Tesla Model X Australian first drive review

A seven-seat family car that's faster than a Ferrari, with enough visual drama to rival Lamborghini.

It's an idea that seemed impossible a few years ago, but many of Elon Musk's projects fall into that category.

The South African-born IT billionaire's work on artificial intelligence, a manned mission to Mars, and a 1000km/h vacuum train feel like science fiction, making the average person's to-do list extremely mundane. Then again, everyday chores such as dropping the kids off, heading to work and picking up groceries could become much more interesting with the Tesla Model X.

Understanding Tesla

Musk and Tesla are on a mission to save the world by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. It's no accident that design and performance are key tenets of the brand - awkward-looking early electric cars such as the Mitsubishi i-Miev and Nissan Leaf have done little to inspire drivers to set petrol power aside. But that changed with the niche, Lotus-based Tesla Roadster and unexpectedly popular Tesla Model S sedan, with outstanding acceleration and high-tech driver aids that made the brand a cult sensation.

While Tesla doesn't give sales figures, registration records reveal it is the fastest-growing automotive brand in NSW - and probably, by extension, Australia. The brand has won plenty of headlines with its free 'Supercharger' network that includes eight fast-charging stations linking Melbourne and Brisbane and even more attention for its self-driving Autopilot system that continues to court controversy at home and abroad.

The Tesla Model X SUV is the next chapter in the story, building on the Model S platform and drivetrains to offer a more practical - and outlandish - vehicle to help support development of its upcoming Model 3 that promises to be the first electric vehicle sold in significant numbers around the world.

The Model X

So much of the Model X is different.

Let's start with the shape - an awkwardly inelegant silhouette that lacks the blocky appeal of traditional SUVs, but boasts a significantly better drag coefficient than its rivals.

That's not to say the Model X lacks drama, as no other car in its class can match the big Californian's party trick.

Tesla laboured long and hard over "falcon wing" doors that arc skyward with no less drama than a Mercedes-Benz SLS or Lamborghini Aventador - megadollar supercars incapable of handling family duties.

Musk says the doors were "incredibly difficult" to get right. Fitted with hidden ultrasonic sensors, the double-hinged doors are capable of detecting obstacles such as people, vehicles or ceilings and bending at the shoulder or elbow to adjust their opening arc.

It's clever stuff, resulting in a large aperture for passengers to enter and exit the vehicle, enabling Tesla to try something new for third-row access. Middle seats tip forward in one piece, allowing adults to simply walk into the third row seats. The catch is that you have to wait for electric motors to do their thing at every turn, opening and closing doors then tipping the seats forward takes far longer than it might in a conventional model. Well-drilled families coming out of a regular car could be frustrated by the process, particularly if they don't like being the centre of attention.

While this doesn't have to be a family car, it certainly has more practical appeal than the five-seat Model S.

Fitted with five seats as standard, the Model X has a six-seat option bringing three rows of two seats for $4350, while seven seats in a conventional two-three-two layout costs $5800.

Those figures are unlikely to scare off Tesla customers, who will need to be reasonably wealthy to take home the brand's latest model. 

Originally priced from $122,812 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Model X 60D, the range now starts at $151,228 drive-away for the more powerful 75D, as Tesla decided to dump its cheapest model before the new car arrived in Australia.

The white machine tested here is one of two left-hand-drive examples imported to drum up interest in a car that already has hundreds of pre-orders around the country. Our Model X P90D was the fastest and most expensive car in the range when Tesla Australia ordered demo models, but the P90D was gazumped by the announcement of a more powerful P100D version with a bigger battery when the local arm presented this vehicle to press and customers. Things move fast at Tesla, which has since dropped the P90D from a line-up now crowned by the P100D.

The car before you was priced from $201,072 plus around $50,000 in options and on-road costs, bringing a 90kWh battery that offers 470 kilometres of range and the ability to reach 100km/h in a scant 3.4 seconds - as long as you pay an extra $14,500 for the Ludicrous Speed Upgrade that sends extra energy to its 193kW front and 375kW rear electric motors.

Tesla's new Model X P100D has a larger battery that offers 542 kilometres of range, along with the ability to reach 100km/h in just 3.1 seconds. Priced from $251,009 drive-away in NSW, the vehicle features the Ludicrous option as standard.

On the road

Push the chrome strip that represents the driver's doorhandle and the powered door swings out to welcome you into the car. Step in, put your foot on the brake pedal and the door closes itself, part of the $6500 Premium Upgrades Package that includes powered front doors the mother of all cabin air filtration systems, exuberantly described as a "Bioweapon Defense Mode".

Taking in the sights, first impressions are that the Model X is quite similar to its Model S sibling. The cabin is dominated by a 17-inch portrait-oriented central touchscreen that handles everything from infotainment to navigation, battery management and even open or closing controls for all four doors.

The other element that jumps out in front of you is a new panoramic windscreen that extends vertically, well behind the driver's headrest. It's a magnificent feature that lends the cabin plenty of light, as well as an airy, open feeling usually found in glass-heavy helicopters.

Pop the transmission in drive and you're good to go - there's no starter button, handbrake or any real theatre to the start of a journey.

There's also very little sound from the Tesla's motors, only a distant electric whirr quickly joined by road noise from this car's 22-inch wheels (an $8000 option).

The left-hand-drive structure of our US-sourced test model meant we couldn't drive the Model X on Australian roads, so we took the machine out at Goulburn's Wakefield Park circuit during Drive Car of the Year testing.

It's a thrill to cut loose on a racetrack with one of the fastest-accelerating cars on sale. I've been lucky enough to experience a few seriously quick vehicles with Drive this year, including three Ferraris, a couple of Lamborghinis, a few Porsches and the latest Nissan GT-R. This Tesla is quicker than any of them.

Well, it is from a standing start at least, thanks to massive torque outputs and outstanding traction afforded by oversized rubber. Ferrari's $690,000, 545kW F12 Berlinetta flagship doesn't make nearly as much torque as the heavy-hitting Tesla, and the supercar can't get its power to the ground as effectively as this intriguing machine.

Very few cars can.

The Model X is shockingly quick from a standing start, though the effect fades a little at highway speeds where thoroughbred performance cars will eventually catch it. The big wagon steers fairly well too, opting for brute traction over finessed poise as its tyres work to keep all that mass under control. While the steering is a little light and numb for our liking, it's by no means a deal-breaker.

The Model X offers less body roll than you might expect from such a heavy car, thanks to a low centre of gravity afforded by its floor-mounted battery pack, and the standard air suspension feels as though it has a slightly taut tune. Weight distributed evenly between the front and rear axles lends the machine a decent sense of balance, though it lacks the outright athleticism of sporting rivals.

How it compares

The Model X's driving behaviour is acceptable if not outstanding. Forget the party-trick acceleration and you're left with a car that steers and stops reasonably well without quite matching the agility of sporting rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo or BMW X5M.

Prestige SUVs such as Audi's Q7 offer a more traditional take on luxury, with better-finished materials, more comfortable chairs and a less confronting cabin than the Tesla. They also offer more gear for less money, as Tesla requires customers to pony up for features such as heated seats and semi-autonomous driving fitted as standard on the Q7 and other models. But no conventional cars can quite match the Model X's storage space, as the lack of an engine up front lends additional space for what Tesla calls a "frunk", or front trunk.

Musk claims that lack of a large engine - Tesla's drive drive units are basketball-sized - is a key safety feature allowing more of the vehicle to be used as a crumple zone in a serious crash.

The Model X hasn't been crash tested, but that hasn't stopped Tesla claiming it is the safest car in its class. High scores for the Model S sedan suggest they may be right.

Buyer beware

But it's not all rosy for the brand, which faces serious challenges in the short to medium term. A US Tesla customer became the first victim of self-driving cars when he died in a crash earlier this year, prompting authorities around the world to take a closer look at the brand's groundbreaking Autopilot system - and whether it should be able to market the service using that name.

Tesla offers "fully autonomous driving" as an option for the Model X, with the caveat that the service will not be available until the brand has finished internal tests, and self-driving cars are made legal in various markets, a disclaimer that has put the ACCC on notice in case the manufacturer cannot deliver on its claims.

The marque also has a patchy reputation for reliability, which is unsurprising given the company's relative youth and the complexity of its products. While we haven't experienced more than a couple of issues in the 10-or-so models sampled by Drive over the years, plenty of customers have had a rocky run with the brand. US automotive website Edmunds.com bought a Model S sedan for evaluation in 2013, and the model reportedly required 28 service actions to fix numerous issues that included four replacement motors.

Consumer Reports rates the Model X as one of the 10 Least Reliable Cars on sale, saying the SUV is "more showy than practical", and that its complex doors and electronics could bring trouble.

Just as well, then, that Tesla offers a four-year, 80,000-kilometre vehicle warranty along with an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre battery and drive unit guarantee.

Verdict

Our day with the Model X reinforced what you might expect surrounding the model's strengths and weaknesses. It's blisteringly fast, with show-stopping design features and electric eco-cred rivals that cannot be matched. But those motorised doors are a novelty that could be a hindrance in everyday use, and the car itself is priced well out of reach of most motorists.

While this isn't the car that will anchor Tesla's future in Australia, it is a compelling model that will reinforce the brand's identity, paving the way for its mass-produced Model 3 compact car in 2018.

Tesla Model X P90D Pricing and specifications

On sale: Discontinued. New P100D arrives in March.

Price: From $201,072 plus on-road costs

Motors: 193kW front and 375kW rear electric motors 

Power: 396kW combined output

Torque: 966Nm combined output

Transmission: Direct drive, all-wheel-drive

Fuel use: N/A, 470km range