At £85,000, the Tesla Model X all-electric seven-seater is out of reach for most drivers, but for those in the market for a luxury SUV, the car offers a cleaner, smarter and safer alternative to alternatives such as the Audi Q7 or Range Rover.
Tesla boss Elon Musk is keen to demonstrate that any type of car not only can work with an electric power train. The Tesla Roadster sport car and Model S saloon car can match petrol-powered rivals and the company is about to do the same with a seven-seater luxury SUV.
Occupant safety is vastly superior to any other SUV on the market. The floor-mounted battery lowers the centre of gravity so that the risk of rollover is almost non-existent. Furthermore, the battery structure strengthens the car significantly against side impacts. And the space under the bonnet, which would normally contain an internal combustion engine, becomes a giant crumple zone.
Falcon Wing rear doors may look more at home on a Lamborghini, but in the case of the Tesla Model X, they are not designed for ostentation. The doors are double hinged, so if you find yourself boxed in by other vehicles in a car park, they can swing up and outwards with only a few inches to spare. Once open, they allow easy access to second and third row seats from any parking space. Parents can load and buckle in children without ducking.
Tesla Model X: Game changer
The high price puts the Tesla Model X out of reach for all but a tiny percentage of motorists, but that does not make it any less of a game changer where electric cars are concerned. Electric cars are easily dismissed, especially by those that haven’t tried them, for all kinds of reasons. The Tesla Model X, however, outperforms its internal combustion engined rivals. Want to carry extra passenger? It seats seven. Want superior occupant safety? It outperforms other SUVs in every area. Got a bout of range anxiety? It’s batteries will carry you 250 miles before they need topping up.
Elon Musk is shrewd. He is establishing the Tesla brand by targetting those that can afford to live with the lower-than-average re-sale values that affect today’s electric cars. In return for their money, early adopters are rewarded with vehicles that are cleaner, faster and safer for their occupants than any petrol or diesel-powered production car. The good news for the rest of us is that it can’t be too long before these features trickle down to the more realistically priced family cars of the near future.
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Esteban
Why a Range Rover? Fully loaded Tesla X is $150K. For that amount I can get a very nice Range Rover and another vehicle, how about a Prius. Also, I can go off-road. This is not an SUV, this is just a cross-over built on the same line as the Model S that has all wheel drive. The battery is in the middle lower center, any strong off road road will damage the battery. It should not be called a SUV. A Range Rover is a true four wheel drive SUV.
Better yet, get a fully option Suburban of Expedition, with great off road and towing capacity, up to 9000lb, hold more people and also purchase a Prius fully loaded.
Yannick Read
I don’t think many Range Rovers go off road. And if they do, their drivers soon wish they’d bought a Hilux for one quarter of the price!
John soames
Absolutely. After all, they do say ‘if you want to get there, get a Land Rover. And if you want to get back, get a Toyota.’