Model Y Long Range Rear Wheel Drive (LR RWD)

[bayareaever]

I combed through the sub-forums for the 3, as well as on Reddit, but wanted to see if anyone here has any additional inputs on the matter.

I reserved my LR RWD back in January 2020 - we live in Southern California, and have needed/wanted AWD once in the past 10 years, so we felt like the LR RWD was the best choice for us - would get similar, if not more, miles than the LR AWD, and it should be (slightly) cheaper than the LR AWD.

In August 2020, we retired my old Prius, which had nearly 175K miles, and was exhibiting some issues w/ the ABS system (while our mechanic was able to make a temporary repair, he warned me that it was a potential sign of a more serious problem, which might return in a few months, and it would cost several thousand dollars to replace the entire ABS system). Due to the pandemic, I have been working from home, and my wife's on a leave of absence until April 2021, so we have been fine with one vehicle.

Since Tesla's CEO had tweeted in July that a "LR single motor Y" would be offered "in a few months," we figured the LR RWD would be available prior to my wife's return to work. However, with the recent release of the SR RWD, we fear the LR RWD may never be introduced, or it will be introduced long after my wife has returned to work in-person.

My commute (pre-COVID) was approximately 100 miles roundtrip - from Orange County, California to Riverside/San Bernardino county, so the SR RWD will get me to and from work, even assuming I get nowhere near 244 miles of range, although I would have to be more judicious about running errands after work (unless I supercharge in between). Obviously, I've got a bit of range anxiety (I gas up my wife's car if we get down to around 100 miles of range on the computer), even though we already have a plug in our garage, i.e., we can basically plug in every evening.

Assuming the LR RWD is not produced by the time my wife returns to work, we need to make a decision - SR RWD (244 miles) or LR AWD (324 miles). As noted, 244 miles will get me to and from work with a miles to spare. If we ever do a road trip, we can take my wife's SUV (we do have three kids under 7, so her SUV may be more comfortable anyway), or we can just supercharge along the way. Also, we keep asking ourselves - are the additional 80 miles (0.5 second faster acceleration, and AWD) worth the additional $8,000?

Money is not the ultimate issue here. While we could put that $8,000 to other uses, e.g., some home renovations, investments, a rainy day fund, or the kids' college fund, we are fortunate enough that we have the can afford the LR AWD without having to sacrifice other things, and my wife and I both agree more range is always better, but we are still trying to think about this purchase in a logical manner.

I know there are people on this forum that have chosen to upgrade from the LR RWD to the LR AWD. However, with the recent introduction of the SR RWD, has anyone debated whether to go w/ the SR RWD v. the LR AWD? If so, would love to get your thoughts on how you ultimately came to your decision. Thanks!

if you can afford it, I recommend LR AWD. Range is the most important factor with an EV and I seriously doubt LR RWD is coming anytime soon, if ever.

Remember, you will not get rated range in the real world and then battery degradation will make it even lower over time. Also, supercharger rate is slower with smaller battery.

 

[kelly]

I reserved a LR RWD Model Y at the time of reveal and paid the $2500 deposit.

Saturday I received a text from Tesla saying:
"Tesla Update - Your Model Y order is on hold but can potentially be delivered this March!

There is no better time to take home your Model Y. With Autopilot and over-the-air software updates, your Model Y will continue to add new features and get even better over time.

Reply MARCH if you are interested in taking delivery of your Model Y and a Tesla Advisor will reach out to discuss next steps."

 

[notrabbi5]

Awesome!! ^^^^ (LR RWD Model Y reserved Jan 2020 for me.)

Question - Right now the model 3 and the model Y versions mirror each other....Performance AWD, LR AWD and SR RWD.

Did they ever make a Model 3 LR RWD version and then discontinue it? I am not clear on what happened on the Model 3 with this version. Thanks

 

[bayareaever]

Did they ever make a Model 3 LR RWD version and then discontinue it? I am not clear on what happened on the Model 3 with this version. Thanks[/QUOTE]

yes they made and discontinued model 3 Lr rwd a few times. For the first ~year, it was the only version available.

 

[JLOC]

if you can afford it, I recommend LR AWD. Range is the most important factor with an EV and I seriously doubt LR RWD is coming anytime soon, if ever.

Remember, you will not get rated range in the real world and then battery degradation will make it even lower over time. Also, supercharger rate is slower with smaller battery.

That's what I was explaining to my wife - even if the SR is rated at 244, we won't actually get that in real life, as there are a lot of factors that go into that 244 EPA rating. For example, if we're driving in crappy weather, if I drive 75 mph w/ the A/C or heater blasting (v. 65), the car is fully loaded w/ the kids and suitcases, etc.

I also explained how batteries degrade over time (such as the battery on my father-in-law's 6-year old phone we just had to replace). I also explained how our friends/family who have Teslas (Model S and LR RWD Model 3) have confirmed they don't get the advertised range, and the owner of the S believes her car is already experiencing some battery degradation (although she supercharges often).

Even then, my wife keeps asking - say that 244 is actually only 150-175 (in a worse case scenario). That still gets you to and from work. On weekends (and w/ three kids), how often do we drive more than 150-175 miles? And in such a situation, why don't we just take her ICE vehicle?

To be clear, my wife's not pushing for the SR. She just wants us to really think through this purchase. Again, we both agree we'd prefer the LR to ease any range anxiety we may have, and we can comfortably afford the LR AWD. She also agrees we should get the car we truly want, and that we would have the least regret about/enjoy the most. At the same time, $8,000 is not chump change.

I do think everyone's needs are different, and there's not necessarily a right or wrong answer here (given our use scenario). Just wanted some additional input/data points to help us through this process.

@bayareaever, thank you for the input!

 

[bayareaever]

That's what I was explaining to my wife - even if the SR is rated at 244, we won't actually get that in real life, as there are a lot of factors that go into that 244 EPA rating. For example, if we're driving in crappy weather, if I drive 75 mph w/ the A/C or heater blasting (v. 65), the car is fully loaded w/ the kids and suitcases, etc.

I also explained how batteries degrade over time (such as the battery on my father-in-law's 6-year old phone we just had to replace). I also explained how our friends/family who have Teslas (Model S and LR RWD Model 3) have confirmed they don't get the advertised range, and the owner of the S believes her car is already experiencing some battery degradation (although she supercharges often).

Even then, my wife keeps asking - say that 244 is actually only 150-175 (in a worse case scenario). That still gets you to and from work. On weekends (and w/ three kids), how often do we drive more than 150-175 miles? And in such a situation, why don't we just take her ICE vehicle?

To be clear, my wife's not pushing for the SR. She just wants us to really think through this purchase. Again, we both agree we'd prefer the LR to ease any range anxiety we may have, and we can comfortably afford the LR AWD. She also agrees we should get the car we truly want, and that we would have the least regret about/enjoy the most. At the same time, $8,000 is not chump change.

I do think everyone's needs are different, and there's not necessarily a right or wrong answer here (given our use scenario). Just wanted some additional input/data points to help us through this process.

@bayareaever, thank you for the input!

Your welcome. Looking up thread maybe they are making Lr rwd in March for reservation holders, so maybe you should wait and see. You never know with Tesla!

 

[JLOC]

Your welcome. Looking up thread maybe they are making Lr rwd in March for reservation holders, so maybe you should wait and see. You never know with Tesla!

I did just see that post, even if I am skeptical as to what the text meant when it stated this person's Model Y "can potentially be delivered this March." Just leaves things too vague - could mean you can take delivery this March if you opt for the SR or the AWD.

However, you're right you never know with this company. As others have already pointed out, back in July, Tesla's CEO stated that a SR RWD would not be produced as the range would be unacceptably low, while a LR single-motor would be available in a few months. Yet, approximately six months later, we have a SR RWD with no word on the LR RWD.

At this point, Tesla has had my $2,500 for about a year, so I can wait a few more months to see how things shake out. Also, while I can live without both, I am hoping the Model Y's built in March/April will have the heated steering wheel and HEPA filter (although who knows what other new features Tesla will then tease people with).

 

[DanDi58]

Seems to me that Tesla has a history of teasing MY RWD LR reservation holders with vague and/or misleading texts.

 

[LV1972]

I combed through the sub-forums for the 3, as well as on Reddit, but wanted to see if anyone here has any additional inputs on the matter.

I reserved my LR RWD back in January 2020 - we live in Southern California, and have needed/wanted AWD once in the past 10 years, so we felt like the LR RWD was the best choice for us - would get similar, if not more, miles than the LR AWD, and it should be (slightly) cheaper than the LR AWD.

In August 2020, we retired my old Prius, which had nearly 175K miles, and was exhibiting some issues w/ the ABS system (while our mechanic was able to make a temporary repair, he warned me that it was a potential sign of a more serious problem, which might return in a few months, and it would cost several thousand dollars to replace the entire ABS system). Due to the pandemic, I have been working from home, and my wife's on a leave of absence until April 2021, so we have been fine with one vehicle.

Since Tesla's CEO had tweeted in July that a "LR single motor Y" would be offered "in a few months," we figured the LR RWD would be available prior to my wife's return to work. However, with the recent release of the SR RWD, we fear the LR RWD may never be introduced, or it will be introduced long after my wife has returned to work in-person.

My commute (pre-COVID) was approximately 100 miles roundtrip - from Orange County, California to Riverside/San Bernardino county, so the SR RWD will get me to and from work, even assuming I get nowhere near 244 miles of range, although I would have to be more judicious about running errands after work (unless I supercharge in between). Obviously, I've got a bit of range anxiety (I gas up my wife's car if we get down to around 100 miles of range on the computer), even though we already have a plug in our garage, i.e., we can basically plug in every evening.

Assuming the LR RWD is not produced by the time my wife returns to work, we need to make a decision - SR RWD (244 miles) or LR AWD (324 miles). As noted, 244 miles will get me to and from work with a miles to spare. If we ever do a road trip, we can take my wife's SUV (we do have three kids under 7, so her SUV may be more comfortable anyway), or we can just supercharge along the way. Also, we keep asking ourselves - are the additional 80 miles (0.5 second faster acceleration, and AWD) worth the additional $8,000?

Money is not the ultimate issue here. While we could put that $8,000 to other uses, e.g., some home renovations, investments, a rainy day fund, or the kids' college fund, we are fortunate enough that we have the can afford the LR AWD without having to sacrifice other things, and my wife and I both agree more range is always better, but we are still trying to think about this purchase in a logical manner.

I know there are people on this forum that have chosen to upgrade from the LR RWD to the LR AWD. However, with the recent introduction of the SR RWD, has anyone debated whether to go w/ the SR RWD v. the LR AWD? If so, would love to get your thoughts on how you ultimately came to your decision. Thanks!

If you need car just for driving around your city its very good deal. But i agree if you need longer range LR RWD would be good choice for only 3k more. (thats how much Tesla will charge extra )

 

[ftmaybe]

That's what I was explaining to my wife - even if the SR is rated at 244, we won't actually get that in real life, as there are a lot of factors that go into that 244 EPA rating. For example, if we're driving in crappy weather, if I drive 75 mph w/ the A/C or heater blasting (v. 65), the car is fully loaded w/ the kids and suitcases, etc.

I also explained how batteries degrade over time (such as the battery on my father-in-law's 6-year old phone we just had to replace). I also explained how our friends/family who have Teslas (Model S and LR RWD Model 3) have confirmed they don't get the advertised range, and the owner of the S believes her car is already experiencing some battery degradation (although she supercharges often).

Even then, my wife keeps asking - say that 244 is actually only 150-175 (in a worse case scenario). That still gets you to and from work. On weekends (and w/ three kids), how often do we drive more than 150-175 miles? And in such a situation, why don't we just take her ICE vehicle?

To be clear, my wife's not pushing for the SR. She just wants us to really think through this purchase. Again, we both agree we'd prefer the LR to ease any range anxiety we may have, and we can comfortably afford the LR AWD. She also agrees we should get the car we truly want, and that we would have the least regret about/enjoy the most. At the same time, $8,000 is not chump change.

I do think everyone's needs are different, and there's not necessarily a right or wrong answer here (given our use scenario). Just wanted some additional input/data points to help us through this process.

@bayareaever, thank you for the input!

I'll start by saying I agree with your other post that you can't trust what Tesla says. I feel bad for the very long holding LR RWD reservation holders, especially given that Elon said they were going to produce it and then instead did the SR. Also for myself, I very narrowly almost bought a model 3 SR+ because Elon said they weren't ever going to make the Y SR. so .........


You asked for input from LR RWD buyers, which I am not .. however I feel like I can chime in a little on range. For myself I don't go out of town hardly ever and if I was *really* concerned about range on the SR Y I would just rent a car. A few car rentals over the span of car ownership is def cheaper than buying all the way up to the LR AWD. That's not to dismiss anyone who'd rather not bother with a rental or really wants to use their own car, almost every car buying situation IMO is a qualitative process so to each their own.

I live in CA and as you know it doesn't really get that cold here. I purposely took my wife's model 3 out in teh very very early morning to try and get some near 30 degree weather and do some tests as far as power consumption on the freeway. From what I could tell, running the heater @ 68 in about ~35 degrees was costing about 40wh/mile more than running the car without it. on the model 3 SR+ at 70-75mph that ends up being close to 300wh/mile which would net you about a 150-160 max range maybe. That may or may not be similar with teh Y SR and the heat pump (my wife's 3 doesn't have it). Even considering a 150ish freeway range, that's at max battery maybe .. so even if you go that far, you can't really do a "quick supercharge" like people do on youtube because the smaller battery charges a little slower and a "quick fillup" would get you far less range than the LR would. I'd imagine that if you were going to drive in 150 mile jumps you'd have to charge almost all the way to full at every stop (though I haven't tested this myself) which means you'll be there for almost an hour at each charger. That, admittedly, can definitely make the case teh LR being worth the extra cash.

In my case in addition to what I said above about my travel needs, I feel like I doubt I would travel more than 500 miles very often, if ever, and on the rare case that I did I don't think sitting at a supercharger for an hour twice would be the end of the world. I guess I figure the overwhelming majority of the time, I will have more than enough range to do anything I normally do (drive around town). That makes me really not worry about having to sacrifice a few extra hours of supercharging over the many years I will own the car.

 

[ahanorcal]

I share a lot of the sentiments voiced by other posters on this thread.. for me the main issue is for my household going completely electric without any ICE vehicles, so range remains a big issue for my family for the occasional long road trip... If it comes down to it I will not be able to accept the standard range model Y for this reason and we'll have to ask for my $2,500 refund..

 

[LV1972]

That's what I was explaining to my wife - even if the SR is rated at 244, we won't actually get that in real life, as there are a lot of factors that go into that 244 EPA rating. For example, if we're driving in crappy weather, if I drive 75 mph w/ the A/C or heater blasting (v. 65), the car is fully loaded w/ the kids and suitcases, etc.

I also explained how batteries degrade over time (such as the battery on my father-in-law's 6-year old phone we just had to replace). I also explained how our friends/family who have Teslas (Model S and LR RWD Model 3) have confirmed they don't get the advertised range, and the owner of the S believes her car is already experiencing some battery degradation (although she supercharges often).

Even then, my wife keeps asking - say that 244 is actually only 150-175 (in a worse case scenario). That still gets you to and from work. On weekends (and w/ three kids), how often do we drive more than 150-175 miles? And in such a situation, why don't we just take her ICE vehicle?

To be clear, my wife's not pushing for the SR. She just wants us to really think through this purchase. Again, we both agree we'd prefer the LR to ease any range anxiety we may have, and we can comfortably afford the LR AWD. She also agrees we should get the car we truly want, and that we would have the least regret about/enjoy the most. At the same time, $8,000 is not chump change.

I do think everyone's needs are different, and there's not necessarily a right or wrong answer here (given our use scenario). Just wanted some additional input/data points to help us through this process.

@bayareaever, thank you for the input!

You need to understand that 80 extra miles are 50 in real life.

50 more "real life" miles is gonna cost you extra $8000 . Is it worth? Absolutely not.

Also, i am 100% sure Tesla will come with some software update later to increase range for SR model for at least 20 more miles.

8k is a lot of money, if Long range is at least 370 miles i would say go for it but current 330 (160 in real cold/snow world right now for longer trips) is not enough

 

[JLOC]

You need to understand that 80 extra miles are 50 in real life.

50 more "real life" miles is gonna cost you extra $8000 . Is it worth? Absolutely not.

Also, i am 100% sure Tesla will come with some software update later to increase range for SR model for at least 20 more miles.

8k is a lot of money, if Long range is at least 370 miles i would say go for it but current 330 (160 in real cold/snow world right now for longer trips) is not enough

If you need car just for driving around your city its very good deal. But i agree if you need longer range LR RWD would be good choice for only 3k more. (thats how much Tesla will charge extra )

@LV1972, thanks for the input. You are right that 80 miles for $8K may actually be more like 50 miles for $8K. Good point.

As for your other comment, where did you come up with your comment "i agree if you need longer range LR RWD would be good choice for only 3k more. (thats how much Tesla will charge extra)?" Are you speculating, or is that based on what Tesla did w/ the Model 3?

 

[JLOC]

I'll start by saying I agree with your other post that you can't trust what Tesla says. I feel bad for the very long holding LR RWD reservation holders, especially given that Elon said they were going to produce it and then instead did the SR. Also for myself, I very narrowly almost bought a model 3 SR+ because Elon said they weren't ever going to make the Y SR. so .........


You asked for input from LR RWD buyers, which I am not .. however I feel like I can chime in a little on range. For myself I don't go out of town hardly ever and if I was *really* concerned about range on the SR Y I would just rent a car. A few car rentals over the span of car ownership is def cheaper than buying all the way up to the LR AWD. That's not to dismiss anyone who'd rather not bother with a rental or really wants to use their own car, almost every car buying situation IMO is a qualitative process so to each their own.

I live in CA and as you know it doesn't really get that cold here. I purposely took my wife's model 3 out in teh very very early morning to try and get some near 30 degree weather and do some tests as far as power consumption on the freeway. From what I could tell, running the heater @ 68 in about ~35 degrees was costing about 40wh/mile more than running the car without it. on the model 3 SR+ at 70-75mph that ends up being close to 300wh/mile which would net you about a 150-160 max range maybe. That may or may not be similar with teh Y SR and the heat pump (my wife's 3 doesn't have it). Even considering a 150ish freeway range, that's at max battery maybe .. so even if you go that far, you can't really do a "quick supercharge" like people do on youtube because the smaller battery charges a little slower and a "quick fillup" would get you far less range than the LR would. I'd imagine that if you were going to drive in 150 mile jumps you'd have to charge almost all the way to full at every stop (though I haven't tested this myself) which means you'll be there for almost an hour at each charger. That, admittedly, can definitely make the case teh LR being worth the extra cash.

In my case in addition to what I said above about my travel needs, I feel like I doubt I would travel more than 500 miles very often, if ever, and on the rare case that I did I don't think sitting at a supercharger for an hour twice would be the end of the world. I guess I figure the overwhelming majority of the time, I will have more than enough range to do anything I normally do (drive around town). That makes me really not worry about having to sacrifice a few extra hours of supercharging over the many years I will own the car.

@ftmaybe, I appreciate your input! My wife and I agree with what you're saying - that the majority of the time, the SR will provide enough range, even if I make zero effort to drive more efficiently (and only get 150 miles, as in your case). In addition, since we do have an ICE vehicle, that can be our roadtrip car. Maybe it's just psychological. When we fill up my wife's car, the trip computer will range anywhere from 375 miles to 500 miles, so it's a bit jarring to buy a new vehicle and to have its range be "only" 244 miles (and only in perfect driving conditions).

Anyway, all this input gives us some things to really think about. Thank you again!

 

[Undisclosed]

I reserved a LR RWD Model Y at the time of reveal and paid the $2500 deposit.

Saturday I received a text from Tesla saying:
"Tesla Update - Your Model Y order is on hold but can potentially be delivered this March!

There is no better time to take home your Model Y. With Autopilot and over-the-air software updates, your Model Y will continue to add new features and get even better over time.

Reply MARCH if you are interested in taking delivery of your Model Y and a Tesla Advisor will reach out to discuss next steps."

Did you reply to them, if so what type of response did you get?

 

[LV1972]

@LV1972, thanks for the input. You are right that 80 miles for $8K may actually be more like 50 miles for $8K. Good point.

As for your other comment, where did you come up with your comment "i agree if you need longer range LR RWD would be good choice for only 3k more. (thats how much Tesla will charge extra)?" Are you speculating, or is that based on what Tesla did w/ the Model 3?

They cant charge more then that . maybe 4k more but thats it. A lot of competition is coming out in next few months, VW,Ford,Audi.... Im 100% sure Tesla will come down with current pricing soon, i think mMarch will be probably the best month to order new Tesla.

Not to mention all current upgrades will be out by then. Just that new door trim is worth wait to me

 

[h82fuel]

Why would you buy the FSD feature for 10K on a car that only goes 244 miles or more like 150 miles? Based on needing to keep an ICE for longer trips, FSD makes little sense,

 

[Sunshine Speed]

My prediction:
SR RWD Y : Made in Fremont with 2170 cells - Feb2021
LR RWD Y : Made in Austin with 4680 cells - Nov2021
Then Tesla watches trends, and stops offering the one that sells in lower volume

 

[kelly]

Did you reply to them, if so what type of response did you get?

I did not reply. I'm not interested in taking delivery without more information. Instead, I went to Tesla.com and chatted with a rep. He didn't know anything.

 

[Brotherluv]

I just went back and checked. I put down my $2500 two days after reveal for a LR RWD. That was March 17, 2019. I'm coming up on two years and still no firm indicator as to when they'll start production. My only comfort is that with the original timeline given at reveal was that production wouldn't start until summer 2020, so I never expected to have mine until spring 21. It's only hard now because deliveries started six months early. Now of course I see those beautiful cars all over the place and all I can do is drool. The good news is that FSD on my reservation is only $5k. If I made a change now it would cost twice that. So in reality, my $2500 is saving me $7500. That being said, it's tough being a spectator seeing all of those people post about how they ordered three weeks ago and already have their cars. Over here it's 22 months and counting.