Tesla Model Y Review

I’ve had the Tesla Model Y for almost 2 months, so I’m ready to share my opinions about my experience so far.

CONFIGURATION

I got the Long Range AWD version, with standard features (white with black interior, 19" Gemini wheels, Autopilot), the only extra being the tow hitch. I got it as a lease (because, based on my experience with cell phones, I don’t trust a battery after 3 years), and the sticker price was $52,290.

Right now, you can save $1,000 off the purchase price by using this referral code: https://ts.la/chris39241

Living in New Jersey, it was exempt from sales tax, and it is also eligible for a $5,000 rebate from the NJ Charge Up program.

DRIVING

Driving it is the best experience I’ve ever had in a car. This was one of the main reason I decided to get the Model Y, shortly after I did a test drive. It is one of the fastest cars I ever drove. Even without the Performance option, it gets does 0–60mph in about 4.8 seconds but what’s most impressive it’s the instant torque of the electric motors. In a regular gasoline car, you’ll start slower, and then accelerate a lot faster as you advance through the gears. But an EV has no gears, and the acceleration is instant. Whether you start from a stop, or are trying to accelerate on the road, to pass or slide into another lane.

It’s a smooth ride, pretty silent, though not completely quiet as you’ll always hear the road noise. I guess it’s quieter from the outside than from the inside. It’s also very stable on the road. Since the heavy batteries are at the very bottom, it has a low center of gravity and the car doesn’t tilt if you go too fast into a turn.

One of my favorite things is the one-pedal driving. Tesla uses regen braking, by capturing some of the braking energy to charge the battery. What this means is that when you lift your foot of the pedal, at some point the car starts slowing down, until it comes to a stop. It takes a little bit of time getting used to it, but once you master this skill you’ll never touch the brake pedal (unless there’s a sudden hazard ahead, like someone cutting you off).

TECHNOLOGY

As a tech geek, I love all the technology inside the Tesla, starting with the fact that all the controls are on the touch screen in the middle of the dashboard. There’s no other button or switch on the dash, and only 2 scroll wheels on the wheel. Everything else is controlled from the tablet (although a few things are too much, like opening the glovebox).

The car doesn’t need keys — your phone is the key. You can also control several things from the phone app (opening the trunk or frunk, climate, etc). Speaking of climate, there are no vents so the only way to direct the air flow is also from the screen.

There are several streaming options, both for music (Spotify, TuneIn, Karaoke) and for video (Netflix, Hulu, Youtube). Note that the video apps don’t work while you’re driving. Same is for the several games that come with the car — you can only play when you’re parked.

Many features of the car are configurable from the main screen and what’s more amazing is that you get new features or improvements with software updates, like you do on the phone. Recently, there was an update that increased the Model Y range from 315 to 326 miles! How many cars can increase their autonomy with just one download — no work or tuning required on the car? You can also make it a lot faster with the software, but that’s gonna cost you — $2,000 for an acceleration boost that lowers the 0–60mph time from 4.8 sec to 4.2 sec.

AUTOPILOT

As I didn’t pay the extra for FSD (full self driving) — as of October 2020 that’s $7,000 at purchase or $8,000 as an add-on, but expected to go up — I only have the Autopilot, which is Tesla’s version of the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping that almost every new car now has.

I only have to add that the display will show you all the self-driving features, like other cars on the road, pedestrians, traffic signs, etc, so you can understand how advanced its perception system is. In FSD mode, it would stop at red lights or stop signs, it would recognize speed limit signs, and it would change lanes on the highway. But with autopilot, it just stays within the lane and changes the speed to match the traffic. It’s the best such system I drove with, but it’s also the newest so the comparison might not be relevant.

CHARGING

You can charge your Tesla at home, or at a charging station on the road. For home, you can use your regular 110V outlet for what it’s called “trickle charging”. That will give you up to 5 mi/hour of charge which, if you don’t commute a lot, should be enough (it gets you over 100 miles charging per day). If you drive more, you can get an upgraded 240V circuit, which could get you to about 30 mi/hour of charging.

Charging at home is the cheapest, but if you need to charge on the road, you have a few options as well. Most popular are the superchargers. You can get a 75% charge in less than half an hour, and the chargers are usually placed at rest areas or commercial centers, so you have something to do in the meantime. Another option are the slower chargers that you’d find at stores, restaurants, downtown areas, most common being Chargepoint. They give you about 30 mi/h of charging and while they’ll cost you probably triple the home charging cost, it’s still cheaper than gas.

DESIGN

Here’s where the downsides start to appear. Tesla is notorious for poor assembly quality. You’ve probably heard about panel gaps, outside components not matching up, bumpers falling or roofs taking off. I believe a perfect Tesla doesn’t exist yet. Most of the things are minor and hard to notice (like small scratches, gaps, etc). Paint issues could be more serious if they happen. My Model Y was alright, just a few misalignments and barely visible scratches, but nothing to require repairs.

To makes sure you don’t have any surprises later, make sure to get a comprehensive delivery checklist and go over everything when you pick it up.

Behind that, the design is pretty cool, I love the minimalist interior and the full glass roof. Even if the car doesn’t look that big from the outside, the trunk area is very spacious, and there are sizable hidden compartments (since there’s no gas tank to take up space). You also get the frunk which is big enough to put a beer cooler and some food.

PROS AND CONS

In my view, the biggest pros are:

• Driving experience (instant torque, acceleration, one-pedal driving)
• Technology (the tablet-centric dashboard, constant updates, media hub)

Cons:

• The assembly issues and hassle of having to double check everything at delivery
• While I didn’t experience it yet and I hope I won’t have to, based on the consensus of comments I heard: Service. The car doesn’t need much service, but when it does it’s very hard to schedule, takes a long time, and they rarely give you a loaner even for warranty issues