April 15, 2014 - We reserved our Tesla Model X and received an email confirmation from Tesla Motors at 6:45 PM with Reservation Confirmatin RN332011 and Reservation Sequence Number 9,214. The email explained the reason for the two numbers. It said that the Reservation Confirmation Number is the number we use to track your account. If you ever need to call us, we'll ask for this number to quickly pull up your account details. The email also went on to explain the Reservation Sequence Number indicates your place in our reservation queue and the order in which you'll be invited to finalize your Model X configuration, options, and packages.
The Reservation Confirmation Number has always stuck with our order as Tesla Motors stated that it would. However, the Reservation Sequence Number seems to have vanished somewhere along the line. It was replaced with wording that the date we would be invited to configure our Model X would be based on our reservation date. I think there are a lot of factors that Tesla Motors is using to decide the sequence of deliveries. Having a Squence Number attached to the reservation implies to some extent that the vehicles will be delivered in the sequence in which they were reserved. I'm sure Tesla Motors wants to spread the deliveries over their worldwide market and not end up delivering the first few thousand just to California and the United States if that happens to be where everyone with low sequence numbers is located. Also, there it is very likely that some configuration parts might be slower to obtain than others. Thus, Tesla may be able to deliver those vehicles more quickly that don't require parts that are in shorter supply. I can understand a number of reasons like these why Tesla would not want to deliver vehicles in the exact sequence in which they were reserved. Fortunately we are not in a rush for our Model X. We've already waited almost 18 months since we placed our order. If we have to wait until Spring or Summer of 2016 for delivery, or beyond, that is fine with us. We are just happy to have gotten into the queue relatively early. That increases our chances that we won't have to wait another year or two for delivery.
December 7, 2015 - We received an email at exactly 2:30 PM Pacific Time from Tesla Motors inviting us to configure our Model X. The email started off with: Today is an exciting step towards building your Model X. We're thrilled to invite you to configure your car for production. By 3:00 PM we finished our initial configuration and received a confirmation email from Tesla Motors by 3:03 PM letting us know that our order is completed. They also let us know that our Model X order will be considered confirmed on December 14, 2015, a week from today, for the purposes of factory planning. Tesla Motors said that if we are happy with our design, there is no action needed. But if we'd like to make changes, they asked to please do so before December 14th.
We are going to have to contact Tesla Motors as we have a couple of questions. Both relate to the center consoles. Some of the photos of the Model X posted to their web site show center consoles between the two front seats and between the two center seats (in the 6 seat configuration that we ordered). The interior photo that Tesla provided to us of our custom configuration shows a center console between the two front seats, but not between the two center seats. I did not see any option in the Tesla Model X Design Center where we could select to purchase a Center Console for either the Front or the Center Seats. When we purchased our 2013 Tesla Model S 85, Tesla did not have a Center Console option at all; not for factory installation nor for post-delivery by the service center. We ended up purchasing an after market Center Console and installed it ourselves. When we purchased our 2015 Tesla Model S P85D we purchased the Center Console directly from Tesla. However, it still had to be installed at the Tesla Service Center. After we talk to Tesla Motors, I'll post here what the story is about the Center Consoles. We definitely want to purchase both the front and center consoles and have them installed by Tesla, preferably before we pick the car up.
Click here for info and photos of the Tesla Center Console.
We would also like to order a full set of Tesla Floormats for the Model X. We have these in our 2015 Tesla Model S P85D. I didn't even know that Tesla sold these until we went to pick up our car. We had purchased a full set of floormats from Weather Tech for our 2013 Tesla Model S 85 and thought they looked and functioned fantastic. The ones we purchased at the Tesla Service Center for our 2015 Tesla Model S P85D looked identical to the custom laser cut ones from Weather Tech except they had the word "TESLA" in place of the word "WEATHER TECH" on each floormat, which seemed a bit more classy.
We also selected the "High Amperage Charger Upgrade" for $1,000 which is a hidden configuration option in the Design menus. If you are interested in adding this option to your Model X, please either contact Tesla or search online for how to get to this option. Or, send me a private email and I'll tell you how to get to it. I don't think I should publish it here as Tesla obviously prefers to keep this option hidden. There is not yet a real good explanation of why Tesla has hidden this design option. It does not help the car charge any faster at a Supercharger. It only helps a car charge at about 50% faster when plugged into an 80 AMP High Power Wall Connector (HPWC) or a J1772 that can supply more than 48A. I wanted this option as we have 2 HPWC each on their own 100 Amp Circuits and capable of delivering the full 78A. We also had 2 Tesla HPWC Destination Chargers installed at the Depot Inn & Suites in La Plata, Missouri. Tesla covered the cost of the equipment and installation, but we made sure each of those was also installed on their own dedicated 100 Amp Circuits to provide the quickest charging. Maybe Tesla has surveyed their customer base and found that most don't use a HPWC connected to a circuit providing more than 48 Amps. Currently at this point in time most J1772 public charging stations do not provide more than 48 Amps. Or, maybe Tesla has some ideas that the battery migh last longer if charged at a slower rate. Maybe more information on this topic will surface over time. But in any case, if you want this option, do add it when designing your Model X. Unlike the Model S, this faster charging option can not be added to the Model X after it has been built.
Below is the configuration we selected for our Tesla Model X:
Originally we were going to go with a bright blue exterior, but just a few weeks ago my wife started think it might be better to go with either another black car like our prior two Tesla Model S, or maybe with the red. We thought Tesla had come up with a new more exciting blue, but all we saw in the configuration menu was the usual dark blue. We didn't like that blue as it is so dark that it is almost the same as black. We ended up selecting the red exterior but to stick with a black interior like both of our prior Tesla Model S. This time we also selected to go with the interior black liner. In our previous two vehicles we ordered the alcantra liner. I guess until recently we didn't really even know what a "liner" was. We thought it was some interior accent, but the liner is the fabric on the entire interior roof of the car. Until someone else pointed it out, I never noticed that the liner in our car was not black! This time we made sure we ordered a black liner to match the rest of the interior of the vehicle.
Not wanting to make the same mistake as we did when we ordered our first Tesla in 2013, we ordered pretty much every configuration option that we were likely to want. Though, the features that we most wanted weren't even available for the Tesla in 2013. We definitely wanted proximity alerts, adaptive cruise control, and collision avoidance. We had ALL of those features in both our 2012 Toyota Sienna Limited and our 2013 Toyota Plug-In Prius Advanced. It seemed silly that a 2013 Tesla Model S 85 that cost more than the price of the other two cars combined was missing all of those features. At great cost we did have proximity alerts added at the Tesla Service Center to our 2013 Tesla, but the other hardware features could not be added on. That is why in January 2015 we decided to sell our Tesla and buy a new one with all of those missing features and more.
We pretty much selected almost every option when we ordered the 2015 Tesla Model S P85D. One of the few things we did not order was the panoramic glass roof. We discussed it and almost ordered it, but neither my wife nor I are sun worshipers. I don't mind having the stars above my head at night, but I don't like having the sun beating down on my head during the day, even through tinted glass. The huge windshield on the Model X is about the only item of which I am a little concerned. One oddity with the 2015 Tesla was that you can not select SiriusXM radio unless you select the panoramic glass roof. We didn't have a panoramic roof in our 2013 Tesla either, but we were able to select the SiriusXM feature. We were told in the newer 2015 Tesla models they integrated the SirusXM antenna into the panoramic glass roof. I suspect that the forward facing camera in the newer Tesla might have interferred with prior location of the SiriusXM antenna in the windshield.
We thought we were going to go with the seven seat configuration as it will be replacing our 7 seat 2012 Toyota Sienna Limited minivan for most purposes. After some thought, we realized that we seldom have 7 passengers. We rarely have more than 4 in the car when we go anywhere. When we do have more than 4, it is usually just 5 but sometimes 6. Almost never 7. We like the idea of having a bit more room and a center seat center console rather than seating for 7. We definitely need seating for 6 though. When we purchased our 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, we selected the executive rear seats option. Thus, our Model S is only a 4 passenger car, not the 5 passenger car that the Tesla with the usual bench seat can handle. We figured when we needed to transport 5 people we still had the 2012 Toyota Sienna Limited for that, and would eventually be getting the Model X that would also be able to transport 5 or more people.
To try to avoid having any regrets about any features that we failed to order, we went ahead and selected just about evey option. Besides, having orderd almost every feature for our 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, we kind of became spoiled by all those features. One feature we almost didn't order was the trailer hitch. But, we can see how we might sometime want to tow a trailer, especially with it being an SUV type of vehicle. I almost accidentally "unordered" the trailer hitch. On the design menu there is a feature to add on a bike and ski carrier and it appeard to be free with the other options I had selected. I didn't notice that when I selected this item, the configuration automatically unselected the trailer hitch. I didn't realize it was an either / or option. When I notice the trailer hitch option missing in my review list, I went back and checked the box again. As soon as I did that, the check mark in the bike and ski carrier option vanished.
I guess that makes 3 things we need to ask Tesla about: the two center consoles, and if it is possible to have the bike / ski carrier option along with the towing option. The answers to our questions will be posted here!
December 8, 2015 - We use a couple of automatic credit monitoring services. Both my wife and I received two notifications of a change to our credit files. Logging in to check both of them I saw that the notifications were because two auto financing companies had requested our credit info. That was our first indication that Tesla Motors was working on the financing that we had requested for the Model X.
December 9, 2015 - We received an email from Tesla Motors letting us know that our auto loan request had been approved by two financial institutions. The email contained information about the available loans from each of the finance places. We replied to Tesla that they looked good to us, but if we have a choice, we'd take the one with the slightly lower interest rate. The difference was just a tiny fraction of a point, but I didn't see any differences in the rest of the terms of the two loans to warrant selecting the one with the slightly higher interest rate. Tesla Motors said that we would be signing the financing paperwork when we took delivery of the vehicle, but if the vehicle was not delivered within 60 days, that they'd have to update the financing offering. Personally I think it is very unlikely that Tesla will deliver our Model X within 60 days so I'm sure they will have to update the finance offering. I don't think much will change in our financial status between now and then so I'm sure we'll still qualify for the loan at that time, but it is possible the interest rate may change based on market conditions. Right now interest rates are running at record lows so it is a good time to obtain an auto loan and lock in tha low rate for the next few years.
December 10, 2015 - We called Tesla Motors today. They said a factory installed center front console comes standard in the Tesla Model X. There is no rear center console in the Tesla Model X, not even in the 6 seat configuration, and there is no option to add one either at the factory or at a Tesla Service Center at this time. This will probably be something that Tesla and after market providers will eventually offer. Tesla Motors is also not offering Weather-Tech type floormats as they have for the Model S at this time. That is another item that will probably become available at a later date. As far as the bicycle / ski carrier attachment, they said that is included with the towing package. I guess Tesla has a way to attach a bicycle / ski carrier even without the towing package, but if you order the towing package, then this feature is automatically included.
Tesla Motors also mentioned that our Model X will probably be in the set of the first ones to be delivered in early 2016, maybe even in January or February. Evidently Tesla is going to be building the P90D configurations before they build the 70D and other "less loaded" configurations. Thus, people who placed an order for a P90D later might be getting their vehicles before those who ordered 70D configurations earlier. I guess it makes sense to first build the vehicles with the highest profit margin before building the cars with a tighter profit margin.
December 14, 2015 - Received an email from Tesla Motors that our "order will soon be confirmed". They said it will be automatically confirmed on December 14th (today?) and that if we would like to make any changes, we should do so before then. Since this email was sent to us ON December 14, it seems like it might be a bit difficult to make changes before that date!
There was also a mention that there would be a charge of $500 for any further changes requested after December 14, 2015. This wasn't of much concern to us as we had already configured our new Tesla Model X exactly as we wanted it and already asked and got answered all the questions that we had.
December 15, 2015 - We received an email from Tesla Motors that said: "Thank You -- Your order is confirmed." They further went on to say that as our car's final assmbly date nears, we'll be contacted to plan our pickup. They then said that we should contact them if we have any questions. That email contained a detailed list of our configuation, two inline rendered images of the exterior and one image of the interior of the Tesla we had configured in the colors and options that we had selected. Attached to the email was a PDF file of our configured Tesla also.
This is just a first pass at my first Tesla Model X post. I'll be adding more information shortly. Please check back later!
