Let’s get the Tesla question out of the way up front. It took 8 years and 4 hardware revisions to get there, but Full Self Driving (FSD) now actually works. Anyone who hasn’t actually tried it won’t get it, anyone who has spent a few days with it, and done so objectively, will understand. I love driving. This blog series, that’s run for decades with no one reading it, chronically an endless list of expenditures that collectively mark my worst life choice by far, is a testament to that. But what I’ve learned is that I also love not driving. With FSD, according to the stats, I am not driving roughly 82% of the time. And it is glorious. Get in. Plug in destination. Get out once you’re there and parked. Rinse repeat. Anyhow, this isn’t an FSD entry, but if you want a system like this, there is only one option. No other manufacturer outside China is even ballpark to it. They’re not even attempting to play the same game.

So with that out of the way, what exactly is going on here? Well, as anyone who follows the auto industry probably knows, Tesla recently canceled their two original, premium, mainstream models, the venerable S, one of the nicest looking sedans of the 21s century, and the X, of wacky “falcon wing door” fame. To commemorate this retirement, they brought back the legendary unobtanium deal “free supercharging for life”.

Now the Rivian wasn’t going anywhere, but that Model Y was looking vulnerable. The tricky thing is that’s Mrs Complaints car, and as a lifelong Mini driver, who had finally managed to get used to the dimensions of the Y, the X was…. A stretch. That’s nothing a little spousal gas lighting, and the lure of “free gas forever!” couldn’t fix though, and so…

The trigger was pulled. The end of an era, a 2026 Model X Long Range, 5 seats, Frost Blue, arguably the nicest color Tesla has produced. And I have to say, they have come a long way. The build quality is exemplary both inside and out, panel gaps, paint, and all. The materials in the cabin are premium, with soft touch plastics, cloth, suede, and leatherette on every surface. The cabin is quiet, with no rattles, despite the open cargo bay (no, they didn’t bring back the parcel cover for a last hurrah), and the active noise canceling and insulated glass quiets it down even more in motion.

Many will argue that the X isn’t worth the price of entry vs the Y, and that might be true in the most absolute sense, but as an owner of two Model Ys previously, a HW3 and a HW4, to me the differences are night and day:

• The Falcon-wing doors: it took them a while, but these things are now really dialed in – quick, smooth, and clever – they make getting in and out incredibly easy, and they’re still just damn cool.

• The power, soft close, front doors: it was a surprise how much I’ve grown to love this feature. Push the handle and the door sweeps open, hit the brake pedal and it closes. Again, very cool.
• The three screens: the driver screen is the feature I missed most from my old Model S, and in the FSD era it’s just incredibly useful on the X. All of the FSD visualizations go on the drivers display, along with the blind spot cameras, freeing up the giant main screen for the map and entertainment. The rear screen, while marginal utility wise, still provides rear seat passengers with a bunch of control on a nice smooth UI.
• The air suspension: the second thing I missed most from the S is the air suspension, and it’s even more critical on the X, which benefits from raising and lowering a lot more than the car would, as well as from the continual adjustment maximizing ride quality.
• The extra space: it’s not a ton more room than the Y, but the extra trunk room makes a significant difference, as does the bigger trunk
• The extra range: more than even the space, having an extra real world 30-50 miles of range makes a significant difference.
• The nicer cabin; the updated Y did get the ambient lighting (and the front camera, as an aside), but the X still has just nicer materials and a nicer design all around.
• The view: the X cockpit, with its giant panoramic glass, is an extremely cool place to be, especially driving through a city at night.

Driving wise it’s close, but there’s no getting around that it’s a bigger, less nimble, vehicle . The Y feels smaller and tighter, and much more like the crossover it is. It’s for sure more “fun” to drive, especially in Performance trim, so that’s something to be aware of. Personally the trade off is more than worth it to me in this kind of vehicle.

So why not the Plaid? The reasons above hint at it. The goal with this build was maximum utility, big range, so smallest wheels and the Long Range trim, already ridiculously quick, was a must. As for the seating, we have the Rivian for the third row, and the X third row is really too tight, so 5 seats, with the extra under floor storage, made the most sense.

With the free supercharging, the built in FSD (no subscription), and the free premium connectivity for life, this thing is going the distance! I was always “X curious” and it did not disappoint! X, you will be missed, but Tesla has robots to make, apparently.