I used to joke with my friends that you could not kick a rock in Auckland without it hitting 4 first-get Model 3s, they were just everywhere. And while the updated Model 3 saw a mere fraction of that success, the new, revised Model Y has been a more frequent sight, to the point that you now even see one here as our first ever Tesla review loaner! And the recurrent theme during my time with it was Tesla’s chase of doing more with less.
The new, “Juniper” design differentiates the Model Y further from the Model 3, as in the past they shared a lot. Up front, the headlights are now split, with a Cybertruck-inspired unibrow going from side to side acting as the light signature up front. At the rear, the obligatory trend of the 2020s, an all-encompassing rear LED bar, replaces the taillights with diffused lighting. The overall shape and silhouette are still the same, and while it does wonders to modernise the design, it looks a bit more top-heavy than before.
Inside, changes might seem less comprehensive, but there is plenty of new stuff to talk about, considering how minimalistic the interior is. Space is still good for 5, thanks to a flat floor and smart packaging (including a very deep boot and a usable frunk), but the overall fit and finish, a previous pain point for vehicles of the brand, has been improving consistently over the years and now feels very well put together.
The dash uses a mix of fabric and soft materials, and features a customisable LED bar that crosses it from one door card to the other.
Storage solutions stay the same, with deep cubbies and felt lined door pockets, but you trade one USB-C port (only one in front now) in exchange for new textures on the centre console that replace the offensive shiny black plastic. The sound system has excellent audio signature, aided by the new windows which make for an astonishingly quiet car. Most things are controlled and activated by the centre screen, but just before we go there, one last remark: I haven’t driven the Model 3 without the indicator stalk but I can guarantee the Y is an improvement. Less is not always more.
So then, when it comes to the tech, it is always one of the biggest talking points with Teslas (and confirmation that I was the right person in the team to review it). When both “tiers” of Tesla mass market vehicles were introduced (the S at first, and then the 3 later on), their cars were years ahead of the competition in this regard.
And while the competition has managed to catch up on “other things that matter” such as range and power, there is still some gravitas and differentiation to how Tesla does their tech. The visual care, the animations, the layout, the responsiveness… It is Geek Nirvana, and the only other car I tested that could hold a candle to this cost 3 times the Tesla.
Yeah, some of it is dumb and borderline cringeworthy, like the seats farting or the light show, but other things are clear market differentiators, and I can see people making their purchase decision solely based on that. Sentry Mode, Dog Mode, and a proper gaming suite for when charging will attract and hold a large demographic with a tight grip.
However, this being a car that lives and dies by its tech, it’s not all perfect. Tesla’s decision to eliminate sensors and go vision-only for their driving assistances is a bold one, and, at least in my first experience with this “new hardware”, was a step backwards. Again, less is not always more.
The Enhanced Autopilot (a $5700 option) package includes the Navigate on Autopilot Beta feature, which allows for more autonomous driving in specific parts of the journey, mainly motorways. Once engaged, it will handle that bit of the driving mostly by itself, which feels like a reasonable approach: to automate the more predictable and boring part of the drive, and asking you to take over after the off-ramp. It will ask for lane changes when necessary (albeit too frequently), adapt for merging speeds and do most of the lane keeping with very little intervention from the driver. It is genuinely impressive.
Until it isn’t. During the early nights of winter, and especially around this rainy week I had the car for, many times the vision-based systems such as Autopilot, driving assists and even emergency braking were outright disabled because of lack of camera visibility. If the cameras are not confident enough to take on a simple self parking maneuvre, how can I trust them to do Navigate on Autopilot or, heavens forbid, Full Self Driving? Plus, there was some inconsistency in the bumper-to-bumper traffic handling, which was another place I’d expect a car like this to excel. It got better with some tweaking, but not even close to how good it handled the motorway.
Then there’s Auto Shift, another Beta feature that tries to predict three point turns and tight maneuvers to automatically engage Drive and Reverse based on brake and steering inputs. It works well and is handy after you get the go of it, but, again, is a solution for a problem they created themselves by removing the gear stalk (And remember: most car brands pay quality analysts to test new features. Tesla? They charge you for that privilege).
The car comes with two access cards, but having to hold them against the pillar and place it on the pad to drive is not ideal – they really want you to use the app. This is, of course, not exclusive to Tesla, but what is, is the quality of the app itself. It is beautiful, paired quickly to my phone, and allowed for easy, useful monitoring and scheduling of things while away from the car, 100% of the time. To the point I forgot the cards at home when driving to return the car, that’s how little I cared about the cards.
Speaking about driving, the improvements here are noticeable almost instantly. The revised suspension does a better job of isolating bumps and smoothing out everyday roughness, while still keeping body control in check – it’s not luxurious, but it’s more settled and confident than before. In Standard Range, rear wheel drive guise, it is not lighting fast, but the quick ramp up of power makes it feel brisk and eager at all times, with a 5.9s sprint to 100km/h.
There are no drive modes per se, but configurable settings let you tailor things like steering weight and regenerative braking to suit your taste, leading to a very predictable driving signature and a one pedal driving mode that feels second nature in no time. The steering remains quick and the low centre of gravity helps the car feel composed even at a brisk pace, making for a car that is enjoyable to use and abuse in the city.
Efficiency, as ever, is where the Model Y continues to shine. Over my test period, I averaged 12.6kWh/100km, which is extremely impressive given the weather, mixed driving, and lack of hypermiling. That kind of efficiency is hard to beat and helps Tesla to do more with less, extracting the most out of the LFP battery equipped to the standard range models. But eventually, it will need a top up.
And that’s when Tesla gets to play another of its trump cards: Supercharging. I navigated to a V3 Supercharger and the experience was nearly frictionless: I arrived pre-conditioned, plugged in, and within minutes the car was already well on its way to 100%. No apps, no cards, no wait times – it just works. And I could even set a pretty high score on Vampire Survivors, which ran better here than on my laptop. If you’re someone who values ease of use and predictability while travelling, this alone can be reason enough to go Tesla. Last time I used a Supercharger was in 2018, and it’s clear they are still ahead in the ecosystem game, even if some of the in-car hardware decisions feel like a step backwards.
All in all, this is not an easy car to evaluate – especially when trying to keep it in a vacuum, away from legislation debates, X personalities, or inflated promises about autonomy. During this week, it was again easy to confirm there is almost no nuance with Teslas, so it’s important to be objective. The improvements over the previous model are real and meaningful: it’s quieter, better built, more refined, and just as efficient. But it also reminds you constantly that you’re in a car still shaped by bold experimentation – sometimes inspiring, sometimes frustrating.
The Juniper update doesn’t radically reinvent the Model Y, but it does sharpen and elevate it. For geeks like me it still offers more than enough to differentiate itself from the other EV SUVs, and despite the low speed hesitancy, it was incredible to live with. The fix might be an OTA update away, but, as with any other tech product, your buying decision should be based on what is available today. Regardless, it is easy to understand why it is in every brand’s crosshair, and is extremely easy to recommend.
Thank you, Tesla, for the opportunity, and thank you for reading this far! See you next time!
