Tesla Model Y Performance Dual Motor Power and Sporty Handling
Tesla Model Y engines, drive and performance
Written by Keith AdamsPublished: 6 July 2022Updated: 13 November 2023
- Fast in a straight line
- Plenty of overtaking power
- Responsive at any speed
What power options are there?
The Tesla Model Y has several different power options available. The cheapest and least powerful is a single-motor setup powering the rear wheels. Its still fast with a 6.6 second 0-60 time.
A dual-motor setup with four-wheel drive is available with two power outputs. The Long Range car has 384hp, while the Performance model is 60hp more than that. These power outputs are slightly less than you get in a Model 3, but still mean that the Model Y is good for a 0-60mph time of 4.8 seconds, or 3.5 seconds in the Performance model.
In typical Tesla fashion, the Model Y accelerates briskly and with zero drama simply put the car into drive and floor the accelerator pedal. The Model Y is quick off the line, and its rapid when accelerating at higher speeds, too. Power delivery is linear, and it doesnt really tail off until youre approaching triple-digit speeds, so its more than responsive enough for everyday use.
Tesla offers multiple levels of energy recovery in the Model Y, from freewheel coasting to high resistance that charges energy back into the battery and means you can drive the car using one pedal and with hardly ever needing to use the physical braking system.
Whats it like to drive?
- Fast steering rack
- But its not very sporty
- Firm ride can be uncomfortable
The Tesla Model Y is fast in a straight line, but that headline figure is fairly irrelevant compared with the sheer ease of driving, and how happy the car is to trickle along in the busiest of conditions. Its steering is relatively heavy and direct compared with rivals, but it never feels nervous as it weighs up nicely at motorway speeds.
That sporty steering promises much, but the Model Ys handling is acceptable, rather than outstanding. It feels stable in corners, and theres not too much body roll, either. Grip levels are also generous, so its all there, but ultimately a Kia EV6 is more rewarding on a back road.
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The ride quality is quite disappointing on typically rough city streets, too, and you can partly blame that on its large 20-inch wheels. It fidgets nervously over expansion joints and potholes, and although it never gets uncomfortable, it is shaded by the BMW iX1 in this department.
Noise levels are also higher than in some of its rivals, with the odd rumble and bump from the suspension, as well as tyre noise at speed being higher than in cars such as the Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4 E-Tron.
Tesla Model Y: performance, motor & drive
Model | 0-60mph | Top speed | Driven wheels | Power |
Model Y | 6.6s | 135mph | Rear | 342bhp |
Long Range | 4.8s | 135mph | Four | 384bhp |
Performance | 3.5s | 155mph | Four | 527bhp |
The Tesla Model Y is a fast car whichever way you look at it, but is primarily aimed at providing point and squirt performance, rather than the driving engagement of something like a BMW iX1. Its a pretty easy car to drive around town, however, its let down by a slightly firm ride.
Tesla Model Y 0-60mph, top speed and acceleration
Depending on which version you choose, the Model Ys acceleration ranges from pressing you slightly back into your seat, all the way up to catapulting your internal organs back into the second row of seats whenever you floor the throttle. Even the base Tesla Model Y RWD is pretty brisk; Tesla says 0-60mph is dispatched in 6.6 seconds which, in reality, is more than enough for most buyers.
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Long Range models get an extra motor on the front axle for more power and four-wheel-drive grip although the difference in traction is only really noticeable in the slipperiest of conditions. The sprint to 60mph feels quite a bit faster, though, with the time being cut to just 4.8 seconds. The Performance model is faster still, almost to the point that it feels a bit unnecessary; 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds is enough to leave even serious sports cars in the dust not an ability thats necessarily useful when on the school run.
Handling
The Tesla Model Y can be described as competent, rather than particularly fun or engaging to drive. Once the novelty of seemingly unending performance under your right foot wears off, youll discover the Model Y does tend to feel a little heavy on a twisty road, with the car understeering whenever you throw it into a corner with too much gusto.
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Speaking of turning, the Model Ys steering lacks any sort of feel; dont get us wrong, its easy to place the car on the road and it doesnt feel disconnected from the front axle at all, but you dont get much sensation through the steering wheel, making it difficult to push the car to its limits not that most owners will be interested in doing so. There are both Comfort and Sport modes for the steering, with the latter adding a bit of weight.
In terms of ride quality, the Model Y is middling in this regard; most electric cars have pretty stiff suspension in order to account for the extra weight of the batteries. The Teslas, in this case, is especially firm not to the point its uncomfortable, but its certainly noticeable over the biggest of bumps in the road. If comfort is your main concern, an Audi Q4 e-tron or Skoda Enyaq are your best bets.
