VM Test Drive Report Tesla Model X Plaid: Unique!

Officially, Tesla invited to Parsdorf near Munich to introduce the new Tesla Center, which is now also available near the Bavarian capital. This means: salesroom, showroom, workshop, and the ability to test drive – all under one roof. And yes, they had a Model Y from the Grünheide production available – interesting enough for us to get an update.

So far, so good – the new colors suit the Model Y well, but there’s another surprise: they also had a Model X Plaid available for test drives. 1020 horsepower, 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds (although measured in the U.S. with initial rolling) – with the yoke steering wheel and the newly designed interior.

The Plaid is only available as a six-seater

First impression: Unique but not exactly polite! The gull-wing doors in the rear and the yoke steering wheel continue to distinguish the Model X from the crowd. And indeed, the partial gull-wing produced at the Fremont factory has subtly improved in detail quality: the Plaid is only available as a six-seater, with the third row remaining tight, while the second row still offers plenty of space between the electronically adjustable individual seats.

It’s started via app or card and pressing the brake pedal. You then swipe up or down on the left edge of the central screen to drive forward or backward – optionally, touch buttons light up at the bottom of the center console where you can also control this. We find this as ergonomically nonsensical as the square yoke steering wheel, which lacks stalks. The indicator is operated with two stacked buttons on the left, where the volume dial for the sound system also remains.

On the right, you control the cruise control (press once) or the driving assistant (press twice) – yet, the Model X still doesn’t recognize traffic signs with speed limits. You can also honk, wash the windshield, and honk again on the right – or activate the voice control, which doesn’t understand you all that well. You can get used to all this, but sorry, ergonomically, it’s just crazy.

The yoke steering wheel only really works in the USA

But the crowning feature is the square yoke steering wheel, designed in the USA, where one mostly drives straight or makes wide turns. Here, you start cursing at the first roundabout and every maneuver, because it’s so indirectly set up that you often have to regrip, which is extremely cumbersome with a square wheel. And then indicating to exit the roundabout? Where was that button for the right indicator again? Ah – now, with the sharply turned yoke, it’s right at the bottom instead of the top…

We are looking for a photo location and turn into a yard that we then want to exit. Ahead is a busy main road – turning left is out of the question as we can’t accurately estimate the required steering angle – the 1020 horsepower would suffice for small gaps, but they need to be steered! Turning right isn't much better, so we wait patiently… and dismiss the square steering stick as a crazy Musk idea – we’re curious if Lexus does it better…

Otherwise, there remains a fundamentally clear control menu on the screen and plenty of space in the interior. Especially as Tesla has moved the cross brace for the roof on the Model Y far back, giving the front an incredibly airy and great feeling of space! That you can also adjust the steering wheel via a menu on the screen – is almost a bonus, considering the seat can still be adjusted with primitive but easy-to-use sliders directly on the seat. Thank you for keeping them there!

It’s impressive how the Model X continues to power beyond 100 km/h

The acceleration itself is no longer as impressive once you’ve experienced the 2.9 seconds of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, but how the 1020 horsepower pushes the giant from 100 km/h (where they are fully available) is indeed impressive. Sure, the Model X Plaid is also the first production SUV in the USA to cover a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds, and indeed the Model X flies towards the 150-, 200-, 250-km/h marks… it only stops at 262 km/h. A transporter with a trailer then pulls into the left lane at nearly 100 km/h… We saw it in time but still had to brake massively – to the ABS regulation limit. Regeneration and operational brakes don’t quite match the performance of the three motors and should be more biting.

The chassis reaches its limits with this performance

And the steering is slightly too light at high speeds. With the front axle already on our radar, we also noticed the front wheels briefly searching for grip under massive acceleration – subtle and only for fractions of a second. Our tip, since we’ve driven both: the Model S feels much tighter and inherently closer to the ground.

Tesla models are still comparatively economical

A brief look at consumption: Speeding leads us to values beyond 40 kWh/100 km, so on the way back, we consciously go with the flow of traffic – at 100 to 120 km/h, the Model X quickly falls back below the 30 mark. Tesla states a range of up to 543 km, with consumption at an economical 20.8 kWh/100 km, which is extremely economical for such a massive vehicle. This suggests a battery with a net capacity of 113 kWh. At the beginning, we are offered 457 km, which according to the display equates to a net 24.7 kWh/100 km – with charging losses, you would end up at around 27 kWh/100 km. This is absolutely fine for what’s offered in winter! Moreover, you can charge with up to 250 kW, or in other words: within 15 minutes, you can charge up to 282 kilometers at the Supercharger. We also tried this with the Model S: within 13 minutes, the battery was charged from a low seven to 34 percent – which seems quite plausible. The weight is also reasonable at 2,455 kg, while you can tow quite a bit with a towing capacity of 2,250 kg.

Now the Model X just has to attract customers, which it might: it still scores with a ridiculous mix of relative efficiency and absolute power, made a noticeable leap in detail quality, although REAL tactile premium is left to others. Combined with the Falcon Wing doors at the rear and the Yoke steering wheel, the Model X Plaid is unique. Although one might add – unique, but not necessarily well-behaved!

Orders can be placed from 140,990 euros gross (about 125,966 euros net) or 1082 euros net on lease, provided you make a down payment of 23,861 euros and do not exceed 10,000 km per year over the 60-month term.