Autoblog Green Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Blanco gets behind the wheel of the Tesla Model X to test out the all-electric SUV from the Silicon Valley car company.
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SEBASTIAN BLANCO: Hi there Sebastian Blanco from Autoblog and Autoblog Green here, and, when you got a job like mine, the truth is, some days are a lot better than others. Today is one of those days because I get to drive the Tesla Model X.
In some ways this is a Model S. I mean, this is the same power train, the same chassis, the same battery sizes. It just happens to be [? the ?] SUV with the Falcon Wing doors instead of the sedan version.
As you would expect from a Tesla, the Model X is quiet. It's crazy fast, crazy quick, and it gives you incredible performance at a high price. This is the Signature Series that we're driving today, which means that it has all of the extra features that you could get when the car launched.
And, when the owner delivered in December, he has had about a dozen upgrades to the software since then. Little things keep coming and keep getting fixed, and they've changed the actuators in the Falcon Wing doors. They've adjusted some of the carpets because they had the wrong carpet in here. So Tesla is able to make lots of changes either over the air through the software or when you take it in and get things updated there as well. And I think, when you pay this much money for the Signature Series, well over $100,000, the company wants to make sure you're taken care of.
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One of the things that is really nice about driving this Model X, as you might suspect, is that you have all the enjoyment and the thrill of driving that you want from her electric vehicle. You can adjust the suspension. You can adjust whether Ludicrous Speed is on or not. You get the instant torque of an electric motor, so anybody who's wishing they could have the performance that the Model S has but wants the bigger space, you're not giving up anything when you step into the X.
I was impressed with how small the way that the Falcon Wing doors, the size, the space they take up, it really is quite impressive that they only come out a little bit and then move up. So good job to Tesla engineers on that. The question, of course, is whether the extra cost of engineering and maintaining and operating, that that kind of feature is worth it in a car that every other automaker has decided doesn't need something like that.
We did have a little bit of difficulty with them. Sometimes the sensors would think that, oh, there's something there, and they wouldn't open all the way. The tuning doesn't seem to be as good as it might be. And again, this makes you wonder how has something like a Model 3, which won't have these kind of doors. Let's be honest. Will Tesla want to release something that isn't 100% out into the wild?
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It's interesting to think of what this launch of the X can tell us about the Model 3 because, when you spend as much money as you might on this car, you might be at the stage where you're not too concerned if something's a little bit off because you know what you're getting into with the new company.
But if you're now someone who has saved and saved and saved to get a Tesla, and you're in your Model 3, and it's your only car, can Tesla get away with letting these sort of quality issues slip? Now, maybe they can. They've built up a lot of brand goodwill over the years [? with ?] people who really want a car like this, and so maybe they'll be able to work. Or maybe by the time that car comes out, they'll have solved some of these basic problems, or maybe they won't try anything as complicated with the 3 as they are with the X. And then the solutions will present themselves because everything will be a bit simpler.
But as I drive the X today, having great time, really enjoying the California sunshine. And a car like this really makes me think a lot more about the future, and so, as exciting as it is to get into the X today, I can't wait to get into the Model 3.
I would also like to give a sincere thanks to Randy Hanson for letting us borrow his Model X today. Thanks Randy.
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For Autoblog and Autoblog Green, this is Sebastian Blanco signing off from an excellent work day.
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