It's hard to overstate how much I already liked the new Tesla Model Y. I drove it earlier this year, and it struck me as Tesla's most complete car yet. It's sharper to look at, smoother to drive, and smarter inside without trying too hard to be clever. In fact, I'd go as far as saying its the best electric car I've ever driven.
But today Tesla unveiled the Model Y Performance. It's the power-packed specification of this already great electric SUV -- and it has the potential to be the best car Tesla's ever made.
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The new Model Y Performance isn't just the regular Model Y with a faster 0 to 60 mph time -- although, it'll do that in a ridiculous 3.3 seconds. It's a reworked machine, top to bottom, which takes the family-friendly EV and injects a dose of sports car mischief into every corner of it.
Aesthetically, it's clear something's different. The redesigned fascias on both the front and rear aren't just for show. Together with a carbon-fiber spoiler and a new rear diffuser, they give the Performance variant a more aggressive stance, not to mention actual aerodynamic improvements. It achieves 10% less drag and a 27% improvement in front-to-rear lift balance. The 21-inch forged Arachnid 2.0 wheels are staggered for better grip and show off some seriously good-looking red brake calipers.
The Model Y Performance has a more aggressive stance. Tesla
Inside, the upgrades are more than skin deep. Tesla's fitted bolstered performance seats with powered thigh extenders that promise to make long drives feel like less of a compromise between comfort and support. They're both heated and ventilated, so you're set for any weather. There's a new carbon-fiber dash trim too, so you can really make it look the part. The 16-inch center screen is now sharper and more pixel-packed than before -- 80% more, to be exact -- which adds a bit more polish to an already slick interface.
Performance, though, is the headline. The Model Y Performance inherits the beefy new drive unit introduced in last year's Model 3 Performance, offering 460 horsepower, 32% more peak power, and 22% more sustained grunt than the last-gen Performance variant. Top speed is now 155 mph. Supercar numbers in a car that still has space for strollers, groceries, and whatever else life throws in the trunk.
The bolstered performance seats are heated and ventilated. Tesla
Tesla has thrown in adaptive suspension that was tuned in-house and validated at the Nürburgring. It adjusts in real time to match your driving and the road conditions. In practice, that should mean buttery comfort when you want it, and spine-tingling sharpness when you don't.
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