Amid the controversy surrounding Elon Musk’s support for Donald Trump and his now-infamous fascist salute at Trump’s inauguration, car manufacturing is continuing at Tesla, and the updated Model Y has arrived in Ireland.
Higher price than outgoing Model Y
Tesla’s Irish operation has opened up the ‘Juniper’ version of the Model Y for orders, initially only for the Dual-Motor Long Range version. That version of the Model Y will be sold with a significant price hike, from €51,990 for the outgoing Dual Motor Long Range to €60,990 for the new one.
That range is 568km — Tesla’s dominance of the one-charge range charts has rather evaporated in recent years, as several key rivals, including the Skoda Enyaq Coupe and Kia EV6, now outstrip that figure — with a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
For now, only two colours are available as no-cost options — Solid Black and Quicksilver — while 20-inch alloy wheels come as standard, as does a tow hitch, which allows the Dual Motor Long Range Y to tow up to 1,600kg on a braked trailer. At the moment, black is the only interior colour being offered.
Driver aids
Tesla’s oft-criticised advanced driver aids are also available, with ‘Basic Autopilot’ (essentially adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping steering) as standard, ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ (which includes automatic parking, a summon feature, and assisted motorway driving) for €3,800, or ‘Full Self Driving’ (which, it is important to remember, isn’t full self-driving and requires human control and supervision) for €7,500.
On the outside, Tesla has considerably altered the styling of the Model Y, with a slim light bar that now runs across the full width of a squared-off front end, while the rear lights are now in a continuous inset bar that runs across the bootlid and which rather resembles the Cylon warriors from the 1970s TV version of Battlestar Galactica.
While the interior remains unchanged in layout and design, and the 15-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash remains your only point of connection with the car’s systems, the good news is that Tesla has brought back column stalks, following a serious number of complaints about the ‘stalkless’ layout of other models. Rear seat passengers also now get their own standard-fit eight-inch screen.
Faster USB chargers
According to Tesla, the Model Y’s in-car technology has improved, with faster internet connectivity, better phone-key connection, and high-speed 65-watt USB-C charging ports in the cabin.
The front seats are now also ventilated as well as heated, while the rear seats get redesigned cushions for improved comfort, and there’s acoustic glass for better sound insulation. Tesla also claims a boost in cabin quality.
Apparently, the Model Y’s suspension has also been tweaked to improve its ride quality.
The Model Y, famously, was the first electric car to become the best-selling car both in Europe and across the world, a title it took in 2023. Last year, in Europe, the Model Y was beaten into second place in the sales charts by the Dacia Sandero, while in global sales terms, it was trailing the Toyota Corolla in December as we wait for the final figures to be totted up.