Tesla Model-X

48 hours in the Model X
 

When Tesla said to me “why don't you take a Model X and drive it for 48 hours and tell us what you think”, I couldn't resist.

Being the fastest production SUV in the world from 0 to 100kph in only 3 seconds, how much fun would this be!

I picked up the car on a wet Auckland afternoon from their Ponsonby showroom in Auckland City. I thought to myself, this wet weather plus the fastest SUV in the world could be an interesting mix.

After meeting Zac, one of the super pleasant Tesla sales people (or as Tesla refer to them product advisors) he showed me around the car, which he described as ‘the future’. He's not far wrong, these cars have so much tech in them it is almost overwhelming, from the minute you hop inside them you feel like you have stepped into the future.

The first thing that struck me is the front window, it feels like you are sitting in the front of a helicopter which as a matter of fact I am quite fond of so I immediately liked how it felt. It feels like you have all this extra vision it's really different but in a cool way.

Once I got past the new Helicopter view I started to think about the driving position and the seats. They have to be one of the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in, I'm not sure why that is but they just feel really really nice and I couldn’t imagine getting agitated on a long trip.

Now the giant iPad in this puppy controls everything in the car, it can open the doors, close the doors, adjust the steering and responsiveness and alter the ride height all from the touch of a the screen. You also have built in Spotify and an internet browser. Every Tesla is permanently connected to the internet via a 3G sim which Tesla cover the cost of.

Once I managed to get Zac out of the car because I knew everything, I was keen to put it through its paces out on the streets.

After I gingerly moved it out of the car park I slowly accelerated down the road and the first thing you notice is just how quiet the world is inside a Tesla, apart from the dulcet tones of Coldplay on the sound system, you can't hear a thing.

You lift your foot off the accelerator and the car begins to slow using a regenerative braking system. At first this takes a bit of getting used to because it feels a little strange. Once you start to figure out how it works it is such a great feature. You hardly ever use the brake pedal usually is just to pull the car to a complete stop at the lights or intersections. Tesla tell me that in Australia in 4 years they have only done one set of front brake pads on one car, crazy!

The fun really starts though when you put your foot down on the accelerator, the acceleration is just something to behold, it is literally like nothing else. Over the course of the time driving it you just always wanted to be the guy first at the lights, or the motorway on ramp lights because it was so much fun just nailing it. I must have taken 50 people for a ride and not one of them could believe how this car accelerates.

Everyone asked me , what about the battery life, how long does it take to charge, well I must have done about 400 km in the car and when I picked it up it was on 80% charged, when I returned it the charge was 20%. So I reckon 600 km around town wouldn't be out of the question. That's as good if not better that a petrol car. Depending on where you charge it up it can be charged in 15 minutes.