Consumer Reports: Tesla's Model X Is 'Fast and Flawed' (marketwatch.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from MarketWatch: Tesla Motors Inc. was dealt a blow earlier this week as Consumer Reports magazine called the Model X, its much-awaited and much-feted SUV, a "flawed" vehicle. Beyond a "brag-worthy magic, the all-wheel drive Model X 90D largely disappoints," the magazine said, citing rear doors prone to pausing and stopping, second-row seats that can't be folded, and limiting cargo capacity. Even its panoramic, helicopter-like windshield won cranky-sounding disapproval from Consumer Reports: It's not tinted enough to offset the brightness of a sunny day, it said. Overall "the ride is too firm and choppy for a $110,000 car," Consumer Reports said. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports released its 2016 Car Reliability Survey and found that, while the Tesla Model S has become more reliable, the Tesla Model X has proved to be unreliable overall.

Comments

Re:Tesla builds shit cars

[0100010001010011]

Then they poached too many EEs and Computer Engineers and from Silicon Valley and not enough Mechanical engineers from Toyota, Audi, BMW, et al.

Re: Tesla builds shit cars

[DMFNR]

You think that's bad, take a look at the even more exclusive sports and super cars. Ferraris with plastics that melt and become sticky after a few years, spontanious combustion, McLarens with door sensors that only work half the time, Lotuses with giant panel gaps. For a lot of these cars price is not proportional to build quality or reliability. You're paying for an experience or an image. Being able to hear the engine note of a flat plane crank V8 is well worth the cost of entry for many people, for others it's entry in to the club of ownership. Having to take the car to the garage every third drive is just part of the supercar ownership experience. Many of these cars are so mechanically high strung that they require absolutely insane maintenance schedules anyway. It's not such a huge deal to replace a few interior parts or electronic doodads when you have to take it in for a whole goddamn engine out regular major service.

Many of these problems have lessened in recent years, the build quality of these cars in the 70's through the 90's was absolutely laughable. I'm not saying its acceptable, just that is how it is. Even the Viper's domestic competitor, the Corvette has had similar issues, even in recent years, see C7 Z06 heat soak issues.

Not surprising

[DrXym]

Those gull wing doors were just a silly gimmick. Yeah they look cool but in an SUV, they make zero sense. Aside from all the mechanical / electrical complexity, they're prone to leak, open / close slower than a regular door (too bad if its snowing / raining), prevent the doors from having storage space, prevent a bike / canoe / luggage rack being mounted on the car.

Regular doors work just as well, or even sliding ones. They're cheaper, simpler and more reliable. It should be a no brainer. Of course that assumes the gull wing doors were added to solve a practical problem. The reality is they were probably added to solve a marketing problem - a justification to jack the price up and free press.