It was fascinating to chat with Luke Harnell, Product Specialist, and his colleague, Kathryn Mathers, Store Coordinator, at the Leeds brand centre for Tesla. Bear in mind that a visit to Tesla is closely akin to visiting an Apple store, thus you are greeted by a non-commissioned, knowledgeable ‘genius’, as opposed to a pressurised sales medium. The charm initiative is intentional; it is non-slimy, mildly inquisitive and so judiciously pitched that, at no time, are the questions when, what, or where asked…the potential customer will provide those details willingly, rather than by sales interrogation.
While all visitors to the Tesla shop are welcomed, as there remains much curiosity to be satisfied, the much-vaunted ‘customer experience’ is key to the process. Face it: Tesla is different. It is a technology firm, not a car company. It has an enormous ground-breaking and perception-broadening task to complete, which it achieves largely by evangelical means. While a Lotus Elise-based Roadster model established some parameters (high mileage potential, supercar performance and familiar styling), it has been the task of the Model S, semi-luxurious saloon, to crack the markets around the world, which it does with its high mileage potential, supercar performance and a design stance that makes Jaguar, Lexus and the Teutonic Threesome (Audi, BMW and Merc) look sick.
While Model S was available originally with rear-wheel-drive, installing a synchronous electric motor on the front axle now makes it 4WD (better for stability, traction and control). Yet, a vital ingredient, something that would satisfy an apparently unceasing desire for the ubiquitous SUV, was missing…Tesla needed one in its range. It might not be a carmaker in traditional terms but it recognises market demands. Model X is the answer.
Naturally, Model X could hardly be ‘conventional’…it had to defy convention, by rote. Tesla’s SUV has ‘gullwing’, or, as it prefers to describe them, falcon-wing, rear passenger doors. When opened electronically, they present a polyhedral outline, of sorts. However, these doors are clever. In conjunction with in-built lateral cameras and sensors, in really-tight parking situations, these far-from-space-saving doors need only around 30cm clearance (on either side being opened), as the doors travel upwards and then outwards (once clear of obstructions) to provide unrivalled access for rear-seat guests and no dents on adjacent vehicles.
While the rear pair of doors is special, so, too, is the front pair…not as ‘trick’ but electronically impressive. Apply pressure to the centre of the flush-mounted chrome door handle on either side and the doors pop open on hydraulic assist struts. Cabin access is unparalleled, while egress demands neither Swiss Army knife flexibility, nor a knowledge of callisthenics. The test Model X is equipped with grey leather on its six individual seats (seven are available) and there is space in abundance thanks mainly to plenty of foot and legroom, let alone headroom, even though the Model X is taller than many SUVs but shorter than a Range Rover.
The cabin ambiance is dominated by the 17.0-inch portrait-format touch-screen that controls virtually all aspects of the vehicle, other than actual driving (although elements of autonomous self-driving do form part of Tesla’s advanced features). However, the ‘largest windscreen in the car scene’, a sensuously curved and UV-tinted glass structure, reaches from the almost unreachable front edge of the dashboard up to and beyond the heads of front seat occupants and the crossbar that provides vital strength and integrity to the roof section.
Having never experienced such an airy cabin, other than in a drop-top sportscar, considering that the X is one, large, all-enveloping motorcar, the lack of folding seats hardly seems to matter. The rear boot is impressively accommodating, with a deep trough below its false-floor, while a front boot, or ‘frunk’, as Tesla people call it, supplements carrying capacity, with enough space for the weekend, family shopping trip. It is an impressive trick, made feasible due to the lack of conventional engine and the use of the underfloor to contain the Lithium-ion battery pack.
While there are less potent electric motors available, that of the test X is in 100D specification, which means that mind-warping electric performance is available, on-tap and instantly (as a comparison to a ‘conventional’ petrol engine, it develops around 417bhp and 470lbs ft of torque, enough to make towing a 2.0-tonne trailer viable). There is also a P version that can provide the ‘ludicrous’ performance setting, although the chunky Model X 100D still cracks the 0-60mph benchmark in a cool 4.6s, before topping-out at a restricted 155mph. Tap consistently into the punchier resources and the actual driving range will dip into the mid-200s but, behave and around 350-miles of rechargeable range is available. An hour-long lunch-stop, at any of the available network of Tesla Superchargers that the on-board sat-nav will direct the car to, will take the capacity from near zero to 80%-plus, to make long-distance expeditions an EV-SUV reality, if not quite as efficacious as a Model S would be.
All Tesla models are provided with enough free charges annually (around eight) to enable a good driver experience and to build early confidence using the Superchargers. Subsequent public recharges cost around £20 each, although a domestic home-charger for overnight trickle charges equates to around £10 cost per use. Factor in a road tax of £310, because of the high list price, although it is only a fifth of the rate applied to a Range Rover Autobiography, and the actual operational costs are still low. The list price of the test car is a whopping £106,550, which includes £950 for the paint job, £5,200 for the 22.0-inch alloy wheels, £5,700 for the six-seat cabin, with £3,100 for the black hide, and you appreciate that the cost of premium-grade, high-tech modesty is not low-level.
