Tesla Model X review

There aren’t many options to choose from, but Tesla makes you pay dearly for the ones it does offer. As standard the Model X is a five-seater. A third row could be added for £3,400. Make sure you definitely need them. The downward curve of the tailgate limits headroom back there, although they do fold flat easily. If you want to ease access to them, you’re better off with the six-seat layout, which (again, when you could actually buy the Model X in the UK) replaced the three-seat middle bench with a pair of captain’s chairs. For £6,300.

But it’s huge inside. Total luggage volume is 2,487 litres, which puts it on a par with the Land Rover Discovery. The issue is the usability of that space. If you have the six-seat layout there’s precious little to stop kit in the boot sliding into the cabin. And although the falcon doors will never get boring, if the car is parked unevenly and the chassis twisted slightly or on a windy day, they occasionally refuse to operate.

Up front the cabin is dominated by two screens: the 17-incher in the dash, and the eight-footer that arcs back over your head. The windscreen is luxuriously (and distractingly) enormous. Tinted so sun glare isn’t an issue, and the sense of peripheral vision is great, but you also feel exposed underneath this see-through forehead. The dash screen? Well now everyone seems to be going to touchscreen, and this is the biggest and just about the best. As big as a road atlas, responsive and easy to use, though still requiring a lot of eyes-off-road time.

Beyond that the design is pretty basic, the materials less than premium and the seats slippery and unsupportive. It’s not a cabin you’re ever going to feel cosy in. It’s more like piloting a posh Transit. One kitted out with LED headlights, a 17-speaker stereo and heated seats and steering wheel.

Oh, and we should mention some of the Model X’s hidden party pieces. No doubt you’ll have seen ‘Celebration Mode’ doing its thing on YouTube, where the falcon doors perform their own showboating routine as loud music serenades your latest drag race win. Or more likely wows the occasional visitor on your driveway.

Meanwhile Sentry Mode is a bit more real-world useful. It employs the Model X’s various cameras to look out for ‘potential threats’ - thieves, influencers etcetera - while you’re away. Extra peace of mind if you park up in a dodgy area.