Is $200,000+ too much to pay for an electric SUV? Tesla reckons its Model X P90D justifies its price, but what else could you get for the same money?

AFTER announcing a $122,812 (including LCT) price of entry for its all-electric Model X SUV last month, Tesla has this week slapped pricetags on the rest of the Model X range – and the cost is a little eye-watering at the top end.

The Tesla Model X P90D is the big daddy, the fastest-accelerating model in the family with a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.4 seconds. That’s 0.3 seconds quicker than a Ferrari FF, yet it’s got space for more passengers than the Fez. Impressive.

Telsa -Model -X-front -side

Is it poor value? There are plenty of performance-focused SUVs already on the market, the bulk of of them retailing for much less than Tesla’s electron-munching super-SUV. That said, none of them are quicker to 100km/h (even compared to the non-Ludicrous Model X P90D), and none are able to run on cheap electricity.

But let’s see what $201K gets you when you shop around in the world of petrol-powered performance SUVs. What can you get with the money you’ll save compared to buying the Tesla?

MERCEDES-AMG GLE 63 S

Price: $189,900 0-100km/h: 4.2 seconds Fuel consumption: 11.8L/100km

Mercedes -Benz -GLE-63S-front -side
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BENZ rebranded the ML 63 to the Mercedes-Benz GLE 63 S in June last year, bringing with it a bump in power to 430kW/760Nm and a 0-100km/h sprint time that’s just two-tenths of a second off the standard Model X P90D. Just $11,100 separates the GLE63 S from the Model X P90D, which buys you 8102 litres of premium unleaded. That’s enough fuel to drive for 68,662km, representing a few years of motoring for most people.

BMW X5 M

Price: $185,510 0-100km/h: 4.2 seconds Fuel consumption: 11.1L/100km

BMW’S X5 M hits triple digits in the same time as the GLE 63 S, but does so at a slightly lower cost and with slightly lower fuel consumption.

BMW-X5-M

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT

Price: $90,000 0-100km/h: 4.8 seconds Fuel consumption: 14.0L/100km

THE 6.4 litre V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT launched in its current shape back in 2012 at a bargain price of $76,000, though the price has been gradually ratcheted up to its present-day $90,000 sticker.

Jeep -Grand -Cherokee -SRT-Night -front -side

Assuming the cost of petrol remains around the current national average of 127c per litre, that means you could buy 87,401 litres of fuel. Achieve the SRT’s claimed average fuel economy of 14.0L/100km, and that amount of fuel will allow 624,296km of travel – enough to lap the equator 15-and-a-half times.

PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO S

Price: $287,500 0-100km/h: 4.1 seconds Fuel consumption: 11.5L/100km

Porsche -Cayenne -Turbo -S

You could confidently tick the option box for Ludicrous Mode and make your Model X even quicker still, while simultaneously cramming up to seven family members into the P90D – something you can’t do in the five-seat Porsche.

Advantage, Tesla.