So...have been thinking about selling my Cayenne because I don't drive it much now that I am working from home for the rest of the year - with the idea that when things get back to normal I'll pickup an EV for daily / kiddo duties. I decided before making the leap, I should probably go and drive a Tesla Model Y, as that would be on the short list (along with a Taycan CT most likely). I'm glad I did. Here is my short take:
TL;DR: Positives: Fast, great tech. Negatives: Suspension tuning, awful seats.
General:
The car I drove was a Model Y LR Performance *without* the Performance Upgrade Package (no longer sold) with 19" wheels and the standard suspension / brakes. Fit and finish on this car was excellent - probably not Porsche-level initial quality, but not that far off to my eye. Materials were good and on par with my base V6 Cayenne Platinum. No rattles or interior imperfections that I could detect during the drive. The tech and user-interface are already well reviewed elsewhere and so I won't go into that. I personally don't find it to be as "otherworldly" next generation as some folks do, but it is very good and seamless (it has to be). One downside that I didn't appreciate - if you wear glasses for computer work (as I do) but not for driving / distance vision (20/10 here) - the screen presents a bit of an issue. My eyes had a hard time making the transition from outside the cockpit to the fine print on the screen. This forced me to use the voice-command features for even simple things like turning on the wipers in a passing downpour. I might develop some muscle memory for this if I drove the car every day - so not really a big issue I think. But I thought I'd mention it as I haven't seen it discussed elsewhere.
Driving:
Car is EV fast, just like the Taycan. That part I like a lot. Traction control was surprisingly good in the heavy passing downpours. One pedal driving implementation is very well executed and much better than the Taycan (which cannot really be driven as a one-pedal car). What surprised me was suspension tuning. Now, it's perhaps not fair to compare the Model Y to a Porsche Cayenne -- but they both weigh about the same amount, and both have fixed geometry suspensions that must manage a lot of mass, so I'm going to do it. Frankly the Cayenne is light-years ahead of the Model Y on this front. My Cayenne has the 21" wheels and sits 10" off the ground - with this setup it is exceptionally well tuned for the road work. The Model Y had 19" wheels and sits 6.4" up - about the only advantage I could discern was the lower center-of-gravity. *Everything* else was worse. The Model Y has significantly more body roll, has mis-calibrated damping for its spring rates (overdamped on initial rebound, then underdamped at longer travel), and an overall "jumpiness" to the character of the suspension that didn't give me a lot of confidence in its long-term livability. It was to the point that I mentioned it to the folks running the test-drive when I returned it to ask if the car needed service. It just didn't feel right. It was fun to drive in a straight line for the most part, but certain sections of pavement and corners left me unimpressed. By contrast my Cayenne is extremely well composed on the same roads and seems to effortlessly feel both planted and compliant - its no 911, but it is "fun". I may need to drive another Model Y to see if this was truly an anomaly or is, in fact, the designed response. On the positive side, steering feel was surprisingly good in "Sport". I felt like they essentially digitally cloned a E92 BMW 3 series rack (which is not a bad thing at all).
Ergos / Human Factors:
Finally, the ergonomics - and I have to say I was on the one hand impressed, and on the other really disappointed. The seating position is very good. Forward visibility very good. The touch panel is within easy reach. The single-vent A/C works surprisingly well. I like the elegance of the minimalist design. Sure, I'd like a few more physical elements for common controls (for things like wipers) - but that's a nit I'd probably get past. The rear window needs a wiper, badly. Rear visibility is marginal-to-poor (and for those that say use the camera - we tried, and it was blurred by rainwater). What I can't get past though are the seats. Front seats would be very good if they only had thigh extensions. This is probably the one thing that prevents me from considering the car. I'm 5'10" with an average build, and the seat bottom feels like a cliff 2/3rds down my thighs. It was uncomfortable after just the 1hr test drive. I think the placement on risers in the Model Y hurts this seat in a way that the Model 3 doesn't bring out ... but still, they need a seat option here with the thigh extension. The rear seats as well are a mess. They have lots of leg-room, but are plywood stiff. My kids would be complaining in 30 minutes. I can't imagine a road-trip in the rear seats. It would be torture, not from the lack of room, from the hardness and lack of support. By contrast here, the Cayenne is in another league (and the Taycan as well). My 14 way seats are 12 hour comfortable and the the rears are as well. Tesla has a massive way to go here. Granted, they are not really aimed at the same segment (utility vs sport/luxury) - but at this price point, they have to do better. And small fixes would be all that is necessary, I think.
All in, I came away a bit disappointed. I wanted to like the Model Y - and I do like the idea - it's a perfect commuter car concept. The execution is 70% of the way there. If they fixed the suspension and the seats I think the buyer pool would increase a great deal. However, as it stands today, my Cayenne is the better vehicle, and the Taycan is a much better EV from a human-factors standpoint. I think my wife put it best: the Model Y felt like a dressed up economy car. Our base Cayenne feels like a purposeful luxury SUV. So, I suppose I'll wait for the Taycan CT / EV Macan ...
I'm glad I got out and gave it a whirl.
cheers!
TL;DR: Positives: Fast, great tech. Negatives: Suspension tuning, awful seats.
General:
The car I drove was a Model Y LR Performance *without* the Performance Upgrade Package (no longer sold) with 19" wheels and the standard suspension / brakes. Fit and finish on this car was excellent - probably not Porsche-level initial quality, but not that far off to my eye. Materials were good and on par with my base V6 Cayenne Platinum. No rattles or interior imperfections that I could detect during the drive. The tech and user-interface are already well reviewed elsewhere and so I won't go into that. I personally don't find it to be as "otherworldly" next generation as some folks do, but it is very good and seamless (it has to be). One downside that I didn't appreciate - if you wear glasses for computer work (as I do) but not for driving / distance vision (20/10 here) - the screen presents a bit of an issue. My eyes had a hard time making the transition from outside the cockpit to the fine print on the screen. This forced me to use the voice-command features for even simple things like turning on the wipers in a passing downpour. I might develop some muscle memory for this if I drove the car every day - so not really a big issue I think. But I thought I'd mention it as I haven't seen it discussed elsewhere.
Driving:
Car is EV fast, just like the Taycan. That part I like a lot. Traction control was surprisingly good in the heavy passing downpours. One pedal driving implementation is very well executed and much better than the Taycan (which cannot really be driven as a one-pedal car). What surprised me was suspension tuning. Now, it's perhaps not fair to compare the Model Y to a Porsche Cayenne -- but they both weigh about the same amount, and both have fixed geometry suspensions that must manage a lot of mass, so I'm going to do it. Frankly the Cayenne is light-years ahead of the Model Y on this front. My Cayenne has the 21" wheels and sits 10" off the ground - with this setup it is exceptionally well tuned for the road work. The Model Y had 19" wheels and sits 6.4" up - about the only advantage I could discern was the lower center-of-gravity. *Everything* else was worse. The Model Y has significantly more body roll, has mis-calibrated damping for its spring rates (overdamped on initial rebound, then underdamped at longer travel), and an overall "jumpiness" to the character of the suspension that didn't give me a lot of confidence in its long-term livability. It was to the point that I mentioned it to the folks running the test-drive when I returned it to ask if the car needed service. It just didn't feel right. It was fun to drive in a straight line for the most part, but certain sections of pavement and corners left me unimpressed. By contrast my Cayenne is extremely well composed on the same roads and seems to effortlessly feel both planted and compliant - its no 911, but it is "fun". I may need to drive another Model Y to see if this was truly an anomaly or is, in fact, the designed response. On the positive side, steering feel was surprisingly good in "Sport". I felt like they essentially digitally cloned a E92 BMW 3 series rack (which is not a bad thing at all).
Ergos / Human Factors:
Finally, the ergonomics - and I have to say I was on the one hand impressed, and on the other really disappointed. The seating position is very good. Forward visibility very good. The touch panel is within easy reach. The single-vent A/C works surprisingly well. I like the elegance of the minimalist design. Sure, I'd like a few more physical elements for common controls (for things like wipers) - but that's a nit I'd probably get past. The rear window needs a wiper, badly. Rear visibility is marginal-to-poor (and for those that say use the camera - we tried, and it was blurred by rainwater). What I can't get past though are the seats. Front seats would be very good if they only had thigh extensions. This is probably the one thing that prevents me from considering the car. I'm 5'10" with an average build, and the seat bottom feels like a cliff 2/3rds down my thighs. It was uncomfortable after just the 1hr test drive. I think the placement on risers in the Model Y hurts this seat in a way that the Model 3 doesn't bring out ... but still, they need a seat option here with the thigh extension. The rear seats as well are a mess. They have lots of leg-room, but are plywood stiff. My kids would be complaining in 30 minutes. I can't imagine a road-trip in the rear seats. It would be torture, not from the lack of room, from the hardness and lack of support. By contrast here, the Cayenne is in another league (and the Taycan as well). My 14 way seats are 12 hour comfortable and the the rears are as well. Tesla has a massive way to go here. Granted, they are not really aimed at the same segment (utility vs sport/luxury) - but at this price point, they have to do better. And small fixes would be all that is necessary, I think.
All in, I came away a bit disappointed. I wanted to like the Model Y - and I do like the idea - it's a perfect commuter car concept. The execution is 70% of the way there. If they fixed the suspension and the seats I think the buyer pool would increase a great deal. However, as it stands today, my Cayenne is the better vehicle, and the Taycan is a much better EV from a human-factors standpoint. I think my wife put it best: the Model Y felt like a dressed up economy car. Our base Cayenne feels like a purposeful luxury SUV. So, I suppose I'll wait for the Taycan CT / EV Macan ...
I'm glad I got out and gave it a whirl.
cheers!