Days before its launch, range estimates for the Tesla Model X Signature Series appears to have slightly increased. Also, renders of the electric SUV's cargo area left mixed reactions on potential buyers.
Earlier this week, GreenCarReports picked up on a customer who posted a screenshot of the Model X configurator page on the Tesla Motors Club forum. It shows a claimed 250-mile range for the P90D Signature Series.
As the website noted, the electric SUV's configurator page showed just 240 miles of range when it first launched.
Being available with the largest battery pack, the Signature Series could go the furthest on a single charge. But if Tesla were to offer a non-performance oriented Model X, that could exceed the P90D's claimed range, according to GCR.
The increased Tesla Model X range may be welcome news but its cargo capacity may not impress some. Images leaked from the EV's online Design Studio and posted on the TMC forum have sparked a lively discussion as to how the electric SUV would act as a hauler.
"Of concern in dozens of pages of forum threads is whether the seats fold down flat, or merely tuck forward out of the way, and ultimately, whether this will be great or disappointing or somewhere in the middle," HybridCars said.
Because of its falcon wing doors that open up and out, a roof rack can't be used with the Model X. Tesla's solution is to offer a trailer-hitch type cargo carrier or a rack for bikes or skis or even a full trailer.
As seen in the forum posts, some were disappointed by what the images show. Still, there were others who expressed optimism about the Model X as a cargo hauler.
InsideEVs speculated that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based EV maker may offer, or at least is working on, another seat configuration to maximize the Model X's cargo area.
However, speculations on the EV's cargo capacity and range won't have to go on that long. Those who made the $40,000 deposit for the Tesla Model X Signature Series will take home the electric SUV on Sept. 29.
