Test drive Tesla Model X
I thought for a while whether it was worth writing this article - after all, the Tesla Model X was not new for a long time, but still decided to share my observations and reasonings, especially since, as it seems to me, after reading you will learn something new for yourself about this car.
So, I decided to change the car.
A friend advised Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (reliable, nice, good warranty). Came to the store. Accidentally saw Hyundai Ioniq Electric. I did a test drive on it. I realized that my new car will be electric and, most likely, it will be Ioniq with a mileage of 200 miles, which is promised this fall or early next year. I will write about this another time. In the meantime, I try electric cars from other manufacturers.
Score
I called the local shops. It turned out that, firstly, the test drive schedule at both Tesla stores in Vancouver is quite stressful, and secondly, it was possible to enroll for Test Drive online. Called on Saturday. I had to agree on Sunday.
Both Tesla stores in Vancouver are very similar.
This is a very small showroom, where Tesla Model X has been standing for about a year (the rear doors of the car are always open and locked in such a position as to not hurt anyone) and a room where you can discuss the conditions of purchase. There you can also rotate the rotor of an electric motor and buy something, like a jersey or cap with company logo.
I was surprised that they did not give me the car to ride alone, as it usually happens here. A girl sat next to me and suggested the best route, where you can most conveniently assess the quality of the car.
Tesla Model X 100D was waiting on this parking lot:
We rode around the busy center of the city for a bit and then went on a deserted road to the coast, where you could feel the acceleration and check the automatic parking and the autopilot.
Exterior
The car is very beautiful. It seems to me that visually it should please everyone or almost everyone. In the exterior and interior she has no repulsive or dubious lines. Someone complains about large and different gaps in body parts. I did not see anything criminal. They are probably more places than any other machines, but if I didnāt know where to look, I wouldnāt have noticed anything. The front trunk was bigger than I thought before, and the rear one is smaller (due to the third row of seats). In my opinion, Tesla Model X outwardly is more "she" than "he" or "it."
Salon
Good finish. Natural materials. Skin from which the back is sweating. The interior is high-quality, expensive, spacious and pleasant, but not luxurious - without candiles, mechanical watches and multi-colored highlights. The panoramic roof didnāt make any impression on me - if I hadnāt been there personally, I wouldnāt have lost anything, but my friend was absolutely delighted. There are several options for the location of the rear rows. There is easy access to the third row (especially in the version where the second row has 2 seats) and it was quite comfortable for me to sit there (height 182 cm), but there was no room for the knees anymore.
Screen
Big. There were no problems with getting a finger into the settings, for example, there was no climate control for me. But slow. It is seen that the iron is not very productive. Some menus are too monotonous and monotonous. With the help of the screen it is convenient to manage many applications and, of course, navigation. Big picture from the rear view camera. Using the screen, you can open and close all the doors, which is very convenient.
Doors
All doors operate automatically, in addition, the driver's door itself opens when approaching and closes when you press the brake pedal. Chrome door handles quickly slap. It is inconvenient that they need to be pressed a little further from the central pillar - otherwise it does not always work. With the rear doors, too, there is a feature - in order not to interfere with their opening, you need to move back or to the side. With a sliding door there would be no such problem. The āwingsā open quickly enough and not noisy, although the sound of the drive is still there.
Driver's seat
Everything is convenient, everything is at hand, nothing superfluous. It seemed to me that the screen, which is behind the wheel, too much information. I didnāt like the fact that the āleverā on which the control of the cruise control and the autopilot is completely not visible from behind the wheel! Those. will have to memorize the scheme of his work. On the steering wheel there are many buttons. Made with high quality, but I met both better and more convenient. The steering wheel itself and the leather are pleasant.
On my way
The car is big, which is not always convenient. Very heavy - it feels great with all maneuvers. I cannot say that something annoyed me, but I did not get any particular pleasure in the management process. Ie, of course, it is much better than any car on the engine of all that I drove, but I liked to drive them less than the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, because the Ioniq is smaller and lighter. Although, of course, these are my personal preferences. Because of the great weight when turning the steering wheel on the spot - for example, before leaving the parking lot - the tires on the asphalt are very noisy. In general, the insulation is not very good - it can be better. The metal sound made by the brake pads before the start also raised questions - there was such an impression that something was faulty.
Speed
Unbearably fast. When you press the pedal accelerates with lightning speed. Someone compares this with a roller coaster. Now I know why. The fact is that having accelerated a couple of times (not even from the spot, but just on the road - from 30 km / h to 80 km / h) I began to feel sick. In the process of acceleration, you feel how the contents of the digestive tract are pressed against the back of the seat and it continues until you release the pedal (or until you pick up some great speed, which I did not accelerate to). A little nauseous a couple of hours after the trip. When accelerating, you can hear the noise of the motor well, which makes it a little difficult to enjoy the moment.
Recovery
You can choose modes, but in my opinion even the easiest of them slows down the car too actively, which tires you out of habit. In Ioniq there is a much more comfortable mode, in addition there are special recuperation forces for steering switches.
Autopilot
On my copy showed itself from the worst side. For its work, good markings and a relatively smooth highway are needed - on sharp bends in the road, the car lost control a couple of times - itās good that the hands were on the steering wheel. The girl consultant explained that the autopilot works very well on the highway, but not on such a winding road.
On this stretch of road, the car suddenly lost control:
Parking lot
A couple of times I tried to make parking, but not parallel, but one when you need to drive backwards between two cars. Both times Tesla failed and had to press the brake pedal to stop it. Perhaps she would have stopped herself, but I did not risk it.
From the explanations of the girl it follows that this is a new car and a new firmware and the car needs time to calibrate itself. Her words for me did not sound very convincing, but then I read it:
electrek.co/2017/09/11/tesla-autopilot-2-5-new-calibration-period-hardware
When we returned to the store, the girl apologized for a bad parking lot for a long time, said it was her fault that she didnāt provide a calibrated car and asked to remove the video where the car couldnāt successfully complete the maneuver. We talked about the purchase options and I received a printout with quotations for the most affordable version of the Tesla Model X 75D:
Total
Before this Test Drive, I drove a lot of different cars with internal combustion engines and several electric vehicles and hybrids, including the Chevrolet Volt 2017, the Chevrolet Bolt 2017 and the Hyundai Ionq Electric 2017. The Tesla Model X is extremely fast, beautiful and comfortable, but at the same time very heavy. original and expensive (however, there is still no one to compare its value with anyone - it has no serial EV classmates).
I apologize for the stylistic and other errors - I gradually lose the Russian language. Everything I have said is my personal, subjective impressions and assessments. Safe roads and welcome to the future.
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