The Tesla Model Y has become the brand's best-seller, to the point where it has even positioned itself as the best-selling car in the world in 2023, a first for an electric model. Since then, its sales have nevertheless been declining, while customers impatiently awaited its restyled version, codenamed Juniper. The wait is now over as Tesla formalizes in Europe the marketing of its restyled Model Y, already presented a few weeks ago on the Chinese market.
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One of the reasons for this wait was undoubtedly Tesla's desire to further differentiate its Model Y from its Model 3 and to bring it some additional new features. The SUV was once akin to a stretched version of the sedan, but now stands out with a style of its own. It thus inherits the latest aesthetic codes from Tesla, with the appearance of a light strip at the front and rear, as were already equipped with the Cybertruck and Cybercab.
Beyond the style, the improvements made by Tesla follow those experienced by the Model 3 at the end of 2023. This restyling therefore changes the Model Y in depth, including its chassis, notably with new shock absorbers. The Model Y now uses acoustic glass on all its glass surfaces and new insulating materials in order to improve its soundproofing.
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Inside, the changes are identical to those made to the Model 3, with more attractive materials. Almost everything is new, including the seats, now ventilated at the front.
The central screen is slightly larger, now measuring 15.4 inches diagonally, while an 8-inch screen is responsible for keeping the rear passengers occupied.
The most observant will notice the presence of a switch to the left of the steering wheel. If the Model Y abandons that of the power selector, like the other Teslas, it retains a traditional control for the indicators. As a reminder, Tesla had removed it from its other models in favor of buttons on the steering wheel, which had not convinced us during our various tests.
-If the trunk does not really change, having a more or less identical capacity, it gains in practicality. Thus, the pulls allowing the rear seat to be folded have been replaced by electric controls, which also allow the backrests to be put back into place from the trunk.
In addition, an additional camera appears in the front bumper to make parking easier.
A launch edition at a high price
The restyled Model Y is already available in France for deliveries from March, but only in the Launch Series launch version. Based on the Grande Autonomie model with all-wheel drive, it only differs with a few specific badges. It is automatically equipped with 20-inch rims, only allows the choice between a black or gray body color and requires a black interior.
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The range of this version increases to 568 km WLTP, compared to 533 km for the old Model Y Grande Autonomie with four-wheel drive and 20-inch rims. Thanks in particular to work on its aerodynamics, the consumption of this version could actually be lowered from 16.9 kWh/100 km to 15.3 kWh/100 km (including charger losses).
Acceleration has also been improved, with 0 to 100 km/h going from 5 seconds to 4.3 seconds. The top speed, on the other hand, drops from 217 km/h to 201 km/h. Finally, the maximum charging power still caps at 250 kW, which remains within the limits, although some competitors now manage to reduce their charging time by accepting a higher power.
While the Model Y Grande Autonomie with all-wheel drive was recently offered at the discounted price of €47,990, the restyled Model Y Launch Series is priced at €60,990. These approximately €13,000 difference can be explained in particular by a discount of €4,000 applied in recent weeks on the Model Y, ahead of this restyling, or by the 20-inch increase in the Launch Series, instead of 19 inches as standard.
We will have to wait for the more classic versions of the restyled Model Y to arrive in the catalog to precisely quantify this inflation. During the restyling of the Model 3, its prices had only increased by €1000, with almost as many new features as the Model Y. Let's hope that Tesla was not too greedy this time.
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