March 01, 2023

Top Gear: Tesla Model X will do to petrol what Ford Model T did to the horse [Video]

On Friday, Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] CEO Elon Musk took to twitter in order to give some much-deserved kudos to Top Gear. Why? It turns out that BBC's Top Gear* recently did an extensive (and awesome) on-air review of the Tesla Model X. Top Gear's reviewer, Rory Reid, took a visit to New York City and proceeded to put the Model X through its paces. To kick off the segment, Reid proclaimed that the Tesla Model X is, "an electric car that might just do to petrol and diesel what the Ford Model T did to the horse." This might be the coolest review I've seen thus far on the Model X.

Source: Top Gear*

As to be expected, Reid was all smiles (and laughs) when experiencing the amazing torque from the Model X. But, he was also impressed with the handling, explaining: "it doesn't roll around and — in bends — stays surprisingly flat... [and] because it has no engine and it's silent, you can hear the tires as they approach the limit of grip. It's like driving with your ears, a very strange sensation but I like it."

Source: Top Gear*

Reid then proceeded to drag race with a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat — as that's been an ongoing, well-known rivalry — and afterwards he proceeded to head back to NYC surprised that, "I've nearly done 200 miles driving all around New York state. I've done a drag race, which I won, and I've still got 21 miles of range to go. That's unreal." This made him ponder: "Oil is running out, so something has to give."

Source: Top Gear*

So what was Top Gear's final verdict on the Model X? Reid concluded, "Forget cylinders and super unleaded. Because the future is cells and super capacitors. There's no point trying to fight it because you can't stop it. The future is here. And it's electric." Needless to say, we agree. It's great to see the folks at Top Gear so blown away by the Model X. Be sure to check out some Tesla eye candy from the segment (see below)...