Tesla new Model Y review: Stunning efficiency, lots of space, but still no V2L

The new Tesla Model Y is one of the most highly anticipated electric vehicles of the year, and we are just weeks away from the first Australian customer deliveries, which are due to start in May. 

Elon Musk’s political antics have undoubtedly dampened enthusiasm for the Tesla brand worldwide, but for those who prioritise vehicle features and specifications over politics, there is a lot to like about the refreshed Model Y.

Riz Akhtar already did a great job of explaining how the refreshed Model Y is incredibly better than the outgoing model in many respects, so rather than rehash the new features, I will focus on my highlights during a long weekend with the new Model Y.

Similar to Riz, I borrowed a Long Range All-Wheel Drive from Tesla, in Glacier Blue paint ($2,300) with 20” Helix 2.0 wheels ($2,400) which comes to a total of $79,529 driveaway in NSW.

Highly practical and spacious

Our long weekend started with a family trip to the beach, a great way to test out the practicality and space available in the Model Y. With just the middle seat in the 40-20-40 second row folded down, we were able to fit all 4 of us plus 2 surfboards down the middle comfortably. 

Roof racks would still be a better option for taking surfboards on long trips or holidays as they take up a decent amount of boot space, but for quick trips the second row flexibility is a great feature and saves time tying things down.

The big front trunk (frunk) now includes a drainage hole with a plug at the bottom which comes in handy for throwing wet gear in, something we took advantage of multiple times with the wet weather we had over the weekend. 

Fitting a bike in the back of the Model Y was also a piece of cake, with the back seats folded down I was able to leave both wheels attached and there was plenty of room to spare.

Folding and unfolding the rear seats is also quick and easy with the electrically operated seats controlled via buttons in the boot. The front seats automatically move out of the way if necessary too, a thoughtful addition.

Even more efficient than the smallest EVs

You might expect the size and practicality of the Model Y to come at the expense of efficiency, but I was astounded by how little energy this car consumes. In fact, it was virtually on par with the Model 3 refresh which is the most efficient EV I have tested so far.

Over a 265 km highway loop to visit the Kiama Blowhole south of Sydney, the Model Y used just 139 Wh/km. During trips through the city, efficiency figures were even lower at around 130 Wh/km. Driving conditions weren’t ideal either which makes it even more impressive, climate control was on the whole time and the roads were often wet.

To put this efficiency into perspective, I compared it against the smallest EVs I have reviewed and it beats them all: Fiat 500e (142 Wh/km city, 158 Wh/km highway), MG4 Excite 51 (140 Wh/km city, 162 Wh/km highway) and GWM Ora (155 Wh/km city, 161 Wh/km highway). 

The Model Y is also much more efficient than similarly sized SUVs like the Kia EV5 (163 Wh/km, downhill on highway), Polestar 4 (171 Wh/km city, 188 Wh/km highway) and Kia EV6 GT (198 Wh/km city, 199 Wh/km highway).

If you are charging your EV with excess solar electricity then you may not think twice about the cost, but the energy savings become significant over the lifetime of the vehicle.

Assume the Model Y will consume an average of 140 Wh/km compared to another electric SUV using an average of 175 Wh/km, both travel 15,000 km per year. The difference in total energy consumption in one year adds up to 525 kWh, or 5.25 MWh over 10 years, which is roughly the average age of Australia’s vehicle fleet. 

Incredibly well rounded, but still room for improvement

The new Model Y does so many things incredibly well, from superb ride and handling, quiet and comfortable cabin, a goosebump level sound system to rival much more expensive cars, smooth and simple driving experience, to the practicality, spaciousness and unbelievable efficiency described above. 

After returning the All-Wheel Drive, I test drove a Rear-Wheel Drive version to see how much of the overall package filters down to the base model. I was pleased to find the gap between these two variants was close, apart from the 84 km drop in WLTP range.

On paper the RWD is 1.1 seconds slower from 0-100 km/h, but still feels quick enough, while the updated suspension feels just as good. The base sound system lacks the clarity and punch of that in the AWD, although it still sounds better than many other cars.

This well rounded package is what makes the Model Y one of the best EVs on the market today. No car is perfect though, and the new Model Y falls short in one key area that is increasingly becoming a must have on EV buyer’s checklists – bidirectional charging. 

When so many other EVs, including the cheapest models from brands like MG, BYD, Kia and Hyundai offer vehicle to load (V2L), this feature omission from Tesla is becoming less and less excusable in my opinion. 

Rumour is that Tesla vehicles built since the Powerwall 3 was released contain the same inverter hardware, and are therefore capable of bidirectional AC charging. Manufacturers of some DC based vehicle to grid (V2G) chargers also claim to have successfully tested Tesla vehicles with their products, such as RedEarth as shown below.

However, Tesla remains tight-lipped about bidirectional charging support on any of their vehicles, so I would not count on it being officially supported unless they announce something concrete in the future. Even if something is announced, it is probably best taken with a grain of salt given Tesla’s track record on Full Self Driving timelines.

Apart from lack of bidirectional charging, I found the lack of a gear selector stalk is a step backwards from older Teslas. Unlike the refreshed Model 3 where both stalks were removed, the new Model Y retains an indicator stalk, leaving gear changes to the central touchscreen or physical buttons above the rear view mirror.

I enabled the Auto Shift feature, which automatically detects when you want to change gears and predicts your first movement out of park, which worked most of the time. On screen hints guide you in the right direction, although I still found it much slower and less intuitive than the physical gear selector stalk in my own car.

Conclusion

Overall, I came away very impressed with the new Model Y. Tesla have successfully replicated the widespread improvements found on the Model 3 refresh last year to their best selling vehicle and made it even more compelling. 

I am unsure whether or not the new Model Y is capable of reversing the decline in Tesla sales as the Tesla fanbase is hoping for, especially with growing competition from new models. We will ultimately find out in a few months time anyway as production of the new Model Y ramps up and the initial delivery wave subsides.

At the time of writing, Tesla is also offering $9,000 discounts off pre-refresh Model Y inventory, although they only seem to have stock of Long Range All-Wheel Drive variants. If you are happy to forgo the improvements found on the new version, you can potentially save thousands and get into a long range AWD model for just under $70,000 driveaway.

Table of key specifications for the Model Y

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