Model Y Demo Drive in US

[pdk42]

I’m on holiday in the US with some American friends. We discussed my Tesla experience and on the back of it, they wanted to try a demo drive at the local SC. So, I got to ride and drive in a US Model Y. A few observations:

- Prices here are notably lower than in the UK once federal and state tax incentives are included. A Model Y LR AWD comes in at under $45k.

- AP is definitely more usable than in the UK. Steering touch nag is way less intrusive and FSD definitely behaves more consistently.

- The NACS connector is so much better designed than the CCS monstrosity we use - smaller, lighter. It’s no wonder all the other manufacturers are switching to it.

- The Model Y we drove seemed notably quieter and more refined than my car (a 2019 Model 3 - one of the first in the UK). Its suspension setup was also definitely better than the Model Y I drove in the UK when it was first launched here.

- Rear seat comfort was definitely a step up from the Model 3 - mainly due to the higher seat squab.

I‘m now thinking a Model Y might be worth another look when replacement time comes.

"HUDWAY Drive for Tesla Model 3 and Y" by Yndima is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[ACarneiro]

Everything is cheaper in the US, it seems…

 

[pdk42]

Everything is cheaper in the US, it seems…

Until you try eating out (or buying food in supermarkets).

 

[Leytonstone]

Model Y LR in UK is £44,158 plus VAT
Model Y LR in US is $48,990 minus rebates

No so far apart, all the gnarlier differences being in company car tax savings, VED, depreciation and so on

What is starkly dissimilar between the two nations is advertising standards, in that Tesla can list U.S. Model Y prices that bear no relation to reality, and are in fact nonsense figures they concocted from things like "Est. 3-year gas savings"

If you've ever bought anything in the U.S. you have to be on your toes, and anyone with family there e.g. me or @pdk42 above will tell you it's not the cheap nirvana it once most definitely was. Go compare the price of something like underpants (am serious btw)

And does AP being "more usable" mean "only attempted to kill me the once"

 

[ACarneiro]

Until you try eating out (or buying food in supermarkets).

Is that so? Interesting, I always though food was quite cheap over there as well, at least judging from how large their portions tend to be.

I guess "The USA" is a whole continent, there are bound to be loads of variations between states....

 

[WannabeOwner]

I guess "The USA" is a whole continent, there are bound to be loads of variations between states....

new York restaurants were vey expensive when I was there 5 years ago. When I travelled to USA on business frequently, before 2000, prices were much more reasonable.

 

[Jason71]

Is that so? Interesting, I always though food was quite cheap over there as well, at least judging from how large their portions tend to be.

I guess "The USA" is a whole continent, there are bound to be loads of variations between states....

Nope. supermarket food prices are significantly higher on average in the US.
Restaurant prices in Florida this summer seemed about comparable though I thought so long as you don't drink a lot of alcohol. That did seem very pricey in the supermarkets and the restaurants.

 

[Drew57]

Model Y LR in UK is £44,158 plus VAT
Model Y LR in US is $48,990 minus rebates

No so far apart, all the gnarlier differences being in company car tax savings, VED, depreciation and so on

What is starkly dissimilar between the two nations is advertising standards, in that Tesla can list U.S. Model Y prices that bear no relation to reality, and are in fact nonsense figures they concocted from things like "Est. 3-year gas savings"

View attachment 986104

If you've ever bought anything in the U.S. you have to be on your toes, and anyone with family there e.g. me or @pdk42 above will tell you it's not the cheap nirvana it once most definitely was. Go compare the price of something like underpants (am serious btw)

And does AP being "more usable" mean "only attempted to kill me the once"

Yes, I am staying with our family in Idaho now & with the ex rate barely above $1.2/£ basically everything is costing even more than May when we were last here. Oh for 2008 or anything pre Brexit when we used to see up to $2.0/£

(& by the way, Tesla have unilaterally disabled FSD Beta on the Son-In-Laws Model X, no explanation)

 

[WannabeOwner]

Tesla have unilaterally disabled FSD Beta on the Son-In-Laws Model X, no explanation

Driver Safety Score? You haven't been driving it, have you? !!

 

[Drew57]

Driver Safety Score? You haven't been driving it, have you? !!

I did in May!

(disabled August but he often 'Turos' it so that's the most likely explanation)

 

[WannabeOwner]

pre Brexit when we used to see up to $2.0/£

Errmmm ... well, since Lawson's debacle on Black Wednesday 1992 its mostly been 1.4 - 1.6 - a spike to 2.0 from 2005 until 04-Aug-2008, presumably when you went then back to 1.6 ... and since Brexit 1.2 - 1.4

When I was a kid it was always 2.4

 

[EatsShoots]

- Prices here are notably lower than in the UK once federal and state tax incentives are included. A Model Y LR AWD comes in at under $45k.

Actually $41k in my state ($500 state + $7500 federal)!

 

[ACarneiro]

Actually $41k in my state ($500 state + $7500 federal)!

Please stop showing off!

 

[KerrySkates]

- AP is definitely more usable than in the UK. Steering touch nag is way less intrusive and FSD definitely behaves more consistently.

FSD is only in North America. so… yeah. It acts “more consistently” in the US because it doesn’t exist in the UK lol.

I recently rented a 2023 Model Y and I’m not sure what it was, but the seats felt smaller (less wide) and were less comfortable compared to my 2019 Model 3.

The Model Y definitely had less road noise leakage.

I found the vehicles fairly comparable in many other ways. It really does feel like the Model 3’s younger, bigger brother.

Be happy about CCS2 in the UK. Maybe it’s not as nice the NACS connector, but it’s much better than the CCS1 connector used in North America. Grain of salt - I’ve not used CCS2, personally. At least it’s said to not have the same problems with downtime, janky connectors and maintenance hell.

 

[pdk42]

Be happy about CCS2 in the UK. Maybe it’s not as nice the NACS connector, but it’s much better than the CCS1 connector used in North America. Grain of salt - I’ve not used CCS2, personally. At least it’s said to not have the same problems with downtime, janky connectors and maintenance hell.

The problem with the CCS European connector is that it’s big and heavy. We’ve had problems with some chargers (non Tesla) getting a good connection due to it.

 

[Unclepaul]

Much of the apparent price increases for visitors, is the current strength of the US Dollar. Foreign currencies have often depreciated against it.
In addition, USA has just seen a lot of price inflation and wage inflation. People are both earning more and costs are more.
Our Auto Unions have just negotiated a +25% increase in their latest labor negotiations. They went on strike for 6 weeks to get it, so much of it will take a while for them to come out even. Fast food workers get +$15-$20 per hour for simple jobs. High tech workers command very high wages and include Health Care, Pensions and paid time off.
New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the World. Rank up near what a Capital City costs in other lands.

 

[thyname]

New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the World. Rank up near what a Capital City costs in other lands.

New York City is NOT the capital city of the US (United States of America). I am so sorry to break the news to you

 

[pdk42]

New York City is NOT the capital city of the US (United States of America). I am so sorry to break the news to you

He didn’t say it was.

 

[Tiger]

Until you try eating out (or buying food in supermarkets).

And tipping, tipping is mad in the US We just pay people salary so they don't need tips like any other job.

 

[DrChaos]

Is that so? Interesting, I always though food was quite cheap over there as well, at least judging from how large their portions tend to be.

I guess "The USA" is a whole continent, there are bound to be loads of variations between states....

Just a quick comparison, a month ago, my experience in Edinburgh & Belfast were notably less expensive for dining & beer than San Diego, once you include the tax & tip additions.

example, a US pint is $8.50 + 8% tax + 18% tip, $11 UK pub, a larger pint is 5.50 GBP, 6.67 USD. Ireland was 5.5 - 6 in euros.