Questions for 5-Seater Owners

[LA88]

We have 2 adult teens and occasionally, we go on trips together. I found a MX 5-seater and was wondering if I could add the 3rd bench later on if needed. Anyone know if I can do this through Tesla or from an after-market products?

Also, I was considering the MS but now that the MX is only 5K apart, I may jump to the MX. If you own a 5-seater, why didn't you purchase the MS since you don't need to carry more passengers? I'm still debating between the MS or the MX and have read lots of pros and cons between the two but for most part, people purchased the MX need to haul 6 or more passenger or they have small children and need easy access to the 2nd and 3rd row seats. Want to hear feedback from 5-seater owners.

 

[Saghost]

I haven't seen any suggestion that Tesla would consider retrofitting the seats afterwards, and I haven't seen any third party products yet.

One thing to keep in mind is the the six and seven seat cars have additional vents for the third row and a second HVAC fan and evaporator core to support them that you wouldn't have.

I very rarely have many people in my X, but the ease of entry and windshield are worth the price of admission, not to mention factory towing and space for cargo and the rest.

 

[LA88]

I haven't seen any suggestion that Tesla would consider retrofitting the seats afterwards, and I haven't seen any third party products yet.

One thing to keep in mind is the the six and seven seat cars have additional vents for the third row and a second HVAC fan and evaporator core to support them that you wouldn't have.

I very rarely have many people in my X, but the ease of entry and windshield are worth the price of admission, not to mention factory towing and space for cargo and the rest.

Agree with you on the ease of entry and the large windshield. This is the reason why I'm looking at the MX. However, I'll be buying and I'm worry that the falcon door may cause problem in the long run, not to mention the cost of replacing the windshield.

 

[Saghost]

Agree with you on the ease of entry and the large windshield. This is the reason why I'm looking at the MX. However, I'll be buying and I'm worry that the falcon door may cause problem in the long run, not to mention the cost of replacing the windshield.

In a lot of areas you can get glass coverage added to your insurance for a small fee.

I think the doors will last better then most expect - the actuators are the same ones used on rear liftgates, and no one worries about those. I guess we'll see.

 

[r0xx0r]

Totally agree with Saghost, if you can afford the cost, go with 6-7 seaters instead. Better & more powerful AC.

 

[thejq]

I have a 5-seater. Because:
1. There're 4 people in my family. 5-seater gives the largest cargo space. I also have a 8-seater van if I really need to haul people.
2. The 2nd row has more leg room and can completely fold flat.
3. I don't like MS because of the seating position. I like to sit up high, better for my back.
4. The auto presenting doors and extra headroom/cargo was worth the price difference.
5. The bigger size make the vehicle safer in a collision.

 

[DCGOO]

I bought the five seat too. There are only two of us in my family
1. Far and away the main reason was I wanted the 5 was extra space in the rear, covered under the deck.
2. Vastly easier entry and exit due to the taller doors. I hated the struggle getting in and out of the S
3. Seating position is much better, both driver and front seat passenger (IMO).

 

[Bacalao]

Just me. Agree with all the reasons mentioned. Fold down seats flat and I can lay my bike in there without taking off the front wheel. On long road trips I bring a camping sleeping pad and take naps while charging. Or spend the night with Climate Control as needed. And that third row IMO is not suitable for anything other than small children.

 

[ChadS]

I agree with Saghost that adding the rear seats later will likely be very difficult because you'll be blazing new trails. Tesla clearly wants you to buy the seats up-front, and they'll throw in the extra AC stuff to sweeten the deal.

If it was just my wife and I, we would have kept her S rather than buying an X a year and a half ago - while the X is very nice and serves all of our needs, even after a year and a half with it we kind of wish we still had an S. It's all minor stuff, but the S is better looking, cheaper, quicker, has better handling, is more efficient, has less whiz-bang stuff to break...plus we already had the S. But in our case, we sold the S and bought an X mainly because of her father. He's 84, 6'4", over 300lbs and has a bad back - getting in and out of the taller X is much easier for him. (At the time my Mom was about to have her spine reconstructed, and we figured it would be easier getting her in and out too; although she is only 5'2" and has partly recovered, so my 3 now works pretty good for her). BTW, at the time if you chose the 100kWh battery, the S-vs-X price difference was even lower - I seem to recall it being just over 2k. I don't know why the battery upgrade was cheaper on the X than on the S at the time.

As for the 5-seater, we went for it because we didn't need to carry more people, and the 5-seater was cheaper and had more storage - we take long road trips and my wife goes on long camping trips in it, so we thought the storage would help. (The 6-seater was out of consideration, as my wife throws her bike in the back of the car several times a week, so the rear seats had to fold). I must confess, however, that I'm disappointed with the extra storage on the 5-seater - it's not that much space, it's hard to reach especially if you have a cargo mat, and worse is that it opens to the deeper rear well, so anything you put there will slide back and fall as soon as you accelerate. What we have now is fine; but if I was to buy another one, I'd get the 7-seater.

 

[DCGOO]

As for the 5-seater, we went for it because we didn't need to carry more people, and the 5-seater was cheaper and had more storage - we take long road trips and my wife goes on long camping trips in it, so we thought the storage would help. (The 6-seater was out of consideration, as my wife throws her bike in the back of the car several times a week, so the rear seats had to fold). I must confess, however, that I'm disappointed with the extra storage on the 5-seater - it's not that much space, it's hard to reach especially if you have a cargo mat, and worse is that it opens to the deeper rear well, so anything you put there will slide back and fall as soon as you accelerate. What we have now is fine; but if I was to buy another one, I'd get the 7-seater.

There is a lid for the rear portion, under the deck. Makes the under deck storage completely flat. I store the trailer hitch and charging equipment in the deep well.

Model X Rear Trunk Load Floor - 5 Seater

 

[boaterva]

What is this ‘folds flat’? The 7 seater second row folds completely flat. The only different in storage is the ‘under compartment’ in the rear where the third row seats aren’t.

I got the 7 seater in order to have the rear HVAC system as was noted but I have no idea what the several ‘fold flat’ comments mean. We aren’t comparing to the 6 seater second row which doesn’t fold at all.

What am I missing here?

 

[DCGOO]

What is this ‘folds flat’? The 7 seater second row folds completely flat. The only different in storage is the ‘under compartment’ in the rear where the third row seats aren’t.

I got the 7 seater in order to have the rear HVAC system as was noted but I have no idea what the several ‘fold flat’ comments mean. We aren’t comparing to the 6 seater second row which doesn’t fold at all.

What am I missing here?

The earlier 7-seaters had a pedestal second row, similar to the 6-seat. They did not fold flat, but seated 7.

 

[Saghost]

The earlier 7-seaters had a pedestal second row, similar to the 6-seat. They did not fold flat, but seated 7.

True, but hardly relevant to someone deciding what to order today.

The current seven seat folds just as flat as the current five, and I think has the same amount of second row space if slid all the way to the rear.

I've read a couple cases of folks with the five seat breaking the mounts that the middle panel rests on, which along with the AC and the possibility I might need 7 in the future is why I went with the seven seat even though I expect the third row to stay folded 99% or more of the time in my car.

 

[dblankenbaker]

We have 2 adult teens and occasionally, we go on trips together. I found a MX 5-seater and was wondering if I could add the 3rd bench later on if needed. Anyone know if I can do this through Tesla or from an after-market products?

Keep in mind the 2nd row seat in the 5 seater is located further back than the 7 seater, effectively taking away ALL potential 3rd row leg room. So you'd have to figure out how to move the second row foward for both access and leg room.

 

[DCGOO]

True, but hardly relevant to someone deciding what to order today.

The current seven seat folds just as flat as the current five, and I think has the same amount of second row space if slid all the way to the rear.

Yes, you are correct. You asked about the confusion. I was just pointing out that not all 7-seat configurations could fold flat. I don’t know about the spacing. The five seat second row does not move at all.

 

[BigMskiman]

MX is the way to go if you bring bikes inside, go skiing, need to haul big stuff, or just want your dog to have a castle around town (his head is out the window in wind on short drive for coffee, otherwise dog carrier, I have soft & hard, fit no problem).

My 5 seater does all this and has the extra "below deck" storage. But if you ever wanna carry more then 5, get the 7.

 

[r0xx0r]

True, but hardly relevant to someone deciding what to order today.

The current seven seat folds just as flat as the current five, and I think has the same amount of second row space if slid all the way to the rear.

I've read a couple cases of folks with the five seat breaking the mounts that the middle panel rests on, which along with the AC and the possibility I might need 7 in the future is why I went with the seven seat even though I expect the third row to stay folded 99% or more of the time in my car.

Yes, especially OP is from California. I have 5-seater and from SoCal too. have photosync tint to cool the car down but I can tell the car will be hot even with LO settings if you let the car sit under the sun for an hour.

 

[LA88]

So the 2nd row on a 5-seater has more leg room than 2nd row 7-seater because the 2nd row mounts further back? Can the 2nd row slide back and forth on the 5th seater? how about on the 7-seater?
Also, why some of you put the bike inside the car rather than using the bike rack and mount on the hitch?
I wish the 3rd bench can be removed like my old Suburban.
Didn't know about the extra air vents/HVAC on the 7-seater. Good point and noted. Regarding the heat on the glass roof, the MS has the all glass roof as well so I would say both are evenly hot in the southern states.

 

[Saghost]

So the 2nd row on a 5-seater has more leg room than 2nd row 7-seater because the 2nd row mounts further back? Can the 2nd row slide back and forth on the 5th seater? how about on the 7-seater?

The second row on the 7 seat slides forward and back manually. I haven't measured, but the total distance is somewhere around 6".

I've read the 5 is fixed, I think somewhere close to the rearmost position of the 7 but I'm not 100% certain...

 

[DCGOO]

So the 2nd row on a 5-seater has more leg room than 2nd row 7-seater because the 2nd row mounts further back? Can the 2nd row slide back and forth on the 5th seater? how about on the 7-seater?
Also, why some of you put the bike inside the car rather than using the bike rack and mount on the hitch?
I wish the 3rd bench can be removed like my old Suburban.
Didn't know about the extra air vents/HVAC on the 7-seater. Good point and noted. Regarding the heat on the glass roof, the MS has the all glass roof as well so I would say both are evenly hot in the southern states.

The second row in the 5 seat does not move. One small side benefit of that is, it never squeaks. Unlike the 7 seat which moves and squeaks sometimes.