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Anyone else waiting to see what the Model X by Tesla looks like tonight?

15K views 45 replies 19 participants last post by  AnOutsider 
#1 ·
Tesla is unveiling theh new SUV called Model X tonight at 8pm PT! Live stream on their website.
 
#6 ·
"Most cars are pretty Blah. This is not." Elon Musk

Seriously? If the best Musk can say about his own car is that it is not "Blah", I can't really get enthused about it. And he is not really known for his understatements. On the other hand, he may have learned from Fisker and is trying to moderate expectations.

--Fab.
 
#9 ·
SoCalGuy said:
Wow - how underwhelming!!! It just looks like a bloated Model S.

C'mon guys!
Huh. Aside from the gull-wing doors, it looks ... boring. The gull-wing doors are interesting, but look somehow wrong to me, too.

(I don't really mind "boring" in a car-as-appliance, but I think electric cars need to look exciting for a while yet, so that they become desirable, before they become mainstream and boring.)
 
#10 ·
The rear is horrendous. The front is boring, but tolerable. Too bad, as I was really considering plunking down a deposit.
 
#12 ·
I kinda like it myself. I agree it's not edgy and it's very mainstream - and that's the point I think. True EV adoption is going to happen when people think of an electric powertrain as an option and not as an exotic deviation from normal. The fact that the X is a well executed, if somewhat boring, crossover-style vehicle will help advance the ball. With the flat floor I imagine they can do some creative things with the interior too. I think the fact that it's unremarkable is sorta remarkable.

I do think the high gull wing doors are going to be a problem for a lot of folks. If you can't open your door in your garage you're not going to be able to buy the vehicle.
 
#14 ·
I think it looks... well normal, which isn't a bad thing. The gullwing doors, while cool, are a bit gimmicky and probably more trouble than it's worth.

Besides that though, this seems to be an amazing vehicle. The usable space of a minivan. Comfortably seats 7 adults with plenty of space for storage (including the frunk). The styling of an SUV. Which while not particularly exciting is rather popular these days. Sports car performance! AWD, 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds, extremely low center of gravity.

Tesla easily makes the best electric drive train.
 
#15 ·
I am going to see about pushing my Model S reservation over to the Model X.
Sparky168, for a completely battery EV if you don't like 300 miles in an hour's charge, would you be happier with 150 miles in 10 minutes? The chemistry exists today and it is called Lithium Titanate, Altairnano makes them and so does Toshiba with Toshiba marketing them under the name SCiB, for Super Charge ion Battery. They are in the newest model of the Mistubishi iMiev and coming in the Honda Fit EV.
 
#16 ·
The "Falcon Doors" are a daring choice. My house, like many houses in San Francisco have a garage on the ground level with the rest of the house built above the garage. Since there is an overall height limit of 40', the garage height is typically the minimum allowed by code to maximize the height of the living spaces, 8' I think or maybe even lower. Often, there are shelves and storage installed under the ceiling that effectively lower the clearance. And the Model X is fairly high off the ground and stands very tall, as can be seen in this picture with an adult standing next door to the door opening:




In a high-profile car like the model X, you may not be able to open the gull wing doors all the way inside a typical San Francisco garage. We see the same problem with our M-Class Benz's back gate,. which we can't open because it would hit the garage door mechanism if we did.

Now if you live in Atherton in a ranch-style home with 9' ceilings all around, including the garage, this may not be a problem. But in multistory homes in big cities, the Falcon Doors may end up being less than practical, or annoying if you end up getting a lot of dings on the door and on the ceiling.

-- Fab.
 
#19 ·
It would seem that for the Model X to be a big success Tesla will have to make changes to deal with the practical objections to the Falcon doors. Sure, they are cool, but if potential buyers are worried about bike roof racks, Thule boxes, home garages, parking garages, etc., it is going to reduce the available market significantly.
 
#20 ·
dennis said:
It would seem that for the Model X to be a big success Tesla will have to make changes to deal with the practical objections to the Falcon doors. Sure, they are cool, but if potential buyers are worried about bike roof racks, Thule boxes, home garages, parking garages, etc., it is going to reduce the available market significantly.
100% agreed, though reservations seem to be moving at a surprising clip.
 
#21 ·
dennis said:
It would seem that for the Model X to be a big success Tesla will have to make changes to deal with the practical objections to the Falcon doors. Sure, they are cool, but if potential buyers are worried about bike roof racks, Thule boxes, home garages, parking garages, etc., it is going to reduce the available market significantly.
The final Model X will very likely have normal doors, for the exact reasons you mention, and because it's an expensive solution. Maybe they will keep them as an option for those who really want them.
 
#22 ·
Dutch, I agree and said so in the Tesla Buzz forum. I just don't think they will make it to the production model. But that's okay. I care more about space and all wheel drive. If the falcon wing concept is all about being easier to strap a child in a safety seat, I would think making the aft seats rear-facing would be better. Except I am not sure how well the rear fairs in a rear-end collision compared to the middle.
 
#23 ·
Dutch said:
The final Model X will very likely have normal doors, for the exact reasons you mention, and because it's an expensive solution. Maybe they will keep them as an option for those who really want them.
Don't underestimate the power of a visionary tyrant CEO. If Steve Jobs could keep Flash support off the iPhone/iPad, Elon Musk can keep falcon wing doors on the Model X.

I wonder if those doors precipitated the departure of the Tesla Chief Engineer and chassis engineer last month. I remember reading at the time a speculation that those departures most likely related to the Model X, not the Model S.
 
#25 ·
Where's the eye rolling smiley? "Execs leave after doors some people don't like make it into production!".

I'm pretty sure the execs left (mostly) for the stated reasons. Rawlinson has a family to raise in the UK and felt it was time to get back to it; the other guy was his flunky and followed him out the door.

Back to the doors, I'm sure they'll stay. Tyrant or not, he got the Roadster door sill lowered, the retractable handles are still on the S, and there was much fanfare about the doors -- I doubt they're going anywhere.

In fact, they tend to be very upfront about things, for example the camera mirrors. Most companies show off a concept car and strut about like they're hot $&%*. Tesla was very upfront that the mirrors may not make it if they can't make headway with legislators. If they were doubtful about the doors, they've shown no signs.
 
#26 ·
Yeah, don't see the camera mirrors making it as that seems to be very trendy with concepts, i.e. Cadillac Converj, and never makes it to market. Understandably, in some aspects, as I don't know if I would trust my rearview to software issues. I think I will do some reading about CAN buses and what the problems are with them.
 
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