No one would have believed that more than twenty years ago that we would once again stand in line for a coffee of 7 euros in this country and then be addressed by the wrong name. Frugal Dutch people turn off the lights in rooms where they are not, close the room door against the draft and simply drink Douwe Egberts from the Philips coffee machine.
But the number of Starbucks branches in our country is now approaching one hundred. Sometimes you just have to dare as a company. Will we also look back on the strangely shaped steering wheel of this Model X Plaid in twenty years?
The half handlebar is called a yoke
Tesla is one of the first brands to dare to replace the old round steering wheel with a half steering wheel. They call the thing the yoke, after the control element in an airplane. Tesla believes that the steering wheel will play a less and less important role in cars, because they will eventually drive independently. A good example is good to follow, because Toyota will soon also include an optional yoke in the bZ4X.
The first time we heard about the yoke, we secretly assumed that Tesla had come up with a smart system with variable control. For example, some German premium brands have had this for a while: if you drive slowly, the car reacts more strongly to your steering input, so you don’t have to hurl so violently when you park the car, for example.
Or maybe Tesla would opt for a very direct wheelhouse, just like in an F1 car. After all, you never see drivers turn the wheel more than 180 degrees, not even in the tight corners of Monaco. But no, it doesn’t seem like Tesla has done much more than change the shape of the steering wheel.
Nice idea, poorly executed
So if you want to park backwards or have to steer sharply, you still have to grab the yoke. We promise you: you will miss the first few times. In addition, the handlebars are rather wide. So it’s not a short stroke you make, like with an F1 car; rather, it is like turning over a mortar tub. It helps that the safety systems of the Model X are so good that you don’t easily end up in a situation where you have to correct a skid, because that seems a bit difficult with this set-up.
If you drive with the yoke for a while, you get used to it. But the added value compared to a round handlebar has not yet revealed itself to us. And apparently we are not the only ones who do not really see the point, because although the original plan was to only deliver the Model X and S with the yoke, an option has recently been added for an old-fashioned round steering wheel .
The interior of the Tesla Model X Plaid
What won’t come back are the stems behind the wheel. You can put the car in Drive or Park via the touch screen. The turn signals are buttons on the steering wheel, both on the yoke and the round one. In America they mainly have wide roads and very few roundabouts, so things will run smoothly there, but it doesn’t work very well here.
You are already busy uncomfortably grabbing the steering wheel and then you also have to press a moving button during that action. Moreover, we have the idea that we need to press the left turn button just a little less hard than the right turn button. We admit: a lot of words about something as simple as the steering wheel, but it is also (with current legislation) the only object in the car that you have the entire ride.
What does Plaid actually mean?
Don’t worry, we have now arrived at the second novelty of this Model X: the Plaid badge on the buttocks. The word (pronounced ‘plèd’) literally means checkered woolen fabric, but the upholstery is white leather. Plaid is a reference to the cult film Space Balls, a parody of, among other things Star Wars.
In this film, the spaceships do not fly with hyperspeedbut with the speeds ludicrous (which you saw before in a Tesla) and plaid. An absurd term to use for a production car, but in no way out of place. Three electric motors provide a total of 1,020 hp and an ungodly amount of torque that even the RDW is not allowed to officially record.
Driving the Model X Plaid
You can forget everything you think you know about speed in a car. Nothing can prepare you for the acceleration of the Tesla Model X Plaid – and then the lighter Model S version is even faster. In those 2.6 seconds it takes to shoot to 100 km/h, you feel all your facial wrinkles smoothing out momentarily.
The launch in an extreme roller coaster comes closest. And the car can lose the power well on the asphalt. Moreover, it is not a shabby traffic light sprint up to 50 km/h; even above 100, the Model X Plaid continues to accelerate mercilessly. Nothing you can afford as a humble mortal comes close to this Tesla. And if you are not warned as a passenger, you can easily pull a muscle.
It feels different than hybrid power
Coincidentally, we drove the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE Performance a week earlier, with 839 hp and 1,400 Nm; but despite the fact that it should come close on paper, it cannot be compared in terms of violence and feeling. There is no gearbox and no delay, so even on the highway any overtaking is over in the blink of an eye.
We are talking here about hypercar performance for 143,990 euros (both in the Netherlands and Belgium). You almost have to wonder whether we should allow anyone with a pink pass, regardless of experience, judgment or level of survival instinct, to drive this.
Especially since the large Model X also carries quite a bit of weight – and you notice that with the brakes. Those more than 2,500 kilos (if you count the driver) do not just force you to a stop. In relation to the acceleration, the deceleration is rather disappointing, and then corners come very close very quickly. So enjoy in moderation.
Tesla Model X Plaid: to buy or not?
If your passengers don’t care about the 2.6-second Bergman operations, then the Tesla Model X Plaid is a pleasant car. The chassis is pleasant and the seats are fine. At the beginning it takes a while to find in which menu you can fold out the mirrors, for example, but if you play with the screen for a while, the Tesla system turns out to work very well. In addition, the huge continuous windshield and the Falcon doors remain a great addition. Order it with the round steering wheel and it is very nice to live with.
Specifications of the Tesla Model X Plaid (2023)
engine
3 electric motors
1,020 hp
couple NB*
95* kWh (battery)
Drive
four wheels
stepless
Performance
0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds
top 262 km/h
Consumption (average)
17.5* kWh/100 km A label
Range (assignment)
543km (WLTP)
Loading time
4* hours at 16 kW
23* min. at 250 kW (20-80%)
Dimensions
5,057×1,999x
1,680 mm (lxwxh)
2,965mm (wheelbase)
2,455 kilograms
1,050 / 2,614 l (luggage)
Prices
€ 143,990 (NL)
€143,990 (B)
* No official values available (yet).
#Tesla #Model #Plaid #review #horsepower #drive #steering #wheel