The Tesla Model 3 says goodbye to the TFL fleet.
After nearly half a year and a prolific series of eighteen episodes, it’s time to say goodbye to our Tesla Model 3. Much of the series was dominated by fixing the damage the car sustained back in April, which was a saga of its own. Beyond that, though, we learned just how well the car performs in the mountains, what it’s like to live with (and charge) it on a daily basis and how it stacks up against some serious performance cars.
Now, it’s time to move on to a new project and a new series. We’ve traded in the Tesla Model 3 on an entirely new vehicle — something much more capable of harder work, from towing duty to off-roading. While we’re still waiting for the likes of Rivian and others to bring out a true electric truck, we went with one of the most capable electric rigs currently on sale.
Meet our new long-term Tesla Model X
Yep, perhaps it was a predictable move, and a lateral one at that, but we traded in the Model 3 on a brand new 2019 Tesla Model X Long Range. The Model X will be the mascot of our new “Adventure X” series, where we work to turn this crossover into a serious off-road, overlanding rig. Impossible? Well, some folks have tried to give their Model X some more off-road cred, but we want to see just how far you can go, and how capable Tesla’s most rugged offering can truly be when you push the envelope.
To that end, we went with the Long Range model, which is less expensive and capable of up to 325 miles on a single charge. Our particular Tesla Model X seats five, although you can upgrade it to seat six for $6,000, or seven for $3,000 over the standard price. We also went with the standard 20-inch base wheels over the differently designed 20-inch “Slipstream” wheels or the larger 22-inch wheel option.
This example comes in Tesla’s Pearl White Multi-Coat paint, as well as the lighter “Cream” interior with oak-finish interior trim which will look nicer on camera. Now, Tesla did just drop the price on the Model X, and made the white paint standard. Now, instead of the $94,200 price shown on this sticker, our example actually came out closer to $86,000 — a significant drop. In the latest iteration of Model X pricing, the Cream interior is now a $1,500 option.
The 2019 Tesla Model X includes Autopilot as standard equipment. Full Self-Driving Capability is an option, however. That adds auto lane change, auto park and the summon feature for $6,000.
Coming up on Adventure X
Before we start serious modifications to our Tesla Model X, we have to find out how it tows. The car is rated to tow 5,000 pounds with the necessary equipment, but how will towing that weight affect the range? There’s only one way to find out!
Stay tuned right here to TFLcar.com for the latest updates in our Adventure X series.
