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.
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 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.
You get all of the excellent additions from the non-performance version of the new Model Y, which is the first major design change since the Model Y was unveiled in 2019 and made available in 2020. This includes the new rear touchscreen to keep passengers entertained, the new light bars on the front and area, an updated panoramic roof, electric folding rear seats, and LED styling throughout the interior.
In terms of range, Tesla promises 360 miles WLTP, which is nothing to scoff at. Thanks to a new high-density battery pack, it’s achieved without adding weight. Charging via Tesla’s ever-expanding Supercharger network remains about as easy as it gets for EVs.
Tesla’s ever-expanding Supercharger network makes charging easy.
Put simply, this new Model Y Performance is Tesla’s electric SUV turned up to 11. It still has the everyday usability I loved in the regular version, but adds track-tested speed and suspension tuning that would be at home in a supercar.
Orders are open now on Tesla’s website. Deliveries begin in Europe this September, with the UK and Ireland following in October. Pricing starts at £61,990 in the UK and 61,990 euros in Ireland. US pricing is yet to be announced, but will follow shortly, with deliveries slightly later this year.
