![]() ![]() Elon Musk takes inspiration from the film Spaceballs for his Model S Plaid edition, but he’s clearly a fan of Coneheads too if the Y’s obsession with orange traffic cones is anything to go by. Nearby vehicles, pedestrian warnings, traffic lights and roadside rubbish bins are faithfully recreated. The screen’s standout feature is the way sensors build a graphical picture of your surroundings. Voice control is surprisingly clueless, and I miss Apple CarPlay’s simple way of curating all your key smartphone apps on one page. The screen is a visual delight, with a beautiful, clear map, large digital keypad that pops up to enter nav destinations and majestic pinch-and-zoom capability.īut it’s not unimpeachable. Tesla’s less-is-more approach is familiar now, with no driver’s instruments and complete reliance on the central touchscreen for the speedo and functions such as the wipers or triggering side mirror adjustment. You access the Model Y by placing a credit card-style ‘key’ on the B-pillar – it’s a bit fiddly to find the right spot – but it’s largely moot: most users will set up their smartphones to unlock the doors via near-field communication. ![]() People attracted by the crossover’s raised ride height (about 17cm off the ground) may not mind, but I felt like a budgie on a perch, having to lean forward to discover where the Y’s stubby nose ends. It feels like there’s a little more tyre and wind noise on the motorway than in the quietest rolling EVs.Īnd the driving experience is a lot sportier than the driving position. No surprise there are occasional rattles coming from the rear. The Y can crash through potholes around town, get quite jiggly when bumps come thick and fast, and transmit the feel of coarse motorway ripples. Ride quality can be brittle on the 20inch Induction rims with low profile 255/40 section rubber. And if you do need to jump on the friction brakes, they respond strongly. Select from three regenerative braking modes – Creep, Roll or Hold – with the latter providing strong but natural feeling deceleration. Thank the electric motors on both the front and rear axles, producing a combined 469bhp and 424lb ft of torque.Ĭoming to a halt is nicely judged too. The benchmark burst from standstill to 62mph disappears in 5secs flat. On the straights, the Model Y has a wondrous ability to warp from here to there – its ‘standard’ acceleration (there’s also a chill mode) is far from standard and actually a cut above the mainstream EV pack. It doesn’t dance delicately through bends, more subverts them to its will. Tip it into a fast corner and there’s little roll and a lot of confidence in its grip levels. Don’t expect a lot of feel though.Īnd, rolling on Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres and with a low centre of gravity and 2003kg of mass pinning it down, the Model Y sticks like dried Weetabix to a bowl. The steering is great: no slop, reassuringly weighty and quick to respond as you swing off-centre. In CAR magazine group tests the Model 3 remains undefeated, and much of its dynamic talent is present and correct in the Y. Tesla Model Y vs its rivals Okay, let’s pick up the pace on some country roads Get rolling and you’re immediately struck by three things: the Model Y sounds blissfully quiet around town (as you’d expect from an EV), the suspension feels pretty firm, and the sensors compile a reassuringly faithful picture of your surroundings relayed on the large but solitary touchscreen. In America you can spec two occasional seats in a third row, but they’re not available to order in the UK yet. There are five seats in a spacious cabin, behind which sits a vast 854-litre boot. The Y measures about 50mm longer than the 3 and the roof sits some 200mm higher: its 4.75m length is similar to a BMW X3’s. ![]() For anyone who’s forgotten the details in the intervening months, the Model Y shares its chassis, battery and electric motors with the Model 3 saloon (though Tesla plans a ‘4680’ battery and chassis upgrade – more on that later). Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Model Y back in March 2019. So how does Tesla’s high-roofed, high-riding version of the Model 3 feel on UK roads? Read on to find out more and decide for yourself whether you should pick this or a Polestar 2.īest electric SUVs We’ve waited years for this car, let’s get driving… ![]() We drove it on British roads, though it’s a Dutch test car with the steering wheel on the left.įirst right-hand-drive deliveries of Long Range models started in March 2022, with £67,990 Performance versions following in summer 2022. We’ve yet to drive the rear-wheel drive model, but we have tested the Model Y Long Range, priced from £57,990. ![]()
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