Home Bodywork & Paint Tesla Falcon Doors – Are They Worth It?

Tesla Falcon Doors – Are They Worth It?

by Kelvin Yates

Are you on the market for a Tesla and do you want to learn more about the Tesla falcon doors? If that is the case, then you are at the right place because we are going to cover everything you need to know when it comes to the Tesla falcon doors and more.

Going for an EV these days is probably a no-brainer since the whole world is going towards electrification and clean energy. That’s why many people go for Tesla and its products. And they deliver quite a lot for what you pay for, to be honest.

But still, you need to go for the right product for you. Since there are many EV offerings at the moment and things can be confusing. There are four Tesla models out there and for some people can be tricky to understand some of the names that are used in the marketing of these products. This includes the ones fitted with Tesla falcon doors. But you shouldn’t worry because we are going to cover everything you need to know about them.

First, we are going to learn what are the falcon doors and then we are going to learn which models these doors are offered with. Then we will learn the pros and cons of running falcon doors on your Tesla. After, we are going to discuss whether you should get a Tesla with falcon doors and what are the alternatives out there for you. So, let’s get into it.

What Are Falcon Doors?

So what are falcon doors? The falcon doors are basically gull-wing doors. But Tesla decided to rebrand them and call them Tesla falcon doors. Which was good for marketing and a lot of people have jumped into the bandwagon of purchasing a Tesla with the falcon doors.

But unlike the classic gull-wing doors that are fixed, Tesla’s falcon doors are pretty much two-piece doors that offer greater versatility and the ability to open them in extremely tight spaces.

Tesla in fact has put a lot of engineering and technology into these doors which are usually extremely heavy and unpractical. Imagine the DeLorean or the Bricklin. They were not that practical vehicles after all, since opening and closing these doors is a real pain. Even though they looked particularly good with these gull-wing doors.

Tesla Falcon Doors

But Tesla did something really good with the falcon doors and made them fully mechanical. This means that at the press of a button, they open by themselves and also they close by themselves. Something that is extra handy when your hands are full of bags from the grocery shop.

Overall, the falcon door design is a much better design and much more appealing from the visual aspect as well. Nowadays a ton of people want to get the Tesla falcon doors because of these features that make them so good and appealing.

But on which models the Tesla falcon doors are included? That’s what we are going to cover in the following chapter where we will elaborate the model in detail and see more about Tesla’s offering.

On Which Models The Falcon Doors Are Included?

The Tesla falcon doors are included only on the Tesla Model X. The Tesla Model X along with the Model S is one of the luxury offerings by Tesla. This means that the Model X is targeting some more upscale audience than the base Model 3.

The Model X is all about luxury and features. And the Tesla falcon doors are one of these features that are implemented on the Model X.

Without the falcon doors, the Model X is just a simple crossover SUV. But when the falcon doors open, the whole concept of this model changes and it looks blooming spectacular.

That’s why the falcon doors are one of the biggest selling points of this model. And people just love these doors. I personally, think that they look amazing, in addition to this the engineering that went into designing these doors is like nothing else that you are going to see out there. They are just so good-looking and make you feel special.

Tesla Falcon Doors

It is unfortunate that you only get them at the rear. It would have been nice if you got them in the front as well. But it is what it is. They probably did this only for the rear for cost-related factors.

Since they are quite expensive to build, installing these Tesla falcon doors at the front would have made the price of the Model X quite more expensive than it is now. And it is really expensive, to be honest. But more on that later in this article where we will cover the costs of getting Tesla falcon doors in detail. The next things we are going to cover are the pros and cons of running Tesla falcon doors.

Pros And Cons Of Running The Tesla Falcon Doors

It is of huge importance for you to learn the pros and cons of running the falcon doors. Why I’m saying this? This is the case because getting a Model X is quite an expensive purchase. So, you need to be aware of the positives and the negatives of these falcon doors. Since not everything is sunshine and rainbows when it comes to purchasing a Tesla with falcon doors.

After reading the pros and cons of having these doors. You will be able to make your own conclusion and see if the Model X with falcon doors is a good deal for you or not. So, let’s begin.

Pros Of Running Falcon Doors

We are going to start with the pros of the Tesla falcon doors and later in the following chapters, we will move on to the cons of having the Tesla falcon doors. As we said above, learning these things will help you make the right decision of where to invest your money into.

1. They Look Splendid

The first and probably the most important positive of having Tesla falcon doors is that they look spectacular. As some people would say, they look like out of this world. And for a reason. They are very unique.

Even though the design itself is not that unique and has been recycled throughout the years. But the level of the engineering that went into the falcon doors is like nothing else that you are going to see on the road.

If you want to have a car that is unique and there is nothing similar on the road to it, the falcon doors are the way to go. Having a car like this might also make you a friend or two. Also, whenever you come to the charging station, you will probably be one of the rarer customers there. Since most people are having the low-end Model 3.

So, when you arrive with your Model X at the supercharger, you will be greeted as a king by other Tesla owners. And trust me, Tesla owners just want to hang out with each other. The Tesla community is probably one of the biggest out there when it comes to cars.

2. They Increase The Resale Value Of Your Vehicle

Another pro when having a Tesla Model X with falcon wing doors is that these doors are actually increasing the resale value of your Tesla. Yes, that’s right, if you have falcon doors or another feature that is somewhat rare will boost the resale value of your car.

People do not always prefer mundane things and they are valuing them the same way, cheaply. So, if you have a car with no exotic features, you can expect to sell it for less than you have previously anticipated.

We can also see that Tesla Model S cars go for far cheaper than the Model X. So, why is this the case? This is the case because the Model X is rarer, which means that it is harder to find on the market.

The second thing is that it is a crossover. And as we all know, crossovers are extra popular in the US market and are known to sell pretty well.

The last thing is the falcon doors. The Model X is the only model with Tesla falcon doors out there and this makes this model depreciate far less than other vehicles. If you purchase a new X with falcon doors, you can expect to sell it after a few years for a bit more than you would sell a standard model S.

That’s why to bear this in mind and if you want not to lose a lot of money on your car. The model X would be the way to go for a new car.

3. They Are Very Simple To Use

Tesla Falcon doors are dead easy to use. With the falcon doors, you are not required to do anything other than press the button to open and close them.

Whenever you want to open the door, you just press the magic button. They don’t have handles or any kind of manual opening feature except the button.

There are two buttons in fact, one of them is located on the door. While the other is located on the Tesla key fob. The Tesla key fob resembles your Tesla and you just press on the key where the door should be located and the door will open automatically. How crazy is that? Dead easy to use. But enough on the pros, in the following chapters we are going to focus on the cons of running Tesla falcon doors.

Cons With The Falcon Doors

Now let’s discuss the cons of having Tesla falcon doors. The cons are also worth noting and one should know them to make the best decision possible and purchase a Tesla Model X with falcon doors.

1. Too Complex And Expensive

As we mentioned before, the level of engineering that went into building these doors is incredible and they are one of the most complex mechanical structures that are produced in any car at the moment.

That’s why they are also very expensive. Not only that they are really expensive to purchase but they are also quite expensive if something breaks.

They implement several different sensors and complex hydraulics that can malfunction sometimes and the repairs for this problem can be very costly. But if you have your Model X under warranty, you shouldn’t worry much about any of this stuff. Since the warranty covers these problems.

But if your Tesla is not under warranty and you happen to have problems with your Model X falcon doors, you can expect to pay a good penny to get your problem sorted at the approved Tesla shops. Because you cannot repair your Tesla at a shop that isn’t approved.

If you do take your car elsewhere, you risk losing your warranty if the car is warranted or the ability to use the supercharger stations across the country. This will be very bad for you since you will not be able to charge your Tesla at the official charging stations.

2. Proximity Sensors Could Malfunction

The Tesla Model X is packed with proximity sensors that make these Tesla falcon doors open. Sometimes they can fail and not open when you come near them or when you press the button to open. These instances are rare but known to happen.

These sensors will also make your door not open if they estimate that the door is too close to the roofline when opened or it is too close to a parked vehicle next to you in the parking lot. This can sometimes be frustrating because people need to wait for you to get out from the parking space and then open the door. This is something that you will never experience with regular doors.

Also, when these sensors are not reading well, they can not react when there is an object near them and they could hit the object. Thus, damaging the door itself. These situations are also rare, but you still have to be aware of where you park your Tesla and make sure that there is always enough space from above and from the sides to avoid possible damage to be done to the vehicle.

3. Need Electric Power To Function

They need to have electric power to function properly. This means that you always need to make sure that the battery has enough power to open the doors.

In case if there is an accident it can be tricky for passengers to open the door. Imagine that the power cuts down and you are only forced to grab the emergency release. Sometimes in a rush, you will not know where to look for this release and this could be a pain to open the door for people that don’t know where to look. Not to forget that there are situations where milliseconds matter.

Overall, not a big disadvantage. You only need to make sure that your passengers know where are the emergency releases to open the door. Knowing this, it will be easier for them to get out of the vehicle.

4. Get Too Much Of Unwanted Attention

Another thing for last that we are going to cover is the unwanted attention that you will receive with the Tesla falcon doors.

Attention is good and makes us feel wanted. But sometimes it is too much. We just don’t want people to creep up on our cars and get into our privacy.

If you have one of these Teslas, you will probably want to tint the glasses since there will be some attention to it by wanted and unwanted people. There will be people to compliment you on your car. But there will also be creeps that will want to steal from you or cause you some unwanted situation.

This can be bad especially if you have kids and you will definitely don’t want creeps around your car. That’s why if are aware of these things the best is to watch where you park your car and make sure that there are fewer people around.

This will somewhat make you feel you and your kids safer in these situations. If not, get a model S. These usually are quite stealthier and you will not have any problems while running an EV.

Tesla Falcon Doors Cost

If you want to get the Tesla falcon doors, you can expect to pay a hefty price because these Teslas ain’t cheap at all. The Model X is considered to be a luxury offering and its price is on par with the most expensive cars out there.

The Model X is packed with luxury, leather interior, and soft-touch materials, along with the falcon doors. Perfect insulation with a big screen in the front as well the powerful electric motors and batteries. All these features make the price of the Model X go high through the roof.

The MSRP for the Tesla Model X is about $89,999. But this is only the beginning, the base price of this vehicle. The Plaid performance model is starting at almost $120,000 which is $30,000 more than the base price. And for this money, you can have a fully specked-out Mercedes S-class.

Tesla Falcon Doors

Even a used Tesla Model X 75D is going to cost you more than $60,000 and that is with a lot of miles on it. Not to mention that the long-range models or performance editions don’t even come close to less than $90,000.

If you recall what we discussed above. We told you that the Tesla falcon doors are holding their value pretty well. And they will cost you close to a fortune to get your hands around one of these models. But should you get a Tesla falcon doors model for yourself? That’s what we are going to discuss next.

Should You Get A Tesla With Falcon Doors?

That really depends on how much do you want a Tesla with falcon doors, precisely the Model X. Are you willing to pay the price? If you are, then we would tell you to go for it since you will not find a more exotic car out there when it comes to door features. Except maybe the BMW i8.

If not, there are a ton of other options even new that will offer you quite more than this model. Most of them would not be electric but still, they are good deals. There are Range Rovers, Mercedes GLEs, BMW X5s, Audi Q7s. You name it, there is a lot on the market for this price. And these cars in most situations would be fully loaded to the max and new.

That’s why it is worth looking at the other options. But if you are a Tesla die-hard, then going for the Model X is a no-brainer. It is better to be happy with your choice of a vehicle after all. Because we spend quite a lot of time of our lives in our cars and it is always a good decision to purchase something that is close to your heart.

Other Cars With Similar Door Type?

There are no other Tesla models with falcon doors unfortunately at the moment except the Model X. This is the case because these types of doors are pretty exotic. And not a lot of people would want one to be mass-produced.

But there are similar types of doors that go up. Namely in the BMW i8, a cool car to be honest. Also, a hybrid that I think will fit you quite well.

Tesla Model X’s Falcon-wing Doors and Complaints

  1. The Tesla Model X is an all-wheel-drive crossover SUV with two electric motors producing 670 horsepower, which gives an estimated 348 miles of range, and the Plaid trim model, with three electric motors, has 1,020 horsepower, with an estimated range of 333 miles.
  2. The Model X’s interior construction quality is not up to the mark, and while it has a stylish yoke-style steering wheel and a large center display screen that provides access to fun apps and features, the quality of the car’s build is not satisfying.
  3. Tesla’s Model X has a semi-autonomous driving mode, Autopilot, and the ability to summon the SUV from a parking space.
  4. The falcon-wing doors of Tesla Model X were marketed as an easy way to get family members situated inside the vehicle, but they are one of the biggest complaints among owners.
  5. The doors can’t open all the way, and sometimes the doors seem to have minds of their own, closing and opening randomly.
  6. Misaligned doors are not a new problem for Tesla cars, and the automaker has been unresponsive to warranty claims regarding the issue.
  7. After numerous complaints, Tesla issued an over-the-air software update instead of replacing the doors on thousands of cars. However, according to AutoSafety, this update only made the problem worse.
  8. The doors could chop off a stray limb, making them hazardous for families.
  9. The falcon-wing doors make the Model X heavier and prevent the installation of roof racks.
  10. The driver and front passenger must use regular doors, risking dinging another car, while the driver still needs to get the car out of the space – unless they crawl into the driver’s seat through the backseat.

Conclusion – Tesla Falcon Doors

In this article, we covered a lot about the Tesla falcon doors. First, we learned what are the falcon doors and on which models are they included. And as we concluded they are only included on the Tesla Model X.

Then we discussed the pros and cons of these Tesla falcon doors. There are plenty of positives and negatives to these falcon doors. First, they look amazing and they are quite easy to use. The downside is their complexity and cost in case of repair. Also, they use sensors that sometimes could malfunction.

Lastly, we have covered how much it is going to cost you. If you want to get a Model X with falcon doors. We also listed the alternatives that are out there if you prefer something else.

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