Tesla's Model X: What critics, analysts are saying

Tesla’s Model X is one of the most anticipated new nameplates of the year. It has been delayed multiple times for various reasons but that hasn’t stopped countless consumers from placing deposits with Tesla to buy one. Those who have waited until now to place an order can expect to take delivery in the second half of 2016, Tesla says. Here’s what some critics and others are saying about the crossover unveiled last week at the company’s factory in Fremont, Calif.

“The graphical user interface in the gauges, the enormous touchscreen, the ambient lighting and supremely comfortable seats are all nothing short of exceptional. In the short minutes I had to soak it all in, the Model X interior felt every bit as opulent as a Range Rover or Mercedes S-Class. But it’s the displays that really blow everything else away. Supremely crisp graphics, animations, colors, the main gauges and massively adjustable infotainment software are engrossing.”

-- Andrew P. Collins, Jalopnik

“The Model X is loaded -- and we’re not being overdramatic here -- with features that just seem beyond the pale of anything the traditional auto industry seemed to care about or would be willing to try. There’s so much new stuff that talking about the electric drivetrain and its 250-mile range, which no other automaker can touch at the moment, seems passe.”

-- Chris Woodyard, USA Today

“Of all the things that, at first glance, make the X so remarkable, the most impressive thing about it is the overall impression it imparts. It’s a practical car -- Musk has five young children, and clearly considers the demands of hauling them all when designing vehicles -- but it’s not a minivan or station wagon that embarrasses parents and kids alike.”

-- Chuck Squatriglia and Alex Davies, Wired

“The driver sits high but the bodywork rises such that it just feels like a Model S on jackstands. The different view is up, where a wave of shaded glass flows over your head, standing in for the windshield-header beam and sun visors on most cars. The sun visors attach to the A-pillar and can be stretched across the cabin to magnetic posts to create a sun shield. The windshield, says Musk, is made from seven layers (‘like a tiramisu’), and he also figures it’s the largest piece of glass in a production car.”

-- Aaron Robinson, Car and Driver

“Rather than bringing Tesla closer to the goal of the Model III, the Model X may be a 2.5-ton warning sign that the company is either unwilling or unable to pull it off. The Model X’s prohibitively expensive technology, including its low-volume aluminum construction, batteries and propulsion system, is virtually identical to that of the Model S. In other words: The Model X may hold seven passengers, but its technology and price hold no evidence that Tesla has realized critical economies of scale in design, materials and manufacturing. Or, a technical breakthrough that would reduce the enormous cost and mass of its batteries. So Tesla appears no closer to its promise of bringing affordable electric cars to the masses. The Model X, in fact, moves the goalposts in the opposite direction. Musk says he plans to build 500,000 vehicles a year by 2020, but I’m not holding my breath. (And not because of VW diesel NOx.)”

-- Lawrence Ulrich, The Drive

“ ... we expect the 2016 Tesla Model X to be pretty good, especially since the company has been working on it since 2012, when the first styling concept was presented. Of course, maybe it’s a good thing that so many years have passed, since our feelings about Tesla have changed. We've grown used to each introduction of a new Tesla being a cultural event, just as this one was at the Tesla facility near the company’s assembly [plant] in Fremont, California. We expect Elon Musk to do his MTV strut on a stage in front of hundreds [of] fans as the music pounds all around. And now we find it charming (not disturbing) when Musk says about the Model X, ‘It raises the bar for automotive engineering like nothing else in the world. It is the car of the future.’”

-- Michael Jordan, Automobile

“Okay, yes, we’ve known about the roof-hinged rear doors for a long time. But we didn’t know how advanced they’d be. The fully automated falconwings are hinged both at center roof spine and where the roof meets the side windows. They use a plethora of sensors, including what Musk calls the world’s first ultrasonic sensors that can see through metal, mounted behind the aluminum door skins. The amount of free space around the door determines how it opens: In a narrow parking spot, the doors open nearly vertically, while in a garage with low overhead clearance they’ll swing more to the sides. Musk says they’re designed so a parent can hoist a young child into a carseat without having to hunch over, but he admits they were also designed to look cool. … Sometimes, Musk will be halfway through explaining something outlandish before you realize he’s not joking. That was the case with the HVAC system in the Model X. ‘We calculated it,’ he told journalists. ‘If there was a bioweapon attack, all you would need to do is get in your car. So we have a button, Bioweapon Defense Mode.’ Sure enough, it’s a setting in the HVAC menu. During the unveiling to customers, Musk claimed this is the first car in the world with a true HEPA filter, and fans cheered as he held up the Model X’s yard-long filter in one hand and the paperback-sized filter of a competitor in the other. Side note: The Tesla customers in attendance would cheer about seemingly anything.”

-- Robert Sorokanich, Road & Track

“You thought the Model X was just for Silicon Valley types who never venture out into the wilderness? Think again. The Model X features a 5,000-lb. towing capacity, the most of any electric vehicle and very competitive with most SUVs on the market. That’s all thanks to the mountains of instantaneous torque afforded by an electric drivetrain. Expect to see many boats and campers fixed to the back of these silent beasts in the future.”

-- Brian Leon, New York Daily News

“Musk says that the Model X was designed with an emphasis on safety, declaring an expectation that it will earn five-star ratings in every government test, including front crash, side pole, and rollover. Aiding its safety performance is not only a strong structure, fortified with the large, low-mounted battery pack, but also an inherent benefit of being an electric vehicle -- no engine to be pushed back into the passenger compartment. The Tesla Model X comes standard with advanced safety features, including high-speed automatic braking and a side-collision-avoidance system that will use the camera, radar, and ultrasonic sensors to monitor traffic all around it. Tesla emphasizes that its over-the-air updates will continue to improve the ‘autopilot’ features, edging the Model X (and Model S) closer to autonomous operation.”

-- Jeff S. Bartlett, Consumer Reports

“It's not a huge vehicle, but the Model X manages to have a front trunk and seat seven people. Headroom in the second row is compromised by the falcon doors -- an aluminum and magnesium backbone that runs through the center of the vehicle provides the structure for the door hinges. The outer seats have glass overhead, but the center seat is tight on headroom for anyone over about 5'11". Each of the three seats slides fore-aft and reclines independently. The third row seats two full-size adults, mostly. Headroom is surprisingly generous for a six-footer, though kneeroom is at a premium. For short trips, seven real adults could fit just fine — and the falcon door makes accessing the third [row] far easier than in other crossovers. Of course, the third row folds flat for cargo space.”

-- Jason Cammisa, Motor Trend

“The Model X's $132,000 price tag on the initial run of Signature Series vehicles will still ensure fairly exclusive status even after any federal, state or local incentives. However, Tesla boss Elon Musk says roughly 25,000 pre-orders are already in the can and anyone ordering now can expect an 8- to 12-month wait for delivery.”

-- Bob Nagy, Kelley Blue Book

“But what makes it so amazing? There is, to start, the fundamental matter that this is a Model S in new clothes -- and we already know what a beast the S is. Little is lost in translation here: I sampled the P90D variant of the Model X with Ludicrous Mode enabled, and it's every bit as capable of putting a dumb grin on my face when I smash the accelerator. My brain is basically unable to mathematically comprehend how a car of this width, height, and girth is able to hustle like that. I'm not exaggerating: with Ludicrous turned on, the X will hit 60 miles per hour as quickly as a Porsche 911 Turbo.”

-- Chris Ziegler, The Verge

"The name of the game for Tesla right now is 'diversification.' The company made a big splash with Model S, and the next step is to win over a larger audience in other segments. Model X is a smart step toward capturing the attention of high-end SUV shoppers. And while the Model S skews heavily male, the Model X is an opportunity for Tesla to expand its customer base by appealing to more female consumers who make up a strong share of crossover SUV buyers.”

-- Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com