Tesla Model X Loaner: The One That Got Away

Tesla handed me a Model X as a loaner while the Cybertruck was in for its air suspension service, and honestly, I tried to say no. Not because the Tesla Model X is a bad car. Because it’s the one that got away, and driving it again reopened a wound I thought had healed.

If you’ve been following along, you know we went through two Model X’s, a Plaid and a Long Range, and gave both of them back. So when the service center told me they only had a Model X or a Model Y available, part of me wanted the Y just to avoid the feelings. I took the X anyway. Here’s what a few days back in it reminded me, good and bad.

Why the Model X still broke my heart

You know that feeling when someone breaks your heart and you start avoiding the places you know they hang out? That’s me with the Model X. I loved both of ours, and both let us down enough that we handed them back through Tesla’s buyback process.

This loaner was one of the newer ones, a seven-seater in Lunar Silver with the updated wheels and hardware 4. I picked it up at 46% state of charge, and within minutes it all came flooding back. When this car works, it is genuinely fantastic. Abby drove it running errands the next day, and she misses it even more than I do. That’s the whole tragedy of the Model X for us. It’s a great car that just kept finding new ways to have issues.

Lunar Silver, one of the newer seven-seaters.

The updated wheels mark it as a newer build.

Charging is where the Tesla Model X shows its age

Here’s the practical gripe. I stopped at a Supercharger on the way home and watched it peak at 256 kW, then settle to 252, down to 140 by 50%, and 100 kW by 64%. That’s the ceiling. The Model S and Model X cap out around 250 kW no matter what, and the Cybertruck is currently the only Tesla that charges past 300 kW. The truck is also cheaper than these two ever were.

That stings more when you look at the pricing history. The Model S Long Range once started at $79,990, the same as a Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive Premium. Then the Plaids climbed toward $100,000 and beyond, and historically the Plaid even touched around $150,000. We got our 2023 Model X Plaid in Ultra Red with cream interior for just under $100,000, and one of those two options was free at the time. Since Tesla discontinued the Model X, the only way in now is the used market, where there are some genuinely crazy deals to be had.

The size problem nobody talks about

We originally wanted the Model X to replace our minivan. It doesn’t. For us, anyway, it just doesn’t, and I’ll keep saying it.

As a seven-seater for people on day trips, it’s amazing. Fit seven bodies and go. But add luggage for a real road trip and the space evaporates. To be fair, the Rivian R1S has the same seven-seat problem, except you can throw a roof rack on the R1S and carry more up top. You can’t do that on a Model X. Both come with a hitch by default, so a hitch cargo carrier from a place like xrack.us is your workaround on either one. It’s a real limitation that spec sheets never capture.

Falcon wing doors, rattles, and the little things

The falcon wing doors are still the party trick, and I noticed a change. On this newer Model X, if you stand directly underneath a door and press close, it beeps and refuses to move. You have to step clear before it will shut. On my older Model X’s, the door would start closing and only stop once it sensed you. I’m not sure if that’s a software update or a hardware change on the newer builds, but it’s a nice safety tweak.

Now the bad. Rattles. This loaner had them near the steering wheel shaft and around the B pillar and passenger falcon wing door. That might sound minor, but rattles are a big deal on a Tesla precisely because the cabin is so sealed and quiet that the smallest noise jumps out at you. Our previous Model X had a clicking sound near the CV boot that was faint inside but surprisingly loud when I put my DJI mic on the fender. This loaner had an inconsistent clicking near the steering wheel too. More features means more things that can eventually go wrong, and the Model X has a lot of features.

Would I buy another Tesla Model X?

Honestly? Used, yes. The deals on the used market are tempting, and driving experience alone, this car is superb. It is more comfortable than the Cybertruck, full stop. Our truck rides on all-terrain tires, so I hear them, and the Model X cabin is quieter and more efficient.

Early on, with traffic, this loaner was showing about 181 Wh per mile, which is excellent. By the time I handed it back I had driven 163.1 miles total and settled at 245 Wh per mile, which is still respectable for a car this size. FSD on hardware 4 was buttery, helped by that extra instrument screen behind the wheel. If you own one with no issues, I am genuinely jealous of you, and if you’re shopping the used market, you can browse the current used Model X inventory directly. If you do pull the trigger on any Tesla, using my referral link gets us both some perks.

But the size reality hasn’t changed, and neither has our luck. The R1S is the better vehicle for our family, and the two Model X’s we owned taught us that lesson the hard way. So is the Model X the one that got away? Maybe. But because it got away, we ended up in a Cybertruck, and I’m good with that.

Have you had better luck with your Model X than we did, or are you eyeing a used one now that they’ve stopped making them? Let me know what you think in the comments.