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Hey, New York City Model X Owners, Can I Borrow Your Car?

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OK, I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I have a genuine concern that the Model X is going to be too large for our driveway and tight parking spot in NYC. We're in an attached house in Astoria, with neighbors on both sides and a really tight fit down the driveway and around a corner into our parking space. I'm not interested in moving or renting a different parking space just to be able to park my X. I have a nice parking spot right behind my house and it's relatively easy to get in and out in our Highlander currently. We also have a garage, but that's not an option (the Model X is actually wider than the garage door).

So would any kind-hearted early Model X owner who happens to live in NYC be willing to help me out by stopping by my house some evening or weekend and seeing how easy or difficult it would be to get into our space? I know it *CAN* fit (I've gotten full size vans down there), but I don't know if this is something I want to subject my wife to a few times a week as she's the one who will be driving it most often. I also know that the Summon feature *might* help in this situation. If we could simply press a button and the car would navigate the turn and meet us at the top of the driveway, without running over the neighbor's cat, that would be awesome. But looking at the measurements, turning radius, etc., it is a real concern and one that could end up causing us to cancel our (already confirmed) order.

If you're in the area and want to help out a fellow Teslaphile, please let me know. If you're not comfortable handing over the keys (or the Fob), you can remain in the driver's seat at all times while we test this out. And yes, I know I'm asking a lot. If you're willing and able to help, please let me know (a Private Message may be best).

Thanks!

-Chris
 
Would a Model S help?

Model S Specs:
Width 86.2"
With mirrors folded 77.3"

Model X Specs:
Width 89.4"
With mirrors folded 81.5"
Aw. :) Thanks so much for offering. And it is pretty close. But I want to try it with the actual car we'd be getting. Those 4 inches are going to make a difference.

The trickiest part is backing it up into the small space that my neighbor leaves between her car and the wall, from there it's a straight shot out and up the driveway. I measured that part and it's only about 93 inches. So we're talking about 6 inches max on each side, and that's if we were backing straight up, which we're not. We come into that spot at an angle.

One solution would be to get rid of the neighbor and replace her with one who parks a little further from the wall. But I'd go to jail for that. Asking her nicely to park a little further from the wall isn't really an option. It would be with any of the other neighbors. But not this one.

BTW, do Tesla's proximity sensors show you exactly how close obstacles are from the car, down to the inches? This will (may) be our first Tesla, and my only hands-on experience, other than a quick ride in the X at the reveal event, was a test drive of a Model S in 2013.
 
BTW, do Tesla's proximity sensors show you exactly how close obstacles are from the car, down to the inches? This will (may) be our first Tesla, and my only hands-on experience, other than a quick ride in the X at the reveal event, was a test drive of a Model S in 2013.

They give you a number in inches or centimeters. They also show a graphic of the shape approaching. But after I believe 9 inches it just says 'stop'.
 
Chris, I wish I could help you. Since you're a fellow 90D, I will just tell you that Summon will be "all worked out" by the time we get our cars (assuming we're still alive), and your MX will fit itself perfectly wherever you want.

We may drive cross-country this summer, if we get the MX by June - but I fear I'll be too late by then.
 
Aw. :) Thanks so much for offering. And it is pretty close. But I want to try it with the actual car we'd be getting. Those 4 inches are going to make a difference.

The trickiest part is backing it up into the small space that my neighbor leaves between her car and the wall, from there it's a straight shot out and up the driveway. I measured that part and it's only about 93 inches. So we're talking about 6 inches max on each side, and that's if we were backing straight up, which we're not. We come into that spot at an angle.

One solution would be to get rid of the neighbor and replace her with one who parks a little further from the wall. But I'd go to jail for that. Asking her nicely to park a little further from the wall isn't really an option. It would be with any of the other neighbors. But not this one.

BTW, do Tesla's proximity sensors show you exactly how close obstacles are from the car, down to the inches? This will (may) be our first Tesla, and my only hands-on experience, other than a quick ride in the X at the reveal event, was a test drive of a Model S in 2013.

To answer your question. Tesla proximity sensors show you exactly how close obstacles are from the car. In addition to this on the left of the dash screen it even shows you the shape of the intrusion. It kind of looks like a bubble + the inches away. In your spare time I highly recommend that you stop by your local Tesla store to drive a Model S as the feature set is incredibly similar to test this out. I believe the closest store to you is Manhasset.
 
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To answer your question. Tesla proximity sensors show you exactly how close obstacles are from the car. In addition to this on the left of the dash screen it even shows you the shape of the intrusion. It kind of looks like a bubble + the inches away. In your spare time I highly recommend that you stop by your local Tesla store to drive a Model S as the feature set is incredibly similar to test this out. I believe the closest store to you is Manhasset.
Thanks. The closest store to me is Manhattan, but they don't really stock cars there for test drives. Manhasset and the Mt. Kisco stores are the closest ones with test drive model Ses I believe. I'm going to see if I can get an S for an extended test drive so I can check it out getting into and out of the driveway. If we can make an S work, then I think the X will be OK.

My DS also managed to get us a spot at the full Manhattan "Meet the Model X" evening event (but not one of the test drive slots, unfortunately). Hopefully they'll have both 6-seat and 7-seat models available. I'm actually still leaning toward the 7-seater. The rear visibility doesn't bother me since there's a camera, but my wife may feel different.

The other factor standing in the way in sealing the deal is that my portfolio has been hammered lately. TSLA and LNKD (LinkedIn) were my two top holdings. Last week was not fun.
 
Chris,

Have you asked your DS if you could borrow a MS loaner from the Tesla Queens service location?

This used to be a regular Tesla Service Center, but has switched to a regional battery service location for Tesla.
 
Chris,

Have you asked your DS if you could borrow a MS loaner from the Tesla Queens service location?

This used to be a regular Tesla Service Center, but has switched to a regional battery service location for Tesla.
My DS was strangely silent on my first two e-mails, then when I mentioned the "C" word (cancel), he replied immediately and said "sorry, this is the first e-mail I've seen from you"). And honestly, he has been great since then. He got us a slot at the Manhattan "Meet the X" event and I got another call confirming us a spot in the Model X test drive event in Syosset later this month.

He also got me a Model S yesterday for an overnight test drive. Have to say it's really an amazing car. Love the auto-pilot, no emissions, insane acceleration, power everything, massive touch-screen control panel, smooth ride. It's truly a car from the future. But it's too damn wide. Getting the S in and out of our driveway was a harrowing experience, mere inches to spare with concrete walls on both sides. Considering the X is about 5 inches wider still, I don't think there's any way we can make it work. And even picking up my daughter at the movie theater in the S, we came up behind a double parked car on one of the local streets. I could barely fit around him while the car behind me was honking and flashing his lights at me (love my fellow New Yorkers!). Looks like I'll be losing my deposit on the X and waiting impatiently for a Tesla that will actually fit down our driveway. I haven't officially cancelled yet but that's the likely outcome. I'll attach a pic so you can see what I mean.

20160214_132250.jpg
 
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That is a TIGHT fit with a MS. I can definitely understand canceling a X order.

If they say you will loose your deposit, I would explain the situation, about trying the S in your driveway. If you need to, escalate it up the Tesla food chain. You can also tell them you MIGHT consider transferring the X deposit to a Model 3 deposit.

Good luck.
 
Did you try using the "Summon" feature?
I couldn't use Summon as the app wouldn't let me pair with a car I did not own. But from what I've seen and read, Summon is also limited in really tight spaces like this as the sensors don't have enough precision. On the Model S, the proximity sensors told me to STOP and beeped loudly when there was still a couple of inches of distance between the car and the wall or other car (and I needed to actually keep going past the STOP point in order to make it around the corner). Summon would most likely have stopped at that point as well.

Also, does Summon only go forward/backward or can it manage a curve in reverse and then pulling forward? Because of the angle of the corner and the obstructions, and the length/width and turning radius of the S or X, the only way to navigate the space is to back up around a corner between my neighbor's car and a wall, then pull straight forward up the driveway. I suppose it would also be possible to back out around the corner of the building and back out the driveway onto the street, but that seems really dangerous to me to back up onto a city street, if it's even legal. And there would be less than 2 inches clearance on the X to do this maneuver, which is likely not enough for Summon to work. And again, keep in mind that the testing we did was with the Model S and it was already an uncomfortably tight fit. The X is 4-5 inches wider than the S. My current 7-seat SUV is a full foot narrower than the X with mirrors extended and 10 inches narrower with mirrors folded.

I understand that this is not an issue for most people, but it's a show-stopper for us. And so we'll wait for a Model 3 or a Y and I'll most likely lose my $5K deposit on the X.
 
That is a TIGHT fit with a MS. I can definitely understand canceling a X order.

If they say you will loose your deposit, I would explain the situation, about trying the S in your driveway. If you need to, escalate it up the Tesla food chain. You can also tell them you MIGHT consider transferring the X deposit to a Model 3 deposit.

Good luck.
I got a message today that they were processing the refund, so I'm assuming it's the full amount. Still sad to cancel, but this makes it a little easier. I can buy another 30 shares. :)
 
My DS was strangely silent on my first two e-mails, then when I mentioned the "C" word (cancel), he replied immediately and said "sorry, this is the first e-mail I've seen from you"). And honestly, he has been great since then. He got us a slot at the Manhattan "Meet the X" event and I got another call confirming us a spot in the Model X test drive event in Syosset later this month.

He also got me a Model S yesterday for an overnight test drive. Have to say it's really an amazing car. Love the auto-pilot, no emissions, insane acceleration, power everything, massive touch-screen control panel, smooth ride. It's truly a car from the future. But it's too damn wide. Getting the S in and out of our driveway was a harrowing experience, mere inches to spare with concrete walls on both sides. Considering the X is about 5 inches wider still, I don't think there's any way we can make it work. And even picking up my daughter at the movie theater in the S, we came up behind a double parked car on one of the local streets. I could barely fit around him while the car behind me was honking and flashing his lights at me (love my fellow New Yorkers!). Looks like I'll be losing my deposit on the X and waiting impatiently for a Tesla that will actually fit down our driveway. I haven't officially cancelled yet but that's the likely outcome. I'll attach a pic so you can see what I mean.

View attachment 111324

believe it or not.... my garage space is tighter than that.