two 12 year old girls who are 5'8" and 5'10 and a 15 year old who is 5'11". All have slender builds. Originally I was going to replace my 2011 Honda Odyssey with this car. The girls often sit three across in the Odyssey, even though the middle seat is quite small. That said, I rarely ride with the entire family these days, and often find myself in the car only with the twins. As it turns out, I'll probably keep the Odyssey as our "sports" car for going to travel softball tournaments and basketball games. It is helpful to have a "sports" car that can deal with all the equipment, dirt etc.

The theoretical rationale for the 7-seater is that it can accommodate more people in a pinch, and that one of the twins often likes to sit in the middle of the second row when it is just the three of us (despite the much less comfortable middle seat in the Odyssey's second row) just because that person can see better, which makes her feel less car sick and more able to socialize with the front row occupants. Also, with the big windshield of the X, the middle seat might be quite cool provided you aren't sandwiched between other people. In other words, I see positives when we have 3 occupants (one driver, one front passenger, one middle second row person), and marginally for 5 occupants (nobody is forced to sit in back row and we can use the expanded cargo space, although the girls may feel squeezed in the second row), or 7 occupants (only possible with the 7-seat configuration). It is pretty neutral for four occupants, and clearly negative for 6 occupants since at least one person will be forced to sit in the back and there will be less leg room for the third row in the 7-seat configuration. The frequency of having 6 occupants will be much lower than having 5 or fewer, and the utility of having 7 occupants probably outweighs the discomfort for 6 passengers. Logically, this supports the 7-seater.

It will be interesting to see how I feel when I actually get inside an X.
 
I'm extremely happy with the 6 seater. Much less crowded. Space between the two seats for a lot of stuff lor for smaller folks to move to the third row. Though no matter what the 3rd row is a bit cramped especially head room wise. I can barely sit there at 6'2" , but then I will always be driving. For now my 3rd row is always down anyway so it's a big 4 seater.


@madodel Don't you find stuff in the trunk rolls forward through the 2nd row gap now? As far as I can see there is nothing to stop it & it feels dangerous to me.
 
@madodel Don't you find stuff in the trunk rolls forward through the 2nd row gap now? As far as I can see there is nothing to stop it & it feels dangerous to me.

My first thought is yeah that does sound bad. However, how often are you letting things roll around in your trunk to begin with? If it's small enough to go through the opening, you can probably fit it in the lower section of the trunk storage. If you need the 3rd row folded down the item is probably big enough not to go through the opening. I suppose someone could make a cargo net to block the space though.
 
Finally got to see and test drive the X in person. Completely agree with the OP. The 7 seat configuration is marginally better than a Model S with jump seats. I'm 5'7" and sitting in the 3rd row is an extremely claustrophobic experience. There is essentially no leg or knee room if the 2nd row is in default position. The 2nd row head rests are so tall you can't really even talk to anyone else in the car except if you're lucky or unlucky enough to be sitting with another person in the 3rd row. With car seats installed in the outboard seats of the 2nd row, the middle seat is essentially useless. The Model X is supposed to be more roomy and more functional than the Model S. The only way to achieve that is with the 6 seat configuration. With 6 seats, an adult sitting in any of the 2nd/3rd row seats can easily tend to an infant/child seated in any other 2nd/3rd row seat. Whereas with 7 seats things are so tight you'd barely have enough room to tend to yourself.

So I just paid the $500 change fee to go to 6 seats and we're keeping the Honda Odyssey for the rare situations we actually need 7 or 8 seats.
 
So I just paid the $500 change fee to go to 6 seats and we're keeping the Honda Odyssey for the rare situations we actually need 7 or 8 seats.

You know, we were really tempted to keep our Odyssey for this same reason (also for real hauling of stuff). But those situations are pretty rare for us, and we've never needed to seat 8. For the depreciation of the vehicle alone, not to mention just having to deal with registrations, oil changes, etc., we decided we'd rent if necessary or just make it work with two Teslas.
 
Did you try the third row seat with that center 2nd row seat not in the default position ie pushed forward and tilted? How was that?

That's actually another problem. If you are in the 3rd row, there's no easy way to slide the 2nd row forward without also engaging the 2nd row tilting for access mechanism. There's also no way for someone in the 3rd row to move the 2nd row middle seat forward. You'd literally need to ask the person in the 2nd row to please slide forward a bit. The 2nd row adjustment buttons only function if the seat is in the default, non-tilted position to begin with.
 
That's actually another problem. If you are in the 3rd row, there's no easy way to slide the 2nd row forward without also engaging the 2nd row tilting for access mechanism. There's also no way for someone in the 3rd row to move the 2nd row middle seat forward. You'd literally need to ask the person in the 2nd row to please slide forward a bit. The 2nd row adjustment buttons only function if the seat is in the default, non-tilted position to begin with.

Lets say you have 6 people. Could one of the side 2nd row people move the center 2nd row seat forward for the people in the the third row while the car was moving? Would this be almost as good as having the 6 seat version with 6 people?
 
Lets say you have 6 people. Could one of the side 2nd row people move the center 2nd row seat forward for the people in the the third row while the car was moving? Would this be almost as good as having the 6 seat version with 6 people?

If it's 6 adults of sound mind, yes. But if you're talking a mix of 6 adults and infants/kids in giant front and rear facing carseats, it would be a difficult dance.
 
If it's 6 adults of sound mind, yes. But if you're talking a mix of 6 adults and infants/kids in giant front and rear facing carseats, it would be a difficult dance.

I personally didn't find that center seat very appealing regardless. The legroom benefit is only one part of the 6-seat configuration. An open cabin is the biggest benefit, along with the potential for longer cargo. Plus, the middle row feels less cramped.
 
I personally didn't find that center seat very appealing regardless. The legroom benefit is only one part of the 6-seat configuration. An open cabin is the biggest benefit, along with the potential for longer cargo. Plus, the middle row feels less cramped.

Exactly. Seeing the 6 seat and 7 seat cars side by side, the open cabin of the 6 seat feels like airline First Class compared to the 7 seat Economy Class.
 
I'm really starting to feel like a second class citizen with my 7 seater. This is the only option that gave me pause. At the end of the day, I figured as my 3 kids are getting older, I'd rather them sit together in the second row and really only use the third row for car pools vs always having one kid sit alone in the back. Obviously the 6 seater is more spacious and definitely better with only two kids. So I guess it's either a 7 seater or give one of the kids away?
 
haha. There are benefits to both. Three kids in the second row is plenty comfortable (using commasign's analogy, kids should really fly economy anyway). Everyone has their own plan for usage. With a 7-seater, you can:

  • take 7 people in the car
  • take 5 people in the car with a bunch of luggage
  • keep three kids instead of giving one away

As I'm a two child family, the 6 seater is a better choice for me. Don't let us influence your feelings about the car!!
 
haha. There are benefits to both. Three kids in the second row is plenty comfortable (using commasign's analogy, kids should really fly economy anyway). Everyone has their own plan for usage. With a 7-seater, you can:

  • take 7 people in the car
  • take 5 people in the car with a bunch of luggage
  • keep three kids instead of giving one away

As I'm a two child family, the 6 seater is a better choice for me. Don't let us influence your feelings about the car!!

i appreciate it. 7 it is. Btw, as i get closer to delivery (a couple of weeks), I'm leaning towards keeping vs flipping my first X. I was already offered 170 for the car and decided it isn't worth waiting another 8-10 months. Problem is now my wife loves the model s test drive so much, she wants a model X as well. What to do?
 
Lets say you have 6 people. Could one of the side 2nd row people move the center 2nd row seat forward for the people in the the third row while the car was moving? Would this be almost as good as having the 6 seat version with 6 people?

No, this would not be almost as good. The center seat does not move forward and backward, it only tilts (and not by much). We tried exactly this and were unable to tilt it enough to make a noticeable difference for folks in the 3rd row. (Now, the seats seemed a bit buggy, so its possible that it will tilt a bit more once they work the kinks out).
 
No, this would not be almost as good. The center seat does not move forward and backward, it only tilts (and not by much). We tried exactly this and were unable to tilt it enough to make a noticeable difference for folks in the 3rd row. (Now, the seats seemed a bit buggy, so its possible that it will tilt a bit more once they work the kinks out).

According to the posted owner's manual the middle seat can be adjusted both forward/backward and backrest angle. Press side to side on the circular control for forward/backward and up down on it for seat tilt (kind of seems backwards, but that is what the picture shows). Also, according to the picture, it was "up/down" for the tilt, but since the control is on the bottom of the seat I'd imagine that it feels more like "forward and back".