---
title: "This Video of a Tesla Model X Going Off Road in the Desert Is…Something"
description: "A promising start, or a fish out of water?"
date: "2017-12-06"
modified: "2017-12-07"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/16743/this-video-of-a-tesla-model-x-bashing-some-sand-dunes-is-something"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Tesla News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Electric Cars"
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "EV"
  - "luxury"
  - "model x"
  - "Off-Road"
  - "Sand Dune"
  - "SUV"
  - "suv/crossover"
  - "Tesla"
  - "Tesla Model X"
  - "trucks"
---

# This Video of a Tesla Model X Going Off Road in the Desert Is…Something

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/12/option-2.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Like [many six-figure SUVs,](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/1046/the-300-000-bentley-bentayga-isnt-for-you>) the all-electric Tesla Model X will rarely be driven into anything tougher than a two inch mud puddle—if that. But unlike most of its competitors, it's not really designed with all-terrain capability in mind, lacking the locking differentials, transfer case, and multi-surface four-wheel-drive settings of trucks like the [Mercedes-Benz G-Class](<https://www.thedrive.com/video/6697/watch-mercedes-benz-build-the-iconic-g-wagen>) or the [Land Rover Ranger Rover.](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/11234/range-rover-makes-the-best-suv-in-the-world>) That didn't stop the Tesla Owners Club of Saudi Arabia from taking a 2016 [Tesla Model X](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16664/return-a-wreck-daimler-reportedly-took-apart-rented-tesla-model-x>) P90DL out into the desert for some dune-bashing fun. And the result is...well, it *is,* let's just say that.

The video shows the Model X perched near the crest of a small dune somewhere in Dubai. After accelerating from a stop, the big battery-powered SUV lazily drifts around the dusty landscape, kicking up sand from all four wheels and handling the slight elevation changes without drama. Unlike [the last Model X off-roading video](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/7302/tesla-model-x-trying-to-go-off-road-is-hilarious-sad-and-slightly-impressive>) we highlighted, this one manages to avoid getting stuck, and it's all done on the SUV's standard low-profile road tires.

https://youtube.com/embed/5Ju7-5VDO84

The Model X isn't without its abilities—with the adjustable suspension raised to its maximum height, it has just about the same ground clearance as a Range Rover Sport—but [awesome renderings aside,](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/12828/tesla-model-x-off-road-rendering-makes-us-want-one-more-than-ever>) no one is looking at it as the first true off-road electric vehicle. And that's good, because no matter what other breathless descriptions on other websites are saying about this video, the Model X is a long way from that point.

You can debate whether or not anything with four-wheel-drive would have been able to handle the tame circuit that the Model X used, but all it takes is [one look at the video Lamborghini made](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/15967/the-new-lamborghini-urus-suv-will-have-a-dedicated-off-road-mode-for-sand-dunes>) to market the new Urus SUV's "Sabbia" (Sand) terrain mode to see where the high-performance, high-dollar truck market is at. Buyers want to feel [like they have the ability to go anywhere,](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/8771/new-rolls-royce-suv-spotted-testing-in-the-snow>) even if they never dip a tire off pavement. And this Tesla video, pioneering as it may seem, doesn't come close to delivering on that promise yet. Now about [that Tesla pickup...](<https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/tesla-also-planning-giant-pickup-truck>)

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)