REVIEW: The brand new Tesla Mannequin Y is stacked filled with upgrades, making a terrific automotive better

The Tesla Mannequin Y has firmly established itself as a frontrunner within the Australian electrical SUV market, however there’s new, refreshed model from the unique 2022 choice.

I’ve simply stepped out from behind the wheel after per week and it’s clear the automotive will meet the wants of and enchantment to, many Australian households.

The collection of adjustments Tesla has made, elevates the entry-level Mannequin Y from a sensible EV to a premium, feature-packed machine. Importantly the refresh incorporates plenty of concepts the group requested Tesla to alter, and even some concepts they didn’t.

Whereas the bottom mannequin is a compelling package deal by itself, this evaluation delves into whether or not these common additions are price the additional funding and the way they form the general possession expertise. It’s a configuration that guarantees the very best of all worlds – fashion, expertise, and worth.

Design

Tesla’s Mannequin Y is now a staple on Australian roads, a well-recognized sight, but it continues to show heads with its minimalist and aerodynamic silhouette. The refresh is a big change to the styling and whereas the change was jarring at first, it’s actually grown on me and I now actually choose it over the unique.

Exterior

Our evaluation car was painted in Stealth Gray, The paint has an exquisite depth, shifting from a flat gray in overcast mild to a liquid-like metallic underneath the intense Australian solar.

There’s a complete of 6 colors on supply, the decide of the bunch for individuals who need to stand out is the Extremely Purple (A$2,600), or maybe the brand new color, Diamond Black launched this week for a A$1,500 improve, however actually, even the included Pearl White Multi-Coat seems fairly nice.

This evaluation unit options upgraded 20″ Helix 2.0 wheels, a $2,400 choice from the usual 19″ Crossflow Wheels. Personally, I feel these look finest as silver towards the white paint and that Tesla would supply a darkish model of the Helix 2.0 wheels.

Entrance and the again
Two of the obvious, in your face adjustments to the Mannequin Y is at every finish of the automotive. The entrance now drops the Tesla emblem from the hood, and opts for a clear design with the brand new entrance bar way more elegant than the elongated duck invoice from the unique.

Designers have been capable of make it look visually way more interesting, whereas nonetheless delivering a strict aerodynamic effectivity that exhibits itself via nice vary figures.

The complete-width mild bar not solely seems nice, however performs rather well. Driving at evening actually helps with the amazement.. how may a lot illumination come from such a skinny profile, technically, that is good. I used to be by no means flashed by an oncoming car for my lights being too brilliant, due to the brand new matrix LEDs turning off sections of the sunshine as car strategy, whereas sustaining the utmost brightness doable for you as the driving force.

On the rear, that’s the place probably the most distinctive lightscape is seen. This complete single lightbar is distinctive, it displays the sunshine all the way down to the bottom which follows the automotive like you might have the afterburner glow from a rocket chasing you. It’s completely different, it’s cool, however I’m unsure it’s one thing others will copy.

Virtually, the purple glow does illuminate your environment while you’re stopped, offering nice lighting whereas your automotive is stopped. It doesn’t actually assist when your loading baggage at evening because the lightbar is on the boot and when the boot is opened it doesn’t shine to the bottom.

Personally I’d like Tesla to be in step with design selections throughout the vary. Nearly as good because the Mannequin Y is now, it does increase a difficulty with the Mannequin 3 that was solely simply refreshed itself final 12 months, however lacks any of this lightbar magic. Tesla will quickly have lightbars on the Mannequin Y, Cybertruck, Robotaxi, however not the Mannequin 3, S or X.

Inside

Stepping inside, there’s a refined, minimalist inside Tesla are recognized for and this aligns properly with my style in automobiles. Every thing that may be digital, is, with one exception, that controversial indicator stalk.

Seats
Tesla has at all times had extremely snug seats and the brand new Mannequin Ys are not any exception. Regardless of very constructive suggestions, they aren’t resting, continually bettering their seating selections. These now supply perforations to permit the heating and cooling to stream via freely.

Whereas this evaluation befell throughout Australia’s winter, the cooling facet is a welcome addition and would may very well be motivation alone for some upgraders to make it via a scorching Australian summer time. Whereas cabin pre-cooling actually works, cooling your physique from direct airflow, as an alternative of oblique, is way extra environment friendly.

AC swing
One other good new characteristic is to have the airflow swing left to proper like an previous fan. This helps hold you cool, however distributes the cooling, moderately than a concentrated hotspot (or coldspot). I didn’t assume I’d like this characteristic as a lot as I do.

When you think about how Tesla achieves this, their digitally-controlled vent system already makes use of small servo motors to maneuver levers behind the sprint to direct the airflow. This characteristic actually automates the continues motion of the vent instructions on the X axis. It’s one other showcase of Tesla’s software-defined car that isn’t accessible to a number of different automakers that also use conventional handbook vents.

Rear Show
The can is superb from the entrance row, however from the rear, the inclusion of a show makes it a nicer place to spend time. Not solely do you might have an incredible vista of the evening sky, or the towering buildings of a cityscape, you additionally get to regulate your leisure choices.

When you might have rear passengers, you’ll get a request to permit them to play DJ and takeover the car’s audio. The opposite various is to attach a Bluetooth headset which is a superb choice.

Area and Storage
A large a part of the motivation to purchase an SUV and spend a number of thousand {dollars} greater than the Mannequin 3 sedan, is the quantity of further space for storing you get. The frunk is bigger, the trunk is bigger to the purpose the place you’ll be able to actually match some suitcases and baggage within the Y, that you just can’t with the three.

In terms of different rivals, the Mannequin Y is a frontrunner in storage capability within the mid-size USV section. Tesla’s environment friendly packaging of it’s electrical drivetrain means they can ship the advantages (extra storage) to clients. In the event you’re travelling with 4 adults, or 2 adults and a pair of children, you’ll respect each inch of this extra house.

Digital fold down seats
This one is an actual comfort characteristic. In the event you open the rear tailgate, have one thing massive you should slide in, however your seats are in the way in which. Tesla has had fold down buttons for some time behind the Y, however these have been dumb, in that they’d simply launch and hope there was nothing in the way in which.

The absolutely digital strategy will even transfer the entrance seats ahead to make room for the rear seats folding down. Then when you take away the article, you’ll need to return your automotive’s configuration to regular. This usually meant extra doorways opening and shutting and basic messing round that may and fortunately is, now averted. Simply push the buttons once more within the boot and the seats return to regular, prepared for passengers.

There was a little bit of design and a little bit of programming concerned by the software program group to attain this, however it’s a comfort characteristic that may make a distinction to individuals who repeatedly shit from shifting individuals to shifting issues and again once more.

Inside lighting
Following the design replace from the Mannequin 3 final 12 months, Tesla has built-in an RGB mild bar to the Mannequin Y. This extends throughout your view underneath the windscreen, via the driving force and passenger entrance doorways, and even to the rear passengers doorways.

This provides a pleasant layer of personalisation present in another automobiles, though I might have preferred to see the RGB discover it’s approach into the footwell lights as properly. I used to be glad that the RGB lighting by no means created a difficulty with reflections on the windscreen, even at evening when reflections are excessive, clearly Tesla designers examined for this and located by insetting the lightstrip, the glow doesn’t attain the windscreen and create a driver distraction.

Efficiency

The driving expertise of the Mannequin Y RWD is outlined by its on the spot, silent acceleration and nimble dealing with. Your perspective of simply how briskly this automotive is will actually rely in your body of reference. The RWD Mannequin Y will speed up from 0-100km/hr in 5.9 seconds. In comparison with most ICE automobiles, that’s unimaginable, however should you additionally need quicker, the dual-motor Lengthy Vary does the identical acceleration in simply 4.8s, greater than a full second faster, one thing you’ll undoubtedly really feel behind the wheel.

Whereas there’s a Efficiency spec on the way in which, it’s at the moment not accessible. The final era did the 0-100km/hr time in 3.7s which is wild for a mid-sized SUV that weighs as a lot because it does.

Having pushed the brand new Mannequin Y RWD for the previous week, it’s day-to-day driving efficiency is greater than enough, it’s enjoyable. You get off the road well which helps to get you forward of the visitors with loads of time to modify lanes earlier than the subsequent flip. You may as well pull out for an overtake with confidence that you just’ll get it executed with time to spare.

Suspension
One of many massive headline adjustments with the brand new Mannequin Y is it’s up to date suspension. My foundation for comparability is the 2022 Mannequin Y RWD and having ridden rather a lot in that, the suspension is actually improved.

The way in which it rides bumps is simply smoother, not eradicated, you’ll nonetheless really feel them, however it avoids sending the jarring forces via your physique which is actually appreciated. Would I promote my previous Mannequin Y and improve for that alone, no it’s an enchancment, however it’s not air suspension. An even bigger enchancment could be if the Authorities and councils improved highway upkeep, I could also be biased, however they appear notably dangerous in Victoria. Sarcastically, the Tesla requires little or no upkeep of it’s personal, principally simply tyres.

Typically a consequence of bettering trip consolation with suspension adjustments is that you just see (or really feel) an impression to car dealing with, stability and cornering. It’s doable you’ll be able to flip your automotive right into a floating bus on wheels, however flip a nook and it’ll need to roll like a ship. Fortunately Tesla engineers labored their magic and managed to ship a automotive that has a greater trip, whereas not destroying it’s sporty, enjoyable, cornering skills on nice windy roads within the nation, this can be a actual credit score to the group.

Noise
The upgrades additionally embody adjustments to the glass, now acoustic all spherical, the automotive is quiet, like eerily quiet. Once I first began driving EVs, I observed how a lot of an enchancment they have been to in-cabin conversations. With out the noise from the engine and exhaust, you’ll be able to simply hear individuals talking between the entrance and rear rows. This has been additional enhanced by the adjustments made within the new Mannequin Y.

I’m somebody who typically listens to music, in all probability approach too loud and whereas I actually respect the nice sound system within the Mannequin Y, I deliberately left it off on plenty of drives this week. I discovered myself pondering.. that is simply the quietest driving expertise I’ve ever had. Street noise adjustments somewhat between highway surfaces, however actually, it’s such a giant enchancment, I want all vehicles would do that.

Vary
The exhausting work executed within the design and engineering departments at Tesla end in a number of the finest vary available on the market, notably while you break it all the way down to Kilometres from Kilowatts. The Tesla Mannequin Y Rear-Wheel Drive is rated for a variety of 466km (WLTP) and if that’s not sufficient, the Lengthy Vary All-Wheel Drive is as much as 600km (WLTP) now, after a mid-week replace to the vary determine.

Tesla has simply launched in India and supplied a brand new variant not accessible right here, the Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary RWD which truly has 622km of vary, achieved by the diminished weight with no entrance motor.

Virtually you gained’t get these numbers, the true world numbers are in all probability 30-40kms off that, however that is the case with all EVs and the generally used effectivity figures used for Australian EVs. Whereas the automotive is extremely straightforward to drive, I feel the 430ish kms of actual world vary on the MY is lots for 90% of consumers which is why we see it represented as the most well-liked variant.

Whereas they give the impression of being the identical, the RWD mannequin makes use of an LFP chemistry within the battery. This gives plenty of nice attributes like longer lifespan, decrease value and may repeatedly be charged to 100%. The one draw back is you don’t get the depraved deployment of energy you’ll be able to in NMC-based batteries. Given the overwhelming majority of homeowners don’t prioritise sports-car efficiency, the RWD is the proper match for many.

For many who embark on outlandish highway journeys to far distant places and simply should have extra vary, the Lengthy Vary is there as an choice, however does come at a A$10k improve for a 134km vary enhance.

In time passed by, Tesla’s wheel alternative impacted vary, but at the moment the checkout exhibits the very same vary for 19″ or 20″ wheels, such is the aero effectivity of the trendy designs.

When it does come time for charging, you’ll have entry to probably the most charging places within the nation. Tesla is rolling out loads of new Supercharger places to Tesla and Non-Tesla automobiles, however the work executed over the previous 10 years means Tesla’s places and reliability is unrivalled.

It’s vital to know that Tesla doesn’t embody charging cables with the automotive, so be acutely aware to lookout for these at checkout. You may go down the trail of a quicker residence charger set up (est. $1,500 put in), however personally, the $550 cell charger that plugs into any outlet has labored nice for me over the previous 5 years.

Options

The checklist of adjustments could also be lengthy, however there was one characteristic I used to be eager to attempt probably the most, Good Shift.

That is finally a comfort characteristic, with Tesla persevering with to takeover driving options and that is one other that’s doable due to their use of laptop imaginative and prescient AI.

With no drive choice drive stalk within the new Mannequin Y, you’re default choice is to modify from Drive, to Reverse and to Park, utilizing the appropriate facet of the touchscreen. Whereas this takes some adjustment, after a few days, it’s fairly straightforward to transition the muscle reminiscence to look there, moderately than reaching for the appropriate stalk.

With Good Shift enabled, Tesla makes an attempt to guess the route you need to journey. I say guess, however there’s probably not guess work concerned, its truly a logical alternative primarily based on the accessible information.

In the event you pull ahead into your storage on the finish of the day, while you go to depart within the morning, you’ll at all times must reverse to depart within the morning. Tesla makes use of the cameras that encompass the automotive to find out accessible house across the car and with the storage door open, reverse is the logical alternative.

Among the finest possession experiences is getting into and exiting the car, due to how briskly and straightforward it’s to do. Stroll as much as the automotive within the morning, it unlocks due to the Bluetooth-enabled telephone key in your pocket. You open the door, get in, seatbelt on and press the brake. You faucet it as soon as extra and the automotive switches to reverse, activating the rear view digital camera on the middle show. Merely depress the accelerator and also you’re off and racing.

While you get to the tip of the driveway, right here’s the place issues get attention-grabbing.. You attain the tip of your driveway and switch the wheel, you press the brake to convey you to a cease and switch the wheel within the route you want to journey. These two key attributes tick off the required checklist to shift to ahead and also you merely speed up away.

When you get the cling of this (2-3 occasions), it actually feels magical, just like the automotive is readying your thoughts and serving to you carry out handbook features, routinely. In actuality, it’s a extremely sensible implementation of expertise, leveraging information you’ve supplied the car about your intent, with out even occupied with it.

Some would argue that is Tesla fixing an issue they created by eradicating the drive stalk, Whatever the motivation, the Good Shift characteristic works nice in my expertise, even precisely figuring out a chicken-wire fence.

Having used it dozens of occasions throughout the week, I can’t bear in mind a time the place the system missed.

Autopilot
Included by default, this feature is superb, I gained’t purchase one other automotive with out it, it’s that bloody good. This tracks the lane strains, even round tight bends and retains you inside them. It adjusts your pace to the vehicles forward and adjusts routinely.

This helped me for 90% of my drives and actually, I want it was 100%. It might probably’t do roundabouts, it could possibly’t flip metropolis road corners and it wants a minimum of 1 painted line on the highway to activate. When it does, it seems like you might have a digital assistant that helps you drive.

We people usually are not nice at sustaining focus on mundane duties for prolonged durations of time, so the expertise is right here to assist and assist it does. Having pushed hours down the Hume Hwy, I exited the car feeling contemporary and able to tackle the day, in comparison with the psychological fatigue that always comes from continually monitoring and hoping different are in command of their automobiles.

Enhanced Autopilot (EAP)
That is an non-compulsory improve to the usual Autopilot system and prices A$5,100 which isn’t a small sum of cash. For the coin, you get new options within the automotive together with Navigate on Autopilot that can routinely change lanes as your automotive approaches slower shifting automobiles on divided highways.

You automotive may also does sensible lane adjustments which checks the accessible house across the car earlier than performing a change, that means you’ll be able to nearly neglect about head-checks.

Subsequent we’ve the Autopark characteristic for both parallel and perpendicular parking. This was initially a celebration trick, however in latest upgrades permits you to choose a parking bay and the automotive turns, drives ahead and again to manoeuvre into the park with nice success.

It’s vital to focus on this isn’t good and ~2/15 occasions I needed to intervene, often as a result of it was slower than I’d like, however there was a time have been I genuinely assume I saved it from backing right into a barrier, having chosen a shorter than regular parking bay (be aware: characteristic nonetheless in beta so simply monitor and take over the place you should).

Lastly there’s Summon, which lets you transfer the automotive out and in of tight areas utilizing the Tesla app. This might help you keep away from stepping in a puddle, or aid you park in a parking storage and nonetheless have room to enter and exist the car, so long as you might have cell reception which typically you gained’t in an underground carpark.

Full Self Driving
One thing I truly actually missed on this evaluation car was Visitors Mild and Cease Signal management. I’ve this in my Mannequin 3 and whereas it’s annoying to have to verify on inexperienced, my thoughts is comfortable understanding the automotive has my again, once more. My automotive shouldn’t be going simply going to blow via the lights if I used to be momentarily distracted.

I discovered curvature help slowed at some intersections while you had a route set, however not reliably all the way down to zero. The large characteristic in fact is the one we’re all ready for, FSD (Supervised) which has been teased in a video from Tesla AI, displaying the automotive turning corners autonomously in Melbourne earlier this 12 months. We wish it yesterday and hopefully when it ships, it comes with the subscription buy choice as $10,100 outright isn’t it.

Dashcam
Tesla’s determination to leverage cameras across the car additionally presents a possibility to make use of these cameras as a safety system. Whereas this has been accessible for a few years, there’s a brand new digital camera within the combine now and the Dashcam app within the new Mannequin Y is up to date in comparison with mine.

With a latest software program replace to Tesla’s with the AMD Ryzen-based processor, they’ll now see safety occasions in a quad-view. Such is the processing energy accessible, it could possibly play 4 movies directly, which apparently shouldn’t be the case for the older Intel-based processors.

That is actually hand when reviewing footage, as you typically choose a digital camera and hope the occasion happens probably the most on that digital camera. The quad view, mixed with the ‘Bounce to occasion’ button will skip alongside the timeline and also you’ll see instantly which facet of the automotive this occurred on. This can be a nice inclusion.

15-inch Central Touchscreen
The command centre of the car, controlling all the things from navigation and media to local weather and car settings with a quick and intuitive interface. I like displaying new individuals this facet of the automotive, because it’s probably the most completely different to what they’ve skilled up to now. Tesla’s digital-first strategy brings a terrific degree of consistency within the design and that is backed up by the power to regulate most issues utilizing your voice.

One noteworthy change is that the show now options diminished bezels, making it look new and fashionable like our smartphones, and whereas this gained’t promote a car on it’s personal, I’m glad Tesla up to date this.

Points and Alternatives

Whereas this configuration is very fascinating, it’s not with out its concerns.

Rear Parcel Shelf
Tesla has included a detachable rear parcel shelf for the brand new Mannequin Y. That is designed to cover your items from view, though I’m unsure why. The view into the rear is extraordinarily restricted, due to the tint on the rear window. We all know Tesla takes the strategy to ‘the very best half is not any half’ which makes this determination somewhat unusual because it does add prices to the automotive.

The designers did thoughtfully contemplate the way you’d retailer this when not in use, and made provisions for it within the decrease boot part. I discovered that whereas it match (folded), the quilt doesn’t sit flat, performing like a spring under. In the event you loaded suitcases or gear within the again this could be heavy sufficient to weigh it down, however working it usually, there are occasions the place you’ll be able to hear it shifting and it’s simply not the slick expertise I anticipate from Tesla.

The parcel shelf itself is tough to take away and set up. In comparison with others which have easy clip-in anchor factors, this merely lays on prime of the carpeted rails. When you should load nearly something, it’s in the way in which and might want to both be folded again or utterly eliminated. I discovered doing this nearly by no means occurs in a single easy motion, as an alternative it’s a number of faffing about. Whereas I respect Tesla responding to buyer requests for one thing on this house, I feel the ought to have pushed again on this one.

Velocity Sync
One of many downsides I observed in driving a Tesla and not using a drive choice stalk, is that there’s a perform that doesn’t have an alternate. While you drive previous a pace signal, the automotive usually will sync it’s set pace with the newly recognized pace zone, however not at all times.

When there are these exceptions, you’ll must override the detected pace some and in my 2019 Mannequin 3, I merely pull down on the appropriate stalk and it’s a command to the automotive to manually sync the pace once more. Sadly with out this stalk, there’s no different various accessible, a minimum of not at the moment.

May Tesla enable the left scroll wheel to be customised to incorporate this as an choice? In fact they might and this could take away the ultimate requirement for the drive choice stalk. I believe they’re so near transport the subsequent construct of software program, primarily based on FSD (supervised) within the US, that allocating engineering effort to doing this gained’t make sense.

Value and Availability

The New Tesla Mannequin Y is accessible now immediately from the Tesla web site. The pricing is as follows:

Base mannequin
Tesla Mannequin Y Rear-Wheel Drive: $58,900 | $64,373 Driveaway (VIC)

Assessment spec
Tesla Mannequin Y Rear-Wheel Drive: $66,500 | $70,417 Driveaway (VIC)

• Stealth gray paint: $1,900
• 20″ Helix 2.0 Wheels: $2,400
• White inside: $1,500
• Enhanced Autopilot: $5,100

You may configure your individual and see the most recent drive-away pricing on the official Tesla Australia web site: https://www.tesla.com/en_au/modely

Total

Having spent per week within the seat of a model new Tesla Mannequin Y RWD, I really feel like I’ve lived the possession expertise now. I bought to convey it residence, use it day-to-day and perceive the automotive at a degree you typically don’t get to with a easy take a look at drive.

I’m acutely aware that there’s actually two audiences for this evaluation, the primary would be the potential Tesla purchaser who doesn’t know the fundamentals, and one other which is the present Tesla proprietor contemplating an improve.

If you’re your first EV, this could be an unimaginable improve from the place you’re at. I feel it’s higher in each approach than your ICE car, so if you can also make the funds work, I strongly advocate this automotive to you.

When you have a Tesla Mannequin Y from 2022, then you definately’re 3 years in and perhaps it’s time to scratch that itch to cycle the automotive, get the most recent and best. I’d advocate buying and selling it privately, Tesla actually doesn’t supply beneficiant pricing, it’s a easy enterprise transaction for them.

In the event you’re in a more recent Mannequin Y, one thing like a 2024 mannequin, then I’d persist with what you’ve bought, it’s nonetheless an incredible automotive and also you’ll seemingly put on a fairly substantial changeover value.

The ultimate group we have to talk about are these contemplating different manufacturers. The mid-sized SUV electrical car market has actually hotted up in Australia up to now couple of years. There’s now critical rivals just like the Kia EV5, the BYD Sealion 7 that you can simply via your cash to and have a terrific EV journey.

The rationale I’d advocate anybody a Tesla comes down to 1 single differentiator – Autopilot. This expertise and it’s implementation could learn as lane centering and adaptive cruise management, however utilizing it day-in-day out for greater than 5 years, I understand how it performs and there’s nothing higher available on the market. That is enhanced by continued (albeit much less frequent than they was once) software program updates that enhance it over time.

In the event you just like the characteristic checklist above, contemplate saving some {dollars} by going with the RWD over the LR variant and investing that cash within the EAP software program improve.

Lastly, what Tesla has put collectively right here with the refreshed Mannequin Y is completely good. It’s a automotive that’s going to fit into so many Australian garages and delight the homeowners and their households. If you already know somebody with one, or stay in a location you can take a look at drive it, and even go to an EV occasion and discuss to homeowners, there’s simply no substitute to bums in seats.

Whereas I anticipated the brand new Mannequin Y could be higher than earlier than, I don’t assume even I used to be ready for the shear quantity of enhancements that Tesla made right here. It actually has taken a really spectacular Mannequin Y and made it even higher. Nicely executed Tesla, your efforts can be rewarded on the gross sales charts.