Why the Model X Matters
Most cars are appliances with better marketing. The Model X was different - it was an argument on wheels. It argued that an SUV could outrun a Ferrari. That doors could flap like a bird of prey. That a family hauler could tow a Dreamliner across an airport tarmac while the Guinness people took notes.
In 2015, Tesla delivered something no one had asked for and everyone suddenly wanted: an all-electric luxury crossover with falcon wing doors, a windshield that doubled as an observatory, and enough torque to rearrange your internal organs. It was absurd. It was brilliant. It was late by nearly two years because those doors refused to behave.
Here is the essential truth - the Model X was never just transportation. It was a billboard for the possible. For early adopters, it announced that they had both taste and conviction. For families, it proved that practicality and velocity were not mutually exclusive. For the competition, it was a wake-up call delivered at 2.5 seconds to sixty.
Figures represent the 2025-2026 Long Range and Plaid variants. Your mileage may vary - literally.
Who Is This For?
The Model X was built for a specific species of human: the one who believes that carpool lane privileges should come with a side of adrenaline. The parent who wants to embarrass sports cars at stoplights while the kids watch Paw Patrol on the rear screen. The executive who needs seven seats but refuses to accept moral defeat in the form of a minivan.
It was also for the true believers. The people who camped outside Tesla stores in 2012 to place $5,000 deposits on a vehicle they had only seen in prototype form. The Norway residents who made it the best-selling car of any kind in September 2016 - not the best-selling electric car, the best-selling car, full stop.
And quietly, it was for NASA. SpaceX has used modified Model X vehicles - complete with astronaut umbilical connections and mission-specific vanity plates - to transport crews to launch pads since 2020. When your grocery getter doubles as a space program support vehicle, you know the engineers were not thinking small.
- Car and Driver, 5/5 stars
The RivalsCompetition Catches Up
For years, the Model X occupied a class of one. That era ended gradually and then all at once. Today's challengers include:
Each brings legitimate credentials. None brings the decade of mythology.
The Gimmicks That Worked
Every car has features. The Model X had theater. Some of it was genuinely useful. Some of it was useful and also made you grin like a maniac. Here is the honest breakdown.
Falcon Wing Doors
Double-hinged rear doors that open upward, allowing easier access in tight spaces while sensors prevent collision with nearby objects. They caused production hell but delivered curb appeal that no competitor could photocopy.
Plaid Powertrain
Tri-motor all-wheel-drive producing 1,020 horsepower. Zero to sixty in 2.5 seconds. The quarter mile in 9.9 seconds. In an SUV that seats seven. Physics sent a strongly worded letter.
Autopilot & Full Self-Driving
Standard advanced driver assistance with optional FSD capability. Important caveat: the names suggest autonomy. The reality requires an attentive human. Do not watch a movie. Do enjoy the traffic-jam assistance.
Panoramic Windshield
The largest single piece of glass ever fitted to a production vehicle at launch. It turns every drive into an IMAX experience. Sunglasses recommended. Awe guaranteed.
Supercharger Network
Access to Tesla's global DC fast-charging network at up to 250 kW. Road trips become feasible. Range anxiety becomes a hobby for journalists only.
Bio Weapon Defense Mode
HEPA filtration removing 99.97% of particulates, allergens, and bacteria. It sounds like marketing poetry until you drive through a wildfire and your passengers smell absolutely nothing.
Living With the Thing
The Model X was not perfect. Let us be direct about this. Early builds suffered from falcon wing doors that paused mid-flap like a nervous actor forgetting lines. Consumer Reports found the ride too firm for a six-figure price tag. Panel gaps became a meme.
But Tesla's secret weapon was not initial quality. It was evolution. Over-the-air updates transformed the car you owned into a better car while you slept. Features appeared that were not there at purchase. The doors learned new choreography. The Autopilot grew new capabilities. Traditional automakers sold you a finished product. Tesla sold you a subscription to the future.
Charging at home on a Level 2 connection took 8-12 hours - perfectly fine overnight. On a Supercharger, you could add hundreds of miles in under 40 minutes. The real-world highway range tested around 300 miles for the Long Range variant, which is not the EPA figure but is entirely honest.
PricingWhat It Cost
Prices shifted like sand. The Long Range typically opened near $79,990 and could climb past $100,000 with options. The Plaid started around $119,990 and maxed near $146,500 fully loaded. The six-seat interior alone demanded a $6,500 premium. Red paint cost extra because Tesla understood that vanity has a price.
ResaleThe Departure Tax
In a plot twist that surprised absolutely no one, discontinuation made used Model X vehicles hotter than new ones. In Q1 2026, the Model X was the fastest-selling used vehicle in America at 25.6 days on average. Scarcity, it turns out, is the best marketing department.
- Car and Driver, who still gave it 5/5 stars
Trophies, Records, and Bragging Rights
The Model X was the first and only SUV to earn five stars from NHTSA in every assessed category. Not most categories. Every single one. Tesla attributed this to the battery pack's low center of gravity, which makes rollovers statistically shy about happening.
In May 2018, a Model X towed a 287,000-pound Boeing 787-9 nearly a thousand feet across a Melbourne Airport taxiway. Qantas provided the plane. Guinness provided the certificate. Tesla provided the torque. The video is still satisfying.
Forbes named the Model X 100D its Best Vehicle of the Year in 2017, declaring that Tesla "makes every internal combustion vehicle on the highway seem a clunky, clumsy relic of the 20th century." Strong words. The sales figures suggested readers agreed.
A Brief History of Chaos
The Model X did not arrive on schedule. It did not arrive quietly. It arrived like most interesting things do - late, dramatic, and worth the wait.
Prototype unveiled in Hawthorne, California. Tesla accepts reservations without announcing a price. Over 20,000 people hand over deposits anyway.
First deliveries begin, nearly two years late. The falcon wing doors and supplier drama share blame. The first six Founders Series cars go to Tesla insiders at a Fremont factory party.
Norway makes the Model X the top-selling new car model of any kind for the month. The entire nation develops a collective crush.
NHTSA awards 5 stars in every category. The Model X becomes the safest SUV the government has ever tested.
Major refresh introduces the Plaid powertrain, a revised interior, and the heat pump. The doors finally work reliably. Progress.
Final update adds front bumper camera, adaptive headlights, dynamic ambient lighting, and more third-row space. A quiet goodbye tour.
Tesla discontinues the Model X alongside the Model S. Production lines at Fremont pivot to Optimus robots. The era ends not with a recall, but with a factory rebirth.
Details That Amuse
The Verdict
The Tesla Model X was never a sensible purchase. It was an expensive, complicated, occasionally frustrating declaration of intent. It said that the future would be electric, fast, and slightly theatrical. It said that families deserve better than beige appliances. It said that doors can be art.
Eleven years after its debut, the Model X leaves behind a market it essentially created. The electric luxury SUV segment is now crowded with excellent alternatives. None of them towed a Boeing. None of them carried astronauts. None of them made children point and gasp when the doors unfolded like a mechanical origami swan.
If you find a used one - and you will, though not for long - know what you are buying. A piece of automotive history. A software platform with wheels. A very fast argument that the future was always going to be more interesting than the present.