In concert with its two articulation points, the Falcon Wing doors are able to adjust their opening arc as surroundings dictate. On stage, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, demonstrated the doors’ ability to operate even when hemmed in by a people mover and an SUV. It’s claimed that a minimum gap of 30 centimetres to the side is required for the doors to open. No figure has been placed on minimum vertical clearance.
Tesla says that the doors were not designed entirely for art, but to allow easy ingress and egress, especially to the third row. They also allow parents to attend to kids in baby or child seats without needing to stoop unnecessarily.
An electric slide and tilt function for the second row, operated by buttons on the seats’ sides, help to provide a little bit more space when clambering in and out.
There are numerous ways to open and close the door, including via the touchscreen, buttons on the door’s exterior and underside, and on the car’s B-pillar.
As with almost all third-row seats, the Model X’s rear space is best suited to children. With compromised headroom, thanks to the car’s sloping tailgate, and tight leg space, adults will want to keep their occupation of the rear pew to a minimum.
In our experience, access to the second row is improved by the Falcon Wing doors, with event attendees up to around 1.8m tall barely needing to bend over on entry or exit. The bucket seats in the first and second row look great, and make a good initial impression, but the piano black seat backs already had a few dings and scratches from a night of, admittedly, unusually high use.
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