Life is hard on the prime.
The Tesla Mannequin Y is the best-selling electrical automobile in Australia by a good margin in 2024, and its nearest rival is its sedan brother.
That’s regardless of sturdy competitors from Chinese language manufacturers like BYD, and a big replace to the Mannequin 3 sedan delivering a extra fashionable inside, extra comfy experience, and higher refinement than earlier than.
The Mannequin Y hasn’t been handled to the identical replace, however it’s not been left alone solely.
In March, it picked up a trio of latest color choices, and a brand new wheel design for the bottom RWD and Lengthy Vary. Oh, and the value has been slashed a number of occasions all year long.
Is the Mannequin Y nonetheless the king?
How does the Tesla Mannequin Y examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Tesla Mannequin Y in opposition to equally sized automobiles.
Tesla
Mannequin Y
How a lot does the Tesla Mannequin Y price?
Tesla continues to chop its costs in Australia, to the purpose the place the bottom Mannequin Y RWD is priced in step with an enormous variety of hybrid, petrol, and diesel mid-sized SUVs.
| Mannequin Variant | $RRP |
|---|---|
| Tesla Mannequin Y RWD | $55,900 |
| Tesla Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary AWD | $69,900 |
| Tesla Mannequin Y Efficiency AWD | $82,900 |
Costs exclude on-road prices
To see how the Mannequin Y compares with its largest electrical rivals, use our comparability software.
What’s the Tesla Mannequin Y like on the within?
The Tesla Mannequin Y hasn’t been handled to the identical replace on the Mannequin 3, which suggests you continue to get a correct indicator stalk and drive selector.
It’s a really minimalist area, with a large display in the course of the dashboard… and little or no else in the way in which of luxuries or add-ons, so it’ll take some getting used to. However the software program is all very slick, and when you’re dialled in it’s simple to seek out what you’re on the lookout for.
The basics are good, too. The driving place is elevated relative to the Mannequin 3, however the seat is each bit as supportive right here, and there’s loads of adjustment within the powered steering column to permit taller drivers to get comfy.
All the pieces is saved on a driver profile, and you utilize the dials on the steering wheel at the side of the touchscreen to regulate the wheel and mirrors. Due to the Tesla app, the automobile recognises who’s hopping into the motive force’s seat and adjusts to their preferences mechanically.
The view out over the quick dashboard is panoramic because of the curved windscreen that arches proper up over the motive force’s head. Mixed with the small steering wheel, it helps make the Mannequin Y a enjoyable automobile to level and shoot within the metropolis.
I want Tesla would offer you a head-up show, although. The pace readout within the prime right-hand nook of the display is a bit small, and forces you to take your eyes off the highway to examine one thing that ought to simply be proper in entrance of you.
It’s a disgrace, the remainder of the touchscreen is superb. It’s clearly been designed by somebody who’s spent loads of time utilizing an iPad, with equally slick graphics and fast responses.
Google Maps appears to be like glorious on the 15-inch touchscreen, and presents dwell site visitors knowledge. It’s additionally plugged into the Tesla Supercharger community, which suggests you may plan longer journeys together with your cost stops with out bothering with A Higher Route Planner or related apps.
Do you miss CarPlay? Even with the built-in apps within the Tesla system, I do. Getting access to your textual content messages and podcasts by your system moderately than the automobile continues to be smoother, and Siri is a significantly better voice assistant than Tesla’s disobedient helper.
Cupboard space up entrance is superb. There are two wi-fi telephone chargers beneath the dashboard, and a large bin between the seats the place the transmission would often sit in an internal-combustion automobile.
There’s room for large bottles within the doorways, and the cupholders are the proper dimension for the common Australian latte.
Rear seat area is stable within the Mannequin Y, though it’s not good. The door opening isn’t as large as on a Toyota RAV4, for instance, however when you’re again there the legroom and headroom are each stable by mid-sized SUV requirements.
The ground is kind of excessive due to the battery pack, which suggests longer-legged passengers can have an ungainly knees-up feeling, however children and normal-sized adults will be capable to get comfy.
Air vents, USB-C ports, and a fold-down central armrest all function, and the glass roof and frameless home windows make it a lightweight and ethereal area. That pays dividends on highway journeys, the place carsick-prone children will profit.
ISOFIX factors function on the outboard rear seats, and there’s a trio of prime tethers for baby seats. Loading a child into a toddler seat could also be tougher within the Mannequin Y than a Subaru Forester, for instance, because the doorways don’t open to 90 levels and the opening isn’t as sq. – which is price protecting in thoughts.
Boot area isn’t a problem right here. The principle boot beneath the massive, powered elevate gate is very large… and you then elevate the ground, to disclose one other large bin that’s good for cost cables (supplied you pay additional for them, as Tesla now not throws them in).
There’s additionally room within the entrance boot for in a single day baggage or any soiled, moist clothes you wish to maintain separate from the primary cabin.
| Dimensions | Tesla Mannequin Y |
|---|---|
| Size | 4750mm |
| Width | 1978mm |
| Peak | 1624mm |
| Wheelbase | 2890mm |
| Whole cupboard space | 971L – rear seats upright 2158L – rear seats folded |
| Tare weight | 1979kg |
| Gross Car Mass (GVM) | 2518kg |
What’s beneath the bonnet?
Tesla doesn’t quote torque outputs, nor its battery capacities like most manufacturers.
| Tech Specs | Tesla Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary |
|---|---|
| Energy | 366kW |
| Torque | N/A |
| 0-100km/h | 5.0 seconds |
| Battery capability | 80kWh |
| Claimed vitality consumption | 15.4kWh /100km |
| Noticed vitality consumption | 16.1kWh /100km |
| Vary (WLTP) | 533km |
| Max DC cost charge | 250kW |
To see how the Mannequin Y compares with its largest electrical rivals, use our comparability software.
How does the Tesla Mannequin Y drive?
Even after three years on sale, the Mannequin Y stands out because of the polish of all its fundamental controls.
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Mannequin Y Efficiency pictured
There’s prodigious energy beneath your proper foot while you actually need it, and near-perfect traction from the all-wheel drive dual-motor setup, however you wouldn’t understand it round city as a result of the accelerator is so easily calibrated.
Lean on it and also you get clean, silent ahead progress, elevate off and the regenerative braking ramps up easily. It doesn’t attempt to throw you thru the windscreen like a Ford Mustang Mach-E while you step off the throttle, and neatly tapers off as you roll to a cease.
You very, very not often want to make use of the brake pedal.
Mixed with direct steering (heavier than in most rivals, like a agency handshake), the tremendous polished EV powertrain makes the Mannequin Y enjoyable to drive on the town.
You’ll be able to level and shoot your approach round tight streets with out taking your fingers from the wheel, and there’s countless torque to lean on within the site visitors mild Grand Prix. With a claimed 100km/h dash time of simply 5.0 seconds, it’ll embarrass scorching hatches off the road.
It’s a disgrace the experience is so agency. Perhaps agency is the improper phrase, perhaps it’s busy, however even after a collection of adjustments to the suspension it’s continuously shifting up and down over pimply stretches of highway. It by no means fairly settles, which undermines the sense of refinement.
Tesla has labored arduous to enhance experience high quality and refinement within the new Mannequin 3 sedan; the identical needs to be a spotlight within the Mannequin Y SUV.
At greater speeds you additionally get numerous highway noise, and it’s particularly noticeable given there’s no noisy internal-combustion engine to drown it out.
It’s not deafening, however it’s one other knock on refinement that’ll drive you to crank the stereo up just a few notches.
Urgent the gear selector on the right-hand web site of the steering wheel twice prompts adaptive cruise management and lane centring, permitting the Mannequin Y to take care of a spot to the automobile in entrance and comply with the white strains on the highway.
As we’ve stated earlier than, the Autopilot title is deceptive. For one, you want your fingers on the wheel always… and there’s nothing within the Mannequin Y different vehicles received’t do in 2024.
The adaptive cruise management system is clean and sensible, though it nonetheless is liable to braking for automobiles in adjoining lanes, and the lane-centring system is similar to what’s on provide within the newest Kia and Hyundai vary.
Ticking the $5500 field for Enhanced Autopilot provides auto lane adjustments and the power for the automobile to exit the freeway with the system lively – the previous is feasible in Mercedes-Benz automobiles amongst others, the latter is a Tesla particular.
What do you get?
Mannequin Y RWD and Lengthy Vary highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Adaptive LED headlights
- Black vegan inside
- 5 seats
- 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Facet and rear-view cameras
- All-around parking sensors
- Satellite tv for pc navigation incl. cost community mapping, dwell pricing
- Twin wi-fi telephone chargers
- 4 x USB-C ports (2 x entrance, 2 x rear)
- 128GB transportable storage for Sentry digicam system
- 13-speaker sound system
- 12-way energy adjustable entrance seats
- Heated entrance seats
- Heated rear seats (all three)
- Heated steering wheel
- Tinted glass roof
- HEPA air filtration
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Energy folding, auto-dimming, heated aspect mirrors
- Customized driver profiles
- Key card entry
- Smartphone app connectivity
- Digital fold-flat rear seat releases
Mannequin Y Efficiency provides:
- 21-inch Uberturbine wheels
- Efficiency brakes
- Lowered suspension
- Aluminium pedals
- 250km/h Prime pace (up from 217km/h)
- Carbon-fibre spoiler
Enhanced Autopilot ($5100) provides:
- Navigate on Autopilot
- Auto Lane Change
- Autopark
- Summon
- Good Summon
Full Self-Driving Functionality ($10,100) provides:
- Site visitors Mild and Cease Signal Management
- Upcoming: Auto steer on metropolis streets
Is the Tesla Mannequin Y secure?
Of greater than 30 vehicles examined over 2022 the Tesla Mannequin Y was the “prime performer” by ANCAP, scoring a five-star security score but additionally managing the very best common rating (weighted throughout the 4 standards) of all automobiles examined.
It achieved a 97 per cent rating for grownup occupant safety, 89 per cent for baby occupant safety, 82 per cent for susceptible highway customers, and 98 per cent for security help. Unsurprisingly, it’s loaded with customary security expertise.
Commonplace options embody:
- 7 airbags incl. front-centre airbag
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Ahead, Reverse
- Automobile, Pedestrian, Bike owner detection
- Junction help
- Backover prevention
- Blind-spot help
- Lane maintain help
- Reversing, aspect view cameras
- Entrance, rear parking sensors
- Adaptive cruise management with cease/go
- Tyre stress monitoring
- Computerized high-beam
- Clever pace limiter
How a lot does the Tesla Mannequin Y price to run?
That is the place Tesla lags behind nearly all its rivals.
| Tesla Mannequin Y | |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 4 years or 80,000 kilometres |
| Battery guarantee | 8 years or 192,000km – AWD fashions |
Tesla doesn’t publish service intervals.
It recommends a brake fluid examine each 24 months, cabin air filters each two years, HEPA filter substitute at three years, and an air-conditioning service each 4 years, along with customary wheel balancing and tyre rotation.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Tesla Mannequin Y
The Mannequin Y is a benchmark for a motive.
It goes about issues in unconventional methods, however behind the ultra-minimalist inside and infuriatingly obscure powertrain spec sheet is a superb electrical SUV.
Spacious, comfy, and enjoyable to drive in its personal approach, it’s arduous to fault when you think about the value. Then once more, the value can also be one motive we’d be reticent to signal on the dotted line for a Mannequin Y.
Tesla’s worth cuts have made this a considerably extra reasonably priced choice for almost all of Australians, however they’ve additionally – susceptible to being impolite – utterly rooted resale values, given a model new RWD is now barely dearer than gently used base fashions from three years in the past.
Will costs go decrease? Who is aware of, given the secrecy with which Tesla operates. However it’s the one black cloud hanging over what’s in any other case a straightforward automobile to suggest.
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