Tesla Model Y
MODEL TESTED: Model Y Performance PRICE: £59,990 POWERTRAIN: 2x e-motors, 82kWh battery, 527bhp
AT £59,990, the Model Y Performance undercuts even the entry-level RZ by more than £4,000. That difference is also roughly the value of the options applied to our test car; as you see it here, this Performance costs £64,490.
Tech highlights
TESLA has been building premium EVs for longer than any other manufacturer, and that becomes abundantly clear in some areas. Its skateboard chassis houses an 82kWh battery with a motor driving each axle, and in Performance trim, that results in a hefty 523bhp.
For this top-spec model, Tesla also applies some mechanical tweaks, including 21-inch wheels, a lower ride height, uprated brakes and a carbon-fibre spoiler. The top-speed limiter is also raised, from 135mph to 155mph.
Track mode optimises the settings of the electronic stability control, traction control, regenerative braking and cooling systems to sharpen the responses of the Model Y during keen driving. A display also appears on the touchscreen showing temperature readouts for the tyres, brakes, electric motors and battery pack.
The Model Y ’s smooth nose and flush-fitting door handles aren’t just for show; they’re all features that help the car achieve an impressively low drag rating of 0. 23Cd. This helps to squeeze out every watt hour of energy into extra miles of range, which is claimed to stand at 319 miles for this Performance variant.
SAFETY: Regardless of which international safety body assesses the Model Y, it frequently emerges as one of the safest new cars you can buy today. In 2022, Euro NCAP awarded it a full five stars, with industry-leading marks in both the Adult Occupant Protection and Safety Assist categories.
On road
THE chassis changes Tesla has made to the Performance model over the Long Range version result in a huge difference to the way the Model Y drives; it’s a massive improvement.
AROUND TOWN: The suspension is lower and the wheels are larger than on the Model Y Long Range, yet the ride of the Performance version is actually significantly better. It’s still on the firm side for the class, but it feels far more sophisticated than its stablemates, particularly in its damping. It can be a little noisy over bumps, though, and visibility through the heavily raked rear window is poor.
A & B-ROADS: That suspension set-up doesn’t just improve the ride, but also makes the Model Y really quite fun to drive. There’s only a hint of body roll through the turns, while the powertrain feels subtly rear biased, so there’s a pleasing balance on offer.
A mix of strong grip and staggering performance – we can believe Tesla’s claims of a 3.5-second 0-62mph time – gives the Model Y a level of crosscountry pace that blows the Lexus away, and the Tesla is closer in character to a hot hatch.
Only two things let the Model Y down. The first is the steering; as with other Teslas, it’s quick, but there’s no feedback at all, so it feels like you’re playing an arcade racing game. The second is the brake regeneration; this is always set to a strong level, which means that if you’re driving keenly, you get unwanted deceleration between lifting off the brake and applying the throttle as you approach and enter a corner.
MOTORWAY: Slick aerodynamics mean the Model Y feels very accomplished at higher speeds, and the improved ride shows itself here, too. Road noise is a little too loud for our liking, though.
“The Model Y is closer in character to a hot hatch than a premium electric SUV”
Ownership
STEP into the Model Y, and it looks very spartan when compared with the Lexus. Touch the materials and, soft seat upholstery aside, it feels a little cheap in places, most notably the plastic panels on the dash and centre console. On the other hand, the dashboard level is quite low, so you have a great view of the road ahead, and the panoramic glass roof makes the cabin feel very airy, regardless of where you’re sitting.
The seats have a wide range of adjustment, although the steering wheel is a little fiddly to move because it’s operated via the left-hand multifunction button on the wheel itself. This also adjusts the mirrors, volume and other settings, depending on which function is selected on the touchscreen.
Tesla delivered a strong showing in the 2022 Driver Power satisfaction survey, with the brand finishing second overall. Owners love the powertrains, while victories were also chalked up in the running costs category. However, 44 per cent of owners said that they had experienced at least one fault with their vehicle – worse than any of the 28 other manufacturers in the survey.
EFFICIENCY: Our time with the Performance liberated an efficiency rating of 3.1 miles per Kilowatt hour – the same figure we achieved in the Long Range version we tested earlier this year. That makes the Tesla a significant 0.8mi/kWh more efficient than the Lexus, a difference made all the more startling when you consider how much faster the Tesla is compared with its rival.
That efficiency translates into a real-world range of 254 miles. And thanks to the 250kW charging, it’ll replenish its battery quickly too, at roughly seven miles of range per minute, based on our efficiency figures. Even when you need to plug in, the news remains good, because Tesla’s Supercharger network is still the easiest public charging network to use.
Practicality
WHEN it comes to storage, few electric SUVs are as spacious as the Model Y. It offers fairly generous passenger space, too.
REAR SPACE: The end of the glass roof can be a bit awkward for tall occupants, because there’s a dip in the lining where your head would naturally be. This aside, the Model Y offers impressive rear accommodation.
Kneeroom is plentiful; the front seats slide far forwards to give even more space when it isn’t needed, and even when a tall person is sitting ahead, there’s still loads of foot space under the seats. The centre seat isn’t particularly comfortable, though.
BOOT: Tesla measures its boot capacity differently from Lexus, so that 854-litre storage figure shows the volume to the roof, rather than the window line. Still, there’s a huge amount of storage beneath the boot floor too, where you’ll find a deep bin.