M-O-D-E-L-Y? Because I gotta! The Model Y
is Tesla’s latest vehicle to their all-electric
lineup, and many people think it will quickly
become the most successful best-selling Tesla
ever. After becoming a Tesla owner myself
in 2018 I’ve helped thousands of people
make the decision of whether to buy a Tesla
or not, and in this video I’ll share my
full in-depth review of the Model Y so you
can find out if it actually lives up to the
hype. Tesla says the Model Y is a fully electric
mid-size sport utility vehicle, but it can
also be considered a compact crossover because
it’s based on the same platform of Tesla’s
cheaper Model 3 sedan and shares about 75%
of the same parts, with the biggest differences
being Model Y’s bigger cargo space and a
powered lift gate hatchback instead of a manual
trunk. This particular Model Y is a midnight
silver Long Range AWD with 20” Induction
wheels, 5-seat black interior and basic Autopilot.
The total cost after sales tax was right around
$60,000. So as you can see from its price
tag, the Model Y is considered a luxury vehicle.
But is it worth that much money? Let’s find
out.
When’s the last time you ordered something
online? Probably very recently, right? Well,
when ordering a Tesla, it’s no different.
It’s all done online. There’s no haggling
with dealerships. You can literally configure
your Tesla and pay your deposit all from your
smartphone and then end up with a car within
a few weeks which is pretty amazing. Let’s
hop on the Tesla screen and quickly go over
the configuration and pricing. The Model Y
currently comes in two versions, both of which
are Dual Motor All Wheel Drive: First is the
Long Range starting at $54,000 and then the
Performance starting at $62,000, and those
prices include the required $1200 delivery
fee. Both of those versions have about 315
miles of estimated range, but the Performance
has an optional upgrade package that reduces
the range to 280 miles. The Standard Range
Model Y will be the cheapest version at around
$40,000 and is expected in early 2021 with
an estimated range of 230 miles. The base
color that’s included is pearl white, but
you can choose to upgrade the paint to black,
midnight silver, blue, or red. The standard
wheels are 19” Gemini wheels, but there
are also options to upgrade to 20” Induction
wheels or the 21” Uberturbine wheels with
the Performance Upgrade Package. A tow hitch
can be added for $1,000, and the 5-seat interior
comes in a base color of black but can be
upgraded to white for $1,000. The Seven Seat
Interior option coming in 2021 will cost $3,000.
Autopilot is included on all new Teslas, but
the Full Self Driving option currently costs
$8,000 and will continue to increase according
to Elon. But since it is software, FSD can
be purchased any time during ownership. Now
if you do decide to order a Tesla online you
can click here or in the description below
to use my referral link and that will give
you 1,000 free Supercharging miles. When taking
delivery of the car, Tesla has an option called
Express Delivery which is basically a touch-less
process where all your paperwork is in the
car ready for you to sign. When you show up,
all you have to do is accept delivery and
sign the paperwork, then you're ready to go.
Overall, Tesla’s online order process and
touch-less delivery is the most modern way
of buying a car, and I wouldn’t be surprised
if this becomes the standard in the future.
Speaking of the future, once you experience
a Tesla you’ll quickly realize they have
set the bar for what is expected out of a
car in the 21st century. When I first saw
the Model Y I honestly wasn’t a big fan
of the way it looked externally. It seemed
like a plump Model 3. But the more I saw it
the more I appreciated the design. Of course
the front of the Model Y doesn’t have a
grill because there is no engine since it’s
all electric. It has a beautiful panoramic
all-glass roof which gives a great view for
anyone inside the car while still doing a
decent job of keeping most of the heat and
brightness from the sun at a comfortable level.
The roof and back windows all come tinted
with built-in UV protection which is nice.
All Model Y’s come standard with black trim
and door handles which is a noticeable difference
from the Model 3 which has chrome trim. I’m
not sure why Tesla decided to do this, but
since I know that a lot of Model 3 owners
paid extra to do a chrome delete maybe this
is something most people prefer. Now one other
thing I wish they would have matte blacked
out and taken some cues from MKBHD to matte
black everything is the interior console which
is still that glossy piano black which I hate.
It’s a fingerprint and dust magnet. I wish
they would have made that Matte Black as well,
but for now I guess you can keep on getting
the center console wraps which I will leave
a link to in the description below. Model
Y also has LED fog lamps and power folding,
heated side mirrors which actually seem a
bit larger compared to Model 3 side mirrors.
The Model Y doesn’t come with a key or even
a key fob. Instead it comes with a key card
which can be held up to the b pillar to lock
and unlock the car and can be set on the console
to drive the car. However, the key card is
just the backup method. The main way to lock,
unlock and drive the Model Y is with your
smartphone. The mobile app is one of the best
features of owning a Tesla. When your smartphone
is set up as your main key, as long as you
have your smartphone with you and Bluetooth
is enabled, the Model Y will automatically
unlock as you walk up to it and automatically
be ready to drive when you sit in the driver’s
seat, and it will automatically lock when
you walk away. And since all Tesla’s have
built-in LTE and are always connected to the
internet, you can use the Tesla app to control
the Model Y from wherever you are. Some of
the things you can see from the app include:
the current estimated battery range, the exact
GPS location, how fast it’s traveling if
someone else is driving it, the current temperature
inside the cabin, and it also has various
controls including: locking and unlocking
the car, turning the climate control on or
off, venting and closing all 4 windows, opening
and closing the power hatchback, and opening
the front trunk. One really cool app feature
is the ability to enable Keyless Driving from
anywhere. This is really useful if you’re
away from the car, and you need to let someone
drive the car temporarily.
The Model Y premium interior includes a beautiful
15” touch screen display that controls nearly
all aspects of the car, 12-way power adjustable
front and rear heated seats, premium audio
consisting of 14 speakers, 1 subwoofer, 2
amps, and immersive sound that sounds incredible.
One of the best factory sound systems I’ve
ever heard in a car. The vegan leather seats
are the same as the Model 3 and are extremely
comfortable. The steering wheel is also made
of vegan leather and feels really nice. The
center console has an ample amount of storage
along with 4 USB ports and two smartphone
docks that provide Qi wireless charging, and
it even charges my phone without having to
remove my case which is nice. The back of
the console also provides 2 USB-C ports so
backseat passengers can charge their devices.
The visors have built in magnetic cover that
reveals a mirror with automatic lights, and
there are built-in coat hangers with ambient
lights, along with two 12v sockets - one in
the center console and one in the very back.
The brain of the Model Y and a big advantage
over its competitors is the 15” touch screen
display. This will become your best friend
when driving the Model Y because nearly everything
you need to do can be controlled from the
touch screen. Tesla has made the layout very
user friendly by putting the live view of
the car on the left side along with the speedometer
and estimated battery range remaining. The
majority of the screen shows a giant view
of live GPS navigation that is based on Google
Maps. The bottom many bar has easy to use
buttons to quickly access common controls
for the car. We’ll dive deeper into the
software later in this video.
But now lets’s talk about one of the best
features of the Model Y that separates it
from the Model 3 is the size and larger cargo
space for storage and seating inside the vehicle.
Model Y dimensions are slightly larger than
the Model 3 in all aspects: approximately
2 inches longer, 3 inches wider, and 7 inches
taller with a ground clearance of about 6
and a half inches. However, Tesla’s website
is a little misleading when it comes to cargo
volume because Tesla lists Model Y cargo volume
as 68 cubic feet and they list the Model 3
cargo volume as 15 cubic feet. That makes
it sound like Model Y has over 4x as much
storage space. However, that's an unequal
comparison because the Model 3’s 15 cubic
feet is only accounting for the trunk, while
the Model Y’s 68 cubic feet is its absolute
maximum of all storage locations with the
seats folded down. If you use those same measurements
of all storage locations with seats folded
down for the Model 3 then the max cargo volume
actually comes to about 43 cubic feet which
means Model Y only has about 1/3 more cargo
volume compared to Model 3. Now, even though
they are closer than Tesla makes it sound,
the Model Y is still clearly the better option
for storage and seating. The front trunk (or
frunk as we like to call it) is bigger and
deeper than the Model 3’s frunk which is
great because I use the frunk way more than
the trunk during my normal daily driving.
It’s perfect for groceries or storing things
that you need quick access to if the back
is full.
The power lift-gate hatchback is absolutely
one of Model Y's most useful features. Since
it’s automatic you can open and close it
multiple different ways: you can press the
button on the back and it automatically raises
then you can press the “Close" button to
automatically close it. You can also open
and close it from the Model Y’s touch screen
display and of course from the mobile app.
I’m about 6’4” so the hatchback opening
at its tallest is just a little bit shorter
than me so if you’re tall you still need
to be careful about hitting your head. But
it’s tall enough for most people. I do wish
the frunk was powered as well so you could
close it automatically like you can close
the hatchback but unfortunately you have to
manually close the frunk. The back of the
Model Y offers a huge amount of storage including
two undercarriage areas, one of which is quite
deep and useful but the other is pretty shallow
and is only suitable for certain sized objects.
There are two side storage areas that are
handy as well. Even though the back already
provides a good amount of storage space, the
automatic seat folder buttons quickly give
you an even bigger storage area which is a
game changer compared to the Model 3. This
makes hauling and carrying certain items that
are too big for a car without a hatchback
a possibility in the Model Y. It also makes
for a great Tesla to camp in. Like I said
I’m pretty tall and even I can fit fairly
comfortably lying down in the back of the
Model Y. That paired with Romance Mode - perfect
date night. Now even though I love that the
seats fold down I have some small complaints.
First, the seats are heavy and when you use
the automatic folding buttons the seats slam
down pretty hard. It’s quite jarring when
you first experience it so please please if
you have a Model Y make sure there isn’t
a small human or animal in the seat when you
use the automatic folding buttons because
that could cause some damage. And like I said
the seats are pretty heavy so be careful.
Now I love how you can manually fold down
the middle seat in case you have backseat
passengers but also need to haul some long
items like skis or pieces of wood. But when
the middle seat is folded down it leaves this
small metal bar poking out of the back of
the seat which is kind of weird. I would think
there must be a better way to design that,
but Tesla decided that was the best way to
do that. Now we know the 7 seat option is
coming in 2021 which will add two more seats
in the back area of the Model Y, and I just
don’t know how those seats will be able
to hold anyone bigger than a small child.
I just don’t know how it will fit adults
like they claim it will. And with those two
additional seats it’s going to leave much
less room in the very back. But I guess we’ll
just have to wait and see.
Other than the larger storage space, the other
notable difference compared to Model 3 is
the height of the Model Y. The seats sit up
about 6 inches higher than the Model 3, and
this gives a much higher vantage point when
you’re sitting in the car looking out the
windshield. Some people love sitting up higher
when they’re driving which is definitely
what you get with the Model Y. That paired
with the low dash gives a nice commanding
view for driving. It’s also much easier
to get in and out of, at least for me anyway.
My Model 3 sits really close to the ground.
With the Model Y it seems to be the perfect
height for me to just seamlessly get in and
out of the vehicle from any of the seats.
The ride height is a great feature for people
who struggle with low sitting cars. Not only
is it easier to get in and out of, there’s
more leg room in the Model Y in all seats
from what I could tell. Driving the Model
Y resulted in less stiffness in my hips and
legs due to the slightly larger leg room,
and even a tall person like myself can sit
comfortably in the backseats with plenty of
head room and enough leg room as well. Although
sitting in the backseat of the Model Y is
much more comfortable than the Model 3 backseats,
the other advantage of the Model Y backseats
were to be able to lean the seat back. However,
when I did that my head hit the crossbar and
basically negated the advantage of being able
to recline the seat at all. It’s probably
fine for most people but I still wanted to
point that out. Also the middle backseat is
super stiff and uncomfortable compared to
the other seats. For most people it definitely
won't feel good to sit on that for a long
period of time. However I do like how the
seatbelt fasteners are tucked away and hidden
in little pockets in the seats. Now one negative
thing I noticed is that the Model Y doors,
especially the driver door, needs to be shut
with a good amount of force compared to my
Model 3. It almost felt like I had to slam
the door to get it to shut all the way. I’m
not sure if this is unique to this Model Y
so if you’re a Model Y owner let me know
if you experienced this. The good news is
the touch screen display and also the mobile
app will show you if a door is left open which
is nice.
Now let's talk about the most fun part of
the Model Y: the driving experience. Just
like with all other Teslas, the Model Y is
an absolute joy to drive. It is blissfully
quiet at stops and low speeds due to the lack
of an engine, and even at faster speeds it’s
still quieter than most gasoline vehicles.
No rattling parts under the hood, just an
ever so faint sound from the electric motors
in the front and the back. These motors are
where Tesla’s signature breathtaking quickness
come from. The Tesla Model Y All-Wheel Drive
versions feature two independent motors for
improved redundancy, each with only one moving
part. Unlike traditional all-wheel drive systems,
the Tesla Model Y digitally controls torque
to the front and rear wheels for better handling
and traction control. And when you hit that
accelerator pedal, the instant torque will
literally put a smile on your face. The Long
Range AWD has a 0-60 speed of 4.8 seconds.
The Performance Model Y is even quicker at
a mind blowing 3.5 seconds. Not only is it
fun but it’s actually really useful in driving
situations like merging or passing. And it
does it effortlessly which is the beauty of
driving a powerful all-electric vehicle. It’s
just unreal performance for a car.
Now when you transition to an all-electric
vehicle like the Model Y after driving a gasoline
vehicle your entire life there are some things
you must get used to. First is regenerative
braking which allows the Model Y to come to
a stop without needing to press the brake
pedal at all. If you’re driving and you
lift off of the accelerator pedal, the car
will actually start to brake automatically
by itself and will come to a complete stop.
This is referred to as “regen” and this
captures the vehicle’s kinetic energy and
converts it into chemical energy that goes
into the battery, where it can be used later
as energy to drive the vehicle. This introduces
you to a whole new wonderful side of driving
that you will never get with a gasoline vehicle.
Not only does it allow you to basically just
use one pedal for the majority of driving,
but it also improves your driving efficiency
and thus maximizes the battery range.
When it comes driving a fully electric vehicle
like the Model Y, maximizing range is kind
of a big deal. You don’t want to get stranded
somewhere with a dead battery, right? Luckily
Teslas have the best battery technology out
of all the current car manufacturers. The
Long Range Model Y has an estimated range
of 316 miles on a full charge which can definitely
come in handy during long trips. However,
the estimated range is based on many different
variables like mainly driving speed, weather
conditions, elevation, load capacity, and
the use of air conditioning or heater. Like
with all Teslas, the driving efficiency is
shown on the Model Y touchscreen in the form
of Wh/mile, meaning how many Wh it’s using
on average to travel one mile. For the first
600 miles traveled this Model averaged 287
Wh/mile. This is about 40 Wh/mile higher than
my Model 3, which means the Model Y requires
more energy than the Model 3 to travel the
same distance. This is expected because the
Model Y is bigger and heavier than the Model
3. However, the Model Y has a secret advantage
over the Model 3 to help with the efficiency:
a heat pump. I did an entire video about this
which I’ll link to at the end of this video,
but basically this should allow the Model
Y to be at least slightly more efficient in
colder temperatures than the Model 3. Since
it’s still summer right now we must wait
a few more months to test this out so be sure
to subscribe to see my video about that later
on when I release it. But for now, until we
see the Standard Range Model Y, the Model
3 is still the most efficient Tesla you can
get. The heat pump on the Y also runs when
the air conditioning is on so many people
were wondering how loud it is so here’s
what it sounds like. Definitely louder than
the Model 3, but it’s not distractingly
loud.
Many people don’t realize that when you
get an electric vehicle, most of your charging
is done at home while you sleep. No more stopping
at gas stations is such a huge benefit of
getting a Tesla. The Model Y comes with a
20 foot long mobile connector that can charge
on a standard 120 volt household outlet. From
my tests the Model Y charged at a rate of
4 miles of range per hour of charge when using
a normal outlet. This means the Model Y can
recoup about 50 miles of range overnight assuming
it’s charging for 12 hours. So if you drive
50 miles or less during your normal daily
driving that should be fine. However, if you
need to charge at a faster rate you can get
a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed and buy the
$35 adapter from Tesla and get about 30 miles
of range per hour of charge which means you
could technically charge from 0-100% overnight.
And Tesla makes automatic charging incredibly
easy. You can set a charging limit on your
Tesla which they recommend charging to 90%
for daily driving, and you can set it to automatically
start charging at certain time or you can
even set a scheduled departure time which
will make the car end its charging right before
your departure time which is extremely useful
in the winter when your battery and cabin
can be already warmed by the time your’e
ready to leave. But what about road trips?
That’s when Tesla’s secret weapon comes
into play: the Supercharger network. Tesla
Superchargers are like fuel stations for Teslas
when you’re traveling long distances. Right
now there are almost 2,000 Tesla Supercharger
stations strategically placed along major
highways, and since these are considered DC
fast charging stations ideally you should
be able to spend no more than 30 minutes charging
your Tesla at a Supercharger until you’re
charged up enough to hit the road again. Model
Y is considered pay per use so it will cost
money to Supercharge and the price depends
on the Supercharger location but it’s still
much cheaper than average gas prices. And
when you’re on a trip and you have an address
entered into the touch screen it will tell
you exactly where you need to stop for each
Supercharger stop along the way. It will guide
you to them and tell you the estimated time
at each Supercharger station that you need
to charge for. That alone is an incredibly
useful feature when traveling in a Tesla.
And one amazing benefit of the Model Y is
its compatibility with Tesla’s newest V3
Superchargers that can charge at rates up
to 1,000 miles of range per hour of charge
which is extremely fast. Tesla predicts the
typical charging time at a V3 Supercharger
will drop to around 15 minutes which is definitely
needed because with more and more Teslas hitting
the roads, Superchargers are becoming more
crowded. In fact, 2 years ago when I got my
Model 3 it was quite rare to see most of the
Supercharger stalls being used in my city
of Louisville, KY. Now when I went there to
film an example of Supercharging in the Model
Y, it was completely full and there were 3
Teslas waiting in line which is very uncommon
in this part of the country where Teslas aren’t
as popular as big metro areas and the West
coast. Hopefully this won’t become a big
problem if Tesla can expedite the installs
of V3 Superchargers and if Tesla owners don’t
abuse the Superchargers and only use them
during long road trips if they can charge
at home.
Driving the Model Y feels really good. It’s
a very comfortable ride and other than the
higher seat position, the driving experience
is nearly identical to the Model 3 which is
a good thing. Driving a Model Y felt like
I was floating in a Model 3. I have plenty
more leg and head room in the Model Y as a
driver. The ride is also not as bumpy as I
thought it might be on the 20” wheels. I
couldn’t really tell any difference from
the ride on my Model 3’s 18” wheels. However,
if you want the most comfortable ride you
gotta go with a more expensive Model S or
X due to their smart air suspension which
Model Y does not have, but all in all the
Model Y is extremely comfortable and enjoyable
to drive. Road noise and cabin noise while
driving at highway speeds are similar to my
Model 3 in that it’s a little louder than
I would expect, but it’s definitely no louder
than any of its internet combustion engine
vehicle competitors. The minimalist dash with
the full length wood veneer along with the
same steering wheel controls and same exact
touch screen, all of which I’m a huge fan
of. You never realize how many useless buttons
most cars have until you experience the simple
modern design that’s in a Model Y. It’s
like when everyone moved from flip phones
to smartphones - a dynamic touch screen display
that replaces unnecessary knobs and buttons.
That’s what Tesla has embraced, and it’s
exactly what I want in a car. Almost everything
is controlled by the touch screen even opening
the glove box. But the steering wheel also
includes to versatile scroll wheel buttons
that can be pressed in, pressed to the left
and right, and of course scrolled up and down
to give you quick common controls at your
fingertips without having to touch the screen.
Some people are turned off by having most
of the controls on the touch screen, but once
you get a feel of the layout it’s very intuitive
and easy to use. Although the Model Y seems
to have a better blind spot view through the
back windows compared to Model 3, I still
wish Tesla would provide a better blind spot
detection system. The Model Y lacks the side
mirror light alert that most other new cars
come with. The main way to get alerted about
objects in your blind spot is from the touch
screen to see if it shows a visualization
of a car in the lane or just do it old school
and look over
you shoulder. Another complaint from a driver’s
point of view in the Model Y is the extremely
narrow view out of the rear view mirror. This
was my wife’s biggest pet peeve of the Model
Y. It’s almost useless and due to the tint
when you’re wearing sunglasses the view
is super dark as well as narrow. This is the
compromise Tesla had to make by moving the
crossbar further back to allow for that expansive
glass roof. Do you think it’s worth it?
Are you team glass roof or team rear view
mirror? The good news is the Model Y has a
fantastic backup camera that gives you a great
view of the rear when you pull it up on the
display which is definitely helpful because
of the poor rear view mirror visibility. Model
Y also has 12 ultrasonic sensors that alert
when an object is getting too close.
And that brings us to one of the best features
of owning any Tesla including the Model Y
which is the software and Autopilot. I think
it’s safe to say Tesla’s biggest advantages
and what makes them so good at making these
electrics cars is first their battery and
Supercharger technology but also the software.
Tesla excels in these categories. The reason
Model 3 and Model Y are so software focused
is because at some point Tesla plans to make
their cars capable of driving themselves without
any human. When this happens software will
be the best way to go forward with full self
driving and their robotaxi service which I
did a video about and I’ll link to at the
end this video. Having a car that is designed
around a touch screen means they can constantly
update it and make it better. That’s exactly
what they do. The Model Y automatically downloads
free software updates from Tesla as they release
them, and these updates are constantly providing
new features and catering to the customer’s
needs. For example a few months ago I did
a video about some of the things I hate about
my Model 3, most of which were things that
could be fixed through a software update.
And low and behold, last week Tesla released
a free software update to all Tesla owners
that addressed many of my complaints. That
is something you cannot get with any other
car. Some of the main Model Y’s software
features include things the built-in navigation
system which is amazingly helpful, the ability
to control the fan direction and climate control
all from the touch screen which is brilliant
in my opinion, custom drive profiles that
save certain settings so if you share your
car with someone else you can both have your
own profile that automatically adjusts your
settings as you enter the car based on whose
smartphone it detects as the key. It even
has Dog Mode which keeps the car at a cool
temperature and displays a message on the
display alerting concerned citizens that the
dog is happy and cool and the owner will return
soon. The dual motor Model Y’s come with
one year of free premium connectivity which
includes features like: a built-in internet
web browser that lets you browse sites even
if the car is driven which is good for passengers,
Satellite maps with live traffic visualization,
built in streaming services such as Slacker
for internet radio, Spotify for streaming
your own saved music, and TuneIn for podcasts.
It also has video streaming including Netflix
and YouTube which is actually really clutch
during Supercharging on road trips, and since
Elon has said their mission is to make Teslas
the most fun cars on the planet, there are
also built in games and things like Caraoke.
Now those are all great, but I have some minor
complaints. First I would love to have an
option or Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but
I doubt that will ever happen. Also I wouldn’t
pay the $10/month for premium connectivity
after the trial is up. You still get live
traffic data on your navigation, you just
don’t see the visuals of it but the route
will still be the same. And my main music
app of choice is Spotify, and Tesla’s built
in Spotify app is half baked at best. It’s
very buggy so I just end up streaming Spotify
and Podcasts from my phone via Bluetooth most
of the time. The good thing about that is
the left scroll wheel on the steering wheel
for playing, pausing, and skipping still works
when streaming over Bluetooth from your phone.
Model Y also features built-in voice controls
that allow you to many different things like
set the temperature, open the glove box, drive
to a certain destination, and more. These
voice commands will become a huge advantage
for Tesla as they get more sophisticated because
right now I guess the only downside with a
touchscreen is that it does require you to
look at where you’re touching which takes
your eyes off the road.
But that’s where Tesla’s best software
feature comes into play. Autopilot is an advanced
driver assistance system that makes driving
safer and less stressful. Autopilot comes
standard with all new Teslas and utilizes
the 8 external cameras, the forward facing
radar, the 12 ultrasonic sensors and the onboard
computer to give you two main features while
driving: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control which
matches the speed of your car to that of the
surrounding traffic, and Autosteer which assists
in steering within a clearly marked lane,
and utilizes traffic-aware cruise control.
The optional Full Self Driving option gives
you more features, but is quite expensive.
I have FSD on my Model 3 and I’ll link to
a video I did showcasing it on my 45 minute
commute. But having driven the Model Y that
just has Autopilot, it was honestly enough
for the majority of my driving. Autopilot
can be enabled by double tapping down on the
right stalk when you’re within marked lanes.
This will initiate Autosteer and Traffic aware
cruise control so the car will stay within
the lane, maintain speed while also slowing
down for the lead car and speeding back up
when necessary. And you can easily increase
or decrease the set speed or follow distance
by using the right scroll wheel on the steering
wheel. Once you experience Autopilot you will
never want to go back to a non-Tesla ever
again. It allows you to not expend constant
mental energy to manually drive the car, but
instead it gives you more awareness of your
surroundings as the car handles lane keeping
and speed. All it requires is a hand on the
wheel to let it know you’re still attentive.
One feature I love about FSD on my Model 3
is the automatic lane change. This feature
allows a Tesla with FSD to automatically change
lanes on a highway to pass and merge which
is insanely useful. Autopilot doesn’t have
automatic lane change. And I thought I would
miss it dearly when using basic Autopilot
on the Model Y. But, Tesla designed Autopilot
in a way that is very clever and made me not
miss FSD as much especially when changing
lanes. For example, when Autopilot is enabled
you can disengage and take over by doing either
of these three things: pressing the brake
pedal, tapping up on the right stalk, or turning
the wheel with enough force. When you disengage
Autopilot by turning the wheel it takes a
good amount of force. However, when you initiate
the turn signal while Autopilot is engaged,
it actually lessens the required force for
the steering wheel allowing you to easily
change lanes then it quickly lets you re-engage
Autopilot when most of your car is in the
new lane. I didn’t know it was set up like
this, and it was really impressive even coming
from my Model 3 with FSD. So given that, and
the level at which I trust Autopilot because
it is the best advanced driver assistance
system on any car right now in my opinion,
I think the included Autopilot feature set
is enough for most people. It’s mostly useful
for highway driving right now. If you do choose
FSD, you will get some cool features like
Summon and Autopark but those I rarely ever
use in my Model 3. Once FSD improves in the
coming future to where it’s usable on city
streets then it will separate itself from
basic Autopilot. But until then, Autopilot
should meet most driver’s needs. And it
obviously enhances quite possibly the best
feature of owning a Tesla that people seem
to forget: safety. Autopilot has proven to
be a safer way to drive when it’s used properly.
That’s because software doesn’t suffer
from human error. Software doesn’t get road
rage, it doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel,
it doesn’t get distracted. And like every
Tesla, the Model Y is designed to be the safest
vehicle in its class. It has a low center
of gravity, a rigid body structure and large
crumple zones that provide unmatched protection.
Even after all the cool things abut the Model
Y, most people would benefit from choosing
a Model Y just on safety alone which is something
to think about. Another safety and security
feature that is unique to Tesla and Model
Y, is the Dashcam feature which allows you
to connect a flash drive to the USB port under
the center console area, and it will record
continuous dash cam footage from all the external
cameras while driving which is extremely helpful
if you’re ever in a situation where something
happens to your car. It also can record surveillance
footage while the car is parked, and this
feature is called Sentry Mode. It’s extremely
helpful for monitoring your car for security
reasons. The best part is Tesla’s latest
software update lets you view the dash cam
footage directly from the touch screen, and
even skip ahead to the point where motion
is detected.
The Model Y has been criticized by many of
suffering from fit and finish issues. This
Model Y definitely has a few of those issues
including part of the upholstery interior
sticking out which was an eye sore, one of
the hatchback’s interior side paneling is
misaligned which revealed the inner components,
and the passenger window makes a popping noise
when it’s rolled up. However, those are
pretty minor issues that should be easily
fixed by Tesla’s mobile technician and covered
under the new vehicle warranty. The exterior
of the Model Y was actually great. I couldn’t
find really any panel gaps or misalignments
that were noticeable. It’s probably safe
to say Tesla isn’t the best at fit and finish
quality assurance, but most of the fit and
finish issues that some Model Y owners have
seen are minor cosmetic issues that will most
likely get fixed for free and not cause any
inconvenience due to the service being performed
by a mobile technician at the owner’s location.
I hope Tesla will try to improve their fit
and finish quality going forward, but I think
most people will be head over heels in love
with the most important parts the car.
The Tesla Model Y brings a lot to the table.
It has an attractive design and provides the
best things about the Model 3 with even more
space at an elevated view, while being much
more affordable than Tesla’s only other
SUV - the Model X. The Model Y is pretty much
the only option for people who want a fully
electric hatchback vehicle with at least 300
miles of range, along with the high level
of performance and quickness. It’s packed
full of capable self-driving technology, and
the feature set is constantly improving via
free over the air software updates. The hardware
and software are made by the same company
so it’s optimized to integrate together
seamlessly for a top notch user experience.
The newly introduced powered lift gate hatchback
makes the Model Y extremely versatile and
great for families. The feeling of never buying
gas or oil again is the cherry on top. If
owning for a long period of time, owning a
Model Y could lead to some big fuel savings
with the possibility of the sun charging your
car via solar energy which is the ultimate
goal. After owning a Tesla for over 2 years
now it's so hard for me to recommend any gasoline
vehicle or even a hybrid even though there
are some promising upcoming options like the
Toyota RAV4 Prime that are cheaper than the
Model Y. I definitely wouldn’t recommend
depleting your savings or going into considerable
debt to get any new vehicle, but if you have
a $50,000 budget, the Tesla Model Y may very
well be the best car option on the market
right now. So that was my review of the Tesla
Model Y. What do you think of the car? Do
you like it? Do you love it? Do you hate it?
Are you getting one? Do you have one? Let
me know in the comments below. Make sure you
hit that Like button if you enjoyed this video,
and subscribe to see more Tesla and tech videos
in the future. My name is Andy. Thank you
for watching, and I’ll talk to you in the
next one.
