Payne: Back to the future in the 2017 Tesla Model X P100D

Henry Payne, The Detroit NewsThu, October 22, 2026 at 4:33 AM UTC

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Richmond, Virginia — Before Tesla made the flying Roadster or autonomous Robotaxi or sci-fi Cybertruck, there was the three-row Model X.

With Falcon (gull-wing) doors, self-driving software, Model Xmas dance feature, and Ludicrous Mode acceleration, Tesla’s first SUV was a fun, innovative sensation.

And then it was gone.

As Tesla retools to build Optimus robots in its Fremont, California, factory, the OG Model X and sister Model S sedan have handed in their brand halos to the rad Roadster and gold Robotaxi. But X is still X-traordinary.

And cheap. Really cheap. At $145K new in 2017, my top-trim P100D Turo tester has 92,000 miles and can be found on used car sites for just $25K-35K. With a red key fob in my pocket, I walked up to the red Tesla at Richmond International Airport, and the driver’s door swung open to greet me.

I slipped inside, pressed the brake, and the door shut behind me (the feature was eventually adopted by other autos like, say, the BMW 7-series in 2022).

“Navigate to Richmond,” I barked, and the big 17-inch vertical screen filled with directions.

Vertical screen? How things have changed.

The Model S and X were mobbed by Detroit Auto Show visitors in 2012-13 with their innovative, Apple phone-like screens. Since then, nearly every automaker has followed suit, even my wife’s entry-level Subaru Impreza hatchback with its vertical 12-inch screen.

Tesla has moved on from the vertical screen in its relentless effort to simplify the interior. From model year 2022 to 2025, X featured a horizontal screen to help eliminate steering wheel stalks — moving digital shifting duties to the top left corner of the 17-inch display.

My 2017 model is more conventional, with a right shifter stalk like a Mercedes and a lower left cruise control stalk like an Audi. Except X wants to drive itself.

Heading into Richmond, I pulled the lower left stalk and the Tesla drove itself, hands-free. Well, almost hands-free.

With its first-generation Tesla hardware, Model X still needs a hand on the steering wheel (to assure X I haven’t dozed off) like my old, 2019 Model 3. Only recent Tesla models with upgraded hardware are capable of running completely hands-free, Full Self-Driving software.

I came to rely on it in Richmond’s complicated city streets to follow directions better than I could ― while I watched out for FSD’s blind-spots like Main Street’s famous speed bumps or wrong turns onto one-way streets.

Leaving the state capital, I self-drove to historic Stratford Hall (birthplace of two Declaration of Independence signers and host to 250th American birthday celebrations) on Virgina State Route 3. X automatically activating the turn signal, turned onto Stratford Hall Road, and drove me up a gravel driveway to the historic home. A driveway that, 250 years ago never saw cars, much less cars with gull-wings.

At Stratford, I picked up my passengers for the trip to GW’s birthplace nine miles west on the Potomac River. Every passenger pickup is a show.

On the center screen, I automatically opened the passenger door — and rear Falcon doors. Even in close confines, the gull-wings are designed to lift vertically to clear nearby cars. A friend loves them for their ease of loading child seats.

Want more entertainment?

“Open the Toybox,” I said to X. Tesla complements signature tech features like auto doors, Sentry security and Summon with mindless Toybox entertainment including Fart Mode, Sketchpad, Submarine and Model Xmas.

I selected Model Xmas, exited the car, and locked it. Then X launched into a comical 2:15-minute dance during which it rolled down the windows and blared "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra while flapping its Falcon wings and blinking its lights. X-hilerating.

As exhilarating is Ludicrous mode.

On twisted, rural Wild Sally Road, I nailed the throttle and jumped to hyperspace. Later models of the P100D got the “Plaid” badge after the “Spaceballs” movie’s (a Musk favorite) ultimate spaceship speed. P100D is more descriptive.

P=Performance. 100=100 kWh battery. D= Dual motor.

It’s a potent combination, especially when paired with X’s low center of gravity (with the 100 kWh of battery under the cabin). With instant torque, I gulped asphalt — rushing corners at high speeds where the 14-inch brakes were plenty adequate to slow the 5,500-pound freight train.

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I made it the seven miles from Stratford to Montross, Virginia, in a nanosecond. I also gulped 20 miles off the battery. Ludicrous mode is ludicrously hungry.

Better to cruise long distance in Chill mode (Sport mode bridges Chill and Ludicrous) to maximize the ute’s 289 miles of range. Like most EPA EV ratings, that’s optimistic, and my Tesla smartly estimated 240 miles (83% of 289). That was plenty for my Virginia travels, especially with Tesla’s convenient charging network.

Though not as convenient as gas, of course.

Small-town Montross alone had three service stations. The closest Tesla Superchargers were 17 and 24 miles away. Richmond was better with plenty of Superchargers serving a healthy urban customer base — so healthy that the downtown Supercharger I visited had just one 350-kW stall open when I pulled up. And it took me 30 minutes to go from 35%-80% battery charge with charging speed reaching just 80 kW — presumably due to the high usage.

With just five service centers in Virginia (Michigan has three), maintenance is the larger issue compared to, say, BMW with 10 (11 in Michigan). Which is to say a used Model X’s trade-off is X-treme fun ‘n’ affordability vs. X-tra travel for maintenance.

Like lots of EVs, Tesla’s residuals are in the basement, making exotics like the once-six-figure P100D accessible with under six figures on the odometer.

Typical of EVs, the drivetrain’s battery and electric motors require little maintenance compared to internal combustion competitors. But keep a rainy-day fund for potentially expensive repairs given Tesla’s early reliability issues. Think $1,000-plus repairs for poor driveshafts. Or screen blackout due to chip failures. Or, ahem, those complex Falcon doors.

Your eyes will widen at X’s enormous bandwidth — just keep your eyes wide open for the EV’s charging and maintenance challenges.

My Model X P100D was a constant source of curiosity.

It won’t fly like a Roadster, but in Ludicrous mode it feels like it. Need more room for baggage when the hatch fills up? Throw a carry-on bag in the frunk.

“I just looooove how smoothly this car rides,” said friend Missy as we pulled away from Stratford to visit GW’s birthplace.

It never gets old.

2017 Tesla Model X

Vehicle type: Electric, all-wheel drive, six-or-seven-passenger SUV

Price: $25,000-$35,000 used P100D in 2026 as tested with 90,000 miles ($79,500 base Model X and $145,000 P100D when new in 2017)

Powerplant: 75-100 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual electric motor drive

Power: 603 horsepower, 713 pound-feet torque (P100D as tested)

Transmission: Single-speed

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.9 seconds (P100D, mfr.); top speed: 155 mph

Weight: 5,531 pounds (as tested)

Range: EPA-rated at 289 miles (P100D); 240 miles as tested

Report card

Highs: Supercar in SUV clothing; fun features from Falcon doors to Toybox

Lows: Tight third row; reliability issues

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Payne: Back to the future in the 2017 Tesla Model X P100D

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