The new Tesla Model Y Performance kills the Macan Turbo on price if not power
Headline grabbing power figures are nowhere to be seen in the latest quick Tesla. It’s still quite fast, though
Tesla has revealed the latest Model Y Performance and quite in contrast to the prevailing strategy of giving a car big headline power figures and not a lot else, it’s an EV crossover with a (mostly) sensible Top Trump stats sheet and an entirely sensible £61,990 starting price.
First the performance specs. The new model has a relatively modest 460bhp courtesy of a motor at each axle, which makes it good for a quite immodest 0-60mph time of 3.3sec, 0.2sec quicker than the last Model Y Performance. In terms of power output, the Model Y Performance is positioned slap bang between the c400bhp Porsche Macan 4 and the c500bhp Macan 4S, though that acceleration figure isn’t far off a match for the Macan Turbo. It undercuts the Porsche on price, being around £6k cheaper than even the entry-level Macan.
It derives its 460bhp from Tesla’s latest performance drive unit first seen in the Model 3 Performance, good for peak torque, peak power and continuous power delivery increases of 16, 32 and 22 per cent respectively. There’s an upgraded battery pack to feed the motors, so performance doesn’t come at the expense of range. Cells of a new design with a higher energy density add up to a claimed WLTP range of 360 miles, which is entirely respectable.
Suspending it is a version of the same adaptive suspension for improvements in both control and comfort, as well as new springs, roll bars and bushings. There will be two customisable damping modes that are fairly self explanatory – standard and sport – accessible, like most of the Model Y’s other controls, through the new 16-inch touch screen. What might compromise the ride is the 21-inch so-called ‘arachnid 2.0’ wheels, which get a staggered tyre setup.
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Those wheels are joined by revised front and rear bumpers with modest aero accoutrement – that’s quite the boot lid appendage, isn’t it? As is that warp-style badge Tesla uses across its Performance models. There are red brake calipers, gloss black and carbon trim across the car and then, once inside, plenty of carbon trim and aluminium pedals.
It’s dressed up then and is positioned keenly against the Macan range. Will it deliver the kind of dynamics to rival the Porsche? Quite another question entirely, which on the evidence of how we found the Model 3 Performance, is more likely to go one way than the other.
