2023 Tesla Model X Plaid

The Tesla Model X Plaid's MSRP is $108,490 this year; its starting price has been slashed by no less than $30,500 from last year's figure of $138,990. The MSRP does not include the $1,390 destination fee.

If you expected the Model X to show its age in terms of ride and handling, you'd be wrong. It still does an amazing job after all these years, and the Plaid's adaptive air suspension mitigates roll to make for a pleasingly flat cornering stance, with more agility than you might expect from a big and heavy SUV. The steering is quick and not devoid of feel, and in a huge step forward, the traditional steering wheel is back this year, giving the pilot in command way more confidence than the awkward yoke used previously when the roads get twisty. Ride quality is excellent, partly thanks to the considerable weight of the car, and the brakes are reassuringly responsive and powerful in normal use, but there's enough regenerative braking that you often don't even have to touch the left pedal in sedate around-town driving. They start to fade when given a proper workout, though.

The Model X Plaid is an excellent SUV in many respects, and besides the eyeball-flattening acceleration instantly on tap, it also impresses with its general comfort, good handling, and variable-height air suspension that allows nearly nine inches of ground clearance. Driving range and efficiency are still class-leading, too, even compared to newer rivals. But those Falcon Wing rear doors are a bit of a gimmick and preclude carrying anything on the roof, a notable flaw on an SUV with limited cargo space behind the third row. Build quality can also be inconsistent, and the interior is perhaps too minimalist at the price. But that price is now a lot lower, and while that may leave buyers of last year's expensive Plaid more than a bit irritable, it does give the car a rather appealing value card to play this year. Its more contemporary competitors might have overtaken it on quality and general appeal, but its performance, range, and Supercharger network are still big draw cards and keep the Plaid a force to be reckoned with.

There is just one Plaid trim, so it depends on how you spec it. In this regard, you don't get many choices, as what you see is pretty much what you get. Skip the silly yoke steering wheel and stick with the round item, while considering adding the $6,000 Enhanced Autopilot with its Smart Summon, auto lane-change, and automatic parking features, as well as navigation on Autopilot, allowing automatic driving from highway on-ramp to off-ramp, including stopping, starting, and overtaking. Given its flaws and the bad press Tesla's "Full Self-Driving Capability" has received, we don't think it's worth $15k to be a beta tester for tech that's essentially still in development.