Is this why Model Y feels different from Model 3?

[jeremymc7]

We have one MYLR 2021 and one M3LR 2022.
There is no two ways about it, the M3 handles and drives ALOT better than the MY.
Planted, much less jarring a ride and a more comfortable ride quality all around. Also, the MY is a rattle box at 21k miles, the M3 still feels solid at 10k.
Only reason to get the MY is the increased utility. Wish MY suspension was that of a 65k car, not like a 30k Toyota from 1987.

Good insight. Before I got my (two) M3LR I wanted the MY. But the timing was so far out I just couldn’t wait. Funny enough the timing changed drastically from Tesla that what was supposed to be months turned into weeks the week after I got my cars.

But when I finally got to spend time with the Y in person I’m glad I didn’t get one.

Like many people at the time I thought the M3 was going to be a hatchback like the MS. Maybe one day they’ll redo it or offer bit versions. As a driver I actually preferred the M3 over the MS as well.

 

[ChadS]

I hear ya. I've had a Roadster, 2 S, an X, 2 Model 3, and a Y. The 3's handling was my favorite by a very large margin.

I drive the Y now. I love the extra cargo room and the hitch. Everything is as good or better than the 3...except the handling. I knew it would be different...but not THIS different. I still miss the 3's handling.

I should point out that you'll only notice the handling difference if you like to throw your cars into corners. My wife doesn't - she loves Tesla's acceleration, but only in a straight line - and she doesn't notice any handling difference between the two. The Y is perfectly fine if driven like, well, most people probably should on public streets.

 

[Kokukenji]

I wonder if you get some aftermarket springs, does it make the Y drive a bit closer to the 3? Maybe that's an option?

 

[Pianewman]

I wonder if you get some aftermarket springs, does it make the Y drive a bit closer to the 3? Maybe that's an option?

A bit...a very little bit. I have MPP Comfort coilovers, adjusted to lower about 5mm. Big improvement in road manners and stability, but the top-heavy nature of the MY is still noticeable.

The MY can't overcome it's higher center of gravity by tweaking the suspension. Once again, the laws of physics prevail

 

[Kokukenji]

A bit...a very little bit. I have MPP Comfort coilovers, adjusted to lower about 5mm. Big improvement in road manners and stability, but the top-heavy nature of the MY is still noticeable.

The MY can't overcome it's higher center of gravity by tweaking the suspension. Once again, the laws of physics prevail

Got it!

 

[voxel]

The higher seating position will definitely cause you to be thrown around more.

I loved the bucket seats of my Mach-E GT PE. Comfortable and held me in place. I feel Tesla needs them in the Performance trims.

 

[jeremymc7]

I loved the bucket seats of my Mach-E GT PE. Comfortable and held me in place. I feel Tesla needs them in the Performance trims.

I loved the bucket seats on my Uncle’s Mercedes with active bolsters that moved by themselves to loosen or tighten up depending on what your body and the car were doing.

 

[uicandrew]

as someone who has a M3LR and moving to a MYLR (or P) - and test drove a MYP today...... this thread really spoke to me....

I'm moving to the Y to take advantage of the tax credit, not having to bend over so much to get my rugrats into their car seats, get matrix headlights, and get a bit better ground clearance for when it snows a lot.

I got my M3LR in late 2018..... it's served me very well. (sniffle sniffle)

 

[JNM67]

LOL Camaro vs Tahoe is pretty extreme, but the point there is valid!

After testing the Y and then the 3, I was surprised how much more I liked driving the 3. They look so similar, feel so similar, ARE so similar...but the 3 handles and feels better going down the road. No two ways about it. I wanted to like the Y more, because I really like having a liftgate...but its driving experience didn't call to me the way the 3 did.

Later I thought back to other cases of a sedan(/hatchback/wagon) with a related crossover where I've driven both, and it all made sense. Subaru Impreza vs Forester, BMW 3-series vs X3, etc. It's the same. The sedan just drives and handles much better. What you gain in packaging with the crossover, you lose in driving dynamics.

I think sporty wagons make for a better tradeoff of utility vs driving dynamics. Clearly most of the car market disagrees with me though!

Yes I totally miss the sports wagon!!!

 

[tm1v2]

If any of you Y drivers are missing the 3 too much, go drive some of the Y's actual crossover competition. The Y is more fun than any gas CUV I've driven, and its packaging stacks up well too.

The Y is a good crossover, it's just not a sports sedan.

 

[Clun9]

If any of you Y drivers are missing the 3 too much, go drive some of the Y's actual crossover competition. The Y is more fun than any gas CUV I've driven, and its packaging stacks up well too.

The Y is a good crossover, it's just not a sports sedan.

Most CUV/SUVs. Then there are also others that are very good as well such as a Macan Turbo S, SQ5, GLC63, X3M/X5M. Those are all "performance" versions of other crossovers though.

 

[tm1v2]

Most CUV/SUVs. Then there are also others that are very good as well such as a Macan Turbo S, SQ5, GLC63, X3M/X5M. Those are all "performance" versions of other crossovers though.

@Clun9 I've wondered how much better those versions actually feel to throw around turns. Wife refuses gas guzzler engines, and would not appreciate the boy racer bodywork some M and AMG have. Macan keeps it classier I think, Porsche mostly saves the racer looking stuff for the sports cars, but fast Porsche's are ungodly expensive once optioned with our "must-have" features, and the Macan was bad at being a crossover (packaging, interior).

Base 2021 Macan was boring, small inside (for a crossover), and overall mediocre. Very good suspension tuning actually, but not engaging. I made a wrong turn and got pissed at myself for having to drive it longer. More power would help but Porsche dealer had nothing better to test, with any future deliveries months out. I won't buy a car I can't test, especially at Porsche prices. Interior was severely outdated and of mediocre quality. Inside space felt like a hatchback, I'd rather drive a hot hatch, more fun for less money.

2022 Volvo XC60 was very pleasant inside, good packaging, but not sporty at all. It's exactly what you would expect from a Volvo.

A regular X3 we tested years ago (2012 or 2013 maybe?) was utter garbage. Nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. Drove like crap. Interior looked and felt very cheap. I assume newer ones are much better, but my wife didn't ask to revisit the X3 this time around (last year's shopping), and I was fine with that.

Also from 2012 or 2013 ish, the Q5 turbodiesel engine was good! Lots of torque. And the handling was surprisingly decent in casual driving, as best I recall. Audi interior of that era was nothing special but was fine, better than the BMW. Obviously Model S won out over it though, easily. For last year's shopping wife didn't care to revisit the Q5 either.

The cheaper/mainstream crossovers I've driven are all meh to drive. Perfectly fine transportation appliances. A 2022 or maybe 2023 RAV4 hybrid I just drove was surprisingly pleasant. Not remotely sporty of course, but good comfort, good basic controls, and just a relaxing place to be for less money and less fuel than a premium brand. It got all the basics right, if you don't care about sport.

 

[tm1v2]

If you count the Mach-E GT PE as a crossover, that version (only the GT PE with magneride!!) drives better than a Y, easily. Better than any of those aforementioned ICE crossovers too. But the powertrain is a dud with serious thermal limits and reliability issues. Plus OTA software issues. I would never buy one or recommend it. Shame because it has a lot of good attributes. If it had Tesla level drivetrain and computers/software it would be seriously appealing and good (awkward Mustang naming and looks aside).

Regular Mach-E suspension is garbage though (tested Premium AWD), floaty and underdampened on the highway. And the Premium AWD felt underpowered compared to pretty much any Tesla. Perfectly fine for a mainstream car except for that floaty rear end, but not exciting or fun. The Bang & Olufsen system was properly bangin' though. Best stereo we tested in my opinion. Interior size and packaging were fine. Better than the Macan, not as good as Model Y or XC60 as best I recall.

 

[Clun9]

@Clun9 I've wondered how much better those versions actually feel to throw around turns. Wife refuses gas guzzler engines, and would not appreciate the boy racer bodywork some M and AMG have. Macan keeps it classier I think, Porsche mostly saves the racer looking stuff for the sports cars, but fast Porsche's are ungodly expensive once optioned with our "must-have" features, and the Macan was bad at being a crossover (packaging, interior).

Base 2021 Macan was boring, small inside (for a crossover), and overall mediocre. Very good suspension tuning actually, but not engaging. I made a wrong turn and got pissed at myself for having to drive it longer. More power would help but Porsche dealer had nothing better to test, with any future deliveries months out. I won't buy a car I can't test, especially at Porsche prices. Interior was severely outdated and of mediocre quality. Inside space felt like a hatchback, I'd rather drive a hot hatch, more fun for less money.

2022 Volvo XC60 was very pleasant inside, good packaging, but not sporty at all. It's exactly what you would expect from a Volvo.

A regular X3 we tested years ago (2012 or 2013 maybe?) was utter garbage. Nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. Drove like crap. Interior looked and felt very cheap. I assume newer ones are much better, but my wife didn't ask to revisit the X3 this time around (last year's shopping), and I was fine with that.

Also from 2012 or 2013 ish, the Q5 turbodiesel engine was good! Lots of torque. And the handling was surprisingly decent in casual driving, as best I recall. Audi interior of that era was nothing special but was fine, better than the BMW. Obviously Model S won out over it though, easily. For last year's shopping wife didn't care to revisit the Q5 either.

The cheaper/mainstream crossovers I've driven are all meh to drive. Perfectly fine transportation appliances. A 2022 or maybe 2023 RAV4 hybrid I just drove was surprisingly pleasant. Not remotely sporty of course, but good comfort, good basic controls, and just a relaxing place to be for less money and less fuel than a premium brand. It got all the basics right, if you don't care about sport.

The 2012-2013 Q5 is still the B8 generation. My SQ5 is from 2015 but essentially it is a Audi S4 with a ZF 8 speed auto which I had prior to it being stolen and totaled out. I LOVE my SQ5 still and I have done a whole lot to it at this point but it is fun to drive, very quick, reliable and I have absolutely no complaints with it. I am on KWs with a TON of aftermarket chassis bracing and sway bars. Compared to my MYP, yes the MYP is quicker off the line but the SQ5 does and will catch it before passing.

With my MYP on MPP Comforts, handling has gotten a lot better. Chassis structure of the MYP is far different from my SQ. That being said, I still want much thicker sway bars but I haven't seen much avail. I don't think Mountain Pass Performance has any MYP sway bars currently avail?

 

[tm1v2]

With my MYP on MPP Comforts, handling has gotten a lot better. Chassis structure of the MYP is far different from my SQ. That being said, I still want much thicker sway bars but I haven't seen much avail. I don't think Mountain Pass Performance has any MYP sway bars currently avail?

@Clun9 For what it's worth, on a Model 3 I would highly recommend stiffer coilovers before stiffer sway bars. Like MPP Sport or Redwood Performance Sport. I believe the MPP Comforts have spring rates similar to stock. I don't have enough experience with a Y to be certain I'd feel the same way, but I suspect I would.

I put the Redwood Motorsports "Performance Sport" Ohlins DFV on my M3P and it's spot on as a sports sedan. I've upgraded sway bars on two past cars, but with this setup now I feel no desire to, at least not for street use. Stiffer sways have their upsides for sure but the loss of suspension independence is real. On this car I feel like the sportier coilovers are the better tradeoff.

Plus no relubing those darn poly bushings that aftermarket sways all seem to come with.

 

[Clun9]

@Clun9 For what it's worth, on a Model 3 I would highly recommend stiffer coilovers before stiffer sway bars. Like MPP Sport or Redwood Performance Sport. I believe the MPP Comforts have spring rates similar to stock. I don't have enough experience with a Y to be certain I'd feel the same way, but I suspect I would.

I put the Redwood Motorsports "Performance Sport" Ohlins DFV on my M3P and it's spot on as a sports sedan. I've upgraded sway bars on two past cars, but with this setup now I feel no desire to, at least not for street use. Stiffer sways have their upsides for sure but the loss of suspension independence is real. On this car I feel like the sportier coilovers are the better tradeoff.

Plus no relubing those darn poly bushings that aftermarket sways all seem to come with.

I'm already there with my Model 3 lol. Lowered with sways.

 

[AAD6]

This is not it unfortunately. The doors are the same and in the same position. There is no additional interior width. The seats are also the same. The Y seats are on risers to make it feel like you are higher up.

You are sitting higher, they raised the roof line, higher center of gravity and something else nobody mentioned is the Y gets tires with more sidewall. More sidewall gives slightly more ground clearance but you get flex in the tires. It will feel a little more sloppy. More sidewall has durability advantages though.

I am surprised that you say the seats are the same. I went from a 3 to a Y and find that the seats 'feel' bigger and certainly hold me in place better.