Tesla Model X Review 2024
Tesla Model X At A Glance
The 2016 Tesla Model X gives you things that no other luxury electric car can, namely the ability to seat seven people and theatrical Falcon Wing doors. It also gives you all the stuff EV buyers like, such as emission-free motoring, low running costs, strong performance, a very long driving range and impressive refinement. It’s very expensive, though, and cheaper rivals such as the Audi E-Tron, Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes EQC drive better and are far stronger on interior quality.
You’ve got to hand it to Elon Musk, he’s one heck of a marketeer. It’s incredibly difficult to get any start-up company off the ground, let alone one selling cars, let alone one exclusively selling electric cars at a time when hardly anyone was buying them.
And yet, that’s precisely what he did with Tesla. Amazing what you can achieve when you already have billions behind you, isn’t it?
But how did he do it? Simple. He made Teslas cool. He made it cool to drive a socially-responsible electric car. He made it cool to have pretty much every function controlled through a touchscreen. He made it cool to have a car that was so technologically advanced, it could receive updates and upgrades over wifi, rather than from a visit to the dealership.
Things like these really struck a chord with technology fans the world over, and Tesla soon became a must-have brand for any self-respecting early-adopter.
The Model X is one of the firm’s more aged offerings, and it’s also the biggest. Yet aside from its techy image and desirability, what does it give you that other electric cars can’t? Well, Falcon Wing doors, for one thing.
These lift up, up and away from the car’s body in dramatic fashion, meaning you’re bound to get noticed when you’re getting in or out. Another big tick for Tesla customers.
Unlike any of its rivals, it also has the ability to seat seven people, provided the right box on the options list has been ticked, that is. Interior space is pretty generous, too, although adults will only want to travel in the extra two chairs for short periods of time.
Where the big Tesla can’t match its rivals, though, is on interior quality. The materials, and the precision with which they’re assembled, simply can’t live up to the incredible standards set by the Audi E-Tron and Mercedes EQC, and that becomes even more galling when you consider how much more expensive than those cars the Model X is.
The Tesla trails the rest on the quality of its driving experience, too. It doesn’t handle as keenly as the Jaguar I-Pace, while the jittery ride means it’s not as comfortable as most rivals, either. And while an electric car will always be quieter than a combustion-engined car, it can’t match its direct rivals for refinement, either.
That said, the Tesla does have the edge in a few areas. All of the cars in this class are fast, but choose the fastest version of the Model X, and you’ll have one of the fastest cars on the planet, capable of doing 0-60mph in just 2.6 seconds. What’s more, and importantly for EV buyers, the Model X’s official range figures also have the beating of rivals’.
Looking for a second opinion? Read heycar's Tesla Model X review