What's this new car all about then?
Chinese car buyers love a long-wheelbase SUV with lots of rear-seat space. But Tesla reckons its made-for-China Model Y L 6-seater (launched there last year) could be a draw for other markets too, and now it's on sale in New Zealand.
It doesn't look a whole different to the standard Y at first glance... but look more closely. There's a whopping 150mm extra in the wheelbase, and a tiny bit more rear overhang to make it 177mm longer overall. The extended roofline also adds 44mm in height.
In short (long?), the Model Y L is a proper large-segment SUV, 140mm longer than a Hyundai Santa Fe.
It does look thicker around the rear roofline and haunches, and you'll notice the glass extends all the way down to the reshaped boot lip, which wears a tiny spoiler similar to that on the Performance. It's partly there to house the rear high-stop brake light, which has been relocated from the top of the tailgate.
Note the "Model Y L L" badge on the back, the Y and brace of stylised L shapes (or Y shapes maybe...) forming a graphic that indicates 3 rows of seating. Very cute.
The L doesn't look a whole different to the standard Y at first glance... but look more closely.
Even aside from the extra dimensions, the L is supposed to sit well above your average Y. All of the seats are a new design (including the front chairs), there's a 16-inch infotainment screen, gruntier 50W wireless phone charger for the driver (the front passenger still gets a 30W pad) and slightly different trim, including faux-leather that wraps around the charging pad. It's also the first Tesla to have vehicle to load (V2L) capability.
But yeah, that upholstery. Do you like our car's light-coloured trim? It's called Zen Grey and is an option unique to the L. You can still have basic black.
It's configured with captain's chairs for practical reasons: the space between them is how you get into the 3rd row.
But we're really here to talk chairs, right? The L is a 6-seater because the 2nd row is comprised of 2 captain's chairs. Looks pretty lux and it is; every single passenger uttered the appropriate oohs and aahs when they got inside and found an armchair to relax in.
But it's configured that way mainly for practical reasons: the space between them is how you get into the 3rd row. It's a tight journey, but acceptable.
It's interesting/fun to note that the Model Y L has a digital suspension toggle that you can change from Balanced to Rear Comfort.
That's also why the captain's chairs have power-retractable armrests on their inboard sides; to keep them out of the way when passengers are trying to clamber into the cheap seats. If you're running this as a 4-seater, you can wind those 2nd-row seats back for legroom that's truly limo-like (and enjoy a massive 1000 litre-plus cargo space behind).
And the 3rd row? It's not bad. We got three adults in a line front, centre and rear wihout too much shuffling. You wouldn't want to spend all day in the very back, because it's a bit knees-up, although the beauty (another beauty) of those captain's chairs is that 3rd-row passengers can stretch a leg through the gap. They'll have to take turns, of course.
Headroom in the 3rd row is surprisingly good, although you'll experience a natural reflex to duck if you're sitting back there while somebody is closing the tailgate, because your head is right under the glass.
All seats are heated (2nd and 3rd row controlled from the 8in auxiliary screen located behind the front seats) and there are even a couple of USB ports nestled in the leading edge of the seats in the very back. There's some nice attention to detail in this thing. Airbag coverage for the 3rd row, too.
The whole car is rather brilliantly packaged. If there's any compromise, it's probably in the car's ability to carry really bulky items, because although you can drop all four back seats from the boot with power assistance, whatever you want to carry will just be sitting atop the seatbacks.
But the overall cargo options are still great. Aside from the boot, you have a substantial well under the floor (which will attach magnetically to the seatbacks when you lift it) and there's quite a big 116-litre frunk up front as well.
How much is it?
There's just one L variant available, the Premium, at $83,900. That's $6000 more than the equivalent standard-size Model Y, so you could argue it's quite a lot of metal for the money (albeit only 1 more seat).
Our preview-drive car came with all the special L-stuff, including Cosmic Silver exterior paint (exclusive to this model) at $3000 and the Zen Grey upholstery for $1700. Grand total: $88,600.
If you buy right now you can still get Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a one-time purchase at $11,400, but beyond March 31 it'll be subscription only at $159 per month.
What's it like to drive?
Not really the point of this story, to be honest. Although it's interesting/fun to note that the Model Y L has a digital suspension toggle that you can change from Balanced to Rear Comfort, optimising the ride for those aft of the front row. It's a neat touch that's possible because the L boasts adaptive dampers.
The L has an upsized 88kWh battery and boasts the biggest range of any Model Y on sale. With a WLTP rating of 681km, it'll go 81km further than the Y long range.
You'd think the L would focus on a more luxurious driving experience and in some repsects it does, with the longer wheelbase providing a more settled ride.
But it's still a little jittery on rippled Kiwi roads and in fact the vibe is much more of a sporting SUV. It's AWD, it rides on mixed-sized tyres and with 378kW/590Nm, it can press everybody's noggins into those Zen Grey head restraints with 0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds. It's only 0.2sec slower than the much smaller and lighter Y AWD long range.
It's not that hard to make an EV go fast, but the current generation of Model Y is also pretty sorted in dynamic terms, so the big fella will still put a smile on a keen driver's face. If not the family in the back when you go a bit silly.
What’s the pick of the range?
No choice in mechanical or cabin specification, just the Premium AWD with everything. Enjoy. Shout yourself the Cosmic Silver, it looks fantastic and it will let all the other Tesla-nerds know you've got the the big one.
What other cars should I consider?
Pure-electric cars with 3 rows of seating for less than $100k: that's a class of 1 and you're looking at it.
Assuming you do want a BEV and you don't want a full-on people mover like a Zeekr 009 - and we're assuming you don't, because the Model Y L is still quite sleek-looking and lithe-to-drive - the next best thing is the Cadillac Vistiq (also a 6-seater) at $125,000.
And then upwards to the likes of the Kia EV9 ($110,790-$139,790) or Volvo EX90 ($149,990-$159,990).