So I was thinking, what if Tesla made doors that rolled underneath the chassis? That would certainly be a cool factor. Might give everybody what they want in a solid roof and yet having something unique to stand out. it could also keep most of the functionality of easy ingress and egress. Wonder if that would be possible?
It's possible: Looking at the above video, it looks like they would retract where the battery is located on Teslas. It looks like there might be a squeegee device along the door but I think snow and dirt could be a problem. Minivan doors aren't nearly as sexy but probably solve most problems that regular doors and FWDs have.
That rotary car door looks good. I would certainly be willing to consider an X with that instead of the FWD, providing it is at least as reliable as the FWD (low bar, I admit!)
I used to have access to a Rolls Royce Phantom. The two most disquishing features about it was the automatically opening and closing doors, plus the umbrella that stored inside the plenum of the door. When I discovered the X had those same type of self opening and closing doors it filled me with joy. I also like being able to open and close the passenger door for my lady, plus open the rear falcon wing doors for my guests when we used to go out for dinners. They really are quite remarkable. As far as the canoe issue, the marketshare for an electric SUV that can roof top a canoe is really quite small. On the other hand, I was able to get two 10'Hobie Kayaks inside, with still plenty of room for a rear passenger. Remarkable amount of space, actually.
I would give up the falcon doors for a large moonroof that opened and had an automated sunshade for when the rear passengers want to rest. Chuck in the ability to add a roof rack too.
Fortunately Elon would never cheapen the X by removing the FWDs. Let those who want a mini van look elsewhere. I can be parked amongst a dozen M3 and MYs and when I open the FWD a crowd approaches and takes notice.
Had all of that in our Enclave. Never - not once - used them. Also had 360 camera and rear view video mirror, too. Bought an X anyway. I voted no because without falcon wing doors, there IS NO X. With regular doors, they'd have to call it the Model V, since V is half of X.
What fanboy? I'm just saying - the X is built around the FWD. Replacing them would be like calling an Impala a Blazer. Neither is better or worse than the other - they're just .... different.
Well, that's you. I had the same argument with someone who said the same thing about the Model S panoramic sunroof and said that Tesla took away that feature because (he thinks) they had the stats that indicated 99.9% of owners never used it. I'll call it bogus but put forth it was most likely to be a high maintenance item. Some individuals might not use it, but I do as do others. I'll agree taking away the FWD would make the Model X less distinctive, but it would gain more practicality in a certain sense. I don't think Tesla would get rid of it anytime soon anyway.
Tesla needs to develop a (mini) van, or a Model V !!! Elon Musk mentioned that he dislikes sliding doors, so what about replacing the traditional Minivan sliding doors with two small doors, one opening normally and the other as a suicide door. It would be a little bit weird to have three doors on each side but because there is no pillar the third row access would be very easy. Here is a comparison of the Model X FWD third row access and Mazda EV rear row access
No, I’m not. My 2017 X cost me $2000 more than a Y would have (when I purchased it used last May). I danced back and forth as to whether I would buy a used X vs. a new Y and made my decision based on the size and features, mostly. I guess I was really responding to the second question, “what would you buy instead of the X?”.
Gotcha, that makes sense if you were comparing used X to new Y. I was thinking new vs. new. Thanks for the input!
Last night picked up my 13 year old granddaughter at a park & ride - car pooling for gymnastics - and I pulled up and opened the front door for her - with a touch of the screen - amazing how impressed her friends were saying, " I thought only the back doors opened". And of course the FWD make even a better impression. And yes it is nice, she had her gym gear and did not have to juggle to open even the front door. So the FWD and ALL automatic doors puts the X in very rare company.