Car review: Tesla Model Y SUV arrives in Australia

The Y is a few thousand dollars more expensive than its sedan sibling (prices seem to have bounced a lot; the Y launched at $68,900 and jumped $3400 a week later). The listed price for our base model version is $72,300, with silver metallic paintwork, 20-inch “Induction” wheels (replacing the 19s that come as standard), premium black and white interior, plus ordering and shipping costs add $7625, and rego etc counts in a few thousand more (gives a total drive-away price in NSW of $84,160).

The springy, plastic seating at Y isn’t to everyone’s taste.

Inside, the standard edition panoramic glass roof makes for a lighter, brighter and more airy interior (this adds a bit of headroom). I’m not sure about the bright white seating material in our car. It’s soft and supple and very, very plastic. Most everything else impressed, however. The minimalistic, almost buttonless interior generally works well, with discreet and smart multifunction “thumb wheel” controls on the steering wheel that do a lot of the heavy lifting.

This app allows remote control and monitoring of various aspects, and for you to use your phone as a key (no need to leave your pocket). On our way to the highlands it was 3 degrees in the morning. It took about five minutes to remotely raise the cabin temperature to 20 degrees via the app, allowing us to climb into the warm car, which also has preheated seats and steering wheel.

There’s no heads-up display but there’s a 15-inch screen and a case for your smartphone (which is also your key).

The large center screen (at 15 inches is much bigger than the biggest iPad), isn’t as distracting as you might think, although having to tap on the screen to open the glovebox is pretty ridiculous. It’s easy enough to see your speed in the top right corner, though a heads-up display would be a big improvement. Unfortunately it is not available.

Otherwise, the equipment level is high (dual cordless phone charging, heated seats and steering wheel, powerful tailgate, excellent sound system, “hospital grade” air filter, lots of cameras, plus gimmicks like gaming and karaoke through the center screen). ) . The lack of a trunk cover on the back is odd.

The Y drive is very similar to the 3. It is a comfortable tourer and has sharp and accurate steering.

The base Y is rear-wheel drive; Small petrol cars tend to be front-drive for packaging efficiency and weight reasons, but rear-drive will generally provide superior handling because you’re not asking for a set of tires to steer and deliver power at the same time.

At 1,900 kilograms, the Y rear drive is heavy but not too heavy. Tesla is dodgy with exact specs (the ones listed below are from a regulatory list), but upfront when it comes to speed. That said, the car is good for 217 km/h, and 6.9 seconds for a 0-100 km/h sprint. That’s slow for Tesla but fast for most SUVs; Lag-free acceleration from almost any speed.

The Performance version, for an additional $30K, adds all-wheel drive thanks to motors on each end. It also has a different battery (the range goes up from 455 to 514 kilometers on WLTP standards) and nearly half the acceleration time (a claimed 3.7 seconds). Expect to see a Long Range Y eventually, mirroring the Model 3 range.

The Australian Ys comes on Autopilot (don’t start me by the name, but as a lane-keeping adaptive cruise control it works great, as long as your hands never leave the wheel.)

Crane hitches will be available by 2023, Tesla said.

Drive Y is very similar to 3, so there’s a lot to like. It’s a comfortable tour and has sharp, accurate steering, and enough regenerative braking to allow for a single-pedal ride. There are slimmers with the Y, understandably, and the ride is choppy over imperfect roads, likely exacerbated by the increased weight. It is about 150 kg heavier than the sedan. Push into the corners hard and there’s visible understeer, but a simple lift is enough to get the nose in.

The suspension can be noisy, though this is exaggerated by the lack of other sounds produced by the electric drivetrain.

Tesla says the crane hitch will be available early next year, with a rating of 1600 kg. So this is not the end of your weekend.

The Model Y comes with a general four-year/80,000 km warranty, with an eight-year/160,000 km battery pack. Tesla now has more than 230 Superchargers in 49 locations across Australia, including the latest version of the V3, which the company claims can be recharged at a speed of 1600 km per hour.

We hit a range of a little over 400km and, on a regular Tesla supercharger, were able to add a range of around 220km in a 25-minute charge.

If you’re still EV skeptic, set up this test drive and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Y is not perfect, but it is undoubtedly the future.

TESLA MODEL AND REAR WHEEL DRIVER
Price $72,300 (excluding on-road fees); $79,925 when tested
Machine Single motor with approx. 62 kWh . battery
Power/torque 220 kW/350 Nm
Consumption 14.6 kWh/100 km/h (ADR combined test cycle)
Reach 455 km (WLTP combined test cycle)
CO₂ Zero local emission

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