Tesla has always sold its “cars” along the lines of modern tech “devices”, more like an iPhone than a Mondeo, in other words.
And this makes a lot of sense, as aside from brutal straight line speed (that EVs are inherently capable of) , they have traditionally not offered much to keen drivers who like to, y’know, go around corners.
Arguably the Model 3 and Model Y went a long way to rectifying this - and the newest incarnation of the Model Y goes even further - but they still keep the driver at arm’s length from the actual fun. It does, however, make the Model Y an excellent transport device.
Now, I’m not saying that in a derogatory way - rather, while the Model Y isn’t exactly engaging when it comes to cornering dynamics and driving fun, it is thoroughly excellent as a vehicle that handles your daily commute with ease, while also bringing a hefty layer of that whole “tech device” thing.
Simply put, as a device, the Model Y is superb. It may be easy to be cynical about things like over-the-air updates that fundamentally change your car while you are sleeping or long-promised capabilities that never seem to eventuate, but the end result of Tesla’s drive for automation and ease of use is truly impressive.
For example, the lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is initially grating, but the Model Y comes integrated with Spotify, You Tube Music, Apple Music, Tidal, TuneIn and Amazon Music (as well as Audible if you preferred audio entertainment is audio books), meaning you simply sign in to whatever service you prefer and you are away.
The Model Y also supports YouTube, Netflix and Twitch video services, as well as Tesla Arcade which packs some impressive games, such as Vampire Survivors, Fallout Shelter and Stardew Valley, as well as the classic Beach Buggy Racing 2 and many more.
Tesla Arcade also offers PC game streaming via Nvidia GeForce Now, allowing PC gamers to play their collection of games compatible with the GeForce Now service on the go, using a Bluetooth controller. We have even seen reports of Tesla owners getting Xbox Cloud Gaming to work via the Model Y’s inbuilt web browser (although we didn’t test this ourselves, sadly only finding out it was possible after we gave the Model Y back).
It turns your Model Y into a proper entertainment system on wheels and really does make charging at a public charger something to genuinely look forward to, with so many ways to effortlessly kill time.
To top it all off, the new Model Y has gone even further with in-car entertainment than previous teslas with the inclusion of a rear seat touchscreen with full access to all the streaming options as well.
All of these services work very well, with surprisingly little latency, but it must be kept in mind that they do require a further Tesla “Premium Connectivity” subscription on top of the individual service subscriptions.
Without a Premium Connectivity sub, all you get is live navigation with real-time traffic updates, but several of the video streaming services can be accessed in-car by using a phone as a hotspot. Don’t expect a quick round of Call of Duty through GeForce Now on hotspot though.
However, at a thoroughly reasonable $10.99 a month, there really is no reason not to have Premium Connectivity, as it turns your Model Y into a proper entertainment system on wheels and really does make charging at a public charger something to genuinely look forward to, with so many ways to effortlessly kill time.
Infotainment tech aside, the driver assist tech in the Model Y also goes a long way as establishing it as the ultimate smart device.
Navigate on Autopilot is a system that gives a tantalising hint of how good FSD could be, while the self-parking system gives a worrying glimpse of how bad it could be…
Like a lot of other EVs, the Model Y is “approach and go”, in that you walk up to it and it recognises the key in your pocket and readies itself for departure. Then you simply hop in, select drive and press the throttle and you are away.
Nothing particularly unusual in that, as a lot of EVs - and even a few PHEVs now - do this, but Tesla has taken it a step further by not just moving the gear selector to the touchscreen (there are ‘emergency’ physical controls in case the screen fails, which has been known to happen in Teslas…), but also implementing a Beta system that can predict what gear you want to be in based on previous inputs from the throttle and steering wheel, and what the car’s various sensors have already logged.
In theory this sounds odd and open to many misunderstandings, but in practice it is wonderfully simple, intuitive and mainly accurate.
If you have pulled forwards into a parking space and put your foot on the brake, it will then tell you to turn the wheel to the opposite direction and touch the throttle to select reverse.
This makes things like three-point turns and tight parking spaces that require a bit of manoeuvring to get into or out of an absolute breeze, and while it may be initially jarring to have the gear selector on a screen, this system means you hardly even have to use it anyway.
The Model Y truly does stand head and shoulders above the competition as a high tech device, particularly when it comes to entertainment.
But even if you don’t use it (as it is a Beta system, you have to opt into it in the menu) the touchscreen gear selector is also remarkably intuitive and convenient. After you have gotten past the whole “no physical controls” shock that is inevitable.
While Tesla doesn’t quite have Full Self Driving yet (despite decades of promises), Navigate on Autopilot is a system that gives a tantalising hint of how good FSD could be, while the self-parking system gives a worrying glimpse of how bad it could be…
I touched on both more in my full road test review of the Model Y that you can read here, but suffice to say that, after you give the car a few days to learn how you drive, Navigate on Autopilot becomes absolutely fantastic on the motorway, while the camera-based self-parking system is always flaky, unreliable, easily confused and badly hampered by the fact it only uses cameras as opposed to radar. The fact it also refuses to admit when it is wrong and just soldier on regardless is slightly terrifying too…
While it does have its flaws, the Tesla Model Y is, on the whole, a deeply impressive smart device that also happens to be a very good car. The fact that most of its connectivity relies heavily on a monthly subscription is somewhat disappointing, but the fact that the subscription is actually genuinely cheap mitigates this a lot.
Of course, if Tesla decides to pump the price up for any reason, you do run the risk of your ultimate smart device becoming rather dumb if you don’t swallow the extra cost. However, as it stands the Model Y truly does stand head and shoulders above the competition as a high tech device, particularly when it comes to entertainment.
