Background: I am currently driving a 2016 Model S RWD. I’ve put 77,000 miles on that vehicle. Thus, I’ll largely be focusing these observations as a comparison Y vs S. I’ve also had a good bit of experience driving a Model 3. As such I won't be focusing on all the amazing things that crosscut the Tesla line-up (e.g. Autopilot, infotainment software, etc.)
Test Drive: Model Y AWD White/White w/ 19” Gemini wheels; ~25 minutes on both city streets and highways. @ Tyco Rd Service Center
Loved:
Test Drive: Model Y AWD White/White w/ 19” Gemini wheels; ~25 minutes on both city streets and highways. @ Tyco Rd Service Center
Loved:
- Seating position, headroom, and overall openness of the cabin. While not as wide as the Model S, I really appreciated that headroom was significantly increased.
- The glass roof. Whereas I almost never notice the panoramic roof in my Model S from the drivers seat, the extra headroom in the Y made it partially visible. I continually caught myself appreciating it.
- Seat comfort was great.
- Overall interior build quality feels like an improvement over my S.
- Handling and acceleration, beats my RWD S.
- Hold mode / one pedal driving... I had this and loved it on my BMW i3... missed it in my S... it will take some getting used to in the Y but I’m certain I’ll love it again once I get a feel for it’s behavior.
- Highly Subjective: I prefer the minimalist interior of the Y vs. S.
- Highly Subjective: I was able to see the Y in Blue, Midnight Silver, White, and Red... I preferred its appearance in the latter two paint colors. I thought this was interesting, as I think I like the 3 in Midnight Silver best.
- My only significant criticism: The motor whine in the Model S RWD is essentially non-existent... I only hear it ever so slightly when I floor the accelerator. The motor whine in the Y was quite audible even at lower RPMs. Now, don’t get me wrong... if you have your music playing it’s not going to overwhelm that, but if you’re just sitting silently with your thoughts in the car… it was loud given what I’m used to.
- My S has a coil suspension that handles road imperfections a bit better than I experienced with the Y. This was not unlike my experience driving the Model 3. I also experienced some of the cabin “boominess” that others have described when hitting potholes.
- I will miss the instantaneous energy use visualization and the alternate map display behind the steering wheels. It’s less about the location, in fact I prefer that there is just open road in front of my face rather than a display. It’s just that I found both of these views useful and they aren't available on the center touchscreen.
- The A-pillar seemed a bit more pronounced to me in the Y... not sure if that’s due to actual width, a product of the seating position, or the narrower cabin in the Y vs S.
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