Tesla has announced a new version of its Model X all-electric SUV, called the 60D. And while it?s the lowest-priced variant of its Model X yet, this one?s clearly aimed for the upsell, on multiple fronts.
Named for the 60-kWh battery pack it includes and offering a 200-mile driving range, the Model X 60D has a starting price of $74,000. That?s $9000 lower than the step-up 75D model (which gains just 37 miles of range)?a more than 10 percent discount, effectively?with little else sacrificed in terms of features or performance.
Model X sales have been relatively sluggish so far, especially for a model that some had anticipated would outsell the Model S. Tesla delivered 4625 Model X SUVs in the first half of 2016; it moved more than twice that many Model S sedans. There have been some momentum-sapping hiccups along the way: production delays with the complex, double-hinged Falcon Wing door arrangement, and then the market perceptions of some niggles (and a recall) over the seats. Even the ever-ambitious Musk?who is working this week on what he calls a new Top Secret Tesla Masterplan (we?re not kidding)?has admitted that the Model X is more complex than it needed to be.

From ?frunk? to trunk, and from a performance and versatility standpoint?provided you don?t focus too much on the fussy doors?the 2016 Tesla Model X can stand on its own against gasoline luxury SUVs in daily driving. And we?ve found the Model X to be one of the more capable SUVs for on-the-road handling?par...