Tesla Model X SUV

Tesla Model X SUV

What's New for 2016

The 2016 Tesla Model X is an all-new model.

Introduction

Lost among the sometimes hyper commentary regarding the Tesla Model S sedan is that it's simply a very nice, very fast car. It's sleek and seductive, with luxury, performance and price beyond any electric vehicle on sale today. Tesla hopes to extend its win streak with the all-new 2016 Model X, a crossover-style version of the popular sedan.

Buyers who like the Model S but deem it ill-suited to their needs -- too small, too low -- will find a lot to like about the Model X. Its standard third row of forward-facing seats offers true seven-passenger seating, compared to the optional rear-facing jump seats in the Model S. Unique gullwing-style rear doors (Tesla calls them "falcon doors") use dual hinges to reduce opening and closing arcs in tight spaces and allow freer access to the rear seats.

Improved versatility doesn't mean excessive growth, however. Tesla will build the Model X on the same platform used for the sedan. Although the Model X will be taller and slightly longer than the Model S, it won't grow any wider.

The Model X will use 60-kWh and 85-kWh battery packs. A second electric motor driving the front wheels gives the Model X standard all-wheel drive. Tesla hasn't released range estimates yet, but says heavier all-wheel-drive hardware and reduced aerodynamic efficiency due to its larger frontal surface area mean the Model X will consume 10 percent more energy than the sedan.

Currently, the EPA rates the Model S's smaller battery at 208 miles of range. The larger unit returns 265 miles. Tesla's challenge will be to extract at least 200 miles of range from the heavier Model X. What probably won't change is the whipping acceleration we've come to love. Tesla claims the Model X's Performance trim level will cover zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, about the same as the sedan.

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