Tesla model Y review

[carviewsonic]

This is what our rental was, and in the same color (stock image)

Three weeks ago, my son and I rented a Tesla Model Y duel motor in Texas for a day. We drove a total of approximately five hours, on mostly secondary highways. It was my first time in a Tesla, while my son has rented them before.

Positives: Really impressive acceleration (505 hp), one pedal driving, reasonably quiet interior at highway speeds, decent handling for its' size, fit and finish was actually quite good for both the interior and body (I wasn't expecting that from Tesla's past reputation). I had range anxiety, but the range turned out to be more than adequate, with 40% charge remaining at the end of the day.

Negatives: Even though my son and I are quite different in size and weight, the front seats became uncomfortable for both of us towards the end of the day.
We both really disliked having to do almost everything through the touchscreen. The Model Y needs some switches and rotary knobs for basic functions. Maybe after a month or two of ownership it would be ok, but this was annoying even to my much younger son, who has rented Tesla's before.
Other than purchase price, the biggest issue for me was plugging it in to the charger back at the rental lot and seeing an estimated time of 5.5 hours to full charge. If I was shopping in this price range, the fact that a gas tank could instead be filled in 5 minutes would be a major consideration.

 

[JHZR2]

Thanks for the review. Personally I’m not a fan of one pedal driving.

I found the same issues with the touchscreen. Too many nested or hidden features.

You must have been at a really slow charger if it said 5.5 hours.

 

[carviewsonic]

Thanks for the review. Personally I’m not a fan of one pedal driving.

I found the same issues with the touchscreen. Too many nested or hidden features.

You must have been at a really slow charger if it said 5.5 hours.

The chargers in the rental lot looked identical to the one that Tesla sells to install in your garage. So yes, not a Tesla supercharger.
I just checked, the nearest Tesla supercharger is a 1.5 hr drive from my house. But that situation will likely improve in the next year or two.

 

[Nick1994]

Model 3 and Y have the same seats. I wasn’t a fan of them with my 3 either.

I liked the tech, but the car was never relaxing to drive. Always messing with something while driving. For me, I couldn’t just get in and drive.

 

[wpod]

I hate how even in internal combustion cars with switches how so much is managed by a body control computer. They add 3 more layers of fecal matter to go through when ther is a problem.

 

[JHZR2]

Model 3 and Y have the same seats. I wasn’t a fan of them with my 3 either.

I liked the tech, but the car was never relaxing to drive. Always messing with something while driving. For me, I couldn’t just get in and drive.

It’s funny, I found the model 3 seats just fine and plenty comfortable.

 

[JeffKeryk]

@carviewsonic can you tell me a few of the issues you had with the touchscreen? I almost never touch it; I use voice commands.
In fact, I don't know how to use it that well.

"Set the temp to 74." "Turn the fan up." "My butt is cold." "Play Jimi Hendrix 1983 A Merman I Sould Turn to Be."

It sounds like you were charging @240V which renders 28 to 32 MPH, or thereabouts.
These cars are different.

 

[carviewsonic]

@carviewsonic can you tell me a few of the issues you had with the touchscreen? I almost never touch it; I use voice commands.
In fact, I don't know how to use it that well.

"Set the temp to 74." "Turn the fan up." "My butt is cold." "Play Jimi Hendrix 1983 A Merman I Sould Turn to Be."

It sounds like you were charging @240V which renders 28 to 32 MPH, or thereabouts.
These cars are different.

Hi Jeff,
Our annoyance with the touchscreen was that simple knobs or switches for the mirrors, tilt & telescopic wheel, climate controls, and heated seats would have easier to find and use.
My son used some voice commands for the stereo, seemed to work fine. We didn’t think to try voice commands for the above mentioned functions though.
If we had the Y for a week rather than just one day maybe we wouldn’t have been bothered anymore by the touchscreen only controls.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Hi Jeff,
Our annoyance with the touchscreen was that simple knobs or switches for the mirrors, tilt & telescopic wheel, climate controls, and heated seats would have easier to find and use.
My son used some voice commands for the stereo, seemed to work fine. We didn’t think to try voice commands for the above mentioned functions though.
If we had the Y for a week rather than just one day maybe we wouldn’t have been bothered anymore by the touchscreen only controls.

The heated seats can all be accessed via voice controls. You can set any seat individually, "Passenger's butt is cold."
I don't think the mirrors or steering wheel can be, outside of "fold or unfold mirrors". The mirrors, in my opinion, are too small anyway.
The climate controls, temp, fan, fan direction, are about the easiest of all; some are even pretty funny.

Overall, the lack of buttons is a big deal for many. These cars are different; that's for sure. I tell perspective buyers, "If you are looking for buttons or a vehicle that operates like a more traditional vehicle, a Tesla may not be right for you." Like it or not, Tesla is not trying to design cars like everyone else. And many don't like this. I doubt my father, a Yale U grad, would be able to operate my car. But my grand nieces? They fell right into it.

In my case, it took a lot more than a week to get used to the car. I am still learning, plus OTA updates add new functionality.

 

[Vercingetorix]

I guess as long as the steering wheel stays on, it means you got a good one.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I guess as long as the steering wheel stays on, it means you got a good one.

I saw a photo of the missing hardware. It looks like they use a bolt instead of a nut like pretty much every other steering wheel I have encountered. Tesla makes the oddest engineering choices. Like they hired a fired Nissan engineer/designer

 

[Torrid]

The chargers in the rental lot looked identical to the one that Tesla sells to install in your garage. So yes, not a Tesla supercharger.
I just checked, the nearest Tesla supercharger is a 1.5 hr drive from my house. But that situation will likely improve in the next year or two.

Yeah that's normal for home charging. The installation necessary for the current draw to charge at home as fast as a supercharger would be astronomical as it would require and upgrade to the power supply to the house itself. 5.5 hours seems like a long time but I sleep at least that long at night and that would cover me. Superchargers are just there to fill in the gaps on trips. It definitely takes a bit of adjustment using one daily. I find it easier for not having to stop at gas stations, but that is personal preference.

 

[Torrid]

The heated seats can all be accessed via voice controls. You can set any seat individually, "Passenger's butt is cold."
I don't think the mirrors or steering wheel can be, outside of "fold or unfold mirrors". The mirrors, in my opinion, are too small anyway.
The climate controls, temp, fan, fan direction, are about the easiest of all; some are even pretty funny.

Overall, the lack of buttons is a big deal for many. These cars are different; that's for sure. I tell perspective buyers, "If you are looking for buttons or a vehicle that operates like a more traditional vehicle, a Tesla may not be right for you." Like it or not, Tesla is not trying to design cars like everyone else. And many don't like this. I doubt my father, a Yale U grad, would be able to operate my car. But my grand nieces? They fell right into it.

In my case, it took a lot more than a week to get used to the car. I am still learning, plus OTA updates add new functionality.

I changed my hot buttons at the bottom of the screen to all the stuff I use the most, so the seat heat, steering wheel heater, phone, text, Spotify and consumption computer are always one click away. I wasn't much of a fan of the lack of buttons until I was able to do that. That was what got me over that issue.

 

[97prizm]

This is what our rental was, and in the same color (stock image)

Three weeks ago, my son and I rented a Tesla Model Y duel motor in Texas for a day. We drove a total of approximately five hours, on mostly secondary highways. It was my first time in a Tesla, while my son has rented them before.

Positives: Really impressive acceleration (505 hp), one pedal driving, reasonably quiet interior at highway speeds, decent handling for its' size, fit and finish was actually quite good for both the interior and body (I wasn't expecting that from Tesla's past reputation). I had range anxiety, but the range turned out to be more than adequate, with 40% charge remaining at the end of the day.

Negatives: Even though my son and I are quite different in size and weight, the front seats became uncomfortable for both of us towards the end of the day.
We both really disliked having to do almost everything through the touchscreen. The Model Y needs some switches and rotary knobs for basic functions. Maybe after a month or two of ownership it would be ok, but this was annoying even to my much younger son, who has rented Tesla's before.
Other than purchase price, the biggest issue for me was plugging it in to the charger back at the rental lot and seeing an estimated time of 5.5 hours to full charge. If I was shopping in this price range, the fact that a gas tank could instead be filled in 5 minutes would be a major consideration.

Just look up Tesla model y steering wheels falling off. Only two so far but seems like more to come. If repaired without hassle then fine as defects happen? Tesla has become way to sketchy when it was quoted by Tesla

Tesla Replaces Model Y After Steering Wheel Fell Off, Calls It "Goodwill"​

It's crazy to think Tesla Service initially charged $104 for the repair, and Tesla still says there was no defect and it's not liable.​

This would really concern me if this is the attitude of the company now. Tesla charged the guts credit card for a warranty repair. He had to call corporate headquarters to ger a refund. This is the family's third Tesla and he wanted a full refund the model y was less than a week old. Tesla representatives told him to pound sand.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I changed my hot buttons at the bottom of the screen to all the stuff I use the most, so the seat heat, steering wheel heater, phone, text, Spotify and consumption computer are always one click away. I wasn't much of a fan of the lack of buttons until I was able to do that. That was what got me over that issue.

Why not use voice commands? Push the right steering wheel button with your thumb and say, "Call wifey." or whatever. Don't even take your eyes off the road.

 

[Torrid]

Why not use voice commands? Push the right steering wheel button with your thumb and say, "Call wifey." or whatever. Don't even take your eyes off the road.

It depends on what I'm doing. My wife uses them more than me, but I do like the hot buttons or whatever Tesla officially calls them.

 

[carviewsonic]

I would use the 'hot buttons', which seem like the solution my son and I needed. I don't even use Siri on my iPhone, so talking to my car would be a stretch for me.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I would use the 'hot buttons', which seem like the solution my son and I needed. I don't even use Siri on my iPhone, so talking to my car would be a stretch for me.

It gets better. At least in my case. If you end up with a Tesla, I bet you will get pretty geeky too... Ha!

 

[Torrid]

I would use the 'hot buttons', which seem like the solution my son and I needed. I don't even use Siri on my iPhone, so talking to my car would be a stretch for me.

Both of my cars have a lot of voice activated features, obviously the Tesla moreso, but I'm really not a fan of talking to my cars or using Siri with voice.

 

[edyvw]

That is why Tesla doesn’t offer premium audio. Why would you need good audio when you have to do voice commands for everything?