Tesla's Model X Is Our Egg-shaped Future and It's Here

Tesla finally rolled out its third model, the Model X last night to loyalists and some media (not us) Tuesday in California.

The SUV’s falcon doors and ludicrously insanely fast 0-60 mph times (3.2 seconds for a car that weighs 5,441 pounds) may get most of the headlines, but the rest of the car’s features and specifications are just as impressive. Tesla says that the batteries in its Model X — which are the same as the Model S — are good for 250 miles. The combined torque for its front and rear engines motors, which produce 259 hp and 503 hp respectively, is more than 700 pound-feet.

And the air filtration system inside may protect you from mustard gas, or something.

Tesla says that the Model X will achieve all 5-star safety ratings, a first for an SUV (nearly every SUV has four or fewer stars in rollover safety) and will use automatic emergency braking to avoid frontal collisions, even at high speeds.

The SUV also uses active aerodynamic features to reduce the car’s drag to 0.24 cD. It’s rear spoiler retracts at speeds higher than 45 mph to cut more efficiently through air, and keeps the car hunkered down all the way to its 155 mph limit.

According to the automaker, the doors on the Model X will open automatically as the driver approaches the car, though it isn’t clear if all doors will open on their own without touching the handles (because that could get annoying). Early media reports on the falcon-wing doors say that although the doors seem to manage well without knocking into things, entry and exit seems particularly slow in cramped spaces.

The Model X can seat up to seven in its three rows and its 17-inch touchscreen will likely be the center of attention because holy crap that’s enormous. The 17-inch screen commands 17 interior speakers inside the cabin of the Model X.

If you can’t fit everyone you know within the car’s seven seats or its cargo area (Tesla didn’t specify interior dimensions) the Model X is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds, provided you can find a place for the hitch.

Assuming you can get past the “automaton egg” look (I still say Alien Mr. Burns), all that electric splendor can be yours starting at $80,000 all the way up to $140,000 for a Founders Series model if you plunked down money in 2012.