Our surprising (to us) decision to go with 6 seats instead of 7...

[ArtLightstone]

You will be happy. PUP is amazing. I love it. You will too!

Thanks, TexasRat, this is reassuring. We certainly do live in a cold climate up here in Canada, so I think we'll appreciate the sub zero weather package.

 

[ArtLightstone]

Well, with camping inside of a car you don't need a hotel when you can park along an amazing scenery in the night and have a good nap. it's just an option, but imagine how cool it is when you open a window in the morning and see mountains or a lake instead of just some crowded street across a parking. it's a personal choice for sure, it's not about money.

You know what, Leo, you raise a really good point. It would be roomy in the back of the 7-seater with the seats folded down, and you would feel pretty secure in the Model X, too! Pretty cool idea.

I wonder if people could catch a decent nap in the front seats. Do they fold back very far?

 

[spectrum]

The 5 seat version is exactly the same as the 7 seat version except you cannot 'unfold' the seats. You gain zero cargo space over the 6/7 seat version (if you count the space between the two second row seats, it has less cargo capacity than the 6 seat version). I had this confirmed by two different reps at the event. In the 5 seat configuration, the entire back area is at the exact same level as the folded 3rd row seats. I think this was an unfortunate choice, if instead they made the cargo area go down all the way, while it would be hard to load, I think it would be a winner for some customers.

True, but 5 seat has more legroom for second row.

 

[ArtLightstone]

Well, with camping inside of a car you don't need a hotel when you can park along an amazing scenery in the night and have a good nap. it's just an option, but imagine how cool it is when you open a window in the morning and see mountains or a lake instead of just some crowded street across a parking. it's a personal choice for sure, it's not about money.

Isn't it funny that we were just talking about using the Model X for camping. Did you see this story? Tesla Plans Software Update to Cater to Campers

 

[Leo Snow]

Isn't it funny that we were just talking about using the Model X for camping. Did you see this story? Tesla Plans Software Update to Cater to Campers

Definitely, I'm reading Reddit

 

[Peteski]

True, but 5 seat has more legroom for second row.

Is that actually confirmed? (i.e. with the 7 seater middle bench slid all the way back). I can believe the 5-seater might have a little more legroom, but there is already acres of legroom with the middle row of the current 7 seater slid all the way back (with virtually zero third row legroom). If the fixed 5 seater bench is positioned even further back then that means there is actually less cargo space than the 7 seater when using the middle row - which is pretty much all the time for us.

I wondered this very question when I was ordering our car, but never got a firm answer. But once I saw the actual legroom available with the current 7-seater it seemed a moot point. We just leave the middle bench slid all the way back unless someone actually needs to use the third row and then of course it becomes a compromise between second and third row legroom. For me the only real negatives for the 7-seater over the base 5-seater are cost and weight. The pros of the 7-seater are extra 2 seats and rear HVAC unit. The sliding/folding middle bench makes it a very versatile carrier.

 

[ArtLightstone]

Is that actually confirmed? (i.e. with the 7 seater middle bench slid all the way back). I can believe the 5-seater might have a little more legroom, but there is already acres of legroom with the middle row of the current 7 seater slid all the way back (with virtually zero third row legroom). If the fixed 5 seater bench is positioned even further back then that means there is actually less cargo space than the 7 seater when using the middle row - which is pretty much all the time for us.

I wondered this very question when I was ordering our car, but never got a firm answer. But once I saw the actual legroom available with the current 7-seater it seemed a moot point. We just leave the middle bench slid all the way back unless someone actually needs to use the third row and then of course it becomes a compromise between second and third row legroom. For me the only real negatives for the 7-seater over the base 5-seater are cost and weight. The pros of the 7-seater are extra 2 seats and rear HVAC unit. The sliding/folding middle bench makes it a very versatile carrier.

All true, Peteski. That's why we were virtually certain that, in theory, we wanted the 7-seater. However, we are planning on using the vehicle to transport at least six people on a fairly regular basis, and we are planning to do this for long trips. Thus, once we actually experienced what the 7-seat vehicle was like in person, and we saw how the middle row "wall of seats" essentially separates the interior of the vehicle into two parts (the middle cabin and the back seat "compartment") we realized that we would be counting the minutes to get out of that back seat if we were sitting there. Moreover, if we were sitting in the front or middle rows, not only would we feel like we were in a smaller vehicle, but we would feel terrible for whoever might be sitting in the back seat.

It was a tough decision to make, but we ended up going with the 6-seat configuration. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to the folding middle row seats, and the extra $3,800.00 we had to pay for the 6-seat configuration over the 7-seat configuration was also hard cheese to swallow. Finally, I would prefer that the middle row seats in the 6-seater not be electronic. I fear those will just break down in the future, and I don't see what utility they offer by being electronic. If anything, they're slower to move than they would be if they were manually operated.

 

[ohmman]

Well, with camping inside of a car you don't need a hotel when you can park along an amazing scenery in the night and have a good nap. it's just an option, but imagine how cool it is when you open a window in the morning and see mountains or a lake instead of just some crowded street across a parking. it's a personal choice for sure, it's not about money.

It's also helpful if you're trying to traverse an area with poor Supercharger/destination charger coverage and need to use an RV park for a charge. I've not done it, but many before us have.

I take a different approach to camping with the X. And mine's a 6-seater.

 

[ArtLightstone]

It's also helpful if you're trying to traverse an area with poor Supercharger/destination charger coverage and need to use an RV park for a charge. I've not done it, but many before us have.

I take a different approach to camping with the X. And mine's a 6-seater.
View attachment 322669

Awesome! I'm curious: how does pulling a trailer like that impact your range?

 

[Peteski]

All true, Peteski. That's why we were virtually certain that, in theory, we wanted the 7-seater. However, we are planning on using the vehicle to transport at least six people on a fairly regular basis, and we are planning to do this for long trips. Thus, once we actually experienced what the 7-seat vehicle was like in person, and we saw how the middle row "wall of seats" essentially separates the interior of the vehicle into two parts (the middle cabin and the back seat "compartment") we realized that we would be counting the minutes to get out of that back seat if we were sitting there. Moreover, if we were sitting in the front or middle rows, not only would we feel like we were in a smaller vehicle, but we would feel terrible for whoever might be sitting in the back seat.

It was a tough decision to make, but we ended up going with the 6-seat configuration. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to the folding middle row seats, and the extra $3,800.00 we had to pay for the 6-seat configuration over the 7-seat configuration was also hard cheese to swallow. Finally, I would prefer that the middle row seats in the 6-seater not be electronic. I fear those will just break down in the future, and I don't see what utility they offer by being electronic. If anything, they're slower to move than they would be if they were manually operated.

I agree totally, my post was really just comparing 5-seat vs 7-seat pros and cons. I think the 6 seater has it's own specific merits as you rightly point out. For carrying 6 people, especially adults, regularly it's definitely the way to go. I think Tesla have pretty much covered everyone's needs with the 3 seating options currently available. For us, we might well have gone for the 5-seater if it had included the rear HVAC, because we very rarely (if ever) need the third row seats. But at least we have the flexibility now.

 

[ohmman]

Awesome! I'm curious: how does pulling a trailer like that impact your range?

As a general rule, it cuts it about in half.

 

[Leo Snow]

As a general rule, it cuts it about in half.

It hurts to hear that I'm all the way along with a better range

 

[ohmman]

It hurts to hear that I'm all the way along with a better range

It’s not so bad, but it definitely takes the right mindset going in. There are many of us here on this forum doing it all over the country. @JimVandegriff, @ecarfan, @idoco, @mengwong, @jamtek, @jackbowers and others have gone down the path, and mostly we all have positive things to say. Don't forget about charging at the campsite..

We've all done some write-ups on our experiences, so if you're interested you can search the site and find those.

 

[muleferg]

We have a 6 seat X. Went down to the Airstream dealer in Greensboro to purchase a 22 ft. Wife says it not big enough for both of us. came back with a 28 ft. Will be ordering a Tesla Pickup when available to replace my F150

 

[Lilikoi]

My wife and I went to the Meet Model X event yesterday. On our agenda was to evaluate the space inside when two child carseats were installed, and evaluate the space for taller folks when combined with child seats. What was not on our agenda was evaluating the number of seats, we were sure that we wanted 7, because we want to be able to move people. With 7 seats, there would be more occasions we could take one car, rather than two.

The first cracks in the 7 seat plan became apparent when my mom did not want to ride in the 3rd row during the test drive because she felt claustrophobic sitting back there. (I sat back there and was fine, but perhaps I am the ideal height, 5'9", not too short like my mom, who could not see over the seats well, nor too tall such that my knees would be against the front seat).

After the test drive, there was a showroom with both a 6 and 7 seat configuration and we spent a lot of time in both.

It turns out that neither our infant (Nuna Pipa) nor toddler (Orbit G3) child seats would fit in the 3rd row in rear facing configuration (they both fit fine in the 2nd row). This would mean we would have both on both sides in the 2nd row, and while it was possible for my mom to fit in-between them, getting in there would be an ordeal. (Booster seats fit fine anywhere, you could have 5 of them in the 7 seat configuration.)

The 6 seater Model X seems much more spacious than the 7 seater, which feels cramped. This has to be experienced to understand the difference, but it is rather striking.

The winning argument was this though, in the 7 seater version, my wife would hate to get stuck in the back row. She would feel cramped and uncomfortable (and when we have kids and grandparents in the car, the likelihood she would get stuck in the back is rather high). In the 6 seater version, she can stretch her legs out in the middle, and she would actually prefer the 3rd row to the 2nd row. In the 6 seater, the two of us sat side by side in the 3rd row without any discomfort.

While we would hate to sacrifice that extra seat (because people moving is the whole reason we would move from our Model S to a Model X), we came to the conclusion that comfort was also important. And a 6 seater Model X could carry 2 more people comfortably (2 adults each in 1st and 3rd rows, with 2 children in the 2nd row) than our model S (2 adults in 1st row, 2 children in 2nd row).

I think the 5 seat version is the most useless configuration (as it currently stands). There is still an argument to be made for the 7 seater, it will work better for some people.

The 5 seat version is exactly the same as the 7 seat version except you cannot 'unfold' the seats. You gain zero cargo space over the 6/7 seat version (if you count the space between the two second row seats, it has less cargo capacity than the 6 seat version). I had this confirmed by two different reps at the event. In the 5 seat configuration, the entire back area is at the exact same level as the folded 3rd row seats. I think this was an unfortunate choice, if instead they made the cargo area go down all the way, while it would be hard to load, I think it would be a winner for some customers.

-Brent

My wife and I went to the Meet Model X event yesterday. On our agenda was to evaluate the space inside when two child carseats were installed, and evaluate the space for taller folks when combined with child seats. What was not on our agenda was evaluating the number of seats, we were sure that we wanted 7, because we want to be able to move people. With 7 seats, there would be more occasions we could take one car, rather than two.

The first cracks in the 7 seat plan became apparent when my mom did not want to ride in the 3rd row during the test drive because she felt claustrophobic sitting back there. (I sat back there and was fine, but perhaps I am the ideal height, 5'9", not too short like my mom, who could not see over the seats well, nor too tall such that my knees would be against the front seat).

After the test drive, there was a showroom with both a 6 and 7 seat configuration and we spent a lot of time in both.

It turns out that neither our infant (Nuna Pipa) nor toddler (Orbit G3) child seats would fit in the 3rd row in rear facing configuration (they both fit fine in the 2nd row). This would mean we would have both on both sides in the 2nd row, and while it was possible for my mom to fit in-between them, getting in there would be an ordeal. (Booster seats fit fine anywhere, you could have 5 of them in the 7 seat configuration.)

The 6 seater Model X seems much more spacious than the 7 seater, which feels cramped. This has to be experienced to understand the difference, but it is rather striking.

The winning argument was this though, in the 7 seater version, my wife would hate to get stuck in the back row. She would feel cramped and uncomfortable (and when we have kids and grandparents in the car, the likelihood she would get stuck in the back is rather high). In the 6 seater version, she can stretch her legs out in the middle, and she would actually prefer the 3rd row to the 2nd row. In the 6 seater, the two of us sat side by side in the 3rd row without any discomfort.

While we would hate to sacrifice that extra seat (because people moving is the whole reason we would move from our Model S to a Model X), we came to the conclusion that comfort was also important. And a 6 seater Model X could carry 2 more people comfortably (2 adults each in 1st and 3rd rows, with 2 children in the 2nd row) than our model S (2 adults in 1st row, 2 children in 2nd row).

-Brent

Thanks for this post - BWS / Brent - are you still happy with your 6 seater purchase? What would you or others do with 3 kids (all under 5) - would you go with a 6 seater or a 7 seater? Just don't know what the future years ahead hold for us. Would love any insight. Also, would love like 5-6 highlights to sell to the spouse on why to can an X. Thanks!

 

[Mase408]

The 6 vs 7 seat configuration is best suited on your situation. My original intent was to go with a 6 seater. With 1 baby and another being planned, my wife did not want to sit in the 3rd row. It would be too difficult to watch and take care of them. Being in between the 2 of them is much more important.

 

[tyfon]

I had this dilemma as well but in the end the superior cargo space and flexibility of the 7-seater won.
Tonight I just slept in the car for the first time and I don't think that would be possible with a 6-seater and a big gap in the middle. All I used was an 200x90cm IKEA mattress and the full set of evannex sun shields.

We've also had several times when we've used all 7 seats, but unlike the OP we've never put adults in the 3rd row only children. They love it.

I think it's great they make the choice because it's very individual what is best for ones family. For us it was the 7-seater version