2023 Tesla Model Y: Still so different it’s the same old Tesla
2023 Tesla Model Y Dual Motor AWD Long Range: A good electric vacation choice?
Price: $53,490 to start. Enhanced Autopilot adds $6,000; full self-driving adds $15,000.
Conventional wisdom: Consumer Reports likes the handling, acceleration, braking and seat comfort,” but not the “ride, controls, no real blind spot warning, limited range, long charging time.”
Marketer’s pitch: No real pitch.
Reality: Tesla does things its own way.
What’s new: The Model Y is an SUV version of the Model 3. It comes in five-seater (tested) and seven-seater versions.
What’s not new: Tesla is not having anything to do with the media — something about its CEO, what’s his name — so while I was traveling with the lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat to a fleet-free island and would have to rent something anyway, I secured a Model Y through Turo.
Competition: Audi Q4 E-Tron, Volvo C40 Pure, Jaguar I-Pace.
Aloha: Mr. Driver’s Seat tries to approach his vehicle tests as would someone who landed in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar car.
This time, though, it wasn’t a pretense. We landed in Honolulu after 11 hours in the air direct from New York, I was unfamiliar with the car and the location, and a little unhinged after being crammed in a very tight seat all that time. (Note to self: Find a better job.)
Where’s it at?: I’ve only been in Tesla’s Model 3 before, but inside the Model Y was very familiar. Yet everything is very hard to reach — the wipers, the headlights, all of it in the touchscreen.
It’s a big touchscreen and it’s not hard to follow. But why can’t you control the lights without losing the map? Even if it’s only 200 miles to circle Oahu, I still would rather not.
The wipers will come on from a button on the turn signal stalk, but it’s a trip to the touchscreen to keep them on. Fortunately, that function doesn’t swallow the whole map, but it does take all your attention to deal with changing weather, not the best time to be inattentive.
Where’s it at?: The running dashboard diagram of the surrounding cars is cool, but that’s the sole traffic monitoring feature. No lights, no chimes, nothing else. Not reassuring in unfamiliar territory.
On the road: The Model Y is a pleasant enough companion on the freeways across the island, and nice on the winding roads west to Waianae and north to Haleiwa. A twisty ride over Pali Highway east to Kailua also felt pretty good.
The ride can feel as rough as the waters of the Pacific on bumps, but some parts of Hawaii’s roads are tragic as well. There’s a whole lot of thudding on the potholes.
Play some tunes: The sound system is sweet. I’d call the playback an A. Volume and fast forward are handled from steering wheel dials. Otherwise it’s in the touchscreen and I didn’t want to deal with it, honestly.
Driver’s Seat: The saddle is cushy and comfortable, except the seats are quite narrow. I know I probably gained some girth after all the tasty restaurants on the island, but this is pretty small.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat offers nice legroom, although foot room and headroom are snug. The whole seat is narrow, but the middle passenger gets a nice flat floor to work with.
Cargo space is 76 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. A third row would be bunkerlike, and I wish I could have experienced it.
Up to speed: Acceleration tests can be difficult on the island, as traffic can be pretty thick. Tesla reports it gets to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, par for the EV course. The Model Y has plenty of oomph for passing, and even in Chill mode it could zoom to 60 when pushed.
Shifty: The shifter copies the Mercedes Benz approach; it resembles a wiper stalk on the right side of the steering column. Cruise control is a toggle with Drive. Simple enough.
Keeping warm and cool: Those narrow seats could also benefit from ventilation. After hikes up Diamond Head and Manoa Falls trails and a long walk to Kailua Beach — all totally worth every step, and then some — the car could be slow to cool us back down. Although the whole front of the dash is a ventilation strip, there’s no way to direct air flow. Controls are, of course, handled through the touchscreen.
Range: The vehicle has an estimated range of 330 miles. It recharges up to 162 miles in 15 minutes, according to Tesla, and I witnessed a comparable rate in a 10minute charge at the lone supercharger on Oahu.
Where it’s built: Fremont, Calif.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Model Y reliability to be a 2 out of 5. It received a 3 last year but otherwise received 2s since its 2020 debut.
In the end: Teslas still create too much distraction from the road, and they’re definitely not the most user-friendly for the uninitiated. And that’s not to mention the whole Autopilot nonsense.
I’d pick the Kia EV6 or Genesis GV60, and am eager to try the Toyota bz4X.