Thanks Chad,
Lotsa info there.
What are your thoughts on the different 2nd and 3rd row seating options?
The early 2016 X came with only the 7 seat option wherein the 2nd row seats wouldn't fold flat.
Later 2016 models came with 5 seat option with the 2nd row folding flat.
Was told by OA that these are more coveted on the pre-owned market.
Dunno if I'll ever need all that flat space so I thought I'd ask.
What year and battery size are your rides?
Thanks
MDR
The Model X we drove last night was a 5-seater. In comparing the different configurations, the 5-seater saves $6K versus the 6-7 seat configurations. I was also impressed with the good comfort of the 2nd row in the 5-seater as it has a nice recline feature. The biggest benefit I see to the 5-seater is that the cargo area is well contained and the "bench" configuration of the 2nd row acts like a wall to prevent stuff in the cargo area from being thrown forward into the seating area (as is the case with the 6-seater). While the 7-seater would offer the same benefit as the 5-seater in terms of isolating cargo, the 5-seater has the added benefit of in-floor storage fore of the larger in-floor storage area seen in all of the models. This additional storage area is made possible with the omission of the 3rd row flat-folding seats.
In looking at the 7-seater, there are a couple of key features not found on the 5-seater. The first is the fact that the second row seats slide back and forth versus a fixed position in the 5-seater. While this is primarily intended to allow access to the 3rd row, it also serves as a fringe benefit.
Another benefit of the 7-seater (and 6-seater) is the fact that it has a separate rear seat climate system with additional ventilation. This system is controlled from the MCU in front along with the dual-zone front climate control. The 5-seater ventilation is just a two zone system like the Model S.
IF, a 3rd row is important to you, my wife and I discovered that the 6-seater offers the best compromise. You see, with the 7-seater, the third row is very cramped. It's virtually shut off completely from the rest of the cabin. In the case of the 6-seater, you have the very large space between the 2nd row seats that serves not only as a passage to the 3rd row seats, but also as a place to stretch out. I am 6'1". Last weekend, we went for a drive in our 6-seater MX with my wife, my brother, his wife and their two teenage kids to look at Christmas lights. I sat in the 3rd row the entire 75 mile trip with no problem at all. My legs were completely stretched out in the space between the 2nd row seats. Had our MX been a 7-seater, this would not have been possible.
Other key benefits to the 6-seater include the ability to haul long materials (such as 8' boards, etc.) without having to fold down the 2nd row seats. The cabin also feels more open having that space in between the 2nd row seats. In addition, those 2nd row seats are a monopost design that have a ton of storage space beneath them. This additional storage benefit is not as good in the 5/7 seat configurations due to the way the seats mount on a more conventional frame. The monopost seats in the 6-seater intelligently move forward when folding down the 3rd row seats so they don't hit. When accessing the third row seats from the falcon wing doors, the monopost seats are automatic and move forward very quickly, even moving the front row seats forward as needed to make more room. It's very cool how it all works! Unfortunately, having that space between those seats means that your cargo can fly forward if your 3rd row seats are down.
In my experience with the 7-seater I had for 2 weeks, the most uncomfortable seat position was that of the 2nd row middle seat. Because the center spine on the Model X is so substantial - the structural piece in the roofline between the two falcon wing doors - , there is a significant lack of headroom in this position. Perhaps kids would be okay with this. But, I do recall some adults who rode with us commenting on this issue.
My Model S is a Feb 2016 car with a 90kWh pack. My wife's Model X is a Sep 2017 car with the 100kWh pack. We chose the 100 pack on the MX because of our plans to travel cross country during our time off in the Winter. Cold weather and snowy mountain driving conditions in Colorado take a big toll on range. While our experience with the MX 75D we had in California over the Summer was positive, the ideal weather made the range of 185 miles...well...ideal. Also, the car we drove had 42,000 miles on it. I think the decreased range had something to do with inevitable battery degradation which can be expected.
I could have probably worded this a little better. Hope this all makes sense. Thanks for your questions!
