We test the new Tesla Model Y Performance: what’s changed and should you buy one?

This is the new Tesla Model Y Performance – the range-topping halo car in the Model Y line-up and, in the UK at least, the most expensive and powerful car Tesla sells. So it has quite a lot riding on it.

Tesla’s challenge for the second-generation Model Y Performance was to make a powerful electric SUV that wasn’t just fast – it was fun. That’s something you couldn’t have said about its predecessor. And the good news is that, while it hasn’t built what you’d call a traditionally sporty car, the new Model Y Performance is a vast improvement over the car it replaces in terms of drivability.

It’s a bit like an Apple Watch Ultra – it might do ostensibly the same job as its cheaper siblings, and it only subtly stands out – but it’s still a cool and genuine upgrade.

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Tesla Model Y Performance: upgrades and differences

So what’s new, exactly? Well, the visual upgrade is subtle but quite effective. Compared to a non-Performance Tesla Model Y Long-Range, the Performance gets new bumpers at the front and the rear with a more aggressive shape. There’s also a prominent rear diffuser that’s not just for show – it helps to reduce lift at high speeds.

At the rear, there’s a carbon-fibre spoiler on the boot lip, and the wheels are 21-inch ‘Arachnid 2.0’ designs. They’ll come standard with plastic aero covers for a precious few extra miles of range, but they’re designed to look good with them off too. Tesla’s distinctive ‘Plaid’ badging adorns the tailgate.

Open the door and you’ll find Performance-branded puddle lamps (not so classy) and new sports seats, complete with an adjustable thigh cushion for the first time in a Tesla. There’s also an upgraded touchscreen – it runs the same software as ever but is slightly larger at 16.0-inches, with smaller bezels so it doesn’t take up any more physical room. Carbon trim finishers complete the effect.

Of course, the most important upgrade is under the skin. The Model Y Performance gets a whopping 460hp – up from 370hp in the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant. That’s good for 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. That nearly matches a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N on acceleration, impressive when you consider the Korean car has 650hp.

Impressively, a newly dense battery – Tesla won’t say just how much capacity it has but does say that it can do 360 miles of range according to WLTP, which is just four miles less than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive.

Tesla Model Y Performance: performance and driving

So, the stats are good, but what’s it actually like to drive? Well, it might be stating the bleedin’ obvious, but it’s quick. Launch control may not be quite as face-melting as it is in something like a Tesla Model S Plaid, but it’s still fast enough to rearrange a couple of internal organs. What really gets you if you’re upgrading from a fast petrol car is the ‘point-and-squirt’ nature – it really is effortless to zip between junctions at high speeds.

A key improvement from the old Model Y Performance is the suspension. The previous car felt like it was riding on wood blocks rather than springs, but the new car does a much better job over the bumps. It still has a firm edge, but it’s cushioned enough that you could easily use it every day.

You can stiffen it up a bit more if you put the suspension into ‘Sport’ mode, but even then it still strikes a very good balance between making the car feel more dynamic without shaking your eyeballs out of your head.

There are other tweaks to the suspension and steering which all add up to a car that feels more satisfying than the standard Model Y to drive quickly.

The Model Y Performance’s sheer weight does spoil much attempt at real fun, though – you can go fast, but it still feels like you’re a passenger rather than an integral part of the machine like you do in an Ioniq 5 N. You don’t get any of the Hyundai’s silly extras, either – no fake gearchange, no drift mode, no daft engine noise. These make it feel more serious and businesslike, but significantly less joyful.

However, if you’re just looking for a quick car that can do the daily stuff brilliantly well, you won’t go far wrong with the Model Y. It’s hugely spacious inside – there’s loads of room for rear passengers and one of the largest boots of any electric car. It’s also great for covering long distances in, as the new sports seats are very comfortable and the cabin is almost eerily silent.

We also saw impressive efficiency, despite our test drive including quite a lot of hot starts, acceleration testing and the like. An indicated range of 300 miles between charges is much more than you’d see from most similarly powerful alternatives – and they don’t have the might of the full Tesla Supercharger network to fall back on, either.

Tesla Model Y Performance: should you buy one?

It’s not perfect, of course. For a sporty car the artificial leather on the steering wheel is problematically slippery – an Alcantara or similar coating would be much grippier. The silence of the cabin does mean you notice the rather noisy air-conditioning fan, and it’ll be on constantly because the Model Y has so much glass area that it can struggle to keep itself cooled.

The positioning of the controls – all on the touchscreen – still feels resolutely unsporty to us, and while Tesla’s new screen is pin-sharp and incredibly responsive, it can still be a bit awkward to use – and a stretch to reach the far side from the driver’s seat. These are pretty much niggles, though, and it’s testament to the improvements Tesla has made that we had to dig to come up with these.

Should you buy one? Well, it’s a chunky £10,000 more than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive – and £13,000 more than our preferred Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model. And for that it can feel as if you’re not getting as much extra as you’d like.

But the new Tesla Model Y Performance is an impressively mature and rounded-feeling, fast, electric SUV, and it won’t disappoint Tesla fans taking the plunge or those new to the brand – just as long as they’re not expecting something as OTT as a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. First deliveries start at the end of October.

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