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Comparison of Model X vs Model S Storage Space

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From the outside, the Tesla Model X crossover SUV shares similar dimensions and styling cues with the Model S sedan. Both vehicles are just shy of 200 inches in length, and both vehicles have front and rear axles situated on each end of the skateboard style floor-mounted battery, thus sharing similar wheelbase dimensions of 120 in (304.8 cm) for the Model X and a slightly shorter 116.5 (295.9 cm) for the Model S.

Despite the similarities, there’s distinct differences in features and amenities between the electric crossover and sedan that could impact everyday practicality depending on your lifestyle.

We’ll be doing a multi-part series comparing select features of the Model X vs Model S, but for the purpose of this post, we’re taking a look at differences in storage space between the two vehicles.

Model X vs Model S Cargo Space

The Model X is a taller and roomier vehicle than the Model S, but when it comes to rear cargo space, the Model S actually has more useable storage space. Here’s why, and it’s quite simple.

The Model S second row seats fold flat leaving for an expansive open space that can store anything from long dresser bureaus to even skis!

Pictured above: Model S trunk with full-size folding electric bike and a full set of winter wheels and tires

The Model X on the other hand has third row seating that can also fold flat, but the overall length of storage is constrained by the backs of the second row seats. These seats do not fold down and instead capable of sliding back and forth on the seat’s mono post track in order to maximize trunk space.

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Model-X-vs-Model-S-Trunk-Space

Model S (left) vs Model X (right) trunk space comparison [Source: JH Photography via YouTube]

One benefit the Model X cargo space has over the Model S is the taller overall height within the trunk. This allows for vertical stacking of cargo as seen in the following video by JH Photography. They do an excellent job performing a side-by-side comparison of both trunks.

 

Nooks, Crannies and Cupholders

Yes, cupholders. The Model S was designed with an open center space between the two front seats given Musk’s appreciation for clean and open designs. But it wasn’t before long that owners realized they just couldn’t live without the convenience of a personal storage compartment and cupholder. Thus the Tesla center console movement was born, spearheaded by the folks at EVannex.

Tesla seems to have learned that people want their creature comforts and lots of it. The Model X comes standard with personal storage space and cupholders between every row of seats. They’ve also incorporated storage space into the lower door panels and USB ports directly in the front center section of the second row.

Model-X-3rd-Row-Seat-Cupholders

Tesla Model X 3rd row seat cupholders

 

saabkyle04 has produced a comprehensive video walkthrough of the Model X that’s really worth checking out. Since the video is nearly 40 minutes long, we’ve embedded only the portion of the video that highlights the Model X center console.

 

Front Trunk a.k.a.”frunk” Space

Early versions of the Model S without the dual motor configuration have an empty space in the area beneath the front windshield wipers. This extra “cubby” also known as “the microwave”, due to its rectangular shape, makes for remarkable storage capacity beneath the hood.

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Rear wheel drive Model S frunk

Rear wheel drive Model S frunk [Source: Electric Jen]

Later versions of the Model S with the dual motor configuration lost the additional microwave storage area. The same goes for the Model X which also sees a front motor mounted in the same section where the microwave would be.

Referencing the video by JH Photography, we can see that Model X frunk is quite spacious. Though it’s not large enough to hold two full size golf bags as mentioned by Elon during the Model X reveal, the huge frunk can accommodate a single golf bag, and some luggage.

 

Gene has been obsessed with cars since before he could legally sit in the front seat. Writer, researcher, unofficial CS support, accountant, native suit guy when needed, and overall stick poker. He approaches every story the way he approaches a road trip: with too much enthusiasm, not enough planning, and a surprisingly good outcome. gene@teslarati.com

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Lifestyle

Tesla teases “Halloween Mode” update with Optimus rising from a graveyard

Tesla’s Halloween teaser hides a covered vehicle and an Optimus hand rising from the ground.

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Tesla has started teasing a Halloween software update for its vehicles, with  a short clip on X that reads, “Halloween is coming.” The clip opens on a glowing pumpkin before pulling back to the car’s center touchscreen, where the usual parked visualization has been replaced by a graveyard scene, and the vehicle draped with a white sheet so it reads as a cartoon ghost.

The second detail is a robotic hand clawing its way out of the dirt like a zombie, which looks to be the hand of Tesla’s latest Optimus V3 humanoid robot. While Tesla still has not formally shown Optimus Gen 3 walking around in service, renders pulled from Tesla’s Android app last month gave the clearest look yet, including far more refined hands that Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom. The hand has been the hardest part of the program. Musk has called it the majority of the robot’s engineering difficulty, and Tesla’s patents describe a design driven by tendons with the actuators moved into the forearm.

Tesla Optimus V3 hand and arm details revealed in new patents

Optimus also has a Halloween track record. Last October the robot handed out candy in Times Square, and a costumed “zombie” Optimus shuffled around the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles on Halloween night.

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On the software side, Tesla’s 2025 Holiday Update expanded Santa Mode with a Santa sleigh, snowmen, snow effects, and a festive lock chime, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched if we saw something similar but themed for a  Halloween Mode.

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Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in

Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.

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Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.

Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.


The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.

The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.

Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident

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Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.

In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.

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Watch Tesla’s “guardian angel” FSD feature take over for collision evasion

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Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.

Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”

The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.


The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.

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Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.

Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15

Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.

Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.

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