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<\/p>\n<\/div>The new Tesla gallery in the Somerset Collection mall is next to the Apple Store. Which is appropriate because, just as the iPod, iPhone and iPad re-imagined familiar devices as high-tech luxury objects, so have Tesla products re-thought the automobile.<\/p>\n
Tesla products are singular vehicles in today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n
Like Apple, they\u2019ve introduced new terms into the automotive lexicon \u2014 Ludicrous acceleration, 17-inch Google map displays \u2014 and vaulted an American automaker to the forefront of global luxury. In the 21st century, European makes like Porsche and BMW benchmark to Tesla.<\/p>\n
Unobtainable to most Americans, $70,000-plus Teslas have nevertheless captured the public\u2019s imagination and whetted its appetite \u2014 450,000 orders and counting \u2014\u00a0for the more affordable $35,000-$59,000 Model 3<\/a>. To put that in perspective, BMW\u2019s Model 3 competitor, the 3-series, sold 70,458 units in 2016.<\/p>\n The Tesla gallery (don\u2019t call it a \u201cstore\u201d because, by Michigan franchise law, Tesla can\u2019t sell directly to consumers) entrance features a bright red Tesla Model S, a car I have driven many times. But overshadowing the Model S at the back of the store is the Model X crossover. Like a male peacock in full tail-fan next to its female mate, the X\u2019s falcon-wing doors wow. This is a show car in the grand tradition of auto show prototypes. Except the X got built.<\/p>\n Out of its cage in the wild, the peacock does not disappoint. This paparazzi-magnet is a cross between SUV and sports car.<\/p>\n Premium, performance SUVs are all the rage these days \u2014 just look at\u00a0$100,000 Porsche Cayennes and Maserati LeVantes<\/a>\u00a0that borrow design cues from their long-hooded, sports car kin but are made on different platforms with different dynamics.<\/p>\n Not the Model X. Its fundamentals are the Model S down to its aluminum bones: Same 50-50 weight distribution. Same switchgear. Same 75-100 kWh batteries. My two X testers \u2014 a P100D and 100D \u2014 were instantly familiar to Model S P100D and P90Ds I\u2019ve driven (alphanumeric check: P is for \u201cPerformance\u201d rear motor. 100 is 100kWh battery. D is for dual-motor AWD). The X\u2019s added plumage adds about 500 pounds.<\/p>\n The effect is a 5,531-pound hippo that runs like a cheetah.<\/p>\n There is no SUV \u2014 and few cars \u2014 that can hang with a top-trim, P100D Model X off the line. So addictive is the Model X\u2019s acceleration that my buddies drove it like the Model S. Or a McLaren. Every stoplight is a drag race.<\/p>\n Its 2.9-second, zero-60 acceleration is on par with a Corvette Z06. The torque is so concussive, you have to do a U-turn at 60 mph to go back and pick up your stomach.<\/p>\n The interior is a Model S clone, too: same mesmerizing 17-inch display. Same steering wheel-based controls. Same over-the-air computer upgrades. One morning the X offered a software upgrade to my smartphone. I concurred and 90 minutes later I had an upgraded vehicle, including an \u201cAutomatic Lane Change\u201d self-driving feature.<\/p>\n Approach the X with key in pocket and the driver\u2019s door cracks open. Hello. Another step and it swings open by itself. Climb in, push the brake and … the door thunks shut.<\/p>\n Welcome to the X-rated show. Never seen that before, even in the $80,000-$130,000 market the Tesla shares with the Cayenne Turbo, Range Rover HSE and Mercedes GLS.<\/p>\n The panoramic front glass is like seeing an Apple screen for the first time. Arcing over the front passengers like a fighter jet canopy, it\u2019s the best view for skyscrapers \u2014 or M-119\u2019s Tunnel of Trees. Be sure to store a pair of sunglasses in the voluminous center console storage for long, sunny drives.<\/p>\n Reach into the center console\u2019s touchscreen controls and open the doors. The huge second-row wings rise majestically to the sky. I half expected a Martian to emerge, so unusual is the experience. Rugrat passengers who will never tire of the experience \u2014 even when the doors sense my cramped garage ceiling and stop short of full spread.<\/p>\n Less impressive was the groan in my right door hinge,\u00a0a reminder of quality issues that have plagued the X<\/a>. And rear adult passengers who found the bucket seats narrow and lacking in armrests.<\/p>\n The middle seats work in concert with the front seats to move forward to allow third-row access. These aren\u2019t Lincoln Navigator rear seats \u2014 they\u2019re kid-size only. I recommend opting for middle-row bench seats both for larger seating, and so you can flatten the seat back to make for cavernous cargo room as in the Model S. Just check the bench seat box on the online order form; eschewing auto trim tradition, Tesla allows customers to order features a la carte.<\/p>\n For all its attributes, however, the Model X doesn\u2019t make the case for an electric future. I have friends who own the Model S as their urban mobile \u2014 for work, for weekend cruising \u2014 but who rely on their SUV as the family-trip car.<\/p>\n With less range than the Model S due to its girth, the Model X is a difficult sell for the long-range demands of an SUV. Given its performance capabilities, I drove it like I drive any performance vehicle \u2014 but at significant range sacrifice. Sixty miles on the odometer doing stoplight drags and 80 mph interstate speeds took 100 miles of range off the battery.<\/p>\n Even if I drove the X at G-rated speeds,\u00a0the maximum, 295-mile range<\/a>\u00a0(100D) is\u00a0a limitation for going up north<\/a>\u00a0or away for extended weekends. Tesla promises to double Superchargers nationwide by the end of this year, but that still leaves huge holes in the X\u2019s travel abilities. Like the S, the X remains a niche luxury vehicle.<\/p>\n But what a vehicle. Among a sea of performance iron \u2014 Z06, Lamborghini Diablo, Porsche 911s \u2014 at\u00a0Lingenfelter\u2019s Halloween Cars \u2019n\u2019 Coffee<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Brighton, the Tesla wowed<\/a>.<\/p>\n I parked it wings-up (with a 100 kWh battery on board, there\u2019s no fear of draining the battery!) and watched people swarm to it, ogling the doors, the interior, the crisp displays.<\/p>\n Tesla has delayed orders for its Model 3 due to production difficulties. Similar delays hampered the X \u2014 and today it\u2019s in high demand. I\u2019m guessing Model 3 customers will wait, too. Tesla is that different.<\/p>\n In the meantime, they have a gallery to visit.<\/p>\n Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-1 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/p>\n 2017 Tesla Model X<\/strong><\/p>\n VEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n ELECTRIC, ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, SIX- OR SEVEN-PASSENGER SUV<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Powerplant<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 75-100 kWh lithium-ion battery with<\/p>\n electric motor drive<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Transmission<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Single-speed transmission<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Weight<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 5,531 pounds (Model X P100D)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Price<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n $79,500 base ($102,000 100D and $140,000 P100D<\/p>\n as tested)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Power<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 532 horsepower, 713 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 0-60 mph, 4.9 sec. base (2.9 sec. P100D\/4.7 sec. 100D as<\/p>\n tested); top speed: 155 mph<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Fuel economy<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Range: 237 miles, base (289 mi. P100D\/295 100D. 100 miles of range to cover<\/p>\n 60 miles as tested in 100D)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n HIGHS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n HIGH-TECH SHOWCASE; ROAD-HUGGING, 5,500-POUND BOWLING BALL<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Lows<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Tight third row; EV range limits SUV practicality<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The new Tesla gallery in the Somerset Collection mall is next to the Apple Store. Which is appropriate because, just as the iPod, iPhone and iPad re-imagined familiar devices as high-tech luxury objects, so have Tesla products re-thought the automobile. Tesla products are singular vehicles in today\u2019s market. Like Apple, they\u2019ve introduced new terms into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21350,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21349\/revisions\/21350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n
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