I spoke with Jerome at the Palo Alto store opening on Saturday. He said he recently saw the latest update of the Model X design and it has some really nice improvements. I tried to find out what was changed compared to the prototype, which I think looks great. As you can imagine Jerome couldn't say much, though he said the latest design has some really cool tech. :smile:
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dirkhh
Middle-aged Member
It has repeatedly been stated that this is the same ("old') prototype they have shown before.
Since you were inside, could you say more about the amount of legroom / ease of getting in and out? Were there people in all three rows when you did that? How was the headroom in the 3rd row?
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
They packed the X for each drive around the track. There were no empty seats. And no complaints about getting in/out or leg room.
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Okay, not a 'track'. More 'a predetermined route around the parking lot that involved lots of curves and speed'.
I would have to respectfully disagree with you SFOturtle. I was able to take a test ride in the prototype Model X at the Model X reveal at the Hawthorne design center event back in February of 2012. I sat in the very back row, my wife (who is about 5 feet 3 inches and average build) was in the middle row and there was another person in the front passenger seat. We all felt like we had plenty of leg room and were comfortable. I felt like there was plenty of leg room in the 3rd row where I was sitting (I'm about 5 feet 10 inches with what I'd call an average length torso). From what I recollect, I also felt that if I had a person next to me (which I did not for the ride we took), we would have enough space to feel comfortable and not pressing shoulder to shoulder. Just my opinion, but I did actually sit in the back seats and rode in the car around the very short test drive loop Tesla set up for people who wanted to ride in the X.
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I took a video of my ride and I went back and watched it and reconfirmed that I wasn't imagining how much space there was in the X. I was very comfortable in the back by myself. Also FYI - the person who was driving the X for us said that the prototype does have the AWD system in it and it was a fully functioning prototype. Very little body roll in the car. I think people used to driving SUV's or Minivans will be in for a treat at how the X promises to drive.
Also the headroom seemed pretty massive from what I remember and the video seemed to confirm that as well. If you look at the picture in the post below by vfx, the people who sit on the two outside seats in the 2nd row are under the skylights. That adds quite a bit of headroom. The middle person has good headroom, but not as much as the side people. The back seat felt like it had plenty of head room. So I'd say the headroom was plenty across all three rows. I think because the prototype has that space in the back for luggage, the swooping down of the roofline doesn't impact the 3rd row at all (again from my recollections of coming up on 2 years in February!).
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Who was sitting in the seat in front of you, and how tall was that person? BTW, the headroom isn't an issue -- the height looks quite nice actually -- but legroom is a big question mark. I'm 6' 1" and I cannot imagine sitting in the back row, at least with the middle row seat in a setting that would allow someone of the same height to sit comfortably. I've watched the video with Elon and the guys getting out of the back seat -- and I keep wishing they had a camera view inside of the car so we can see if they are like packed in like sardines or if magically the car actually expands in the interior once it is fully packed with adults and no one is rubbing elbows or having their knees touch the seat in front of them.
Did someone from Tesla actually tell me -- "the reason why we're not having anyone sit in the car is because we don't want them to see how little room there is." No, no one said that. There were other issues with the car that I think were of greater concern that they didn't want the public to be trampling all over the car, and that didn't bother me. But let's just say, I overheard quite a number of people commenting about the lack of apparent space in the back row, and basically reaffirmed to me that I'm not crazy. And until people can actually get in this car to see for themselves, that will be an issue. Just my two cents.
Bottom line: If Tesla is able to secure tens of thousands of reservations on this car, deliver it in a timely manner and without any significant teething issues or embarrassment to the Company, make money off of it, and further pave the way for Gen. III and not be a distraction or hindrance to getting Gen. III on the road, then I'm a fan. If not, then I'm not a fan.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Except you're hearing from people who did get in the X (not just eyeballed it, but were in it, with butts in seat, and all seats occupied) and they're saying it wasn't an issue.
Great, and as a very satisfied Model S owner and wanna be Gen. III buyer, I hope people line in up in droves to buy the Model X -- I really do. My fear is that they won't or if they do, Tesla won't deliver a product that ultimately is worth the investment. That's why I'm voicing my opinion, and it's just an opinion. If you don't want to read it, then don't.
felixtb
RsEU502,Sp+14274,XpEUSig4
there was a woman with normal stature, about 5'10" sitting infront of me so she certainly needed leg space as well. infact the height of a normal person is usually not the problem with leg room. it is the space for the feet an lower legs that often jams up, like in an audi A4. and there was really no problems of that kind.
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it seems that you are not a fan of the X as a vehicle for TESLA to pursue and therefore do not care to listen to people that have sat in it, albeit for a short time. but rather try to profess that it cannot live up to what they intend and therefore should not be pursued. you discuss it here in hope that maybe TESLA will listen to your good reason and go straight to the E.....
the X is getting close to the 10000 mark and they have not even begun to build the alphas yet..... that I think speaks for itself that they are judging the market correctly. and our accounts of rides in the last row should account for, at least in cabin space, that they are indeed going to live upto what their intention is.
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Only partially true. I was a fan of the X until I saw it in person, although I had my doubts when I saw Elon stumble out of the third row of the car because it looked like he couldn't get his legs out. And my concerns weren't allayed when I heard lots of people looking at what I was looking at and express the same concern I had about legroom. B
ut when the time finally comes that we can actually sit in the car for ourselves to judge and not just take the word of a few folks who have had the privilege to sit in the third row months or years ago, then maybe I can see for myself how much legroom there really is in the back.
In terms of how many reservations there are, that is all speculation. No one outside of Tesla knows how many actual reservations are still being held, but I hope that the number is where you say it is and continues to grow.
Anyone know how long the Model X will be at the store? Have been out of town and just got back and really want to go see it!
I heard Tuesday (i.e. two days ago), but maybe just give them a ring and ask? Palo Alto | Tesla Store Locations | Tesla Motors
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Originally Posted by SFOTurtle
But the reason why they didn't have anyone actually get in the car, or have any of the Tesla people actually sit in the car, is because it would be all too obvious how little legroom there would be if someone actually intends to use both the second and third row simultaneously to seat life size adults.
So okay. The reason they didn't let people in the car wasn't actually what you originally stated. And perhaps, just perhaps, the legroom isn't what people are surmising by just looking but is actually what people are saying they experienced. Probably more than possible that what people have actually experienced and shared here in this thread is more likely than what people are guessing, yes?
Probably more than possible . . . more likely.... Uh, ok, if you say so Bonnie. I would agree that it's "probably more than possible" but not sure where that falls on the continuum between "more likely" than what others like myself who stood three feet from the car would be "guessing." Maybe you should run for office?
And I stand by my original statement even though it's not verbatim what I heard from Tesla (I actually was trying to avoid repeating what I had actually heard from Tesla because it was shared in confidence by people I like and respect). I wish you well with your Model X when you get it. And I hope that in 2 or at the latest 3 more years, and not four or five or six years because the Company got sidetracked building the X or other endeavors, that I'll be able to buy another Tesla -- Gen. III, because Model X is such a resounding success. Why don't we just leave it at that?
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bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Bit dismissive with the 'Maybe you should run for office?'. Look, all I'm saying is that instead of being totally dismissive of the folks who actually have sat in the vehicle, you might value their input. I don't get why you don't. Why don't we just leave it at that?
Ok, I do value people's input on this forum especially when, as I said above in at least one post, that I "respectfully" disagreed with them based on what I saw with my eyes. I hope I will get to sit in the third row of a Model X and report back here that I was dead wrong and contrary to how it might look to the naked eye, it is only an optical illusion and in fact, there's plenty of legroom in the third row. And if that's the case, I will gladly post an update rebuking my skepticism. If I didn't value the input of everyone who sat in the prototype and said they had plenty of legroom, I wouldn't have any interest in trying out that third row. But now I'm at least curious. How's that?
