Tesla's entry-level Model X gets more range and a higher base price

Tesla Motors is keeping busy these days. The California-based company unveiled the long-awaited Model 3 a couple of weeks ago, it updated the four-year old Model S yesterday, and it has just announced that it’s already making changes to the Model X lineup. The base 70D model has been killed off after just a few short months on the market, and replaced by a new entry-level variant dubbed 75D.

That 75D is Tesla-speak for an electric drivetrain made up of two electric motors — one over each axle — and a 75kWh battery pack located under the passenger compartment. The bigger battery stores enough electricity to bump the X’s range to 237 miles, up from 220 miles in the outgoing 70D. The rest of the drivetrain is carried over with only minor modifications. The all-wheel drive 75D can hit 60 mph from a stop in roughly six seconds flat, and it keeps accelerating until it hits 130 mph.

Of course, extra range comes at a price. The X 75D carries a base price of $83,000 before local and federal tax breaks, incentives, and a mandatory $1,200 destination charge are all factored in. To put that figure into perspective, the 70D model started at $80,000, while the 90D and the range-topping P90D variants cost $95,500 and $115,500, respectively.

The 75D’s list of options includes Tesla’s Autopilot software, seating for either six or seven passengers, an air suspension on both axles, and an upgraded sound system with 16 speakers.

The change is effective immediately, and the 2016 Tesla Model X 75D is on sale now both in the United States and abroad. Buyers who order a 75D will need to wait until June to take delivery of the electric crossover, meaning they’ll need to wait about a month longer than motorists who select the more expensive 90 and P90D variants.