2023 Model Y Long Range Disappointment in boominess after Demo Drive

[nate704]

Just for fun, I called both of those dealers. They don’t have a single one available for test drive as I acted to be a customer wanting to look at one today. Also, the ones in transit are pre-sold. No discounts either.

Very similar experience with the other legacy dealers here. Those "in transit" cars become suddenly available to you if you agree to pay $6k-$8k markups.

 

[Zcd1]

Very similar experience with the other legacy dealers here. Those "in transit" cars become suddenly available to you if you agree to pay $6k-$8k markups.

And yet we paid MSRP minus a small discount on ours. Go figure.

I dunno - maybe showing up in person ready to buy changes the equation a bit? Ya think??

 

[nate704]

And yet we paid MSRP minus a small discount on ours. Go figure.

I dunno - maybe showing up in person ready to buy changes the equation a bit? Ya think??

everyone's situation is different. I am sure your experience is legit, but rare occurrence, especially when shopping for EVs from the legacy auto makers.

 

[Zcd1]

everyone's situation is different. I am sure your experience is legit, but rare occurrence, especially when shopping for EVs from the legacy auto makers.

A friend drove both an EV6 GT and GT-Line yesterday - dealer also asking MSRP or less:

https://www.mcgratharlingtonkia.com/search/new-kia-ev6-palatine-il/?cy=60074&md=13001&tp=new

 

[TwistPA]

This is a such a realistic and helpful review. I agree with everything "drtz" mentioned in this post, as I am concerned about all these potential issues. But I don't think I am backing off just yet. Things might change when a VIN is allotted to me though

 

[Iron]

I appreciate the response, if I had already purchased a Y I would absolutely be trying every trick in the book to try and reduce the noise. I did read all the threads on this issue prior to my second demo drive, though, so I'm familiar with the DIY fixes and their mixed result.

But I can't reasonably justify spending 55k+ on a new car with a plan of "maybe fixing it" with a DIY hack after I get it.

My car looks just almost exactly like the one you drove. No boominess but you do get that hatchback effect. I think you should go back and drive another one. It may have been just the car you drove.

 

[BC393]

I'm a long-term hybrid driver and I've been itching to make the leap to an all-electric. Based on many glowing reviews from friends who own Teslas, as well as a brief drive of a family member's Model Y, I was ready to pull the trigger and buy a Model Y Long Range after the price drop earlier this year. I ended up holding off, though, to give my wife a chance to try it out with a demo drive before buying, and I ended up being glad we waited and did the demo.

After my two LR demo drives, I was surprised by several things, both good and bad, but ultimately decided now is the not the time to buy a Y. Here's my thoughts:

tl;dr I liked almost everything, but the low-frequency rumbling resonance sounds drove me crazy. Until this is fixed, there's zero chance I'm buying a Y.

Performance
Even after previously driving a Y, I was still surprised at just how much torque is available IMMEDIATELY at any speed. My foot is still calibrated to an underpowered hybrid, so this is something I haven't had in a daily driver in a long time. That feeling of instantly pinning yourself to the back of your seat is just flat out fun. and the Y is just a joy to drive in this regard. The quick responsiveness is something you can't get even in most high-end performance ICE vehicles, much less a "family car" like the Y.

Interior Finish
I was unsure how I'd feel about the interior finishes, especially after reading a few reviews from more traditional auto review sources. It's definitely minimalistic, but it's not without any styling though. There's enough detail to make it feel like some attention was paid to aesthetics, so you're not just riding in bland a box, but it's not trying to feel like driving in a high-end luxury car. For me, that's a good thing. Door panels felt solidly attached and didn't flex, there weren't any creaks or big gaps, and the quality of the surfaces felt like I expected: comparable to a middle-tier vehicle. It's not "cheap" feeling like I've seen may describe, but it's definitely not high-end either. Overall, I ended up really liking the Y's interior.

UX
This was my biggest concern going into the demo drive. I like mechanical buttons and generally don't like interacting with a touch screen in cars. To my pleasant surprise, however, it turned out my fears were completely unfounded. The things I absolutely want mechanical buttons for are still easily accessible on the steering wheel: audio volume, skipping songs / tuning the radio, and cruise control. Navigating the menus to get to the steering wheel and mirror adjustments was a little bit tricky, but no more so than with any other car I'm unfamiliar with. Temperature control, even being on the touch screen, is far easier to find and use than on most traditional cars -- I think part of the ease is due to the enormous size of the touch screen. Almost everything else, even if it's buried in a menu on the screen, is also available via voice control, making it extremely easy to operate without taking your eyes off the road. The "ding" sound when a traffic light turns green -- this feature alone almost had me ready to throw money at Tesla. The Y's UX, despite being different from what I'm used to, was a breeze to use and honestly quite refreshing.

Infotainment
All I'll say, is Tesla absolutely blows away every other manufacturer's infotainment. The screen is huge and responsive, there are tons of apps, the maps and nav are great. The only thing missing is Android Auto and CarPlay, but Tesla's software is actually good enough I don't think I'd miss it.

Ride Quality
This is where things took a turn for the worse, but not in the ways that I expected. I knew I wouldn't feel like I was riding on a cloud, and some amount of road noise wasn't going to surprise me. I drove on some moderately rough patches of road and it was just "fine." The suspension is certainly stiffer than you'll get on most other cars on the road, and you'll feel more bumps and potholes. It feels more like a sports car suspension, but the car really handles more like a sports car, so it's not all that surprising and it really didn't turn me off at all. There was some amount of noise from outside the car that was quite apparent for the drive. While it wasn't unbearable, it certainly wasn't good. What finally broke the deal for me, though, was the strange low-frequency resonance that many on this forum seem to refer to as "booming" / "buffeting." The sound wasn't always present, but when it was, oh man it sucked. It feels like having a high-power subwoofer blasting out a barely-audible frequency that just rumbles in your ears and chest. The sound was most prevalent at low cruising speeds around 30-40mph, even on pretty smooth roads. This issue was actually the main reason for my second demo drive. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but the second demo car turned out to be EVEN WORSE than the first.

Disappointing Summary
Overall, I ended up just being really disappointed in the whole thing. I went from not just ready to buy a Y, but excited to buy a Y based on a previous drive, all the way to realizing there's no way I can justify buying a car that sounds like this. And my change of heart came not from any of the typical complaints about Teslas or EVs, but from a basic inability to meet a "can I even tolerate being in this car for more than 20 minutes with my eyes closed" requirement. There's so much to love about the Y, but there's no amount of cool features that can override fundamental riding discomfort. The fact that two demo Ys had this issue should highlight just how prevalent this issue is, and I really can't believe they're selling as many Ys as they are with demos like this.

If I don't end up buying something else soon (I'll be going to check out an EV6 later this week), then I may have another look at the Y in a year or so and see if things have improved at all.

My overall opinion: :sad_face:

View attachment 910530
"File:Tesla Model Y rear passenger view.jpg" by Daniel.Cardenas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

It may be the luck of the draw. I have had my long range, dual motor model Y for 6-months and I love it. It is quiet and has a smooth ride. I would buy it again.

 

[Mrucquoi]

I'm a long-term hybrid driver and I've been itching to make the leap to an all-electric. Based on many glowing reviews from friends who own Teslas, as well as a brief drive of a family member's Model Y, I was ready to pull the trigger and buy a Model Y Long Range after the price drop earlier this year. I ended up holding off, though, to give my wife a chance to try it out with a demo drive before buying, and I ended up being glad we waited and did the demo.

After my two LR demo drives, I was surprised by several things, both good and bad, but ultimately decided now is the not the time to buy a Y. Here's my thoughts:

tl;dr I liked almost everything, but the low-frequency rumbling resonance sounds drove me crazy. Until this is fixed, there's zero chance I'm buying a Y.

Performance
Even after previously driving a Y, I was still surprised at just how much torque is available IMMEDIATELY at any speed. My foot is still calibrated to an underpowered hybrid, so this is something I haven't had in a daily driver in a long time. That feeling of instantly pinning yourself to the back of your seat is just flat out fun. and the Y is just a joy to drive in this regard. The quick responsiveness is something you can't get even in most high-end performance ICE vehicles, much less a "family car" like the Y.

Interior Finish
I was unsure how I'd feel about the interior finishes, especially after reading a few reviews from more traditional auto review sources. It's definitely minimalistic, but it's not without any styling though. There's enough detail to make it feel like some attention was paid to aesthetics, so you're not just riding in bland a box, but it's not trying to feel like driving in a high-end luxury car. For me, that's a good thing. Door panels felt solidly attached and didn't flex, there weren't any creaks or big gaps, and the quality of the surfaces felt like I expected: comparable to a middle-tier vehicle. It's not "cheap" feeling like I've seen may describe, but it's definitely not high-end either. Overall, I ended up really liking the Y's interior.

UX
This was my biggest concern going into the demo drive. I like mechanical buttons and generally don't like interacting with a touch screen in cars. To my pleasant surprise, however, it turned out my fears were completely unfounded. The things I absolutely want mechanical buttons for are still easily accessible on the steering wheel: audio volume, skipping songs / tuning the radio, and cruise control. Navigating the menus to get to the steering wheel and mirror adjustments was a little bit tricky, but no more so than with any other car I'm unfamiliar with. Temperature control, even being on the touch screen, is far easier to find and use than on most traditional cars -- I think part of the ease is due to the enormous size of the touch screen. Almost everything else, even if it's buried in a menu on the screen, is also available via voice control, making it extremely easy to operate without taking your eyes off the road. The "ding" sound when a traffic light turns green -- this feature alone almost had me ready to throw money at Tesla. The Y's UX, despite being different from what I'm used to, was a breeze to use and honestly quite refreshing.

Infotainment
All I'll say, is Tesla absolutely blows away every other manufacturer's infotainment. The screen is huge and responsive, there are tons of apps, the maps and nav are great. The only thing missing is Android Auto and CarPlay, but Tesla's software is actually good enough I don't think I'd miss it.

Ride Quality
This is where things took a turn for the worse, but not in the ways that I expected. I knew I wouldn't feel like I was riding on a cloud, and some amount of road noise wasn't going to surprise me. I drove on some moderately rough patches of road and it was just "fine." The suspension is certainly stiffer than you'll get on most other cars on the road, and you'll feel more bumps and potholes. It feels more like a sports car suspension, but the car really handles more like a sports car, so it's not all that surprising and it really didn't turn me off at all. There was some amount of noise from outside the car that was quite apparent for the drive. While it wasn't unbearable, it certainly wasn't good. What finally broke the deal for me, though, was the strange low-frequency resonance that many on this forum seem to refer to as "booming" / "buffeting." The sound wasn't always present, but when it was, oh man it sucked. It feels like having a high-power subwoofer blasting out a barely-audible frequency that just rumbles in your ears and chest. The sound was most prevalent at low cruising speeds around 30-40mph, even on pretty smooth roads. This issue was actually the main reason for my second demo drive. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but the second demo car turned out to be EVEN WORSE than the first.

Disappointing Summary
Overall, I ended up just being really disappointed in the whole thing. I went from not just ready to buy a Y, but excited to buy a Y based on a previous drive, all the way to realizing there's no way I can justify buying a car that sounds like this. And my change of heart came not from any of the typical complaints about Teslas or EVs, but from a basic inability to meet a "can I even tolerate being in this car for more than 20 minutes with my eyes closed" requirement. There's so much to love about the Y, but there's no amount of cool features that can override fundamental riding discomfort. The fact that two demo Ys had this issue should highlight just how prevalent this issue is, and I really can't believe they're selling as many Ys as they are with demos like this.

If I don't end up buying something else soon (I'll be going to check out an EV6 later this week), then I may have another look at the Y in a year or so and see if things have improved at all.

My overall opinion: :sad_face:

View attachment 910530
"File:Tesla Model Y rear passenger view.jpg" by Daniel.Cardenas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

Appreciated the thoughtful review. Having owned both Long Range and Performance Model Ys, I agree wil comments about the induction wheels being noisier (and stiffer ride). That said, I love the MYP for me either model provides a driving experience like no other.

 

[Evpowerdan]

That "Boominess" not limited to the Model Y. Most SUV's have that, as the more open of a cabin to the rear truck is what you are hearing. Plus, electric vehicles are quiet without the engine, exhaust and drive train to drown it out.

My 2021 RDX has that, one way to reduce it is keep the cargo cover installed and closed. Getting a thick rear cargo floor liner or rear carpeting will help absorb all they you hear in an electric SUV.

 

[enemji]

That "Boominess" not limited to the Model Y. Most SUV's have that, as the more open of a cabin to the rear truck is what you are hearing. Plus, electric vehicles are quiet without the engine, exhaust and drive train to drown it out.

My 2021 RDX has that, one way to reduce it is keep the cargo cover installed and closed. Getting a thick rear cargo floor liner or rear carpeting will help absorb all they you hear in an electric SUV.

I believe a softer read suspension with a softer/compliant bushing that does not transmit all the vibrations to the body makes the big difference

 

[navarroJ]

Not everyone experiences the boominess you describe. There are several looooooong threads here with solutions that people have tried to reduce, if not eliminate, the sensations. One in particular is called 'Ear Pain....'. Search for that one. Also, the hatch may not have been adjusted properly - that has shown to be a source of some of the sound. That's easily rectified and may help. Some newer cars (mostly from Austin, I believe) have a package shelf which may also reduce some of the sound. I don't have that issue, thankfully, and based on anecdotal data, most people do not. As far as the ride, it seems like people coming from German cars (VW and Audi for me) seem to have less issue with the firmness of the ride than those coming from other makes. I love the ride/handling balance of the car. I have the 19" Gemini wheels; if the demo you drove had the 20" Induction wheels (they are black) the little bit of a smaller sidewall may make a difference.

My wife and I recently just took delivery of our 2023 Long Range Y . We have been lucky we haven’t noticed any booming . I didn’t know this was an issue on some of the Ys. Upon delivery of car we definitely had a very long thorough checklist from gaps between body panels to inspecting all lights and other infotainment functions before we fully accept . The other gentleman from this reply post is correct too. I believe the performance has a slightly more stiffer handling because of the sport suspension and the 20” wheels have a thinner tire . We were also on the fence between the Performance and Long Range Model . We’re glad we decided with Long Range , the 19s wheels with the proper tire fitment and the suspension was a bit more comfortable . I do understand the concern for the random booming sounds . We were fortunate lucky . Happy hunting on your new car . Cheers

 

[joetomasone]

I've never experienced this "low frequency sound" on my car or any of the other 4 or 5 Teslas I've driven. I never knew this was a thing...

Maybe it's limited to the Model Y? Never had this problem on my 2019 Model 3 LR, and had never heard of it at all before.

To the OP - Assuming this is limited to the Y and it's a problem with particular vehicles, maybe you should simply order one if you otherwise loved it, but if you find that yours has the issue, raise a warranty claim? Did the sales rep for your test drive say anything about this issue or otherwise address your concern?

You might also want to test drive a Model 3 - essentially the same car, just a bit lower and with a trunk instead of a hatchback - which sounds like it would make all the difference based on the other posts in this thread.

 

[Evpowerdan]

Maybe it's limited to the Model Y? Never had this problem on my 2019 Model 3 LR, and had never heard of it at all before.

To the OP - Assuming this is limited to the Y and it's a problem with particular vehicles, maybe you should simply order one if you otherwise loved it, but if you find that yours has the issue, raise a warranty claim? Did the sales rep for your test drive say anything about this issue or otherwise address your concern?

You might also want to test drive a Model 3 - essentially the same car, just a bit lower and with a trunk instead of a hatchback - which sounds like it would make all the difference based on the other posts in this thread.

Correct - it's any vehicle with an open back to the rear cargo area you will hear some sort of "booming" - from the tires and lack of isolation in the rear cargo area. Sedans suppress that noise, as the rear cargo compartment is closed off by a rear window deck and the thick back seats.

Bigger tires (20" and 21") with stiff suspension will create that sound. You will get use to it in time - but never as quiet as a sedan with a dedicated enclosed trunk. If one puts down the rear seats, even in a sedan - you will hear that "Boominess".

Like I noted before - my 2021 Acura RDX Aspec with 20" wheels you can notice a "boominess" sound compared to the Model 3. Some of that is drowned out with the ICE engine - which makes it less noticeable. If you are coming from a ICE vehicle, you will hear more wind noice and other noise due to it not having a roaring engine that muffles the sounds.

 

[vadikcoma]

I'm a long-term hybrid driver and I've been itching to make the leap to an all-electric. Based on many glowing reviews from friends who own Teslas, as well as a brief drive of a family member's Model Y, I was ready to pull the trigger and buy a Model Y Long Range after the price drop earlier this year. I ended up holding off, though, to give my wife a chance to try it out with a demo drive before buying, and I ended up being glad we waited and did the demo.

After my two LR demo drives, I was surprised by several things, both good and bad, but ultimately decided now is the not the time to buy a Y. Here's my thoughts:

tl;dr I liked almost everything, but the low-frequency rumbling resonance sounds drove me crazy. Until this is fixed, there's zero chance I'm buying a Y.

Performance
Even after previously driving a Y, I was still surprised at just how much torque is available IMMEDIATELY at any speed. My foot is still calibrated to an underpowered hybrid, so this is something I haven't had in a daily driver in a long time. That feeling of instantly pinning yourself to the back of your seat is just flat out fun. and the Y is just a joy to drive in this regard. The quick responsiveness is something you can't get even in most high-end performance ICE vehicles, much less a "family car" like the Y.

Interior Finish
I was unsure how I'd feel about the interior finishes, especially after reading a few reviews from more traditional auto review sources. It's definitely minimalistic, but it's not without any styling though. There's enough detail to make it feel like some attention was paid to aesthetics, so you're not just riding in bland a box, but it's not trying to feel like driving in a high-end luxury car. For me, that's a good thing. Door panels felt solidly attached and didn't flex, there weren't any creaks or big gaps, and the quality of the surfaces felt like I expected: comparable to a middle-tier vehicle. It's not "cheap" feeling like I've seen may describe, but it's definitely not high-end either. Overall, I ended up really liking the Y's interior.

UX
This was my biggest concern going into the demo drive. I like mechanical buttons and generally don't like interacting with a touch screen in cars. To my pleasant surprise, however, it turned out my fears were completely unfounded. The things I absolutely want mechanical buttons for are still easily accessible on the steering wheel: audio volume, skipping songs / tuning the radio, and cruise control. Navigating the menus to get to the steering wheel and mirror adjustments was a little bit tricky, but no more so than with any other car I'm unfamiliar with. Temperature control, even being on the touch screen, is far easier to find and use than on most traditional cars -- I think part of the ease is due to the enormous size of the touch screen. Almost everything else, even if it's buried in a menu on the screen, is also available via voice control, making it extremely easy to operate without taking your eyes off the road. The "ding" sound when a traffic light turns green -- this feature alone almost had me ready to throw money at Tesla. The Y's UX, despite being different from what I'm used to, was a breeze to use and honestly quite refreshing.

Infotainment
All I'll say, is Tesla absolutely blows away every other manufacturer's infotainment. The screen is huge and responsive, there are tons of apps, the maps and nav are great. The only thing missing is Android Auto and CarPlay, but Tesla's software is actually good enough I don't think I'd miss it.

Ride Quality
This is where things took a turn for the worse, but not in the ways that I expected. I knew I wouldn't feel like I was riding on a cloud, and some amount of road noise wasn't going to surprise me. I drove on some moderately rough patches of road and it was just "fine." The suspension is certainly stiffer than you'll get on most other cars on the road, and you'll feel more bumps and potholes. It feels more like a sports car suspension, but the car really handles more like a sports car, so it's not all that surprising and it really didn't turn me off at all. There was some amount of noise from outside the car that was quite apparent for the drive. While it wasn't unbearable, it certainly wasn't good. What finally broke the deal for me, though, was the strange low-frequency resonance that many on this forum seem to refer to as "booming" / "buffeting." The sound wasn't always present, but when it was, oh man it sucked. It feels like having a high-power subwoofer blasting out a barely-audible frequency that just rumbles in your ears and chest. The sound was most prevalent at low cruising speeds around 30-40mph, even on pretty smooth roads. This issue was actually the main reason for my second demo drive. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but the second demo car turned out to be EVEN WORSE than the first.

Disappointing Summary
Overall, I ended up just being really disappointed in the whole thing. I went from not just ready to buy a Y, but excited to buy a Y based on a previous drive, all the way to realizing there's no way I can justify buying a car that sounds like this. And my change of heart came not from any of the typical complaints about Teslas or EVs, but from a basic inability to meet a "can I even tolerate being in this car for more than 20 minutes with my eyes closed" requirement. There's so much to love about the Y, but there's no amount of cool features that can override fundamental riding discomfort. The fact that two demo Ys had this issue should highlight just how prevalent this issue is, and I really can't believe they're selling as many Ys as they are with demos like this.

If I don't end up buying something else soon (I'll be going to check out an EV6 later this week), then I may have another look at the Y in a year or so and see if things have improved at all.

My overall opinion: :sad_face:

View attachment 910530
"File:Tesla Model Y rear passenger view.jpg" by Daniel.Cardenas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

What I noticed - adding a rear trunk cover does help a lot with the booming sound from the trunk. Basically trunk acts as a chamber. And trunk cover breaks the sound wave.

I have 2021 model Y which was originally without trunk cover. I went to SC for a retrofit specifically to solve sound issue. And situation is better now

 

[Electric700]

Drtz, you should tell the Tesla Sales Team there about your experience and unhappiness with the loud sound. Also, tell them about the quick hatch adjustment people are saying will work. Tesla Service can do the fix and then you can take another test drive afterward before going forward with an order.

I am also in the group of people who never had this issue, so it seems like it shouldn't be a frequent problem across Teslas.

 

[enemji]

Does the Model Y have an motorized actuator trunk/hatch lock? or is it just the dual mechanical lock like on the doors?

I am not talking about the going up and down. I am talking about the actual lock itself. For example my Mercedes SUV has a motorized actuator that actually keeps turning until the door is totally shut tight.

 

[Ken Thomas]

Very interesting thread.

I have a hearing birth defect and wear a custom hearing aid. It has to be custom because my hearing issue is not common hearing loss, thus no commercial hearing aids are available that work for me. In any event, it's frequency response extends deep into the infrasound region - single digit frequencies.

Every car I have owned or have ridden in has been a major issue with my hearing aid due to overwhelming infrasound oscillations - Except for our MYLR. The oscillation of all other cars is so powerful it chops the audible sound of the hearing aid at the offending frequency rate. It's very uncomfortable and makes it hard to understand what anyone is saying. In our MYLR, conversations are smooth and easy. Indeed, bumps and potholes affect it, but not on normal relatively smooth roads.

 

[Iron]

Were the other cars ICE, by chance?

 

[Padelford]

RE the low frequency booming: roll down a rear door window while driving 30-40 mph. This typically causes a low-frequency vibration/booming noise - the vehicle interior is resonating with the airflow. Does this sound like the MY noise? If so, there’s a misalignment in the rear doors or rear hatch that’s affecting the seals.

 

[Sambub]

That’s such a great pic of a red Y in the OP! Is it a LR?

Makes me want go red on the next Tesla.