Tesla Model X 100D Full Review

The Model X has taken the motoring world by storm, as it enters the populous SUV market and radically shifts buyer’s perceptions of what is ‘expected’. The Model X has features upon features upon features upon features which will be discussed below. The Falcon Doors give the vehicle that extra bit of spark that turns the eyes of any onlooker – they are truly the most beautiful doors of any vehicle.

Engine

The Model X 100D is powered by a 100kWh battery with power coming from an intelligent all-wheel-drive system.

The rated power output is 330kW of power – we’re talking supercar amounts of power.. In a hunky chunky SUV!

And because it’s electric, you get all 330kW of power INSTANTLY! No waiting for peak torque at 3500rpm or anything gimmicky like that, just foot down, and go, to a top speed of 250km/h.

Performance

So what does all that power mean for performance? Well the Model X 100D can do 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds!

The instant power electric feel is unlike anything ever experienced, making this car seem like it can do 0-100 in 3 seconds or so (which to be clear, is not the case).

The all-wheel-drive system is necessary to keep the car planted and helps the Model X glide around corners with ease despite slight feelings of understeer.

The 20” Sonic Carbon Wheels attached to our model have 275mm rear tyre profiles, and 245mm front tyre widths, allowing for maximum grip on windy roads.

The driving modes available vary on this model. The acceleration can be toggled between “chill” and “standard”. There is no point keeping the car in “chill” mode unless you are 20km away from a supercharger and only have 15km of range remaining. Otherwise, standard mode is the way to go. We wish there was a Sport or Ludicrous-type mode on this model – the disparity between chill and standard is too large, and we recommend the modes to be 1. Chill, 2. Standard, 3. Sport/Ludicrous.

The steering modes can also be changed to have either: “comfort” mode, “standard”, or “sport”. Even having these same modes for acceleration would have made sense. Sport is much more responsive in steering and exceptionally predictable for such a large vehicle.

The suspension can also be raised and lowered from the massive head unit display. It has 5 options: very low, low, standard, high and very high. It takes about 15-30 seconds to change the height and can make a difference when deciding to either go through a windy road, or bumpy terrain.

Fuel Economy

As this is an electric car, fuel consumption is 0. However, it is notable to discuss the range under this heading.

Tesla claims a 565km range for this model. We tested the Model X in a mixture of highway, city and spirited driving and managed to consume roughly 300km and used about 70-80% charge.

We noticed city and motorway driving didn’t make an awful lot of difference to consumption/power use – unlike petrol powered cars that use the most petrol stopping/starting. Our press car had minimal km’s on the clock, so we predict that the 500km mark for range is reasonable to assume as accurate.

Interior & Technology

THIS is where the Model X truly stands out. First thing you notice when you get in the vehicle is the MASSIVE head unit – it’s essentially a huge tablet put in the middle of the car.

This head unit has everything you would expect from a head unit.. And more. It even has it’s own 3G connection. This allows the car to have its own GPS system with live traffic updates (thanks to the 3G network). The car also comes with its own Spotify Premium subscription where music can be streamed without connecting to your mobile (again, thanks to the cars 3G network). We found the Spotify system a bit temperamental however, as it had a fair few moments where it just didn’t want to work – potentially solved by a simple software update.

The head unit is smart in allowing split screen capability – so GPS could be opened up top, then down the bottom with the other half of the screen could be Spotify, music, camera, and even a drawing pad. The head unit allows you to have the rear camera on at all times when driving if chosen, not just when in reverse. We just wish the head unit had CarPlay/Android Auto capability – or even allowing the CarPlay connection to take up half the screen and the Tesla system to take up the other half.

If you click the Tesla badge up the top and wait 10 seconds, it will show you a few Easter eggs, the drawing pad being one of them, as well as the “Holiday Show” dance feature, where the car literally plays loud music and opens and closes all of its amazing doors (FALCON DOORS AM I RIGHT?!). You can also activate Santa Mode where the dash turns your car into Santa and oncoming vehicles are reindeer.. See the full video below!

The 6-seater we were given has 6 incredibly luxurious seats that can all be heated and cooled and all can be moved forwards/backwards, with enough room in the centre corridor to make your way to the back two seats.

The white interior is incredibly luxurious with a myriad of features, a huge front windshield and even greater glass roof throughout. The only downside of the front windshield is that it can get quite hot as the glass cannot stop as much heat as metal.. But at least it looks great?!

Safety

The Model X has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

Every Model X has plenty of active safety technologies including collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking.

Our press model also had enhanced autopilot which includes:
“Going from 1 to 4 cameras for greater accuracy, redundancy and to see fast-approaching vehicles in adjacent lanes. In addition, 12 ultrasonic sonar sensors provide 360 degree coverage around your car with almost twice the range and resolution of the prior version.

Your Tesla will match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane, automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when your destination is near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and from your garage. That said, Enhanced Autopilot should still be a considered a driver’s assistance feature with the driver responsible for remaining in control of the car at all times”.

And that’s exactly right. The car can keep itself in lanes very well, and speed up/slow down very well, but it is an aid, and cannot substitute driving. The Model X also beeps and asks you to keep your hands on the wheel every few minutes regardless. We found that whilst one of the best autonomous systems on the market, there were a few instances that the vehicle did not pickup oncoming vehicles from adjacent lanes, particularly in peak hour situations where cars are chopping in and out of lanes quite often, which can be dangerous. These features assist on long trips and on the motorway incredibly well though.

Ride & Comfort

Imagine riding on top of a cloud, 2km above sea level.. That’s what driving and riding in this vehicle is like.

It is dead quiet, peaceful and incredibly comfortable. Ditches and potholes can barely be felt.

The ride is incredibly predictable and can change from comfort to beast mode in sport where it wakes up and handles incredibly well.

Warranty & Servicing

Tesla offers an 8 year or 160,000 km new vehicle warranty as well as an 8 year powertrain and battery unlimited kilometre warranty. Eight years of roadside assistance and flat tyre support is also included.

Servicing is every 12 months or 20,000km (whichever occurs first).

Pricing

75D $177,980
100D $204,870
P100D $276,120

Price includes luxury car tax, stamp duty, NSW registration costs, CTP and delivery fee.

The Model X we reviewed had additional wheels (+$2800) and metallic paint (+$2100), white premium interior (+$4600), six seat interior (+$8400) and enhanced autopilot (+$7000), bringing it to a total of $218,110 driveaway.

Overall

The Model X 100D is overall an exciting, luxurious, feature packed family SUV. The Falcon Doors put a smile on anyone’s face, along with the instant power of the 330kW electric motors. Despite the hefty price tag, the features list goes on and on and the ride is incredibly smooth.

ALL our videos of the Model X:

POV Windy Road Test Drive:

Interior Tour:

All Settings Head Unit & Dashboard:

All App Functions:

Model X Dance and Lightshow:

Enhanced Autopilot Test:

Opening & Closing Doors at 10X Speed:

Raising and Lowering Suspension:

Secret Santa Mode: