Aug 29, 2020 12:24 PM EDT 0 Come At Me, Muskbros Before I move onto my driving impressions, I will say that I was just as disappointed by this thing’s overall build quality as the Model 3’s. Among the manufacturing issues I noticed on my tester, which I obtained through the Turo ride-sharing app, was a passenger-side headlight that wasn’t properly aligned, a rear bumper that didn’t quite tuck in the same way on both sides of the car, a rear hatch that had a wider door-to-body gap on one side than the other, and some rubber moldings that felt they had been installed as afterthoughts. Guillaume Fournier That the Model Y’s large center console is made out of cheap Dollarama-grade plastic is another huge letdown. Cabin noise was also very apparent during my drive, where squeaks and rattles kept disturbing the otherwise peaceful experience—it’s all especially more noticeable with no engine to drown it out. The Model Y’s interior feels downright cheaply made, especially when you compare it to what the Germans or even the South-Koreans manufacture in this price bracket. Once strapped in, the now expected one-screen-controls-all setup stares at you robotically like HAL in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. In its defense, it’s a remarkably easy interface to comprehend. Granted, there is a learning curve, but the information isn’t cluttered like other systems, so it doesn’t take too much time to figure out where everything is. Guillaume Fournier The screen also reacts quickly to your commands, the navigation map is clear and intuitive to use, and the overall interface is clean and attractive. I do feel Tesla’s latest vehicles deserve some physical controls, like mirror and steering wheel adjustments, or audio commands. Cycling through the screen to find them can at times be distracting, especially while driving. I did however enjoy how the car’s dashcam switches on the moment you hunk the horn. It’s a handy feature that allows you to grab some footage of the douchebag who just scraped off your front bumper. Forward visibility is excellent due to the absence of, well, a dashboard. So is overall comfort, especially up front where the seats provide ample lateral and back support. Guillaume Fournier The rear seats are spacious, too, and offer ample head clearance for a big guy like me, but the seatbacks themselves are hard. You also sit upright back there. It is however possible to recline the seats, but they’re just never as comfortable as the ones upfront. The Model Y’s glass roof—which doesn’t open—gives way to a well-lit, airy cabin. On The Road When I say that Tesla is ahead of the competition, I don’t mean that it’s the first to market a 300-mile electric compact crossover. Or because it pioneered over-the-air software updates, an in-house fast-charging network or its own sales model that other car brands are just beginning to copy. No, Tesla is ahead of the curve due to the way it drives and how utterly efficient its drivetrains are compared to other EVs out there. Guillaume Fournier Driving the Model Y captures Tesla’s technological dominance by the way it performs and manages its range. Although the industry now offers a wide choice of compelling EVs, I remain impressed by how smooth and instant Tesla’s motors feel. Unsurprisingly, the Model Y will launch itself out of the hole as fast as the best sports cars, but it’s the precision of its throttle pedal that’s truly astonishing. One simply needs to feather it for the vehicle to get up and go swiftly. It’s the kind of tactility that instantly infuses the driver with utmost confidence and control. Guillaume Fournier Releasing that pedal also unleashes Tesla’s excellent regenerative braking technology. While competing brands offer the possibility to modulate the recuperation system’s resistance, Tesla proves once more that two well-preconfigured settings suffice. About the Tesla Supercharger network: I didn’t really need to use it given the amount of range the Model Y has at its disposal. But it is handy if your area isn’t fitted with an established public charging grid. Where I live, there’s a public charger on every street corner, so Superchargers are kind of irrelevant. But it will allow you to grab 158 miles of range within only 15 minutes, so there’s that. That said, not having to rely on a charger was another realization that hit me hard as I blasted this compact crossover into highway onramps at speeds that would make a Porsche Macan Turbo blush: range anxiety is officially a thing of the past, folks. Battery technology is evolving so rapidly that we’ll soon get way more range than we actually need from an overnight charge. It’s a reality, that’s a lot closer than we think. Anyway, back to the driving experience. The Model Y, even in its most basic form, is fast, smooth and efficient. But that’s all expected from a Tesla. What I wasn’t ready for was how well it handles. Guillaume Fournier Modern electric cars, generally speaking, all handle well due to the heavy battery pack that’s located down beneath their floor. This allows for an ultra-low center of gravity and near-perfect weight distribution. But up until now, the driving dynamics of most EVs, except perhaps the Jaguar I-Pace—an EV I once drove on a track like a bat out of hell—or the Porsche Taycan all feel a bit stale. The Model Y has a playful, tail-happy feel when it’s pushed hard to its limits. The Dual Motor setup somehow always prioritizes the rear motor, even though its original purpose was to be efficient and not performance-enhancing. Yet, it’s still willing to party. What I mean is that there’s actual rotation happening back there, which allows the Model Y to wag its tail if you really commit upon corner exit. Yet, it’s all very easy to correct. The steering is as precise as a Playstation controller, the levels of grip are immense, and the front wheels instantly kick in to provide the required amount of grip. It all happens so effortlessly that even an inexperienced driver will find the confidence necessary to throw this thing hard into a corner without fear of understeering into a ditch. Guillaume Fournier