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Seeking Opinions on MY vs alternate

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Test driving some EVs to figure out what we like but looking for some advice from experienced owners. Background: This would be our first EV. Coming from a 12 yo ICE hatchback, nothing special or sporty. This car would replace my daily driver for a pretty short commute (~10 miles/day), and would probably become our car on weekends (hiking, road trips, etc).

Have looked at Polestar 2, Model 3, and Model Y so far. Y is appealing for several reasons, including space and potential for 3rd row/7 passengers. Also really liked the drive on the Polestar, but the interior of the 3 and Y is shockingly simple. But unclear we want to wait until November or longer for delivery.

Tesla had previously cancelled our prior planned test drive of the Y due to running out of test drive vehicles, but made one available recently and we got to drive it! Good experience, would take some getting used to the center screen and no classic speedometer or driver display, but was nice. Some questions:

1. How quiet is the ride on the highway? (we were on 30-40 mph roads, not a great test of soundproofing)
2. Is the third row usable? Would be for our 4 and 7 year old kids ONLY on occasion that extended family are in town. The test car we had didn't have the feature so couldn't sit back there to try out. Concerned about head space and safety of that row.
3. Range in the winter? We are in Denver, CO so can get cold but usually pretty mild.
4. How is Autopilot? We didn't figure out how to try it out in the short time in the car. Any quirks or things you wished were changed?
5. Body roll or concerns about cleaning the seats/carpet in case of carsick-prone children (we have one).

Other things you found helpful in deciding on going with an MY? What sold you on Tesla?

Thanks,
 
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I live in Colorado Springs and can go to Steamboat without stopping to charge in winter. That's over 200 miles and three mountain passes (if you count Monument). And if I decide to stop for a bite I can catch a charge at Idaho Springs, Silverthorne, or Kremmling. 150 miles max? 220 miles is more realistic and that is if you don't slow down to eek out a bit more range. This is with a LR AWD (non P).



I do not own an ICE car. I guess I only drive half of all scenarios.

Yeah, I get around 150 miles of range at highway speeds in winter in my Bolt EV, I expect around 200 in the MYP on a 100% charge, 180 on a 90% charge.

Keith
 
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I have had my Y since early December 2020 and it now has about 7500 miles (my weekday commute is around 30 miles). I came from a BMW i3 which I had for about 3 years so I am not an EV newbie.

Here are my comments:
- the model Y is a great compromise between a larger SUV like the model X and a smaller car like my i3. While I thought the i3 was a great commuter car, the Y is a better all round car which has room for Home Depot and Lowe’s runs for bags of mulch. A friend has a Volkswagen ID4 and my daughter has an Audi e-tron, which are both good alternatives to the Y in terms of size and use for commuting.
- I mostly charge at home once a week, and the overnight charge with the Juicebox 40 works great. I haven’t been to a gas station in at least two years.
- the few times I’ve used a Tesla public charger I was able to charge from around 20% to 80% in less time it took to stop at the hardware store next to the Tesla charger. Fast charging is getting to the point where I think gas fill up versus electric charging is a non issue.
- the range published by Tesla is overstated. In the summer with AC I am getting around 200 miles before I need to charge. In the spring before AC was needed I once got 225 miles on an 80% charge but I was at less than 5% state of charge left. This compares to around 125 miles on a charge I would get in the summer with my i3. So don’t count on the range stated by Tesla.
- the auto steer function is good but not great. It’s not 100% reliable and can fail at the wrong times. On straight highways without traffic auto steer works fine. I use auto steer often but for short amounts of time, mainly due to my short commute.
- the Tesla app is very good. You can turn on the heat or A/C remotely, you can open the rear hatch remotely, unlock the doors, lower the windows. I use the Tesla app at least once a day. The one thing it doesn’t have is a scheduler for the temperature inside the car. I leave my house at 7:30am every weekday and I needed to buy a third party app to schedule the car temperature.
- regenerative breaking is very good. On the Y it works the same way my i3 worked and I can easily go from my home to my office without using the brakes at all. It takes some practice but you can get used to feathering the accelerator pedal to slow the car. I sometimes use the brakes when not needed just to keep them from rusting. The Audi e-tron uses a different method for regenerative breaking (the e-tron slows when you hit the brake pedal versus when you lift the accelerator on the Y) which is more similar to a conventional gas car and might be easier to get used to.
- maintenance on electric cars will be minimal. While I needed to bring my Y back to Tesla for heating which didn’t work and a crazy window that would go down on its own, I don’t expect to see much service of Y in its lifetime.
- the Y display is distracting. Having to look to your right just to see your speed, check the charge level of the car or to set your windshield wiper speed is, in my opinion, dangerous. There is a steering wheel display in the model S and X but not in the Y or 3. Some drivers are fine with the center display on the Y. I was not and added an after market steering wheel display. It cost $500 and took three hours to install.

I’m often asked about the range of electric versus gas cars. With the ability to charge over night at home plus the new fast public chargers, we’re getting to the point of there being no significant difference between gas and electric. Electric cars are quieter, you’ll spend less time at a gas station, require less maintenance and are better for the environment. Even taxi cabs, with well placed fast chargers where they can top up once a day in 15 minutes, can and should be electric.
the Tesla app is very good. You can turn on the heat or A/C remotely, you can open the rear hatch remotely, unlock the doors, lower the windows. I use the Tesla app at least once a day. The one thing it doesn’t have is a scheduler for the temperature inside the car. I leave my house at 7:30am every weekday and I needed to buy a third party app to schedule the car temperature.
Good to know that you found a third party app to meet your needs. The Tesla Model Y does enable you to precondition the vehicle at a specific time each day. This can either be every day or only Monday through Friday. The Tesla Model Y does not have to be plugged in to use the Preconditioning feature. Scheduled Preconditioning settings are accessed under Scheduled Departure. This setting is found on the Charging Screen, also on the Climate Control screen. (Note that currently you can only set one Scheduled Departure - Preconditioning time per day and it is the same time every day.)

the Y display is distracting. Having to look to your right just to see your speed, check the charge level of the car or to set your windshield wiper speed is, in my opinion, dangerous.

The Tesla Voice Commands work well for a number of vehicle settings. For the windshield wipers you can speak the command "Set wipers to Low/Medium/High/Off/Auto"; also "Set wipers to 1/2/3/4/Off/Auto"
 
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I've only had my Tesla MY for about 2.5 months, but it is my second EV (my first was a Nissan Leaf), so here are some comparative thoughts......Every EV will lose about an equivalent percent of range in the winter on winter tires. You have to consider that, but it's equal between vehicles. What truly makes the Tesla experience stand out (which I hadn't expected to care this much about) is the Tesla Supercharging network. Perhaps if you don't do long distance drives it won't matter to you, but I had not realized how much a Tesla-owned charging station makes a difference - not just in speed, but in availability and maintenance. The interior is ugly and I don't like doing things on the screen, but the driving is great, the cargo space is awesome, and the charging network makes long drives so much easier and faster.
 
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I like my Tesla model Y but I don't love it. It does have a lot of wind noise, to those that say they don't notice have never owed luxury vehicles such as Lexus and Acura, once you had them you it's hard to not notice. I've tried numerous insulation methods and spent tons on materials but it's still loud due to the glass roof. Also the ride is rather harsh, I've even upgraded to Mountain Pass Performance luxury coilovers but the ride is nowhere nice as my friend's basic minivan. If an ev were to come out with similar features, a solid roof I'd make the switch. While I like driving the car, I'm always wondering and looking for better alternative, even if it's a gas car.

As for the pano roof, it's factory dyed dark but it's still very hot. I spent $900 to get that roof tinted with the best heat rejection film there is and it's still hot, like if you hold your hand a few inches from it, you can feel it radiate so much heat into the cabin and the underpowered AC does not help either.
 
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1. How quiet is the ride on the highway? (we were on 30-40 mph roads, not a great test of soundproofing)
2. Is the third row usable? Would be for our 4 and 7 year old kids ONLY on occasion that extended family are in town. The test car we had didn't have the feature so couldn't sit back there to try out. Concerned about head space and safety of that row.
3. Range in the winter? We are in Denver, CO so can get cold but usually pretty mild.
4. How is Autopilot? We didn't figure out how to try it out in the short time in the car. Any quirks or things you wished were changed?
5. Body roll or concerns about cleaning the seats/carpet in case of carsick-prone children (we have one).
1) I find the Y, much like other EVs, very quiet. Of course, it also depends on road type, tires, etc...
The lack of an engine noise can bother some drivers, especially those with standard transmission experience who are used to listening for the engine.

2) I do not have a 3rd row, but I think it'd be tight. Ok for small kids and dogs but I wonder about adults.

3) I went through last winter here in NH. Range is dependent on speed you drive, but also how much you heat your cabin. I have a LR AWD.
I have driven 100+ miles, used dog mode for a few hours to keep the cabin warm and then driven home. Expect some decrease of around 10-15%. Cold air is more dense so pushing a car (either ICE or EV) through it takes more energy. Again your speed will determine your range.

4) AutoPilot is GREAT on limited access highways. Not as great, more like functional with maybe a hiccup, on 2 lane roads. However, improvements are supposedly coming. It will be ready in 2016...err 2018, err 2020, err May 2021, ...
But now, they have a subscription option, so you don't have to buy it upfront. Try it and decide for your situtation.
I LOVED FSD/AP on my really long trip. Very useful.
Check out my long trip post

5) I bought floor mats and a back seat cover due to having dogs. I recommend at least the floor mats (whatever brand you want). The backseat covers for those that might get sick, up to you and your situation. Perhaps have a couple of spare beach towels might work for you (easier to clean).

You might want to check out

Just searching the forum will provide other valuable articles.

An EV is a different type of car. Like a standard transmission or even a rotary engine. If you want to embrace the technology/change, you will likely enjoy it.
 
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Regarding ev vs ice, ev is better around town. Ice better for road trips. No way ev is same range wise. Im not going to make a 45 min pit stop at the 1 sc station on a route and hope it works or I’m walking when I can fill up an ice in 5 minutes. I’ve got waaaay too much to do to drag out a road trip like that… I get mad when it takes longer than 5 min to fill up!

buy the ev for around town and have and ice for long trips. That’s just where we’re at now. Don’t even get me started on towing with an ev or cold / harsh environments on long trips.

range is crucial so that will quickly rule out all but the Mach e. And I would wait a few years on Mach e, see how it does long term. They have a lot to address and a lot to prove out 1st
 
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There are to many options available now. People that love what tesla offers will usually purchase that brand. I'm one of them. To me, Tesla does many things behind the scenes. This would be a bad example but it's similar in my mind that Tesla is the brand that paints under the cabinets where as someone else won't because you don't see it. This is somewhat a Steve Jobs reference. ( Steve Jobs’ obsession with the quality of the things unseen )
Sure they have their issues but to me they are over looked to some degree. You may not like their service but from the few videos on the Mach E, maybe service for EV's is just that way.

Anyway, I'm not going to sell you on the MY but I can say I love mine. I love the drive, the sportiness and the fun factor is awesome. I think it's not as efficient as other tesla's but that may be just my driving and the 20in wheels.

I would not count on the 3rd row seating. With two row setting it's comfortable but that 3rd row may just be for young children.

I have a 2020 but I believe they attempted to quiet down the new MY with the double pane windows. I would think there may be quieter cars on the market if this is your priority.

Winter will have an impact on the range. That is with any car including a gas engine vehicle due to fuel management to warm up the engine and also due to winter blends.

Autopilot is on the drive stock, just push down twice. It's ok and works great on the highway and not bad in town, just not perfect and probably never will be.

Yes, there is body roll for it's a taller vehicle over the M3. I have done some SCCA racing around the cones and it was a blast and capable.

Again, what sold me on Tesla is what they do behind the scenes as much as the product they offer. We all know that Tesla offers the best S/C network. I know bringing it up is beating the dead horse but it works and works well. Other than the Volkswagen, who else is offering Quick road charging?
 
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As for the pano roof, it's factory dyed dark but it's still very hot
I like the "feel" of driving with the sky visible, definitely more open, but in hotter climates I imagine this would be an issue.

I appreciate everyone's open and honest thoughts and input!

The Rivian R1S is intriguing, wonder what kind of range they can actually get and if it will be reliable for main car to use for camping/mountain drives. (And wonder when will actually come out...)

Wait for Mach E premium (AWD) was 24 weeks after talking to my dealer!!! I want to transition to EV sooner.

With a narrow range of temps (~15 degrees) in which a heat pump is expected to improve efficiency, anyone have concerns about just hauling around extra weight and one extra thing to possibly break down? Several EVs (MachE, eg) don't seem to have, and is an option on some.
 
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I like the "feel" of driving with the sky visible, definitely more open, but in hotter climates I imagine this would be an issue.

I appreciate everyone's open and honest thoughts and input!

The Rivian R1S is intriguing, wonder what kind of range they can actually get and if it will be reliable for main car to use for camping/mountain drives. (And wonder when will actually come out...)

Wait for Mach E premium (AWD) was 24 weeks after talking to my dealer!!! I want to transition to EV sooner.

With a narrow range of temps (~15 degrees) in which a heat pump is expected to improve efficiency, anyone have concerns about just hauling around extra weight and one extra thing to possibly break down? Several EVs (MachE, eg) don't seem to have, and is an option on some.
The heat pump is not "extra weight". It is basically the same thing as an AC, working in reverse. The same compressor is responsible for both heating and cooling. The difference is how the refrigerant and air are routed. So you don't need to worry more than the AC breaking down.
 
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Is tinted/IR reduced roof NOT standard? How much is that option to add. Any cloth roof cover available?


I would garage this vehicle every night and could pre-condition it most winter days, so less of an issue unless starting in the mountains in the winter (ski trip, etc).

Does anyone have concerns over exiting the back seats if power outage? (door button doesn't work, no hard pull).

Safety of last row? Concerns about kids in booster/carseats (front facing)?
In regards to range I get about 220-240 during the winter months when it is snowing and below freezing. I also park in a garage and set the Y up to charge before 6 am (we have reduced rates for overnight charging). One benefit of completing charging right before leaving in the morning is the battery is warm. Really helps with range.
For the rear doors, if you lift up the little rubber liner inside of each rear door, there is a little square that can be popped up. I removed mine and just have the rubber mat on top of it. In the event of power failure there is a manual stainless steel cord that can be pulled to open the rear doors. It used to be listed in the owners manual but they removed it for some reason.
Overall I am extremely happy with the Y. I enjoy the ride quality and handing. With you being in Colorado you have an abundance of chargers. I recommend watching TFL car as they are also in Colorado and have a test model Y. They do show the Y driving in over a foot of snow. With snow tires it is a beast for getting around in bad weather. We run summer wheels/summer tires and winter wheels/winter tires.
Once you get over the initial adjustment to electric you will most likely wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. We have over 10k miles on ours and the cost savings has been tremendous. We drive approx 2000 miles a month and it adds approx $40 to our electric bill. This was the first month I was able to truly calculate this as we went to overnight saver and it shows off peak usage on our electric bill.
 
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You should also check out the Mustang Mach E, it has good features, good cargo and passanger room, and seemed pretty nice when we test drove one. You may hate it, you may love it, but in a similar price range with good driving range it should be a consideration.

Keith
Mach Es biggest downfall is the charging network and the myriad of hoses running in the front trunk area. Munro live did a tear down on one and there is a lot of things he didn’t like. The model Y is the only vehicle he gave a recommended buy for. I can’t believe Ford wants you to bring the car in every 10k miles for service. No way!
 
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In regards to range I get about 220-240 during the winter months when it is snowing and below freezing.

I don’t get that range in the summer. I just finished a 1000 mile trip in August and at highway speeds (75 to 80) I got about 200 miles on a 10% to 90% charge. I used A Better Route Planner to figure out where to charge. ABRP was pretty much dead on in regard to state of charge when pulling into a charging station, so they know what the real world range is.
 
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Is that to allow a "perk" like roadside assistance extension, or is that a lease requirement? I didn't see that.

thanks for the info on the back door manual opening wires.
That is what Ford recommends so they can check over the vehicle. I can see why with all the hoses being routed around. I highly suggest watching Munro Live tear down video on the Mach E
 
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I don’t get that range in the summer. I just finished a 1000 mile trip in August and at highway speeds (75 to 80) I got about 200 miles on a 10% to 90% charge. I used A Better Route Planner to figure out where to charge. ABRP was pretty much dead on in regard to state of charge when pulling into a charging station, so they know what the real world range is.
On road trips I keep the speed at 70-75 max. I generally don’t run flat out. We had a 1400 mile road trip and was easily doing 220 and only charging to 90%.
 
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That is what Ford recommends so they can check over the vehicle. I can see why with all the hoses being routed around. I highly suggest watching Munro Live tear down video on the Mach E
Agree, but just to be objective… doesn’t Tesla’s manual state annual brake service in climates where salt is used on the roads? Ford may be doing same to throw dealers a bone even in temperate climates.
 
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Agree, but just to be objective… doesn’t Tesla’s manual state annual brake service in climates where salt is used on the roads? Ford may be doing same to throw dealers a bone even in temperate climates.
It’s possible. From Munro Live said it is to check all the hoses and what not. There are a lot of things Ford did when designing that which will cause issues down the road. Tesla patented their octavalve which is probably why Ford did what they did. Also Mach E does not utilize a heat pump which hurts efficiency. Also not to state the obvious, but Ford currently does not have Tesla’s supercharging network.
 
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My wife and I drove a Mach-E before placing our MYLR order and really didn't like it. It was more expensive with a huge dealer markup, it was slower, it had less range, the screen had the choppy feel of an older cell phone with insufficient graphics processing and the fit and finish felt chincey. I especially hated the wobbly cheap plastic volume wheel smack in the middle of the screen. Tesla was an easy choice.
 
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