- The Tesla Model YL is already on sale in China, and should be on sale in Europe soon.
- Inside China Auto drove it and liked the handling, but the bouncy ride and awkward third row seating position make it a more compromised family hauler than other three row crossovers in China.
- It's not clear if the three-row Model Y will come to the United States.
Tesla’s been on a low-effort model refresh streak lately. Just last week, the brand introduced the Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y, both designed to be cheaper to buy, at the expense of a surprisingly high amount of creature comforts.
A few weeks before Tesla announced those two models, across the world, Tesla released an important variant of the Model Y — the Model YL. This six-seater long wheelbase version of the new Model Y is an important car, especially in China, where three-row electrified crossovers and SUVs are becoming all the rage amongst China’s middle class.
Mark Rainford of the YouTube channel Inside China Auto got his hands on one for review, and his opinion seems to be somewhat mixed. There’s a lot to like about the Tesla Model Y long wheelbase, but some of it feels a little too low effort to compete with some of the biggest names in Chinese three-row crossovers.
To be fair, Rainford does praise the Model Y’s driving dynamics. “Soft suspension, light steering, not engaging to drive–you can put nearly every Chinese car in that bucket,” he said. This is something I can second with my experiences, save for a few exceptions (which Rainford also acknowledges). A Zeekr 7x may be a sporty driving car, but the Nio ES6 is very smooth and soft. But in the Model Y, “every input that you make, feels like it’s making an impact on the road. The balance, and the poise of the car is just excellent,” he says.
But, unfortunately, the rest of the car has some annoying flaws. For starters, the third row lacks legroom and is awkwardly placed, with the headrests placed very close to the glass. The third-row seat itself is mounted very close to the floor. By comparison, the other three-row EV crossovers in the segment will have more traditional seating positions, ones that offer decent legroom and some respite from the sun. Add in the very stiff ride and it doesn’t seem like the three-row Model Y is all that comfortable to live with.
Rainford’s critique continues on the rest of the interior, too. The Model Y’s vegan leather and super-responsive screen is good, but competitors like the Li Auto i8 offer real Nappa leather and dual screens. The second row seats have interesting powered arm rests, but the seats themselves don’t do any sort of cushion tilt, or relax-and-recline zero-gravity feature, which are now pretty common in the class. The Li Auto i8 has an optional fold-down theatre-style screen that can even run gaming consoles. The Tesla Model Y only has a small screen mounted low on the center console.
Still, he remains optimistic about the car. The Model Y’s driving dynamics and reputation of being a trusted brand mean that this three-row Model Y may still find modest success in China. “In China….the brand is what does the talking. Most buyers don’t even research the competition at all,” he said. Will that brand loyalty be enough to sway buyers away from three-row crossovers that feel nicer and are better at carrying people? Rainford thinks so.
It’s unclear if the Tesla Model Y long wheelbase will come to the United States, but it is likely to make its way to European markets. We'll see if buyers there are interested.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
