2021 Tesla Model X Performance

"Review of a Model X Raven by German Autogefühl. Interesting findings - He is impressed with the quality progress!! Autogefühl has made a new second review of the updated Model X Raven. He is really impressed with the quality of the updated version. He's saying theres is no build quality difference between this new Tesla model X Raven, and the German luxus cars! - And that is a big thing! He is always very fair and unbiased in his reviews - take a look at the review of the ID3 to see how hard he is going after the bad software..."

"Tesla Model X P100D hauls over 2,000 lbs like a champ I was inspired by the positive feedback my last post got (from the road trip I did) and wanted to share this too... I just bought a camper but the X's hauling limitations are 5,000 lbs, so my options were limited. I decided to buy an A Liner LXE 2021 because it's relatively cheap ($20k) and has all the things two people (and two dogs) would need (including a shower and toilet) and it weighs a cool 1,900 lbs. (\~2,200 fully loaded with our stuff). I was super impressed with the Tesla's ability to haul it (without charging mid-trip), especially given the +/- 4k elevation gain between Boise (2,730′ elevation) and Stanley (6,253′ elevation). On the way back (128 mile trip), I used \~190 miles of my battery. In other words, I made it with 80 miles left on a 270 mile charge. Someone asked for more pics so here... ​ Me driving the thing out of the dealership A Liner popped open The camping setup Inside!"

"You should add that was a charging video from 2 years ago!!! for the Model X. The new 150kw charging speed will drop that time more, then for the refresh, it will make it EVEN further once V3 comes on board or they are both on the same 350kw fast chargers. That would be a great "race to do" plan out a route where both can take advantage of the same fast chargers of 350kwh, then let them both race the same route but at the same max speed of 120km/h (or posted speed limit). The Model X would win every time."

"First 10 months of owning a Tesla Model X in SoCal, by the numbers My "year 1" analysis won't happen until October, when I'll have 1 year of solid data from TeslaFi.com to analyze. However, this is 10 months of ownership, and before my annual job/gig starts where I'll be driving 300mi/week commuting to work. I'm curious how even more driving will change this data, if at all. For the record, I purchased and received my Tesla Model X 75D as new inventory vehicle from Maryland, received the vehicle on June 30, 2017. I used a friend's referral code, so I received a discount and free unlimited supercharging for life of vehicle. Service center repair/visits include: 1. Body shop/repair for passenger side FWD realignment, repaired in 3 days while I was out of town. 2. Passenger side FWD proximity sensor came loose, door frequently thought an obstruction was near the door, preventing it from opening without override. <1 day repair. 3. Uncorking, <1 day repair. 4. Annual service (12 month), I had damaged the passenger rear fender flair, Service Center in Burbank had the part in stock. Cost was $55, installation was free (took less than 15 minutes to remove old and install new). <1 day repair, but I needed to travel for work, so I took a Model S 100D loaner. Some data: I'm on SoCal Edison Time of Use "B" plan, so summer months (June - Sept), overnight charging costs $0.12/kWh. Rest of the year, overnight is $0.13/kWh. I didn't pull all the data or try to dive into costs of charging during summer vs charging rest of the year. Since the bulk of my data is October 2017 through August 2018, I'll price it closer to the non-summer pricing, $0.13/kWh. 3 of 10 months at $0.12/kWh, so let's say $0.127/kWh on my data. My use of the unlimited free supercharging since October 2017: 1394.36kWh, or $177.08 not charging at home. My charging at home: 5055.8kWh, or roughly $642.09, from October 2017 to August 2018. Since I bought my car, I've driven 18,286.17 miles in 13.5 months. I only have data from October 20, 2017, where my earliest Odometer reading was 13,471.88 miles. That brings the cost per mile of operation (not counting cost to own) down to $0.0477 per mile. No way to count how many miles using EAP, but it has made longer road trips much more enjoyable and easier. Total maintenance cost so far was $650 for the first "annual" 12 month service. Also, had to buy a rear wheel flair for $55, installation was gratis. Repair/maintenance costs in 10 months: $705. BMW X6 M is another 6000 GVWR vehicle, gas tank is 22.4 gallons, and gas economy is 14/19. So is the X5. 2019 Buick Enclave also, gas tank is 22 gallons, and gas economy is 17/25. Assuming a gas price of $3.10 (which is actually less than real world prices in LA), every fill up is $68.20. If doing all freeway driving in any of those 3 vehicles (a large assumption, keep it in mind when considering costs; driving these cars in traditional SoCal traffic, geography, and weather, will result in low"

"“A Mistake in a Tesla and a Panicked Final Call: The Death of Angela Chao” Wall Street Journal article loosely implying that the gearshift on a 2020 Model X (Raven) caused this person to crash into a pond and die. I’ve seen people mess up gear selection in the Raven Model X stalk myself, but I feel any car with a stalk is like this (particularly when driving an unfamiliar vehicle) and dislike them for this reason. Of course, the stalk became history with the Model S/X Refresh in 2021. And now Highland Model 3 has dropped it, and Model Y will soon too. I am glad for this change. Full article found here, relevant excerpts below. “The night was chilly and very dark, with no moon, so rather than walk, Chao got in her Tesla Model X SUV for the four-minute trip back to the house. The account of what happened to Angela Chao that weekend is based on interviews with people close to Chao and her family, county officials who were briefed on what happened or were there, as well as reviews of law-enforcement documents. Within minutes of saying her goodbyes, she called one of her friends in a panic. While making a three-point turn, she had put the car in reverse instead of drive, she said. It is a mistake she had made before with the Tesla gearshift. The car had zipped backward, tipping over an embankment and into a pond. It was sinking fast. Could they help her? Over the next several hours, her friends, then the ranch manager and his wife, and then paramedics, and firefighters and sheriff’s deputies rushed around and tried to break the windows, find an escape hatch or any way to get Chao out of the car. Somehow an executive who made her living on the sea was drowning in a stock pond within sight of her home.”"

"Goodbye Tesla (Long Story) I’ve been an EV enthusiast for quite some time and have even had the privilege of working with some major players in the space, including Lucid and Rivian. So I’m very familiar with EV products, charging infrastructure, build quality, and the all-important cost equation. My first Tesla was a leased 2020 Standard Range Model 3. As we all know, it’s a great little car that serves its purpose—but it also leaves plenty to be desired in build quality, luxury, size, and overall style. My most recent Tesla was a brand-new 2024 Model 3 Performance with just 8,000 miles on it. There were a few initial hiccups—Tesla had to adjust the steering column, and the dealer somehow installed the wrong tires on a staggered Performance setup—but since it wasn’t purchased directly from Tesla, I won’t fully blame them. That said, I was still kidding myself. Yes, it’s quick. Yes, HW4 is solid. But the same shortcomings were still there. And no matter how fast it is, it’s still a Model 3—even in Performance trim. Reality check: I have two kids—one in a booster and one still rear-facing—so I had absolutely no business daily-driving a Model 3 Performance. My wife does own the Etron SUV version so the kiddos mostly ride in that. I’ll occasionally take them to school and when we go out but there mainly in her SUV. But the deal was good, curiosity won, and I wanted to see if I could make it work. Before that, my daily was a 2019 C63 AMG, my heart has been in Germany for a while. I owned both cars outright, which gave me the freedom to experiment. Over the years, I’ve owned plenty of sport sedans, mostly European, so compromises don’t go unnoticed. Looking for more space, I had what I thought was a great idea: buy a used 2020 Tesla Model X directly from Tesla. I did my Reddit research—some horror stories, but mostly happy owners—so I felt confident. That confidence lasted about five minutes. The moment I drove off the lot here in Las Vegas, I noticed steering wheel vibration and grinding/crunching noises when turning. Turns out Tesla’s “multi-point inspection” isn’t exactly exhaustive. A service appointment quickly revealed bad front half-shafts. Add in cosmetic issues like a squeaky second-row motor and creaking trunk struts, and things were already off to a rough start. The half-shafts were replaced, but the vibration persisted. Trunk struts were scheduled for mobile service, and I immediately booked a second appointment. That’s when the advisor casually told me, “Honestly, you should just buy a Model Y—there are so many problems with the X.” I wasn’t sure whether to appreciate the honesty or file a complaint. Eventually, it was discovered that the wrong tires were installed front and rear, supposedly causing the vibration. They swapped them, balanced and aligned everything, and even replaced the front passenger wheel. In my 36 years of buying cars, I can confidently say this was the worst CPO experience I’ve ever had. Tesla absolutely droppe"

"[UPDATE] My used Tesla buying experience I made a previous post here: about my experience buying a used Tesla. This is an update to the experience now that the repairs are "complete". The list of issues I presented to Tesla were: * 5" scratch on passenger door * 3.5" scratch on front facia * 1.25” scratch on frunk lid, just to the left of emblem (It seems more like a long 5-6” scratch, broken into two 1.25ish” scratches) * 2nd row passenger seat rattles a bit at interstate speeds (If pressure is applied it stops) * Rear driver side trunk piston makes a noise, and shakes when opening (Seems like it is struggling to open trunk) * Front driver side tire sounds rough when coming to a hard stop, or going over speed bumps (Use Summon and it’ll sound rough when it comes to a stop. Also try going over speed bump. Does not sound healthy at all. Uncertain if passenger side is affected as well) * Driver side mirror doesn't auto tilt down when going in reverse, passenger side one does. * The metal piece the trunk hatch locks into is broken down, seems like someone closed the trunk hard * Weather stripping on falcon wing doors are degraded and deteriorating (Both doors. Seems like they’ve left residue on the top as well). * Wiper blades don't seem effective. Likely the original blades and should be replaced. * Driver side window sounds painful when rolling down * Drive side plastic molding near wheel well, and along bottom of door appears to be warping? * Driver side doors (Both driver door and falcon wing door) appears to register direct sunlight as an obstruction and does not open doors fully when sun shines directly on that side. * Rear driver side bumper does not appear to be aligned with body properly. * Headlights appear to be dim when used at night * All tire valve stem caps missing * MCU2 upgrade * Autopilot HW 3.0 upgrade * Tuner upgrade The vehicle was dropped off for repair on December 20th. While en route to the service center I got a low tire pressure warning light, so I added that to the list as well. Was quoted to be returned on December 23rd. On December 23rd they then bumped it to December 28th. The reason given was "You're vehicle is 4th in queue to be worked on, we expect to start it tomorrow", which baffled me, but whatever. They then put in a date of December 28th at 6pm, which as they close at 6pm I knew was a placeholder date. Unfortunately this presented an issue because my wife's grandmother was not doing well, and my wife wanted to drive 300mi to go see her, and we wanted to use the X because of Biodefense mode. So I leaned on the service center to try and get more clarity of when it'd be completed, and was essentially told it'd be after the weekend. Fine, I have my SR+ 3, it's done the trip, it'll be the first time it does it in the cold. Monday, December 28th, rolls around and I wait patiently, and am trying not to be pushy, b"

"New beeping driving me crazy With the recent update, our Tesla Model X has a new beeping that is annoying. It has always beeped at you if you put your foot on the brake and didn’t have a seatbelt on. Lately though, when you put the car in park and take off your seatbelt, it beeps at you. I tried to put it in Joe mode and looked for a setting, but can’t find any new setting. It is super annoying and I’m pretty sure it’s new. The software should realize that after you park the car, taking off a seatbelt is normal. I don’t need a dozen beeps at me every time."