2025 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD First Test by Motor Trend

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The only thing I found relevant in the whole wordy text was: Speed, acceleration, and handling are within the margin of error. Noticeably better ride feel. The new range is 252 miles, up from 228 for the 2023 model (a 10% improvement). Views the blinker stalk as a plus and the driving stalk removal as a minus. The rest is a generic reiteration of "design is updated" and babble regarding "is this the car to beat?"

First of all.. what took them so long?

at many notable changes, little bit of battery and ventilation, otherwise nothing worth

I don’t understand how I have better luck in FSD with a 2018 Model 3 than many of these reviewers have in a newer car

Internet Explorer internet

Wonder how the seat layout looks. If it’s like the X I’m sold

Well, Mark Rober didn’t even try FSD when he did his famous “test” of it. Also was using HW3 and just autopilot. Even the scientific leaning ones don’t even do proper testing lol

Yeah, that was a complete boondoggle.

A 4 mph trap speed increase is not within a margin of error , not with the methods magazines use. Nor is if just tires. The acceleration has improved.

It was a hatchet job. He’s friends with a Lidar company CEO.

There is a 6 seater with longer wheelbase coming out.

I dont think they know what to do. Like basic autopilot is so good, but still most reviewers trash it, without ever going into specifics of why they think it's bad compared to competitors.

(116.3 - 112.9) / 116.3 = The old car is 2.92% slower. You could argue that it's objectively faster, but my point is that the speed is not practical or obviously much better. Whether it's ACTUALLY within the margin of error is only of academic interest with so small differences. In the same way that most people wouldn't care if their new phone with upgraded battery life wouldn't care about such a small improvement.

You’re the person who used the phrase “margin of error”.

So for day to day life it’s much better. Most people aren’t driving a daily driver SUV for speed, acceleration, or handling.

It’s a five seater.

My new AWD Y has been phenomenal with the only issue being post sale issue with the collision center. Efficiency in my driving is actually better than my 2018 LR RWD 3 which surprised me. It certainly rides better and is much quieter than any early 3. The new treatment on the glass roof is really impressive, it is actually cutting felt heat better than the top tier window film I had applied with my only exposure being head on as in my state it is illegal to tint the front. I turned on the optional auto selection of gear and to my surprise it is very often correct with the only real exception when I am parked outside my garage and it always thinks I want to go forward; the garage door open or not. Once you get used to the brake pedal wheel turn process you just forget it happens on its own. Positives for me as compared to my 2018 3 and a 2022 Y loaner for some items. > ride smoothness is improved > interior noise isolation from road and wind greatly improved > heat from glass roof nearly non existent > ventilated seats really improve comfort > adaptive headlamps > ease of using that full rear for carrying nearly anything > cameras are so clear I chose a Y this time around simply because of ease on entry and exit , dealing with elderly parents and aging ourselves really makes this seating important. Also easier to load dog crates into as well. only negative - so feel free to skip. had a white paint spot - pencil tip sized - spotted by delivery on the hood. Well collision center resprayed it and botched the clear coat completely to the point it is going back next week. Fortunately the loaner process is so easy.

I think you are right. The minuscule differences in metrics are probably much less important than the straight-up "feels good to drive" factor. Related: My brother just got a new Volvo XC60. I really don't understand him. That car is more expensive, feels dated inside, has worse software, the same quality of ride, probably the same ballpark range, but a worse charging experience and much less space. Why pay more for this? I am trying to probe him, in a non-judgmental way, to find out why, but I just don't see it. I hope it's just about his individual aesthetic sense.

That's why I qualified it with what I was most interested in: practical application. And 2.92% is WELL within the margin of error for small datasets anyway, if you want to be stubborn.

Lol, exactly. I have FSD on a 2023 model and it is doing 95 percent of my driving. I average about 1 intervention per a drive. Barely a one. But i also barely drive and when i do its about 30 mins max.

In China

Is it going to be released outside of China?

Not expected to be released outside of China.

I didn't realize, this model won't get 300 miles of range? Has their test of the refreshed Model 3 AWD also not gotten over 300 miles? I've seen numerous tests of the new RWD Model 3, all getting well over 300 miles. Does AWD take that much range away?

Tons of people are making a similar decision. They don’t want their identity tied to Tesla. They may be buying an inferior vehicle but that’s their choice to make.

2.92% is within the margin of error. Plus, absolutely no one would notice this difference.

You have some additional sensors that might still be used. My 2018 Model 3 has been staying stopped at green lights as of late. I test drove the new Y and it ran a red light! There's all sorts of quirks that different people experience just because there are so many variables when driving.

A 3 mph trap speed increase in a 4400 lb vehicle is at least 40 whp more. This is power you will feel everywhere. It will be noticeable and isn’t a statistical fluke.

Honestly, it was more in response to his reports re roads that are windy or without a center line.

Basic autopilot is ridiculous because they kick you out of it when you switch lanes. Every other car it reengages.

Strange, I just test drove the Juniper on Saturday and FSD was flawless. Wonder if it's related to traffic light style, sun glare, etc?

Agreed that people can do what they want. But that would be the WORST reason in my world view.

I am continuously blindsided by how stupid and illogical people are. 1. I was not saying it is IMPOSIBLE to feel it, I was saying it didn't matter and most people wont feel a difference. 2. The article itself states the difference is 13 hp more, not 40. And don't be predictable, by starting to mansplain WPH vs HP, as the losses are pretty flat for power transfer from engine to ground for EVs. And the difference is about 3%, lining up with the reported top speed. 3. The reason i mentioned "margin of error" is because it specifically means sampling variability only. It dosent even account for bias, measurement error, or bad sampling. So in other words, on outlier and result is void.

0-60 MPH in 3.8 sec, must be a miss print.

Im in the same boat. I have a M3 and want a MY but I don't want to be associated with the leadership and HIS views. Its tough. I don't want to have to think about those things when buying a car. I test drove the new MY, loved it. Of course that is coming from a 2018 LR RWD M3. I would like to test drive a few other brands and their crossover types.

real world range

I'll save you time: they are all trash

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Your boos mean nothing to me I see what make you cheer.

Gear shifter missing isn't anything remotely negative. Auto shift works quite well, and when it doesn't - sliding a finger at the screen is just as easy as using a lever to shift.

Most of the time from the reviews I’ve seen they haven’t enabled FSD yet and are actually using Autopilot.

Speaking as someone who hasn’t really looked outside. The Lucid Air is a much better car than the Model S in many regards, and the BMW iX has longer real life range and far better interior and NVH than anything Tesla sells today. There are lots of options out there. I am moved to an i4 from Model 3 and I don’t regret it at all.

Speaking as someone who hasn’t really looked outside. The Lucid Air is a much better car than the Model S in many regards, and the BMW iX has longer real life range and far better interior and NVH than anything Tesla sells today. There are lots of options out there. I am moved to an i4 from Model 3 and I don’t regret it at all.

This is a 2026 isn’t it?

Has anyone reached 100k miles in a lucid yet? Hard to say it’s better when most of them are garage queens.

He doesn’t like Elon. I’m convinced that’s the only reason any new, non-tesla EVs are selling ***at all***.

Maybe it’s a rich hipster thing? I can’t fathom letting what some normies think about some CEO factoring at all into my car purchase decision. I work with a ton of normies, and a bunch of them won’t buy teslas. We’re friendly and get along well, and some of them are genuinely good people. But they base their beliefs on what's easy and popular rather than on reasoned thought. They fail to recognize their own confirmation bias and post-hoc justification, genuinely believing that their beliefs are morally righteous and objectively correct. When pressed, they invent justifications rather than admitting their beliefs are simply convenient. Some of them will defend this tendency because it makes life easy, and there are more important things to worry about, which shocked me.

Dude these are EV daily drivers that depreciates a ton. Nobody treats them as garage queens.

Are the 0-60 figures correct? 3.8s, I though it was 4.6s for the dual-motor long range...anyone actually time their new model y?

thats what i thought....it's what it says on purchase doc on mine, almost 2mos old...

Relevance in today’s YouTube and social media-centric media landscape.

Could be the tested one has Acceleration Boost option but MT not aware of?

They didn't mention that in the article...doesn't acceleration boost reduce 0-60 to 4.2s, 3.8s seems insane....

Volvos are super nice inside that’s why.

How does the i4 handle?

Sure, maybe, but on my tesla i have to press the button again, whereas my Hyundai will disengage totally on any curves, so ..

It’s not uncommon for test results being better or worse than factory claim 0-60 numbers. But when it’s more than 0.5 sec off, it’s worth looking into. Especially when Tesla offer this car an acceleration boost option. But these days, publications just want to put out articles. There’s little incentive for detail and accuracy.

Not as good as the Model 3 actually, but still pretty good for a daily driver. But again none of the EVs handle that great due to weight, that's why I have 2 other actual sports cars.

Who needs science when you want to farm YT hits and Reddit Clout?

Apart from the whole Elon thing, some people just don't "click" with Tesla. Just like I cannot stand using Windows and some people who love Windows can't stand macOS. Neigbor had an XC90 (hybrid) and has now bought a (somewhat hideous IMHO) RangeRover. I sort-of like the color of the loaner he had some time ago - but the one he bought is black, which adds to the hideousness... The heart wants what it wants .... ;-)

I wouldn't say that. Their strengths are accentuated in different areas. It just turns out that, similar to Apple's iPhone, when you look at "the whole thing", Tesla has found a really, really good combination of things they achieved with the Model 3 and Y, that is excellent in no category but quite good in all of them.

But Tesla could fix the lane switching issue. They choose not to so they can upsell you to FSD

Fact check: FALSE

Not your brother but I think the XC60 is the prettiest SUV on the market and if they had a fully electric I probably would have gotten it even with worse technology. But they just have a plug in hybrid. I tried the Polestar 3 and it was lovely but also an EV90 chassis so too big. I took position of my new Model Y yesterday instead.

Felt heat: heat from the felt dashboard?

Most of the old school publications subtract 1 ft rollout, meaning they don't start the timer until the car has moved 1 ft, which often takes around 0.3 seconds. I guess they also had acceleration boost, which reduces 0-60 from 4.6 to 4.2, so I would expect around 3.9 with rollout subtracted.

MotorTrend always gets unbelievably low range numbers for Tesla, MUCH lower than any other publication... Edmunds, Car & Driver, Carwow, Inside EVs, Out of Spec, etc. I think they said my car (Model 3 standard range) only got 211 miles at 70 mph, but I have gone over 200 miles at 80-85 mph and over 250 miles at 70 mph, and my distances are without going to 0% (I've never been below 3%)!

Buying a car doesn't make you an inner circle friend of the CEO. If you bought an iPhone in 2007, your best friend wasn't automatically an asshole CEO. Stop worrying about what others think about you - it's really freeing.

Worth noting the tested model has 20" wheels, range would likely be better with the 19" wheel+tire combo.

They are also kind of vague about their test conditions these days. They don’t tell you weather conditions and ambient temperature. Wind can affect range too. It seems just a low effort test where they just drive 70mph to deplete the battery.

Except for the stalks?

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You should contact Motortrends and tell them that. I was summarizing the article.

The only two things lacking are a gear selector stalk and creep mode… both solved with s3xy commander but should be stock. The car is otherwise phenomenal

oh gotcha

Actually, I rarely miss it. Tap the brake, and it's really good about selecting drive or reverse. It's only a bunch of extra taps/button presses if I need to select car wash mode to use the buttons.

It's like the old EPA fuel mileage ratings. Advertised range is just not accurate in the real world.

I'm a conservative, and 80% of the brands I buy are liberals like you. If you just bought products from those CEO's you agree with, there would be a lot of stuff you would need to throw out. Next time don't let the DNC pick your candidate...

I had an XC40. Great looking and driving car but terrible tech compared to Tesla. Fred Flintstone vs the future

A Tesla review without software info is a travesty.

We tested the following EVs this past weekend: Chevy Equinox 2LT Chevy Equinox RS BMW i4 Tesla M3 Tesla MY Honorable mention Audi A3 (had to schedule an appointment for the A6). We ended up buying the MY. Equinox was the cheaper car but it wasn’t a comfortable ride for the passenger. i4 was very comfortable (same with A3) but the self parking on the i4 was pretty dicey. Also about ~$20k more than the MY but felt the added cost was superfluous + brand name. For context, the MY is going to be my parents post retirement daily driver for errands and going from point A to point B. The FSD really is what sold it watching it go from parallel parked and being hands off 99% of the time. As my parents are getting older, it does give me some relief that FSD may be able to handle most of their commuting safely. As much as I hate giving Elon money, it’s very hard to deny the capabilities of this car.

All cars on FSD are vision only

wat? seriously? even if you use the turn signal?

I use FSD all of the time. But the last time I used it, which was within the last six months it still kicks you out even if you use the turn signal.

I am confused by this comment. Model Y does not have gears. What is this shifting issue? Ann I missing something?

Reverse, park, neutral. The gear lever/shifter behind the steering wheel is missing on juniper. Relocated on the screen (and ceiling if the screen dies)