The new Tesla Model Y has a familiar side profile, but the front and rear are rather different.
There have been details and images of the long-awaited refresh of the Tesla Model Y floating around the Internet for a few weeks now. But most of these were from China, with no indication when the update would be arriving in Europe or the US. Well, the wait is finally over. The new Model Y has gone on sale in these regions, and I was at the exclusive U.K. launch getting all the details.
Just for clarity, most people know of the new Model Y by the codename Juniper. But apparently, like Highland when used in reference to the latest Model 3, this isn’t an official Tesla term, and the origin of it is unknown. It’s also worth noting that the European and US Tesla Model Y is slightly different to the Chinese version, being fractionally shorter than the latter.
The front of the new Tesla Model Y has a full-width lightbar and much sleeker look.
While the side profile of the new Model Y is still highly recognizable, the front and rear have been updated considerably. The front now has a full-width lightbar, which provides a much cleaner appearance than the “frog face” of the original Model Y. While aesthetics is important, perhaps more significant for the usability of the car is the addition of a front-facing camera just below the numberplate, particularly as the car relies exclusively on cameras for all its safety features. This has heating and washing capabilities. Finally, you’ll also get a front camera view when parking as well as a rear one.
There’s a lightbar on the rear of the car, too, but that’s less visible. In fact, the lightbar itself is entirely hidden and you only see its illumination as a reflection on the rear panel, which looks rather futuristic. The rear in general has a sleeker and less busy appearance than the original car. The amount of space in the back is effectively the same (2,138 liters versus 2,158 liters including the frunk) but the rear seats are now powered. The two buttons near the rear door lift the rear seats back up as well as dropping them forward, although if you want just the middle section, you’ll need to push that down manually.
The rear lightbar is hidden, with its illumnation reflected off the panel beneath it.
The interior has more subtle changes, but there are plenty there, including a redesigned center console. If you’ve sat inside the latest Model 3, you’ll have noticed the lack of steering wheel stalks, like the most recent Model S. The use of buttons on the steering wheel for the indicators is the most controversial aspect of this. If you were concerned about whether this is safe, then exhale a sigh of release. There is an indicator stalk again. Tesla claims this is because the Model Y is for a more mainstream audience than the 3, who might find the buttons problematic. There are also no plans to add a stalk to the 3 again, however.
You still now use the side of the infotainment screen to select drive, reverse and park. Otherwise, the interface hasn’t changed noticeably from before. The underlying computer uses Tesla’s Hardware 4 like the latest Model 3. Also, like the latter, rear seat passengers now have their own 8in panel with games and multimedia capabilities, as well as separate control over their own climate settings. They get two USB C ports capable of delivering 65W, too, which is enough to power two laptops.
The indicator stalk is back!
The seats are now ventilated as well as heated, so you can cool your posterior down in the summer as well as warm it up in the winter. Tesla claims the interior is quieter too, with 22% less road noise, 20% less wind noise, and 20% less impact noise. This is achieved by universal use of acoustic glass. Ride comfort is also supposedly better, although I’ll have to judge that when I get a chance to drive the new Tesla Model Y. The UK launch car was static.
Rear passengers now get their own 8in infotainment display.
Teslas have always been about connectivity. It’s one of the areas where the brand still has a significant lead over the competition. The new Y ups the ante further, with 50% faster mobile data downloads and a 30% greater cellular range. The WiFi, when you’re connected to it, is up to three times faster with twice the range. Ultra-Wide Band is now supported with the phone key, so if your smartphone has this, performance will be improved. This also facilitates the gesture-based opening recently introduced for the rear cargo door.
These are just the headline improvements with the new Model Y. In the U.K., only one version of the new Model Y will be on sale initially, with customer deliveries starting in May. This will be a Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant. Tesla says the drivetrain itself hasn’t changed significantly, but the other improvements have enabled the new car to go 22 miles further – 353 miles instead of 331 miles (WLTP). It’s faster, too, hitting 60mph in 4.1 seconds. This is because the Launch Edition comes with Acceleration Boost pre-applied. Only Solid Black and QuickSilver paint colors can be ordered, not the full current range of Tesla options.
The new Tesla Model Y is waiting in the wings to take over from the original version.
However, the price of £60,990 ($75,000) is steep when the previous generation is £51,990 ($64,000). In the US its $59,990, compared to $47,990 for the outgoing Long Range All-Wheel Drive (not including Tesla’s "estimated savings"). So you’re paying a significant premium for Tesla’s latest and greatest, even if the technology upgrade is considerable. Further versions of the new Tesla Model Y are on the cards, but Tesla hasn’t revealed what they will be or when they will arrive. I suspect there could be a Performance version and one with just a rear motor. But we’ll have to wait and see.
