Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Tesla

Later this month, Tesla is going to unveil its long-awaited Model 3 electric vehicle. We're all eager to see the new EV, which will retail for half the cost of Tesla's current cheapest model while retaining the company's signature long-range capability. But there's another Tesla we're yet to know well, one that's just starting to appear on our roads: the Model X SUV. Tesla is currently taking the Model X on a tour around the country to give customers with reservations a chance to get behind the wheel, and the company was kind enough to invite us to check it out earlier this week in Washington, DC.

A proper review will have to wait until Tesla has a spare Model X they can set aside for the media, which we hope happens some time later this year. The company is currently working to meet order books that are overflowing regardless of glowing road tests, so it's hard to blame this approach. In the meantime, the 10 minutes your author spent behind the wheel on the roads of Tyson's Corner, Virginia, will have to suffice.

If that time is anything to go by, the Model X is one of the very best SUVs I've driven. The Model X shares its platform—if not its ride height—with the Model S sedan, which means there's a skateboard chassis with the battery packs between the axles. With such a low center of gravity, there's none of the usual SUV body roll. Instead you get all the benefits of a lofty driving position without the principal drawback. Combined with the panoramic windscreen (it has clever magnetic sunshades), the result is an expansive view of the world in front of you.

All that power on tap is an extremely good thing. In Ludicrous mode, the Model X is McLaren F1-quick—floor it leaving a toll booth and you'll hit 60mph in just 3.2 seconds. Would a conventional SUV with this much power (762hp/568kW) be anywhere near as usable? We doubt it. A Tesla customer at the event likened the experience to piloting a shuttle pod in Star Trek—it certainly feels unlike any "regular" SUV we've driven to date.

The interior of the Model X moves things along from the Model S. There are more cubbies, cup holders, and a Lightning connector/dock for your iOS device, too. The falcon wing doors—meant to provide minivan access without minivan styling—work as advertised, and the narrow bucket seats (you can have two or three in a row) make the most of the Model X's interior space. Still, the interior isn't in the same league as the rest of the luxury SUV market—there's still quite a lot of shiny black plastic everywhere.

We think this is more evidence of where Tesla sees its priorities: engineering and software. What gives that mindset away is the attention to detail. For example, the car shown on the infotainment screen is a perfect match for the vehicle you're physically sitting in—something we don't think any other company does. Autopilot remains a great driver assistance system, and Tesla should be commended for constantly refining and updating it for the entire installed user base.

We'll have to wait and see if a week with the Model X confirms this initial impression. But we have a feeling that the electric SUV may be a more significant product for Tesla than its low-slung sibling.

Listing image by Jonathan Gitlin