This story contains independent illustrations penned by CarScoops’ artist Josh Byrnes that are neither related to nor endorsed by Tesla.
Love or hate Tesla, you cannot deny their impact on supercharging the electric vehicle scene amongst a sea of ICE-addicted legacy automakers. Are they perfect? No; their product quality has been hit and miss, as are the well-documented issues surrounding Autopilot and the ability to deliver new models on time.
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Nevertheless, many buyers continue to buy Tesla sedans and SUVs. Word on the street is that a small compact car will eventually join Tesla’s ranks, as will the long-awaited Roadster and forever-delayed Cybertruck. But what if a Jeep Wrangler-style trail basher were on the cards? Would it give the Austin-based automaker more curb appeal to those who like to adventure?
While nothing is confirmed, we’ve taken the creative liberty to illustratively explore what a Tesla off-roader may look like and delve into everything else it could potentially offer.
Rugged Stance
Unlike Tesla’s polarizing pickup, our study dials back the weird in favor of an aesthetic blending industrial and automotive design with organic surfacing and sharp lines. There are still Cybertruck cues with its full-width LED light bar and grille-less front facia, but the overall appearance is less akin to a cheese doorstop.
Staunch proportions are a must, hence why the huge wheels and chunky rubber have been pushed to the corners. Contrasting fenders and lower door cladding add to the rugged look, as does the fast-back style glasshouse with its removable roof sections. A full-width OLED lightbar dominates the rear, and the tailgate is side-mounted with a full-size spare.
Under The Skin
This study, hypothetically based on the Model Y, sports a reductive cabin to match the smaller exterior dimensions. Fortunately, its minimalist interior styling is more intriguing than what its on-road sibling offers, and there’s no silly yoke steering wheel in sight either.
Read: Tesla Shows Updated Cybertruck Promising 2023 Launch And New Robotaxi At Cyber Rodeo
Goodies such as a large 15” OLED infotainment screen, augmented-reality HUD, 360-degree surround-view cameras with a transparent all-terrain mode, and Level 3 Semi-autonomous Autopilot will be available (the latter on paved roads only).
Trail Power
Ideally, long-range and performance variants would be offered utilizing a 75-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with cylindrical cell design. The off-roader could hit 330 miles of range in the long-range specification, whilst the performance version would realistically yield 300 miles from a full charge.
Read: What We Think We Know About Tesla’s Now Delayed $25,000 Model 2
Dual-motor, all-wheel-drive would be standard and, in performance guise, the SUV would hit zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. Naturally, electronically controlled multi-terrain modes such as crawl, sand, snow and mud would help even the most novice off-road drivers out there, as would the generous approach and departure angles.
Off-road Rivals
While many battery-electric crossovers are now available, electrification amongst dedicated off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco is scarce. Fortunately, an EV Wrangler will be with us in 2024, and Toyota’s Compact Cruiser EV will arrive by 2030. Hopefully, a Tesla off-roader in the same vein as our design proposal will join them by then.
Should Tesla expand their line-up with a trail-rated off-roader? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
