Tesla Model Y

After what seemed like an eternity, global electric car giant Tesla has finally landed in India. Teslas are known to be at the cutting edge of technology, often challenging the norms and pushing boundaries. The brand has chosen the Model Y (a large SUV-coupe of sorts) to be its first offering for India. 

Given its pricing, it sits squarely among the likes of entry-level luxury electric vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz EQA, Volvo EX40 and also the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. Having driven all its rivals extensively, I was keen to experience a Tesla. How does the Tesla Model Y fare in Indian conditions? Is the hype real?

Design and Build Quality

Tesla’s design language aims to keep things simple. The shape is rather unique, sitting somewhere between a sedan and an SUV coupe. What you’re likely to first absorb most however, is the sheer size of the Model Y. It might not look like it in pictures, but this electric car is almost 4.8-metres in length. For context, that’s just as much as the Toyota Fortuner. 

What was the last time you saw a car without a badge on the front? The Model Y’s front end is unique, if not good looking. The full-width light bar grabs attention immediately, and the small LED headlamps placed underneath might get missed entirely. There are no design elements that particularly stand out, just clean surfaces that are intended to ensure the Model Y is as aerodynamically efficient as possible. 

Viewed from the side, the Model Y looks tall. The rounded roof-line isn’t something we’re used to seeing, and that’s about the only interesting bit here. Like you’d expect, there’s a lot of aero-optimisation here. The door handles are flush-fitting (but not motorised) and the alloy wheels have aero covers too. You get 19-inch alloy wheels irrespective of the variant you choose, wrapped in 255/45 R19 tyres. Another interesting detail is the integration of cameras into the B-pillar and the front fender. 

The sloping roofline ends into a raised boot. I like how Tesla has achieved a continuity effect from the front windscreen to the rear windscreen, with a glass roof in the middle. There’s a subtle spoiler built into the boot lid which adds a sporty touch. 

The only design element that stands out here is the connected tail lamp set up. While it looks simple, it’s actually quite unique in its operation. Called ‘indirect reflective body panel tail light, the light you see is from the reflection on the boot lid. It also illuminates a portion of the road in the process, looking super cool. 

Another interesting detail is how the charging flap is integrated into the left tail lamp. Unless someone points it out, there’s no way one would figure out where the charging port is located. 

Tesla offers a total of six colour options, but you have to pay extra for five of them. It’s only the Stealth Grey colour that’s available at no cost. Pearl White and Diamond Black costs an additional Rs 95,000. Glacier Blue will set you back by Rs 1.25 lakh, whereas the signature Ultra Red and Quicksilver cost an extra Rs 1.95 lakh over the ex-showroom price of the car.

Design and Quality

Tesla’s obsession with minimalism reflects in the Model Y’s cabin. Everything you’d think is ‘normal’ has been rethought and mostly scrapped. For instance, the Model Y does not have a headlamp or wiper stalk, no instrument cluster, no physical buttons for the mirrors or even door handles. This is as sci-fi as cars get. It might take you a little time to rewire your thoughts to accept this ‘new normal’, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. 

There are two interior colour themes on offer. A full-black interior is offered as standard, and a white-black two tone interior is a Rs 95,000 optional extra. I’d pick the two toned interior because it makes the cabin feel richer and more luxurious. The contrast of white, grey and black is balanced quite well, adding to the Model Y’s minimalist philosophy. 

The dashboard is practically a horizontal slab with a large touchscreen in the centre. There’s absolutely nothing else here. Quality levels are on par with German luxury cars that are offered for similar money. There’s soft-touch material everywhere — from the dashboard to the door pads. The fabric used on the doorpads and dash for contrast feels high quality, and so does the leather used for the upholstery. 

Front Seats

Getting in and out of the Tesla Model Y is fairly easy. Even elders in the family are unlikely to complain. Like most EVs, the floor feels ‘raised’ and in effect the distance between the seat base and floor feels low. In most cars that are ‘converted’ to electric, this results in a direct compromise in headroom. However, the born-electric Tesla does not have this problem. I had no issues with my near 6ft height, and, in fact, even my 6.5ft tall colleague was plenty comfortable here. 

With a powered driver’s seat and powered steering-wheel that adjusts for rake and reach, it’s quite easy to find a comfortable driving position. While the seats can be adjusted using buttons on the seat itself, adjusting the steering involves fiddling around with the touchscreen and then using the buttons on the steering itself to fine tune the position. Not the most intuitive. Thankfully, Tesla lets you save driver profiles that remembers your seat and steering settings, along with other factors such as climate control and ambient lighting preferences.

The seats have firm cushioning, which I prefer, especially on longer drives. It is wide and accommodating of XL-sized frames too. The large headrest adds to comfort. 

Rear Seats

This came as a genuine surprise to me, as I was able to sit very comfortably behind a 6.5ft tall driver. There was a little kneeroom to spare, and despite the front seat being all the way down, I could comfortably place my feet under the seat too. Given the flat floor and the wide bench, it is technically possible to seat three people in comfort in the backseat of the Model Y. 

However, the middle occupant will end up sitting slightly upright. I’d much rather use the Model Y as a luxurious four-seater and use the generously-sized central armrest. 

No complaints on the headroom front, as you’d have more than enough space to spare. I like that the glass roof extends all the way above the rear seats, helping open up a sense of space. For privacy, however, rear sunshades could have been provided. 

Storage and Practicality

All door pads have well-sized bottle holders. Front occupants get two massive storage boxes in the floor console, along with a couple of cupholders. There’s a glovebox too (which rather annoyingly can only be opened via the touchscreen) that’s a little shallow and can hold the car’s documents at best.

Rear occupants get to use seatback pockets and the twin cupholders in the central armrest. 

Charging Options

There are two USB type-C ports hidden away in the storage box in the front of the cup holders. Two USB type-C ports can be found underneath the rear AC vents. Finally, there’s a USB type-A port inside the glovebox. 

On the dashboard, Tesla provides twin wireless chargers.

Features

The Tesla Model Y is a feature fest. While there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary on offer, the list is quite comprehensive. Basics include: 

• Keyless Entry

• Automatic Headlamps

• Automatic Wipers

• Dual-Zone Climate Control

• Rear AC Vents

• Powered Front Seats

• Front Seat Ventilation

• Front Seat Heating

• Rear Seat Heating

• Rear Seat Electric Recline + Fold 

• Ambient Lighting

• 360° Camera

• In-built Navigation (powered by Google Maps & TomTom)

• 9-speaker audio system

The highlight of course is the massive 15.4-inch touchscreen. This screen does not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. As far as infotainment experiences go, this screen sets benchmarks. It basically feels like a large iPad that’s stuck to the dashboard, and is super comprehensive with what it can control. 

For example, the steering, mirrors, headlamps, wipers, glovebox can (and also have to be) be controlled right from here. In fact, you can not just open the boot and fold the rear seats using the screen, but also open the bonnet. 

The climate control interface, including the air flow settings and the ‘swing’ mode for the vents can only be controlled using this screen. Front seat heating/ventilation and rear seat heating can be accessed from here too. 

For entertainment, there are a host of apps you can access. 

• Tesla Theatre: Supports apps such as YouTube, Netflix and Twitch.

• Tesla Arcade: Play games to kill time while charging. 

• Toybox: a fun app that can play funny noises, have custom light shows, custom horn sounds (playable only when stationary) and even produce music on the go. You can also use the car’s external speaker to project audio.

There’s another 8-inch screen for the rear seat occupants that supports the same media apps. You can separately pair a set of earphones to this screen in case you want to view your own content separately.

The Tesla Model Y features dual front airbags, along with side and curtain airbags. It also gets a host of safety features including blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure avoidance and forward collision warning. 

The vehicle is also capable of full self-driving (FSD) where the car can take full control of acceleration, braking and steering. However, due to Indian laws this feature isn’t active yet. The feature itself is a Rs 6 lakh option. If the regulations allow it in the future, the feature will be unlocked via an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade. 

The updated version of the Model Y has not been crash tested yet. However, the pre-facelift model scored a full 5-star rating in every single crash test it has been subjected to, including EuroNCAP, AustralianNCAP and USA’s NHTSA.

There’s 822-litres of space on offer, which is plenty to accommodate any luggage you might want to carry along on your trips. There’s some more space under the boot floor and towards the sides, to store smaller items. 60:40 split seats are on offer, and you can fold the rear seats away entirely, and you have access to over 2130-litres of space. That’s more than enough to shift larger items like plants or electrical appliances. 

Do note that the raised boot floor means there’s not much height here. It’s best to place larger objects horizontally. 

There’s a 116-litre frunk available too that can gobble up more sundry items. This frunk has a drain plug too, in case you want to carry any items that are wet.

The Model Y is available in two configurations: RWD and Long Range RWD. In true Tesla fashion, the power and torque numbers are not disclosed. However, Tesla has given claimed range numbers: 500km for the smaller battery pack, and 661km for the larger one (both WLTP certified). The performance is strong too with 0-100kmph being dealt with in just 5.9s (RWD) and 5.6s (Long Range RWD) respectively. 

City Performance

The only thing you need to get used to in the Model Y, is using the touchscreen to select ‘Drive’ or ‘Reverse’. Other than that, this Tesla drives like practically any other electric vehicle. That’s to say it has a steady and smooth creep function and it can build speed ridiculously quickly if required. 

There are two drive modes, ‘Chill’ and ‘Standard’ that change the urgency with which the car responds to your throttle input. You can configure the regenerative braking too between ‘Reduced’ and ‘Standard’. In standard mode, the Tesla Model Y offers a single pedal drive mode, meaning you do not need to use the brake pedal to come to a full halt. Simply let go of the accelerator pedal in time and the vehicle will come to a complete stop on its own. 

Highway Performance

While my seat time was very limited, it left me with enough belief that the Model Y has the makings of a great highway cruiser. It can very comfortably sit at triple digit speeds and acceleration even here is practically instantaneous. The top speed of the Model Y is rated at 201kmph, and there’s no doubting its capability to comfortably achieve that.

The Model Y has a firm suspension setup, very similar to what we’ve seen in German luxury cars. That means you will feel the imperfections in the surface and some shocks in the cabin as you go over broken roads and bumpy surfaces. The upside to this firm setup is that the suspension settles quickly, cancelling out any unwanted bobbing and vertical movement. That said, over undulated surfaces you might feel some movement in the rear seats. 

Driving the large Tesla Model Y is a fairly easy affair. The steering weight is quite light making it easy to park and navigate inside the city. You can alter the weight between light, standard and heavy, based on what you prefer or where you’re driving.

The Tesla Model Y is offered in two variants: RWD and Long Range RWD. There are no differences in features. However, the Long Range RWD variant gets a bigger battery, and more power.

Brand hype aside, the Tesla Model Y is a functionally-sorted family EV. It’s got great in-cabin space and practicality, the real world range is likely to be between 400-500km and you’ve got the best technology package you can ask for. Yes, it is asking for luxury car money, but it also delivers an equally good (if not better) experience.