12 ms·

Tesla Model Y: My 6 months impressions

47 points by enescakir 3y ago

Vanit 3y ago
I don't know who this is or why I should care about their opinion, but seems like a pretty evenhanded review. It does reinforce my apprehension due to bad UX because everything has to be on the touchscreen even when it doesn't make sense.
- jnsaff2 3y ago
  I've had one for almost 2 years and I find the UX very good. The features that are relevant for driving are physical stalks or buttons on the wheel. Rest are on a very good UX tablet like interface, iPad level responsiveness as well. That said, I kinda think that I would hate the new design that has done away with the stalks.
  - bagels 3y ago
    I wish the voice commands were more complete. It won't turn off the headlights or increase the fan speed by more than one increment, for instance.
    - jnsaff2 3y ago
      Maybe it's my accent but I've never gotten reliable recognition out of the tesla nor siri so I never use either.
  - dizhn 3y ago
    He's the author of vim-go. Very legit. :)
- b7we5b7a 3y ago
  Been driving a M3 since 2019: at this point I feel most of the people complaining about Tesla UX have never really driven one for more than a rental day. Yes, everything is in the tablet, but it's super-responsive (even on the Atom CPUs from pre-2021 models), essential buttons are well placed, and the car does a good job of adjusting AC (air temp/flow/outlets) and lights automatically. Once you get to know the car, it really does a good job of staying out of your way most of the time. Compared to my father's ID.4 or my mother's Peugeot e-208, Tesla's software already had a 10y advantage in 2019, and it still has at least that much after 5y. Their car is laggy, menus are too deep to navigate during drive, lots of useless options placed alongside common ones. I do agree with jnsaff2 that I probably wouldn't like the Highland refresh with no stalks and no USS, I also feel these two things were better kept as they were.
  - mgoetzke 3y ago
    And all actually important functions are on the steering wheel (or nearby on older models on the stalk)
farslan 3y ago
OP here. Surprised it's here on HN. But if you have any questions, happy to answer it.
- graeber_28927 3y ago
  If you ever drive longer distances with multiple stops, how far do you travel between two charging stops, and what speed do you try to stay on? E.g.: I drive an Opel Corsa-e, and I usually have cruise control at around 100 km/h in the winter, 110km/h in the summer, and I stop every 150-200km to charge up to ~90%. I fully expect a Tesla to be faster, but I'm curious by how much.
  - darkstar_16 3y ago
    I have a Model Y and depending on the speed limit, I cruise at 120-130 and stop every 200kms or so for a charge. I charge till about 80% or slightly lower when I stop.
    - farslan 3y ago
      That's how I exactly roll as well with my Model Y.
      - darkstar_16 3y ago
        I liked the points you've made. I've had the Model Y for about two years and the reason I still with it is actually the supercharger network and the ease of roadtripping. I hate having to depend on the third party charging network and having multiple accounts with multiple providers and then figuring.
    - graeber_28927 3y ago
      Sounds really nice, I have to say. Is it the Standard range or Long range model?
  - farslan 3y ago
    Long range, we usually stop every 250km. So say I travel to Istanbul, I stop at the Bolu Supercharger station after around ~220km. It's just peace of mind and I drive a tad faster, around 120km/h.
LammyL 3y ago
The model Y is getting a revamp over the next few months. It will be interesting to see how many of the things in this article Tesla decides to change.
- csunbird 3y ago
  A Heads Up Display is something that is desperately needed in both Model Y and Model 3.
  - vegardx 3y ago
    I think most owners of either model disagrees with that. Sure - it would be handy, but it's not a feature that I'm desperately missing. I would go so far to say that I'm not missing it at all.
    - SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
      > I think most owners of either model disagrees with that Yes, but that's by selection: If you believe that an information display directly in front of the driver is vital (and I do believe that), then you're not in the market for a Tesla model 3, or the new Volvo EX30. If you chose one of these cars, then you most likely don't believe that.
      - vegardx 3y ago
        Like with all cars I think you should try it before you buy it. That's the only way to get an idea of how things work is reality. In both models you can actually see the speed while you're looking at the road, it's just in a different place than you're used to. That said, I agree with you from a pure marketing perspective. The idea that you need the heads-up display is a recurring one. In online forums new owners are often looking for solutions, only to come back after a couple of weeks to say that they didn't feel the need anymore. It would be interesting to know how many people just write it off without even trying it out. My anecdotal experience: My parents went from a Volvo XC60 to a Tesla Model Y. Both were a little skeptical about the lack of heads-up display. They stopped looking for aftermarket solutions after a week.
sedatk 3y ago
Great post. Although Fatih says he’s happy with Model Y, everything he’s happy about seems to be related to EVs in general while everything he dislikes is about Model Y. So, his review just confirmed my bias on not buying a Tesla ever.
- farslan 3y ago
  Thank you Sedat! I also had a Mercedes EQC 400 (EV). The problem with that car was that the software + phone integration was really bad. Of course living in Turkey also contributes to it, because somehow any brands except the Tesla, don't have the remote capabilities that all the brand provides. But the Mercedes was more comfortable during a drive. The range was worst than the Tesla. I'll probably going to update my card in a few years once other brands have cars with better ranges.
  - sedatk 3y ago
    I think having CarPlay would be sufficient for me in terms of integration. What else did you need? Range is one of the most important factors on the other hand, I agree. There are now competitors on that front such as Lucid Air.
    - farslan 3y ago
      Definitely agree. The only thing that comes to my mind, I thought CarPlay is all I need, but as I wrote in my blog post, the ability to watch Netflix, Youtube comes really handy. Of course you could use an iPad for that.
      - jacquesm 3y ago
        > the ability to watch Netflix, Youtube comes really handy. Of course you could use an iPad for that. No, you could use a home for that. Unless you live in your car you shouldn't have the ability to play movies in a vehicle.
        3y ago
ximon77777 3y ago
I recognize the things you mention. Volume button is on the steering wheel. Stiffness of the ride is more horrible in the back, I would not recommend it for use as a taxi. The car alerts many times unnecessary; it beeps when you touch a line (it should only beep if you cross it). It beeps when you make room for someone on the road, with the plan to steer back when they've passed - it shouldnt beep for that. It is often wrong with maximum speeds it enforces, it doesnt detect all traffic signs.
- hef19898 3y ago
  The alerts stuff is not only Tesla so. What really is annoying, is cars reading speed limits and traffic signs, and then forcing that on drivers. I am fine with alerting me to it, e.g. displaying a speed limit. If I ignore that or not is up to me. Especially when the car misses a sign, misreads signs or looks at the stickers on the back of a truck and thinks the highway is now limited to 90 km/h.
- teleforce 3y ago
  I had a model Y as an airport taxi in UAE sitting at the back seat. I did not notice the stiffness but perhaps the highway road pavement over there is par excellence thus the ride was rather comfortable.
stavros 3y ago
> Our gas costs are 7/8x less than what we pay for electricity. It makes so much to use an EV car. This is not Model Y related, but something we loved over the 6 months. Is this badly worded, or is he saying electricity is 8x more expensive than gas?
- pfix 3y ago
  Also stumbled over this. As he's "loving it", I assume he means driving an electric car reduced his cost for "fuel" per given time. From subtext I read into the article that they might have another car that uses gas so that might explain "gas cost are 7/8x less." As gas and electricity costs are very location dependent for me it doesn't matter much what exactly his meaning is.
- farslan 3y ago
  I agree. I fixed the line :) It was 8x cheaper compared to using gas. EV costs are currently around $25-30 monthly, whereas gas costs were around $200 and more. (Turkey, Ankara)
  - stavros 3y ago
    That makes sense, thanks!
  - markild 3y ago
    I don't intend to drag this discussion on, but in my mind "8x cheaper" doesn't really make sense. I would much prefer "electricity cost 1/8 the price" or "gas was 8x more expensive".
    - farslan 3y ago
      English strikes back. Makes sense, thanks for you feedback :)
nixarn 3y ago
Couple things to defend the Y. You can adjust the volume from the steering wheel, I do that all the time. And when it comes to the glovebox, it has very little storage, most storage is in the center console, so the glovebox is good to use to store important stuff that you rarely need so the extra security to now have an easy entry to it is fine. And coming from a Toyota Avensis, the suspension in the Y is way way better.
chaosprint 3y ago
My impressions after 3 weeks: 1) Updates are very frequent. The recent 360 modelling is quite good. 2) The experience of purchasing and after-sales service is very good. Although the delivery check is very careless but they offer free service all the time. 3) Battery life and charging are great, whether at home or on the road. The app preheating and the comfort of opening the rear cover are nice. Sentry mode is also good. 4) Autopilot works well on roads with decent visibility. However, it's very unsafe in some areas like snowy and foggy, and I've identified a pattern. I think Tesla should refuse to engage it in those situations. 5) The alert sounds are disastrous. Every alert is popping and clicking. This is due to a lack of envelope fade-in or fade-out during startup and shutdown. This is something that any sound engineer should understand in college Audio 101 course. Even a $1 plastic toy wouldn't have this issue. This can be fixed by firmware I think but this is a very amateur mistake. It's not perfect, but at this price range it's hard to find a better alternative.
- epolanski 3y ago
  > It's not perfect, but at this price range it's hard to find a better alternative. Kia offers the EV6 which is arguably a better vehicle according to most industry experts (also starts 2k $ cheaper).
  - chaosprint 3y ago
    Interestingly, the EV6 was the first car I drove after getting my driver's license. I've seen reviews and they're indeed good. Plus, I think it looks better than the Ioniq 5 used by my driving school. However, I don't like its limited view in reverse; 360-degree seems to be available only in the GT version, but that's much more expensive. Also, both Kia and Hyundai have unimpressive battery range.
    - epolanski 3y ago
      320 vs 280 miles is far from a night and day difference.
      - 3y ago
helsinkiandrew 3y ago
> After certain software updates, the car's setting would be somehow reverted back to their original. This doesn't happen often times, but it happens and some of them are really scary... I have to manually unlock my iPhone, the Model Y can detect my iPhone... There's several camps around tech in cars: those that just want a 1950's style simple cars and then there's those that love the integrated/connected systems and people in between that just want a latch for the glove box. But surely no one wants a car that's as unreliable/flaky as modern apps and operating systems (I mean in general not just a model Y or a Tesla)? As a software developer if I see bugs and errors in the ancillary systems, I'm going to start worrying about the break management system.
- averageRoyalty 3y ago
  I've done a lot of reading on this matter, and it's generally accepted to be battery saving limitations from phone/mobile OS makers rather than poor engineering on the car systems. That said, Teslas come with keycards designed to slot into a wallet, there's no smartphone requirement at all. It's actually less smartphone dependent than other car manufacturers, who lean on Carplay/Android Auto for rich features.
EspressoGPT 3y ago
Nice summary, but quite frankly, your pros are general for EVs and your cons are Tesla-specific. Some other EV could fit you even better.
poisonborz 3y ago
> I love that I can search my direction via Google Maps on my phone, and then share it with my Tesla. It makes navigating in unknown cities a breeze. You know what's better? Simply projecting your phone to the car screens, able to choose your own navi software.
darkstar_16 3y ago
All the reviews and impressions of the Model Y, for me, fail to mention the fact that the seats are so uncomfortable. Is it just me ? In 2 years of owning the car, I've not been able to have a decently comfortable sitting position. Maybe its my body type but just jacking up the seat from the Model 3 just doesn't work.
rsynnott 3y ago
> It sucks not being able to open the glovebox directly. I don't understand why it's an electrical button on the dashboard. It makes zero sense. Really odd decision; hard to imagine it saves more than cents off the build cost.
- karakot 3y ago
  nah, it's good, it has a PIN number so I can put something there to be out of touch for the kids.
nunez 3y ago
fatih, thanks for vim-go; it's amazing. i use it daily.
- farslan 3y ago
  You're welcome. It's an amazing feeling seeing still people out there using it.
anotherhue 3y ago
> As an example, we turn off the children's door, and after an update, it gets reverted back to the original. We discovered it when our son suddenly opened the rear door on his side. Well that swiftly killed any whimsies I had about getting one.

47 points by enescakir 3y ago

I don't know who this is or why I should care about their opinion, but seems like a pretty evenhanded review. It does reinforce my apprehension due to bad UX because everything has to be on the touchscreen even when it doesn't make sense.

jnsaff2 3y ago
I've had one for almost 2 years and I find the UX very good. The features that are relevant for driving are physical stalks or buttons on the wheel. Rest are on a very good UX tablet like interface, iPad level responsiveness as well. That said, I kinda think that I would hate the new design that has done away with the stalks.
- bagels 3y ago
  I wish the voice commands were more complete. It won't turn off the headlights or increase the fan speed by more than one increment, for instance.
  - jnsaff2 3y ago
    Maybe it's my accent but I've never gotten reliable recognition out of the tesla nor siri so I never use either.
- dizhn 3y ago
  He's the author of vim-go. Very legit. :)
b7we5b7a 3y ago
Been driving a M3 since 2019: at this point I feel most of the people complaining about Tesla UX have never really driven one for more than a rental day. Yes, everything is in the tablet, but it's super-responsive (even on the Atom CPUs from pre-2021 models), essential buttons are well placed, and the car does a good job of adjusting AC (air temp/flow/outlets) and lights automatically. Once you get to know the car, it really does a good job of staying out of your way most of the time. Compared to my father's ID.4 or my mother's Peugeot e-208, Tesla's software already had a 10y advantage in 2019, and it still has at least that much after 5y. Their car is laggy, menus are too deep to navigate during drive, lots of useless options placed alongside common ones. I do agree with jnsaff2 that I probably wouldn't like the Highland refresh with no stalks and no USS, I also feel these two things were better kept as they were.
- mgoetzke 3y ago
  And all actually important functions are on the steering wheel (or nearby on older models on the stalk)

farslan 3y ago

OP here. Surprised it's here on HN. But if you have any questions, happy to answer it.

graeber_28927 3y ago
If you ever drive longer distances with multiple stops, how far do you travel between two charging stops, and what speed do you try to stay on? E.g.: I drive an Opel Corsa-e, and I usually have cruise control at around 100 km/h in the winter, 110km/h in the summer, and I stop every 150-200km to charge up to ~90%. I fully expect a Tesla to be faster, but I'm curious by how much.
- darkstar_16 3y ago
  I have a Model Y and depending on the speed limit, I cruise at 120-130 and stop every 200kms or so for a charge. I charge till about 80% or slightly lower when I stop.
  - farslan 3y ago
    That's how I exactly roll as well with my Model Y.
    - darkstar_16 3y ago
      I liked the points you've made. I've had the Model Y for about two years and the reason I still with it is actually the supercharger network and the ease of roadtripping. I hate having to depend on the third party charging network and having multiple accounts with multiple providers and then figuring.
  - graeber_28927 3y ago
    Sounds really nice, I have to say. Is it the Standard range or Long range model?
- farslan 3y ago
  Long range, we usually stop every 250km. So say I travel to Istanbul, I stop at the Bolu Supercharger station after around ~220km. It's just peace of mind and I drive a tad faster, around 120km/h.

LammyL 3y ago

The model Y is getting a revamp over the next few months. It will be interesting to see how many of the things in this article Tesla decides to change.

csunbird 3y ago
A Heads Up Display is something that is desperately needed in both Model Y and Model 3.
- vegardx 3y ago
  I think most owners of either model disagrees with that. Sure - it would be handy, but it's not a feature that I'm desperately missing. I would go so far to say that I'm not missing it at all.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
    > I think most owners of either model disagrees with that Yes, but that's by selection: If you believe that an information display directly in front of the driver is vital (and I do believe that), then you're not in the market for a Tesla model 3, or the new Volvo EX30. If you chose one of these cars, then you most likely don't believe that.
    - vegardx 3y ago
      Like with all cars I think you should try it before you buy it. That's the only way to get an idea of how things work is reality. In both models you can actually see the speed while you're looking at the road, it's just in a different place than you're used to. That said, I agree with you from a pure marketing perspective. The idea that you need the heads-up display is a recurring one. In online forums new owners are often looking for solutions, only to come back after a couple of weeks to say that they didn't feel the need anymore. It would be interesting to know how many people just write it off without even trying it out. My anecdotal experience: My parents went from a Volvo XC60 to a Tesla Model Y. Both were a little skeptical about the lack of heads-up display. They stopped looking for aftermarket solutions after a week.

sedatk 3y ago

Great post. Although Fatih says he’s happy with Model Y, everything he’s happy about seems to be related to EVs in general while everything he dislikes is about Model Y. So, his review just confirmed my bias on not buying a Tesla ever.

farslan 3y ago
Thank you Sedat! I also had a Mercedes EQC 400 (EV). The problem with that car was that the software + phone integration was really bad. Of course living in Turkey also contributes to it, because somehow any brands except the Tesla, don't have the remote capabilities that all the brand provides. But the Mercedes was more comfortable during a drive. The range was worst than the Tesla. I'll probably going to update my card in a few years once other brands have cars with better ranges.
- sedatk 3y ago
  I think having CarPlay would be sufficient for me in terms of integration. What else did you need? Range is one of the most important factors on the other hand, I agree. There are now competitors on that front such as Lucid Air.
  - farslan 3y ago
    Definitely agree. The only thing that comes to my mind, I thought CarPlay is all I need, but as I wrote in my blog post, the ability to watch Netflix, Youtube comes really handy. Of course you could use an iPad for that.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      > the ability to watch Netflix, Youtube comes really handy. Of course you could use an iPad for that. No, you could use a home for that. Unless you live in your car you shouldn't have the ability to play movies in a vehicle.
      - 3y ago

ximon77777 3y ago

I recognize the things you mention. Volume button is on the steering wheel. Stiffness of the ride is more horrible in the back, I would not recommend it for use as a taxi. The car alerts many times unnecessary; it beeps when you touch a line (it should only beep if you cross it). It beeps when you make room for someone on the road, with the plan to steer back when they've passed - it shouldnt beep for that. It is often wrong with maximum speeds it enforces, it doesnt detect all traffic signs.

hef19898 3y ago
The alerts stuff is not only Tesla so. What really is annoying, is cars reading speed limits and traffic signs, and then forcing that on drivers. I am fine with alerting me to it, e.g. displaying a speed limit. If I ignore that or not is up to me. Especially when the car misses a sign, misreads signs or looks at the stickers on the back of a truck and thinks the highway is now limited to 90 km/h.
teleforce 3y ago
I had a model Y as an airport taxi in UAE sitting at the back seat. I did not notice the stiffness but perhaps the highway road pavement over there is par excellence thus the ride was rather comfortable.

stavros 3y ago

> Our gas costs are 7/8x less than what we pay for electricity. It makes so much to use an EV car. This is not Model Y related, but something we loved over the 6 months. Is this badly worded, or is he saying electricity is 8x more expensive than gas?

pfix 3y ago
Also stumbled over this. As he's "loving it", I assume he means driving an electric car reduced his cost for "fuel" per given time. From subtext I read into the article that they might have another car that uses gas so that might explain "gas cost are 7/8x less." As gas and electricity costs are very location dependent for me it doesn't matter much what exactly his meaning is.
farslan 3y ago
I agree. I fixed the line :) It was 8x cheaper compared to using gas. EV costs are currently around $25-30 monthly, whereas gas costs were around $200 and more. (Turkey, Ankara)
- stavros 3y ago
  That makes sense, thanks!
- markild 3y ago
  I don't intend to drag this discussion on, but in my mind "8x cheaper" doesn't really make sense. I would much prefer "electricity cost 1/8 the price" or "gas was 8x more expensive".
  - farslan 3y ago
    English strikes back. Makes sense, thanks for you feedback :)

nixarn 3y ago

Couple things to defend the Y. You can adjust the volume from the steering wheel, I do that all the time. And when it comes to the glovebox, it has very little storage, most storage is in the center console, so the glovebox is good to use to store important stuff that you rarely need so the extra security to now have an easy entry to it is fine. And coming from a Toyota Avensis, the suspension in the Y is way way better.

chaosprint 3y ago

My impressions after 3 weeks: 1) Updates are very frequent. The recent 360 modelling is quite good. 2) The experience of purchasing and after-sales service is very good. Although the delivery check is very careless but they offer free service all the time. 3) Battery life and charging are great, whether at home or on the road. The app preheating and the comfort of opening the rear cover are nice. Sentry mode is also good. 4) Autopilot works well on roads with decent visibility. However, it's very unsafe in some areas like snowy and foggy, and I've identified a pattern. I think Tesla should refuse to engage it in those situations. 5) The alert sounds are disastrous. Every alert is popping and clicking. This is due to a lack of envelope fade-in or fade-out during startup and shutdown. This is something that any sound engineer should understand in college Audio 101 course. Even a $1 plastic toy wouldn't have this issue. This can be fixed by firmware I think but this is a very amateur mistake. It's not perfect, but at this price range it's hard to find a better alternative.

epolanski 3y ago
> It's not perfect, but at this price range it's hard to find a better alternative. Kia offers the EV6 which is arguably a better vehicle according to most industry experts (also starts 2k $ cheaper).
- chaosprint 3y ago
  Interestingly, the EV6 was the first car I drove after getting my driver's license. I've seen reviews and they're indeed good. Plus, I think it looks better than the Ioniq 5 used by my driving school. However, I don't like its limited view in reverse; 360-degree seems to be available only in the GT version, but that's much more expensive. Also, both Kia and Hyundai have unimpressive battery range.
  - epolanski 3y ago
    320 vs 280 miles is far from a night and day difference.
    - 3y ago

helsinkiandrew 3y ago

> After certain software updates, the car's setting would be somehow reverted back to their original. This doesn't happen often times, but it happens and some of them are really scary... I have to manually unlock my iPhone, the Model Y can detect my iPhone... There's several camps around tech in cars: those that just want a 1950's style simple cars and then there's those that love the integrated/connected systems and people in between that just want a latch for the glove box. But surely no one wants a car that's as unreliable/flaky as modern apps and operating systems (I mean in general not just a model Y or a Tesla)? As a software developer if I see bugs and errors in the ancillary systems, I'm going to start worrying about the break management system.

averageRoyalty 3y ago
I've done a lot of reading on this matter, and it's generally accepted to be battery saving limitations from phone/mobile OS makers rather than poor engineering on the car systems. That said, Teslas come with keycards designed to slot into a wallet, there's no smartphone requirement at all. It's actually less smartphone dependent than other car manufacturers, who lean on Carplay/Android Auto for rich features.

EspressoGPT 3y ago

Nice summary, but quite frankly, your pros are general for EVs and your cons are Tesla-specific. Some other EV could fit you even better.

poisonborz 3y ago

> I love that I can search my direction via Google Maps on my phone, and then share it with my Tesla. It makes navigating in unknown cities a breeze. You know what's better? Simply projecting your phone to the car screens, able to choose your own navi software.

darkstar_16 3y ago

All the reviews and impressions of the Model Y, for me, fail to mention the fact that the seats are so uncomfortable. Is it just me ? In 2 years of owning the car, I've not been able to have a decently comfortable sitting position. Maybe its my body type but just jacking up the seat from the Model 3 just doesn't work.

rsynnott 3y ago

> It sucks not being able to open the glovebox directly. I don't understand why it's an electrical button on the dashboard. It makes zero sense. Really odd decision; hard to imagine it saves more than cents off the build cost.

karakot 3y ago
nah, it's good, it has a PIN number so I can put something there to be out of touch for the kids.

nunez 3y ago

fatih, thanks for vim-go; it's amazing. i use it daily.

farslan 3y ago
You're welcome. It's an amazing feeling seeing still people out there using it.

anotherhue 3y ago

> As an example, we turn off the children's door, and after an update, it gets reverted back to the original. We discovered it when our son suddenly opened the rear door on his side. Well that swiftly killed any whimsies I had about getting one.