Updated Model S and X Extremely Disappointing Upgrades

Updated Model S and X

Extremely Disappointing Upgrades

A few weeks ago, Tesla announced they would be upgrading the Model S and X, which many people, including myself were looking forward to. I am in the market for a new Tesla Model X, and was so stoked to finally see the new models, which I saw in person last week, and man was it anticlimactic :-(

In a nutshell, Tesla essentially added their linear LED interior ambient lightbar (pictured below), and increased the already high price by an additional $5,000, and they replaced their great blue color with a terrible new sky blue, that might as well be grey.

Tesla claimed "the new Model X has less wind and road noise, as well as more effective Active Noise Cancellation. A smoother ride thanks to new bushings, and suspension design." They also said it has adaptive driving beams, which is strange as I am fairly certain the model it replaced also had adaptive matrix headlights. The kicker is Tesla also said the new Model X features more space for 3rd row occupants and cargo.

Where is the Beef?

When I went to the showroom to check out the new Model X, the Manager was standing next to me, and I opened the rear hatch and said, "I understand the Model X now has more cargo room in the back?" He nodded and said yes. But then I took a careful look and said, "It looks identical to me???" He said, "The new model X is longer than the older model it replaced". I looked it up, and the outgoing model was 199.1 inches long, and the new one is 199.2 inches, which means they increased the length by 1/10th of an inch, which is appalling to me. The fact that Tesla would say the new model has more Space for 3rd row occupants and cargo, when they added 1/10 of an inch is beyond embarrassing, and grasping for straws at best.

I went back to my local Tesla sales center and took this photo, which definitely does NOT look like it's any bigger. I was chatting with the salesperson and mentioned that I thought it was ridiculous that Tesla said the Model X had more room. They responded by sayin they understood that the third row seats were slightly wider than on the outgoing model.

On a positive note, Tesla added a front center camera on the bumper, and filled in the pencil thin mustache area which makes the Model S and X slightly more aerodynamic, which ads 5 miles to the range. They also added more aerodynamic hubcaps which also likely contribute to this increase.

What's Missing?

I would argue this is a fake refresh, or a very minor refresh at best. Below is a list of features I was really hoping to see that Tesla failed to add:

-NO WIRELESS CHARGING 

-No bidirectional charging 

-NO POWER FRUNK [THIS IS BEYOND LAME]

-No Price reduction

-No 4680 Battery chemistry refresh

-No 48v architecture

-No 800v architecture 

-No fast charging

-No meaningful increase in range

-No rear wheel steering

-No steer by wire

-No New Motor

-No New Squircle Steering wheel.

-No HUD

-No Turning Signal Stalk.

-Shade of Blue is awful

-$5K MORE FOR ESSENTIALLY THE SAME VEHICLE.

I can't even put into words how disappointed I am with Tesla's lack of innovation with these models, as well as their lack on improvement on the CyberTruck, which they have essentially done nothing to improve, except come out with a 2WD model that is totally lame.

The X and S still use the same old 18650 battery cells which are far from state of the art. Also, Tesla still offers the Plaid models with the Yoke steering wheel, which is like a bad joke. The lack of a power up and down frunk like the CyberTruck has is also an absurd oversight for a car that costs $100K.

Tesla claims they are different than all other manufacturers who only make yearly updates. In other words, Tesla has long claimed they make improvements all the time, and frequently whenever they discover issues. This is clearly NOT the case with the CyberTruck as they ran the ball down to the 2 yard line and stopped, as it is not done.

Franz von Holzhausen who is the lead designer at Tesla was once hazing Apple for their lack of innovation with their products and said on Spike's Car Radio Podcast on February 9, 2022: 

    "The sad part about Apple products now is like there's nothing to look forward to. I feel like it's just a continuation. It's just a slight refinement on the same thing. Inspirationally, it's been hard to get super motivated by what they're doing."

—Franz von Holzhausen

Tesla Lead Designer [February 9, 2022]

This is supremely ironic, that the company with the best designed vehicles is now resting on it's laurels, and failing to innovate on the interior and exterior.

I am fine with the exterior, but if I am going to pay over $100K for a luxury vehicle, I want luxury features, like massaging seats, and rear screens integrated into the backs of the front seats. Not some goofy single screen that will strain the hell out of your neck if you watch it. Also, the fact the CyberTruck has had a Power UP/Down frunk opener for 1.5 years, and the Model S and X don't have this feature yet makes no sense at all.

Tesla announced its Q2 deliver numbers this week, and they counted all sales of the Model S, Model X and CyberTruck together by offering the number at around 10,000 for the entire world. These numbers are horrendous. Industry pundits have broken it down and their consensus is that Tesla sold around 5,000 CyberTrucks, and around 2,500 Model S and Model X.

By increasing the price of the Model S and X by $5k, after the $7,500 tax credit disappears in a few months, is likely to diminish sales of these models even more. Tesla, is not stupid, but I think we will see price decreases on these models, along with all kinds of incentives, including free supercharging for the life of the vehicle, Free FSD, as well as 0% financing.

So what is going on with Tesla, and should we be worried? I think that Elon decided to put all chips on red with fast tracking FSD, and other projects. The new Model Y is continuing to sell really well, so my best guess is Tesla just doesn't care about the Model S and X, and CyberTruck anymore. Maybe I am wrong, and I hope I am wrong.

I am in the market for a new EV today, and I would LOVE to purchase a competitors vehicle, like a Mercedes, but I can't as no other manufacturers offer FSD. In other words, FSD has FINALLY become such an invaluable benefit, so I am stuck in Tesla land, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, the current Model S and X and CyberTruck are amazing cars, that are well designed and innovative in many ways, but I am just disappointed that Tesla has stopped any real and meaningful innovation on the vehicles themselves.

Key Takeaway Point

No Wireless Charging?

I want to make a key point here. There is a confirmed feature that Tesla will be adding to all their vehicles in the future that will be invaluable, and that is wireless charging. I have written about the tremendous benefits of wireless charging in the past. Today, there is only one Tesla vehicle made that already comes standard with the wireless charging pre-wired, and that is the CyberTruck. Tesla obviously has not released their wireless platform and hardware yet, but the CyberTruck comes pre-wired to accept it.

I don't want to spend over $100K for a vehicle that will largely become obsolete once Tesla introduces wireless charging as standard on all their vehicles, which is inevitable, and likely to occur sometime son. Can you image if you were to purchase a Model X for $120K, and a month later, they introduce a new version that comes standard with wireless charging?

Why is wireless charing so important? Every stall in all Tesla Superchargers will feature wireless charging pads, that will automatically drive your car, when in FSD to the actual wireless charger, and charge your vehicle automagically. In other words, you won't have to get out of your vehicle, and plug it in. Also, if you are at a Supercharger today, and your vehicle is plugged in, and there is something sketchy going on, you MUST get out of your vehicle to unplug it. In other words, you can't just drive away, but with wireless charing you will be able to.

If you are on a road trip and take a nap, your Tesla will be able to navigate itself to any superchargers, and charge itself automatically, even while you are sleeping, and then it can continue driving without you having to be awake.

Let's say you travel somewhere, and all the supercharger stalls are being used by others and there is a line, without wireless you will have to wait until a stall opens, so you can plug in your vehicle. With wireless charging, you will be able to get out of your vehicle, while it waits for a charging stall to open up, and then it will just go and charge itself, and when it's full, it will be able to drive away and go park itself so you are not charged extra for occupying a space after you are fully charged.

Also, at home, your Tesla will automatically pull itself in your garage and charge itself, without you having to do anything, including in tight garage spaces. In other words, if you were to park your car in front of your home, and later decided you want to charge it from a while you are away from your home, you can't without being there to plug it in. If you have wireless charging, you will be able to go to the Tesla app and tell Grok,"Pull my car in the garage and charge it". The list of benefits goes on and on and on...

Looks Like I Am Not The Only One

2026 Tesla Model X and S Reviews

The videos below go into great detail on the new X and S, and they basically draw the same conclusion I came to.