There has been a long stretch since my last Tesla blog. I have been busy and honestly, there really isn’t much to add to the story as far as my opinion of the car. If you are on the fence about getting any Tesla as a business vehicle, get off it and get one. It is a dependable work horse.
I now own a 2017 Model X with just under 70,000 miles in 15 months - and it has sat for about 60 days as I rent cars when I fly to the west coast. Roughly speaking I drive about 65,000 miles in it every 12 months.
I drive interstates in the most crowded traffic and I cannot live without autopilot and traffic aware cruise control. I greatly miss it and driving becomes more of a one sided effort in the rentals. Driving an automated Tesla is like working with a willing partner. We drive better together than either of us alone. Driving “brain dead” is out of the question but driving with a car that is always watching and guiding relieves the brain of the constant stress of long distance driving. I end the day more refreshed and look forward to the morning drive.
But there’s more. I also drive on back country two and one lane roads, country driveways and open fields. I raise the suspension and forge across small streams, ruts, rocks and very large holes. With all of this there are two weaknesses. The first is when on autopilot, the car won’t avoid potholes which it hits full speed. I clench my teeth but so far, no tire, wheel or suspension damage. Apparently potholes occur where everyone else drives - right in the tire grooves of the road. The second weakness are the thin tire sidewalls. I have never worried about bumping a granite curb with my 10 ply Michelin truck tires. Not so with these tires. The wall was shredded as I parked at 5 MPH.
The Bottom Line
Would I buy another Tesla for my business? Absolutely. I bought the P Model 3 in October for my associate who has already put on 15,000 miles in 3 months. I should have gotten her the X with its ability to raise the suspension, but except for this, the 3 is also a workhorse. It has full autopilot and two motor all wheel drive. Both models are very comfortable and have plenty of room for what we do. The most important fact to me is that both models are the safest cars made today.
These Teslas are safe, durable and fun to drive. They are economical (we have free lifetime supercharging) with very low maintenance compared to the fuel guzzling, DEF fluid sucking, fuel and oil filter needing full size diesel pick up trucks we replaced.
The 3 will never see snow but seems to handle all surfaces we drive on. It has bottomed out peeling away some felt off the bottom and a heavy rain caused the loss of an ugly Aero wheel cover. We are removing the other three and using the $50 lug covers. I would recommend purchasing the upgraded wheels.
The X has been driven in the snow once. It was able to go but didn’t steer or brake well. I would suggest purchasing the chains for the rear wheels - $440.
My wife says I’m not a perfect 10 in every category but she wouldn’t trade me in on anyone else. After all, I’m her work horse and so are my Teslas.
