I took a $163,000 Tesla Model X SUV on a road trip and discovered Tesla's greatest weapon isn't its cars (TSLA)
Tesla unveiled the production Model X SUV in the shadows of its Fremont, California, factory on September 29, 2015.
A few hours before the festive event where the Tesla faithful convened to hear their almighty leader preach the gospel of Falcon Wing doors and Bio-Weapon Defense Mode, I became one of the first people to drive the Model X.
Since then, Tesla's crossover SUV has become a benchmark in the industry. As a large premium electric crossover SUV, it inhabits a segment with only a handful of rivals like the Audi e-tron and the Jaguar I-Pace.
A few years had passed since I most recently drove the Model X. So I figured a road trip from northern New Jersey to Wilmington, Delaware, would be a good opportunity to check out a new Model X Performance and get reacquainted with the Tesla SUV.
In addition, the 120-mile drive would finally give me the opportunity to try out Tesla's vaunted Supercharger network.
Though I've spent plenty of time behind the wheel of Tesla's Model S and Model 3, they've generally been drives near Business Insider's headquarters in New York. That means I usually never burn off enough range to require a recharge.
For our road trip, Tesla provided us with a fully loaded Deep Blue Metallic Model X Performance that costs a hefty $163,250. The Tesla Model X Long Range starts at a more affordable $75,315.
Here's a closer look at our road trip with the Tesla Model X Performance.
