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gavine
Petrol Head turned EV Enthusiast
It's hardly camouflaged. White tape over the windshield and headlights does not a camouflaged car make. They are toying with us.
Agreed. There is no way at this late stage that there is going to be a major redesign to the body shape versus what we are seeing being tested. The wrapping they are using is intentionally making the design look uglier than it will be in its final form, which is causing people to overreact and dislike the design. I'm not sure what older body panels they would be using anyway, as most of the design work was done on computer and all the major changes would have been done in the 20 months between the second prototype being shown and the first alphas being built.
There are a few obvious changes that haven't been noted. The side window trim extends slightly ahead of the front doors now instead of being even with the front of the door. This allows the windshield to be pushed out slightly more and increase aerodynamics. The pattern in the taillights now resembles the Model S more closely, with a C-shaped inner section rather than a flat line. Of course, much of the detail is still covered up. I do think the final version will draw many comparisons to a heightened Model S, which for better or worse it is, but the many special features that go above and beyond what Model S offers will put it in a class by itself.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
This.
I've stayed mostly quiet on this thread because I'm just not with the majority thinking we've finally spotted the X. I'm sure we have not. That's why I've stayed out of all the speculation about wheel base size based on measurements, etc. And I try not to think about what's coming, mostly because whatever I come up with will undoubtedly be wrong. So this post rings true to me.
Merrill
Merrill
My interest is peaked, what could be the final shocking design. Are we talking minor changes or major body panel changes. The wait is killing me and wonder when we will see the real thing.
Subaru analogy:
Too long to be a Forester so aim to be an Outback but with even higher axles and bigger wheels, at least optionally. More ground clearance and of course air susp on top of that. TM is doing major redesign here, else it would just be an S done up as a mini-van and we would have seen it already.
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Too long to be a Forester so aim to be an Outback but with even higher axles and bigger wheels, at least optionally. More ground clearance and of course air susp on top of that. TM is doing major redesign here, else it would just be an S done up as a mini-van and we would have seen it already.
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I agree completely. I think people's doubt that this is not the final styling comes out of panic that the car might be delayed again, and it's difficult to see how they can be testing cars at this late date that are not close to the final version.
As was stated earlier, they don't have to road-test the body. Is Elon going to say you won't see it until it's ready for delivery, then slap a little duct tape over the nose cone and drive it around town?
I live in an area where a LOT of automobile road testing takes place. Yesterday I saw 8 full-size Mercury Grand Marquis driving down the road (they don't make those anymore). The tires stuck out about 3" from the body on each side, so they were testing components from some other vehicle. Point is, what you see being road tested has nothing to do with what is being released until they are ready for you to see it.
I think several automakers had time to copy aspects of the Model S styling BEFORE it was delivered, and they don't want that to happen again.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
I'm thinking that people should not get their hopes up on a "shocking" redesign. It's most likely IMO going to be similar to what we've seen so far.
Tesla locked in the final specs of the Model X last year, and they would have had to be road testing cars of this spec for some time. Tesla simply cannot keep this off the roads, because they have to verify how the body performs in the outside world.
Everyone should remember the hype over last week's press conference. Elon announced an OTA update, and that turned into all sorts of wild speculation here: secret battery capacity unlocking, metal air battery boosters, Superchargers at Sears, and more. The actual announcement? An OTA software update. I would be very surprised if the final Model X exterior was radically different from what's already been shown via spy photos and Tesla's own teaser image that was mailed out last year to reservation holders.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
Even 3 years after the Model S launch I can't think of anything that looks like it tries to copy aspects of the S.
In any case, it's not easy to chase another company's styling. It takes years to design a car, and even minor changes can cascade into major redesign requirements. I remember that Elon was unhappy with the door on a Lotus glider when the Roadster was being designed, and the Lotus people told him that changes to the door would be fairly disruptive to the overall design. By the time someone else has copied Tesla's design, it's years too late and Tesla will have moved on to the next big thing.
GM has entire labs devoted to breaking down and 3D scanning the competition's products. The Malibu still isn't the same caliber as a Honda Accord. Copying and chasing is not a winning strategy. I doubt Tesla is worried about it.
Nubo
Test Mule
And I'm quite fine with that. I rather liked the prototype… er… "beluga whale". The only thing I don't particularly care for is the black plastic nosecone and I harbor some hope still that they're creating an illusion of the nosecone with their camouflage.
Or at least covering the fact that they've started using color-coordinated pieces. But even if it's still the same Model S nosecone I can live with it. I think some folks have come to expect that there must be a radical exterior redesign to justify the 3-year delay. I'd rather the time was spent in other areas. I put in a reservation based on what I saw, not with the idea that the final product would necessarily be strikingly different in appearance.
I guess it's that I don't own a Model S, so I don't see one every day. he Maserati fools me every time.
Jag's get me, too.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
Oddly, the Maserati front reminds me of… Fisker Karma
Definitely a resemblance with the Jag, but I'm fairly certain that people actually accused Tesla of stealing Jaguar styling, not the other way around.
I don't have a real reason to think there'll be any copiers...
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Right. Nobody wants to get too far away from the trends, but they all seem to look similar. I tried to delete the MX/Mazda comparison for the same reason but couldn't. Too many Mazda ties, so regretted putting it up.
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Oddly, the Maserati front reminds me of… Fisker Karma
Definitely a resemblance with the Jag, but I'm fairly certain that people actually accused Tesla of stealing Jaguar styling, not the other way around.
Right. Nobody wants to get too far away from the trends, but they all seem to look similar. I tried to delete the MX/Mazda comparison for the same reason but couldn't. Too many Mazda ties, so regretted putting it up.
... The only thing I don't particularly care for is the black plastic nosecone and I harbor some hope still that they're creating an illusion of the nosecone with their camouflage.
You know, I feel the same way about the nosecone, but as I was driving along the other day I started looking at vehicles coming from the other direction, wondering what they would look like with no grille at all. I think it might be too unique, and having a big, blank area in the front might not be the right choice in these days when the hairclipper grille seems all the rage.
So I started thinking of other past cars that had no grille -- mostly air-cooled rear engine jobs.
Infiniti tried it for a while (I always thought it looked like a bar of soap)
Some electric or aero cars have what I call "vestigial" grilles -- often because they are converted ICE's
I'd include the Leaf's charge door in this category
I never say bad things about this car, but it's still a little "out there" in styling
I guess my point is, I don't know that I like the nosecone, but I probably like it better than having nothing on the front.
The Model X, one angry bird, cause its nose is out of joint over a cone.
I actually like it, gives it great distinction from other vehicles. Hopefully it'll be similar to the white prototype along with the lights cause it reminds me of Red. And with signature red, It'll surely be putting a feather in my cap.
I actually like it, gives it great distinction from other vehicles. Hopefully it'll be similar to the white prototype along with the lights cause it reminds me of Red. And with signature red, It'll surely be putting a feather in my cap.
I think the X will be up to the challenge.
For one thing, I expect it to be very popular in the taxi and especially black car fleets - lots of room for people, fancy reputation, and low running costs.
It also seems like a natural for police fleets, though it will likely take them a while to break with tradition.
And of course, there's at least 20,000 people who are convinced they want one even though they haven't seen it yet.
Walter
Nubo
Test Mule
The overbearing grille is definitely common these days but not my taste at all. That Lexus is a monstrosity, imho.
I like the other examples particularly the EV-1. Form should follow function. And the only thing worse than an oversized grille is a faux grille.
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