A view on the new Tesla Model Y
Discussion
Morning fellow Petrolheads... Yes I know, it's about a Tesla and yes, there will be many on here that will loath them, (for a variety of reasons). But as a Petrolhead myself I actually quite like electric cars as they can be really good. Last week I collected our 3rd Tesla.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mean good as in a sports cars, (well not yet). But as a "do the boring stuff" car I think they are unmatched in terms of cost and utility. I quite like that there are so many, they become kind of invisible during the commute or shopping run. All that aside, I wanted to debate some of the things that I find incredibly annoying about Tesla and that the rush for convenience could be a very bad thing.
So first, the good stuff. On my third go around, I feel that the charging network is still, (in my option) the best available in the UK. And their cost in most cases means that as a lease car they make a lot of sense.
The included self drive cruise control is generally very good. I'll chat about full self drive separately below, but the free one is acceptable, (and one of the best) if you want simple assistance when on the motorway and on long journeys.
The Model Y Juniper is a significant upgrade in terms of refinement and quality. The Premium LR we now have v the Std Short Range I just gave back are very different cars. But that has come with an increase in the cost to lease it. I still think I the cost is worth it for the extra 100 miles of real world range and the better ride and finish of the car. (£163 per month with £8k deposit v £440 per month and a £5k deposit).
But there as some small issues that just drive me nuts and I wonder if this is just me, or if anyone else is equally baffled by them...
I really admire the processes Tesla employ to sell and deliver cars. Dropping off our old Tesla and collecting the new one was incredibly simple. One person met me, walked me to my new car, left me to look over it while they booked in my old car and then came back and linked my app to the car via their phone. It was insanely simple and all in all took about 10 mins. But that same simplicity is also applied to buying the car, (via a website) and minimum contact with a person. I know it's efficient, but my goodness it's soulless. I worry that lots of purchasing experiences will soon be like this.
- AI customer service. Tesla, like a lot to companies, use AI when you phone them. I assume it's powered by Grok, but the issue is it isnt quite good enough to understand what it is you need help with. For example, on Friday I called to ask why I could not add a second driver in the app. Before you can speak to a person the system asks you for a OTP. This is sent via the app. I received the OTP, but the AI could not understand the numbers and so after trying for about 10 mins differing ways to say the numbers, type them into the phone etc, I gave up. AI can be amazing, but when it goes wrong, it really just doesn't work.
- Changes to software for a lease car. I have had 2 lease cars now. And on the whole I think this is without doubt the best way to use a Tesla. Cost wise, new cars are expensive and being able to mitigate that by renting at an agreed cost over a set time, is perfect for me. But a new feature (!) is that you can only add one phone as a key to the car. Yep you read that correctly. You also get two key cards, so technically you can add another driver, but in order to sync phones, seat settings, etc you need a Tesla linked profile. My wife has one as we have been using the same system for about 4 years. However, for some unfathomable reason Tesla now restrict the ability to add another driver via the app. It's a simple thing, but is a massive pain. Tesla will tell you to contact your lease company but do not understand that UK cars are leased via a finance company. The so what is, you need to speak to a specific department that doesn't have a direct contact number but once you mange to transfer to them they will add another person to the car via a web portal.... My car hasn't even reached their system yet so it will be at least a week before my wife can register her account. Not the end of the world, but how much extra admin has this put on me instead of just letting me add her via the app in seconds? Really, really odd.
- Full Self Drive (supervised). One of the stand out features could be, a self driving car. You get free auto pilot (beta) with the car for free. If you then pay £99 per month then you get full self drive (supervised). Sadly it is not a better version of the software. It is exactly the same just that it will change lanes on the motorway and you can summon it out of parking spaces. That's it. DO NOT pay the £99, it is an utter disappointment. In the USA and some places in Europe they are reporting that the actual full self drive is amazing. Well, it must be some a significant upgrade, because mine got confused on small roads, couldn't move past parked cars, tried to crash on roads without a centre line, didn't understand most junctions and does not change the speed when the speed limit changes. Just simple stuff confuses it. It could be a genuine game changer, but wont likely come to the UK for 2 to 3 years. Sure, Tesla will blame the UK legislation for the hold up, but I don't buy that. While you can not have full self drive because of legislation, the version of software we have is just pants.
Sorry for the rant, but I feel that the way Tesla does things is a glimpse into the future. But I'm not convinced this guaranteed to be a very good thing...
Don't get me wrong, I don't mean good as in a sports cars, (well not yet). But as a "do the boring stuff" car I think they are unmatched in terms of cost and utility. I quite like that there are so many, they become kind of invisible during the commute or shopping run. All that aside, I wanted to debate some of the things that I find incredibly annoying about Tesla and that the rush for convenience could be a very bad thing.
So first, the good stuff. On my third go around, I feel that the charging network is still, (in my option) the best available in the UK. And their cost in most cases means that as a lease car they make a lot of sense.
The included self drive cruise control is generally very good. I'll chat about full self drive separately below, but the free one is acceptable, (and one of the best) if you want simple assistance when on the motorway and on long journeys.
The Model Y Juniper is a significant upgrade in terms of refinement and quality. The Premium LR we now have v the Std Short Range I just gave back are very different cars. But that has come with an increase in the cost to lease it. I still think I the cost is worth it for the extra 100 miles of real world range and the better ride and finish of the car. (£163 per month with £8k deposit v £440 per month and a £5k deposit).
But there as some small issues that just drive me nuts and I wonder if this is just me, or if anyone else is equally baffled by them...
I really admire the processes Tesla employ to sell and deliver cars. Dropping off our old Tesla and collecting the new one was incredibly simple. One person met me, walked me to my new car, left me to look over it while they booked in my old car and then came back and linked my app to the car via their phone. It was insanely simple and all in all took about 10 mins. But that same simplicity is also applied to buying the car, (via a website) and minimum contact with a person. I know it's efficient, but my goodness it's soulless. I worry that lots of purchasing experiences will soon be like this.
- AI customer service. Tesla, like a lot to companies, use AI when you phone them. I assume it's powered by Grok, but the issue is it isnt quite good enough to understand what it is you need help with. For example, on Friday I called to ask why I could not add a second driver in the app. Before you can speak to a person the system asks you for a OTP. This is sent via the app. I received the OTP, but the AI could not understand the numbers and so after trying for about 10 mins differing ways to say the numbers, type them into the phone etc, I gave up. AI can be amazing, but when it goes wrong, it really just doesn't work.
- Changes to software for a lease car. I have had 2 lease cars now. And on the whole I think this is without doubt the best way to use a Tesla. Cost wise, new cars are expensive and being able to mitigate that by renting at an agreed cost over a set time, is perfect for me. But a new feature (!) is that you can only add one phone as a key to the car. Yep you read that correctly. You also get two key cards, so technically you can add another driver, but in order to sync phones, seat settings, etc you need a Tesla linked profile. My wife has one as we have been using the same system for about 4 years. However, for some unfathomable reason Tesla now restrict the ability to add another driver via the app. It's a simple thing, but is a massive pain. Tesla will tell you to contact your lease company but do not understand that UK cars are leased via a finance company. The so what is, you need to speak to a specific department that doesn't have a direct contact number but once you mange to transfer to them they will add another person to the car via a web portal.... My car hasn't even reached their system yet so it will be at least a week before my wife can register her account. Not the end of the world, but how much extra admin has this put on me instead of just letting me add her via the app in seconds? Really, really odd.
- Full Self Drive (supervised). One of the stand out features could be, a self driving car. You get free auto pilot (beta) with the car for free. If you then pay £99 per month then you get full self drive (supervised). Sadly it is not a better version of the software. It is exactly the same just that it will change lanes on the motorway and you can summon it out of parking spaces. That's it. DO NOT pay the £99, it is an utter disappointment. In the USA and some places in Europe they are reporting that the actual full self drive is amazing. Well, it must be some a significant upgrade, because mine got confused on small roads, couldn't move past parked cars, tried to crash on roads without a centre line, didn't understand most junctions and does not change the speed when the speed limit changes. Just simple stuff confuses it. It could be a genuine game changer, but wont likely come to the UK for 2 to 3 years. Sure, Tesla will blame the UK legislation for the hold up, but I don't buy that. While you can not have full self drive because of legislation, the version of software we have is just pants.
Sorry for the rant, but I feel that the way Tesla does things is a glimpse into the future. But I'm not convinced this guaranteed to be a very good thing...
Edited by findtomdotcom on Monday 7th September 11:36
The self driving sounds to be no further on than it was in 2019 when I took delivery of my model S, and worse than in the demonstrator I tried before I ordered.
And mikes off what they promised me was just around the corner.
It’s frustrating. I’d love a car that does what they keep promising.
And mikes off what they promised me was just around the corner.
It’s frustrating. I’d love a car that does what they keep promising.
A great car....but is has flaws, specifically the first point you mentioned
"The included self drive cruise control is generally very good"
The standard radar cruise is the deal breaker for me - if cancels and deactivates every single time you change lanes.
Just frustrating and unnecessary !
"The included self drive cruise control is generally very good"
The standard radar cruise is the deal breaker for me - if cancels and deactivates every single time you change lanes.
Just frustrating and unnecessary !
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