Drive Wire: November 25, 2015

Model X pricing, aftermarket BMW cycles, more Dieselgate news, a clear air gadget, and drifting semis. 

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: November 25, 2015
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Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Wednesday, November 25.

Tesla has announced prices and specs for its new swan-door compact SUV. The Model X entry-level price starts at about 80,000 dollars -- far less than the original show car’s 132 Grand. Just like with the Model S Sedan, there are three models of X to choose from: the 70D, 90D, and P90D. The base model 70D offers 220 miles of range and a zero to 60 time of six seconds flat. Things just get faster after that, with the 90 capable of a 4.8 second sprint to 60. The high-performance P90D can hit 60 in 3.2 seconds when in Tesla’s now-infamous “Ludicrous” mode. We should mention here that, yes, a towing package is available for $750 – no word on what that does to your maximum range.

Turning to the world of motorcycles, aftermarket company Wunderlich took BMW’s beloved R1200GS adventure bike and turned it into a two wheel drive hybrid. The modified bike uses a 7.6 kilowatt hub motor in the front wheel to provide additional power, allowing for all-electric travel up to 12 miles per hour. No word on how it rides—this is a concept only for now, but we’re intrigued.

More Dieselgate news, and no, it’s not good. VW is now admitting that 82,000 vehicles equipped with V6 engines were also fitted with software designed to defeat EPA testing. The 3-liter in question has been on sale in the US for the past seven years. And similar accusations are now being leveled against Renault -- specifically the diesel engine in its escape van -- which a German lobbying group claims emitted 25 times the amount of allowed pollutants during independent testing. Renault has issued a statement denying the allegations.

Today in gear, we have a cool little gadget that’s designed to save lives by providing toxin-free air in case of fire. The SafetyIQ personal air filtration device allows the user to escape a burning structure without breathing toxic fumes or smoke. It sits in a wall-mounted bracket charger until you need it and contains a built-in flashlight and locator alarm. Get it at mysafetyiq.com.

Today’s ridiculous video features a drifting turbo diesel semi truck. Because, hey, why not? The semi slides with the grace of an autocross car and declares war on all tires. Nothing is quite as awesome and absurd at the same time. This must be what happens after hours at Walmart distribution centers. Or, at least we hope it is…

From all of us at Drive Wire – Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe, and remember to let your seatbelt out that extra notch.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

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