First Test Drive - Initial Impressions And Buying Thoughts

[Spidey616]

I got to test drive a model Y yesterday and for the most part it was a pretty great experience. I live in WV is is not very EV friendly. Our closest service center is up in Pittsburgh PA. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Tesla had a demo Model Y stationed at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, WV. I signed up online to do a test drive and got a confirmation e-mail. From that point I had no more e-mail contact which seemed a little odd.

When I got to Oglebay to drive the Tesla is was fairly easy to find and was plugged into one of the two destination chargers. There was a QR code in the window to check in and do the test drive. However, my Pixel phone couldn't read the QR code for the test drive. Interestingly enough the other QR codes, for trade-in and demo videos, worked fine. Luckily they had a contact number for the Tesla Service Center up in Pittsburgh. I called in, talked to one of the sales staff and they unlocked the car for me and asked if I had any questions for my first test drive. I think I asked a couple questions and the lady on the phone was kind enough to answer them. From that point I was good to go for a 30 minute test drive.

My current daily driver is a 2020 Outback Touring and I used that as my comparison for the Long Range Model Y.

1. Likes/Pros
   1. The process of doing the test drive is super simple. If i could have used the QR code to checkin I would never have needed to talk to a person which is kind of refreshing.
   2. Acceleration is just tons of fun on these cars. Tap the pedal and it just goes. That's a ton of fun.
   3. Steering settings - I liked being able to change to different modes. That being said I felt like I was fighting the car some in sport mode. In normal mode it was much more comfortable.'
   4. Ride Height - I drive a Subaru which has pretty great ride height. Model Y isn't as high up but I didn't feel like I sat much lower than in my Outback.
   5. One Pedal Driving - The Model Y had been charged to 100% so I'm sure my regenerative breaking wasn't working. That being said I got an impression of how the one pedal driving works. After about 10 minutes I felt comfortable with it and was able to stop taking my foot off the 'Gas' pedal and putting it on the brakes. This is something I thought would have more of a learning curve for me. That being said on the interstate I wager I'll feel different about it.
   6. Fit and finish - the car was in good shape and had a clean look/feel to it. My demo unit had 400ish miles on it with CA plates. Side note, no lumbar support for the passenger seat. I can understand why people enjoy the interior so much. There's not much to it but its still nice.
   7. Rear storage - Plenty of storage in the back. Comparable to what I have in my Outback so that would be an easy adjustment.
   8. Turn signal stalk - this one seems dumb but I loved that it just moves and snaps back and will keep the blinker going. I'm describing it poorly, but my Outback holds the stalk in place until you complete a turn. I liked that the stalk always stays in the same place.
2. Dislikes/Cons
   1. Drivers seat comfort - Full disclosure I'm 6"4' 260+ pounds so I'm not small. I just couldn't adjust the seat to a comfortable position. To me it felt like the seat was a bit more narrow than those in my Outback. I also didn't realize that the headrest wasn't adjustable so it felt like the headrest was constantly pushing my head forward. I like to sit more upright than reclined so maybe I just need to adjust to reclining a bit more and then the headrest would be less of an issue. But I'm not sure how to 'fix' the feeling that the seat is more narrow. I wager its something I'd adjust to with time but it was kind of jarring at first. On a sidenote I'm bummed Model Y doesn't have ventilated seats. I love them on my Outback even with their weaker implementation of seat ventilation.
   2. Rear view look - I'd seen people post about how visibility out the back window was not great. They weren't wrong, as I felt like I couldn't see very well out the back. That being said I've been driving Outbacks for the last 7-8 years and rear visibility is pretty solid. I think it's something I could get used to but there would be adjustment period. It looks like its feasible to use the rear view camera while driving but I don't think that's a great solution for interstate driving.
   3. Blind Spot Monitoring - This is again something I can probably adjust to. I love on my current Outback that there's a light on the side view mirrors that illuminates if a vehicle is in your blindspot. I wish the Model Y had that. I know it will alert you on the center console too but that's a lot of eye movement being done to go back and forth between mirror and center display.
3. Neutral
   1. The grey/silver colored Model Y looks better in person than it does in pictures. I'm still leaning towards either Blue or White but I could live with the grey too.

Overall, it was a fun experience and has me a lot more interested in potentially getting a Model Y. After driving Model Y and seeing how I fit in it, the Model 3 is probably out of the running now. I still have some concerns but more regarding service. I live in WV, which is not EV friendly, and the nearest service center is 90-120 minutes away (traffic depending). If I'm having an issue or need service the rangers can't provide that drive is going to get old really fast. My hope is that the service center is generous with loaner vehicles as Ubering back home or taking two cars up the service center are a no-go.

The thing that surprised me the most was just how much I didn't like the driver's seat. I plan to do another test drive where maybe I'm a little less excited and can spend some more time trying to dial that seat in right. If I can't be comfortable in the car it doesn't make sense to dump my current Outback. I think I can get it dialed in and then also adjust to how different the seats are it will just take time.

For someone who lives in WV and wants to be able to travel long distances Tesla is the only feasible vendor for me. I'm certainly leaning towards making a switch at some point. TBH it depends on whether the EV Tax Credits return. If so I think i'm in to start the EV experiment in WV for me. Thanks to anyone that read my overly detailed post. I think I'm using this post as a way to work through all of my plans for potentially getting a Model Y.

 

[Clark_Kent]

Seems you have too many obstacles to overcome to make Model Y ownership feasible. The last thing you want to do is talk yourself into making this work and ruining your ownership experience.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

I would say that after some driving and adjusting the side-view mirrors properly, your visibility concerns will vanish.

I live 120 mins from nearest service center and 150 from nearest showroom. But both are in “civilization” so taking the car over for some service and running around in a loaner M3 is a nice day out for us. No concerns here for occasional visits.

If I had to take any car in for repeated service it wouldn’t matter how close the service center was ….. it would still be a pain.

All my research led to the conclusion that if my Y is “typical”, I won’t be in the sc much and it won’t be a problem being far away.

Seems to me your hurdle is the seat. Would be worth spending some time with it to see if you could make it work for you. I hope you can ….. the car is a blast.

 

[spokey]

I went from a 2015 outback to the MY. I'm also close in stature. Was 6'4" and around 260 younger but I've lost about 1 1/2" and 30 lbs in my old age.

I really did like the Outback and wish they had come out with an EV version. Even wrote the president of subaru stating that I'd buy one in a heart beat (they did boiler plate reply).

On your pros, yeah pretty much. I do think the height is actually a tad better in the MY. I had to climb a little into the Outback and the MY seems like it's just about the perfect height. And after a year in the MY I still feel like my butts touching the road in my wife's' 2019 Camry hybrid as a comparison.

cons

Yeah the rear window. If so inclined, you can touch the screen and get the rear and side cameras. I've done that upon occasion.

Seats. Yeah I think the Subie was a better seat but I'm OK with the MY.

On service; there isn't much. I think they recommend a brake flush at 2 years and the occasional cabin filter (I plan on doing that myself as I've with every previous car). I haven't been back to the SC at all. I had a problem with a tire. When checking the pressure I screwed up the valve core and the tire leaked. Mobile service came and replaced it free. I have an appointment for 1 July for a door handle that doesn't retract full (noted at delivery) and a rattle in the driver seat belt pillar anchor. Maybe mobile service will be less available to you.

I got used to the 1-pedal on the way home. I end up using the brake 2 or 3 times a week I'd say.

I just got rid of the Outback over memorial weekend. Drove it to Denver to give to the youngest. It was still fun to drive but I've go no regrets on the MY.

 

[Donncha]

I got to test drive a model Y yesterday and for the most part it was a pretty great experience. I live in WV is is not very EV friendly. Our closest service center is up in Pittsburgh PA. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Tesla had a demo Model Y stationed at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, WV. I signed up online to do a test drive and got a confirmation e-mail. From that point I had no more e-mail contact which seemed a little odd.

When I got to Oglebay to drive the Tesla is was fairly easy to find and was plugged into one of the two destination chargers. There was a QR code in the window to check in and do the test drive. However, my Pixel phone couldn't read the QR code for the test drive. Interestingly enough the other QR codes, for trade-in and demo videos, worked fine. Luckily they had a contact number for the Tesla Service Center up in Pittsburgh. I called in, talked to one of the sales staff and they unlocked the car for me and asked if I had any questions for my first test drive. I think I asked a couple questions and the lady on the phone was kind enough to answer them. From that point I was good to go for a 30 minute test drive.

My current daily driver is a 2020 Outback Touring and I used that as my comparison for the Long Range Model Y.

1. Likes/Pros
   1. The process of doing the test drive is super simple. If i could have used the QR code to checkin I would never have needed to talk to a person which is kind of refreshing.
   2. Acceleration is just tons of fun on these cars. Tap the pedal and it just goes. That's a ton of fun.
   3. Steering settings - I liked being able to change to different modes. That being said I felt like I was fighting the car some in sport mode. In normal mode it was much more comfortable.'
   4. Ride Height - I drive a Subaru which has pretty great ride height. Model Y isn't as high up but I didn't feel like I sat much lower than in my Outback.
   5. One Pedal Driving - The Model Y had been charged to 100% so I'm sure my regenerative breaking wasn't working. That being said I got an impression of how the one pedal driving works. After about 10 minutes I felt comfortable with it and was able to stop taking my foot off the 'Gas' pedal and putting it on the brakes. This is something I thought would have more of a learning curve for me. That being said on the interstate I wager I'll feel different about it.
   6. Fit and finish - the car was in good shape and had a clean look/feel to it. My demo unit had 400ish miles on it with CA plates. Side note, no lumbar support for the passenger seat. I can understand why people enjoy the interior so much. There's not much to it but its still nice.
   7. Rear storage - Plenty of storage in the back. Comparable to what I have in my Outback so that would be an easy adjustment.
   8. Turn signal stalk - this one seems dumb but I loved that it just moves and snaps back and will keep the blinker going. I'm describing it poorly, but my Outback holds the stalk in place until you complete a turn. I liked that the stalk always stays in the same place.
2. Dislikes/Cons
   1. Drivers seat comfort - Full disclosure I'm 6"4' 260+ pounds so I'm not small. I just couldn't adjust the seat to a comfortable position. To me it felt like the seat was a bit more narrow than those in my Outback. I also didn't realize that the headrest wasn't adjustable so it felt like the headrest was constantly pushing my head forward. I like to sit more upright than reclined so maybe I just need to adjust to reclining a bit more and then the headrest would be less of an issue. But I'm not sure how to 'fix' the feeling that the seat is more narrow. I wager its something I'd adjust to with time but it was kind of jarring at first. On a sidenote I'm bummed Model Y doesn't have ventilated seats. I love them on my Outback even with their weaker implementation of seat ventilation.
   2. Rear view look - I'd seen people post about how visibility out the back window was not great. They weren't wrong, as I felt like I couldn't see very well out the back. That being said I've been driving Outbacks for the last 7-8 years and rear visibility is pretty solid. I think it's something I could get used to but there would be adjustment period. It looks like its feasible to use the rear view camera while driving but I don't think that's a great solution for interstate driving.
   3. Blind Spot Monitoring - This is again something I can probably adjust to. I love on my current Outback that there's a light on the side view mirrors that illuminates if a vehicle is in your blindspot. I wish the Model Y had that. I know it will alert you on the center console too but that's a lot of eye movement being done to go back and forth between mirror and center display.
3. Neutral
   1. The grey/silver colored Model Y looks better in person than it does in pictures. I'm still leaning towards either Blue or White but I could live with the grey too.

Overall, it was a fun experience and has me a lot more interested in potentially getting a Model Y. After driving Model Y and seeing how I fit in it, the Model 3 is probably out of the running now. I still have some concerns but more regarding service. I live in WV, which is not EV friendly, and the nearest service center is 90-120 minutes away (traffic depending). If I'm having an issue or need service the rangers can't provide that drive is going to get old really fast. My hope is that the service center is generous with loaner vehicles as Ubering back home or taking two cars up the service center are a no-go.

The thing that surprised me the most was just how much I didn't like the driver's seat. I plan to do another test drive where maybe I'm a little less excited and can spend some more time trying to dial that seat in right. If I can't be comfortable in the car it doesn't make sense to dump my current Outback. I think I can get it dialed in and then also adjust to how different the seats are it will just take time.

For someone who lives in WV and wants to be able to travel long distances Tesla is the only feasible vendor for me. I'm certainly leaning towards making a switch at some point. TBH it depends on whether the EV Tax Credits return. If so I think i'm in to start the EV experiment in WV for me. Thanks to anyone that read my overly detailed post. I think I'm using this post as a way to work through all of my plans for potentially getting a Model Y.

Good review. We have been an outback family for years and my wife still has hers but now instead of taking her car all the time we use my MYLR. I do share all your concerns and wish Tesla would have better seats, blind spot monitoring, and better visibility through the rear window.

I wish the traffic monitoring would show more distance in the rear vs the front.

I'm 6' and have finally been able to find comfortable seat settings.

We love the Tesla but if Subaru gets an ev we would have to check it out.

 

[spokey]

Supposedly Subaru and Toyota were in talks to form a joint venture to produce an EV. I think they were going to have their individual brands on it. Rumor had it that the crosstrek was the leading platform. They both better get hopping. Several states supposedly are requiring EVs in the near future. Of course Toyota is pinning it's hopes on the fuel cell hybrid which if the can get the infrastructure, I think is a great idea. Might solve the EV range problem if you have a plug-in fuel cell with a half decent battery

 

[Spidey616]

I went from a 2015 outback to the MY. I'm also close in stature. Was 6'4" and around 260 younger but I've lost about 1 1/2" and 30 lbs in my old age.

I really did like the Outback and wish they had come out with an EV version. Even wrote the president of subaru stating that I'd buy one in a heart beat (they did boiler plate reply).

On your pros, yeah pretty much. I do think the height is actually a tad better in the MY. I had to climb a little into the Outback and the MY seems like it's just about the perfect height. And after a year in the MY I still feel like my butts touching the road in my wife's' 2019 Camry hybrid as a comparison.

cons

Yeah the rear window. If so inclined, you can touch the screen and get the rear and side cameras. I've done that upon occasion.

Seats. Yeah I think the Subie was a better seat but I'm OK with the MY.

On service; there isn't much. I think they recommend a brake flush at 2 years and the occasional cabin filter (I plan on doing that myself as I've with every previous car). I haven't been back to the SC at all. I had a problem with a tire. When checking the pressure I screwed up the valve core and the tire leaked. Mobile service came and replaced it free. I have an appointment for 1 July for a door handle that doesn't retract full (noted at delivery) and a rattle in the driver seat belt pillar anchor. Maybe mobile service will be less available to you.

I got used to the 1-pedal on the way home. I end up using the brake 2 or 3 times a week I'd say.

I just got rid of the Outback over memorial weekend. Drove it to Denver to give to the youngest. It was still fun to drive but I've go no regrets on the MY.

I'm glad to hear from a fellow Outback driver. In regards to the rear window I think its just something to adjust to, and to potentially rely on the cameras and sensors.

I've also been hoping to see Subaru get into the EV game. They are partnering with Toyota on that front so my concern there is something Crosstrek sized instead of Outback sized. That and charging would be a problem for me as aside from Superchargers there's not great options for fast chargin in WV.

 

[Tslgrl]

You may want to call Pittsburgh to ask if they will give you one for an overnight test.

Our local did and we are so thankful they did as We are a one car family so the car had to work for both my husband and myself - honestly without taking it for a night I’m not sure we would have ever bought one.

I find the seat is snug in the hips where the sides of it rise up - may impact you. The rear window is defo tiny although after putting 2000km on ours I can say I don’t find myself looking out the rear of the car as much as I used to - I think because the cameras are just so great!

good luck with your decision.

 

[jfort]

We just went from an Ascent 7 passenger to a MY 7 passenger. It definitely has taken some adjustment but no regrets!

 

[eleven24]

Took a test drive this past Saturday in King of Prussia, PA (Near Philly). 20 min into the test drive we got an alert on the NAV that the car had a service appointment in Northern NJ. A few minutes after that alert I got a phone call asking if we were almost done, gently and politely asking if we could bring the car back because it just sold online. Assumed I could just schedule another test drive this week, but there is nothing in a 100 mile radius available to test drive. A week ago there were many options. Tesla called me after I tried scheduling another test drive to tell me cars would return sometime in July.

I mention this because I wanted to get in the car again and drive without the initial excitement. Seems kind of foolish to me that Tesla would pull demo vehicles out of commission and leave NOTHING for anyone to test drive. I'm not just talking a Y. There's nothing.

Elon might be asking for the push to move vehicles, but without something to sit in a lot of people are just going to hold off on those orders. Kind of hard to make the leap to an EV without being able to drive one.

That said, I put my order in on Monday. I'll test drive on again in July, and if I don't like it I'll cancel my order. At least I'm "in line" for one come September.

 

[spokey]

Took a test drive this past Saturday in King of Prussia, PA (Near Philly). 20 min into the test drive we got an alert on the NAV that the car had a service appointment in Northern NJ. A few minutes after that alert I got a phone call asking if we were almost done, gently and politely asking if we could bring the car back because it just sold online. Assumed I could just schedule another test drive this week, but there is nothing in a 100 mile radius available to test drive. A week ago there were many options. Tesla called me after I tried scheduling another test drive to tell me cars would return sometime in July.

I mention this because I wanted to get in the car again and drive without the initial excitement. Seems kind of foolish to me that Tesla would pull demo vehicles out of commission and leave NOTHING for anyone to test drive. I'm not just talking a Y. There's nothing.

Elon might be asking for the push to move vehicles, but without something to sit in a lot of people are just going to hold off on those orders. Kind of hard to make the leap to an EV without being able to drive one.

That said, I put my order in on Monday. I'll test drive on again in July, and if I don't like it I'll cancel my order. At least I'm "in line" for one come September.

Did you try Lawrenceville? They're pretty big and not that from from Doylestown. It's on Rt 1 across from the Quakerbridge center.

 

[spokey]

. . .
I find the seat is snug in the hips where the sides of it rise up - may impact you.

Agreed. That is the only complaint I have about the seat.

 

[eleven24]

Did you try Lawrenceville? They're pretty big and not that from from Doylestown. It's on Rt 1 across from the Quakerbridge center.

Just put in Lawrenceville zip code in test drive form (instead of my own) and every day availability for test drives. Thank you! I just assumed since I talked to Tesla on the phone that they would've looked at Princeton since they told me the closest one was at Christiana DE.

 

[Fourdoor]

Took a test drive this past Saturday in King of Prussia, PA (Near Philly). 20 min into the test drive we got an alert on the NAV that the car had a service appointment in Northern NJ. A few minutes after that alert I got a phone call asking if we were almost done, gently and politely asking if we could bring the car back because it just sold online. Assumed I could just schedule another test drive this week, but there is nothing in a 100 mile radius available to test drive. A week ago there were many options. Tesla called me after I tried scheduling another test drive to tell me cars would return sometime in July.

I mention this because I wanted to get in the car again and drive without the initial excitement. Seems kind of foolish to me that Tesla would pull demo vehicles out of commission and leave NOTHING for anyone to test drive. I'm not just talking a Y. There's nothing.

Elon might be asking for the push to move vehicles, but without something to sit in a lot of people are just going to hold off on those orders. Kind of hard to make the leap to an EV without being able to drive one.

That said, I put my order in on Monday. I'll test drive on again in July, and if I don't like it I'll cancel my order. At least I'm "in line" for one come September.

I got an interesting story with the MYP I just took out of inventory. If I purchased it, I had to do the deal before Jul 1, or not at all. On Jul 1 (start of next quarter) the car would have been taken out of available for sale inventory and returned to test drive only duty! I hope I didn't interrupt anyone's test drive when I hit the "buy it" button

Keith

 

[Fourdoor]

Just put in Lawrenceville zip code in test drive form (instead of my own) and every day availability for test drives. Thank you! I just assumed since I talked to Tesla on the phone that they would've looked at Princeton since they told me the closest one was at Christiana DE.

The majority of Tesla sales and delivery people live in California and Nevada... they don't have a clue about the geography of the fly over states.

Keith

 

[patnshan]

6'3" tall and 235. Most comfortable seats in any car I've owned including several luxury brands. And you'll get over the rear window view thing pretty quick. I thought it would be a big deal, but I forgot about it in a week.

 

[MY-Y]

6'3" tall and 235. Most comfortable seats in any car I've owned including several luxury brands. And you'll get over the rear window view thing pretty quick. I thought it would be a big deal, but I forgot about it in a week.

This is true. I had rear view mirror pictures from my test drive to see if I could deal with the reported terrible view. I decided the pros outweighed this seemly major issue.

I've enjoyed the car for over a year now, and the rear view is not an issue at all. Yes, you see less sky, and need the camera for backing up - the view when driving is great.

 

[tangible1]

I got to test drive a model Y yesterday and for the most part it was a pretty great experience. I live in WV is is not very EV friendly. Our closest service center is up in Pittsburgh PA. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Tesla had a demo Model Y stationed at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, WV. I signed up online to do a test drive and got a confirmation e-mail. From that point I had no more e-mail contact which seemed a little odd.

When I got to Oglebay to drive the Tesla is was fairly easy to find and was plugged into one of the two destination chargers. There was a QR code in the window to check in and do the test drive. However, my Pixel phone couldn't read the QR code for the test drive. Interestingly enough the other QR codes, for trade-in and demo videos, worked fine. Luckily they had a contact number for the Tesla Service Center up in Pittsburgh. I called in, talked to one of the sales staff and they unlocked the car for me and asked if I had any questions for my first test drive. I think I asked a couple questions and the lady on the phone was kind enough to answer them. From that point I was good to go for a 30 minute test drive.

My current daily driver is a 2020 Outback Touring and I used that as my comparison for the Long Range Model Y.

1. Likes/Pros
   1. The process of doing the test drive is super simple. If i could have used the QR code to checkin I would never have needed to talk to a person which is kind of refreshing.
   2. Acceleration is just tons of fun on these cars. Tap the pedal and it just goes. That's a ton of fun.
   3. Steering settings - I liked being able to change to different modes. That being said I felt like I was fighting the car some in sport mode. In normal mode it was much more comfortable.'
   4. Ride Height - I drive a Subaru which has pretty great ride height. Model Y isn't as high up but I didn't feel like I sat much lower than in my Outback.
   5. One Pedal Driving - The Model Y had been charged to 100% so I'm sure my regenerative breaking wasn't working. That being said I got an impression of how the one pedal driving works. After about 10 minutes I felt comfortable with it and was able to stop taking my foot off the 'Gas' pedal and putting it on the brakes. This is something I thought would have more of a learning curve for me. That being said on the interstate I wager I'll feel different about it.
   6. Fit and finish - the car was in good shape and had a clean look/feel to it. My demo unit had 400ish miles on it with CA plates. Side note, no lumbar support for the passenger seat. I can understand why people enjoy the interior so much. There's not much to it but its still nice.
   7. Rear storage - Plenty of storage in the back. Comparable to what I have in my Outback so that would be an easy adjustment.
   8. Turn signal stalk - this one seems dumb but I loved that it just moves and snaps back and will keep the blinker going. I'm describing it poorly, but my Outback holds the stalk in place until you complete a turn. I liked that the stalk always stays in the same place.
2. Dislikes/Cons
   1. Drivers seat comfort - Full disclosure I'm 6"4' 260+ pounds so I'm not small. I just couldn't adjust the seat to a comfortable position. To me it felt like the seat was a bit more narrow than those in my Outback. I also didn't realize that the headrest wasn't adjustable so it felt like the headrest was constantly pushing my head forward. I like to sit more upright than reclined so maybe I just need to adjust to reclining a bit more and then the headrest would be less of an issue. But I'm not sure how to 'fix' the feeling that the seat is more narrow. I wager its something I'd adjust to with time but it was kind of jarring at first. On a sidenote I'm bummed Model Y doesn't have ventilated seats. I love them on my Outback even with their weaker implementation of seat ventilation.
   2. Rear view look - I'd seen people post about how visibility out the back window was not great. They weren't wrong, as I felt like I couldn't see very well out the back. That being said I've been driving Outbacks for the last 7-8 years and rear visibility is pretty solid. I think it's something I could get used to but there would be adjustment period. It looks like its feasible to use the rear view camera while driving but I don't think that's a great solution for interstate driving.
   3. Blind Spot Monitoring - This is again something I can probably adjust to. I love on my current Outback that there's a light on the side view mirrors that illuminates if a vehicle is in your blindspot. I wish the Model Y had that. I know it will alert you on the center console too but that's a lot of eye movement being done to go back and forth between mirror and center display.
3. Neutral
   1. The grey/silver colored Model Y looks better in person than it does in pictures. I'm still leaning towards either Blue or White but I could live with the grey too.

Overall, it was a fun experience and has me a lot more interested in potentially getting a Model Y. After driving Model Y and seeing how I fit in it, the Model 3 is probably out of the running now. I still have some concerns but more regarding service. I live in WV, which is not EV friendly, and the nearest service center is 90-120 minutes away (traffic depending). If I'm having an issue or need service the rangers can't provide that drive is going to get old really fast. My hope is that the service center is generous with loaner vehicles as Ubering back home or taking two cars up the service center are a no-go.

The thing that surprised me the most was just how much I didn't like the driver's seat. I plan to do another test drive where maybe I'm a little less excited and can spend some more time trying to dial that seat in right. If I can't be comfortable in the car it doesn't make sense to dump my current Outback. I think I can get it dialed in and then also adjust to how different the seats are it will just take time.

For someone who lives in WV and wants to be able to travel long distances Tesla is the only feasible vendor for me. I'm certainly leaning towards making a switch at some point. TBH it depends on whether the EV Tax Credits return. If so I think i'm in to start the EV experiment in WV for me. Thanks to anyone that read my overly detailed post. I think I'm using this post as a way to work through all of my plans for potentially getting a Model Y.

I had a similar headrest discomfort.
By playing with the tilt function of the seat-bottom (back of the flat lever goes up/down in addition to adjusting overall seat forwards/backwards)
in conjunction with the seatback fore-aft adjustment (the vertical lever, just to be clear) enables the headrest positioning to suit your needs.

 

[El joe]

6'3" tall and 235. Most comfortable seats in any car I've owned including several luxury brands. And you'll get over the rear window view thing pretty quick. I thought it would be a big deal, but I forgot about it in a week.

Same here. 6’2” and 240 and the Y is amazingly comfortable. And you get used to the rear window pretty quickly. My old Prius was much worse.

 

[tangible1]

The majority of Tesla sales and delivery people live in California and Nevada... they don't have a clue about the geography of the fly over states.

Keith

True. CA registrations are more than 3X the NE and NY metro total. Tesla is the new VW Beetle.