Model Y overnight test drive (MME vs Model Y)

[mattbostonmache]

I have an August order in for a premium AWD ER MME.

On Thursday, I was able to table a Tesla Model Y for an overnight test drive. I did previous overnight Tesla test drive five or six months ago. I also did a MME weekend test drive back in March or April (when dealers had demo cars and when I had a previous MME order that I ended up canceling to wait a bit longer)

My test drive was after dark in heavy rain. Not ideal driving conditions, but it was actually great to test things I wouldn't normally get to try out until I bought a car. I drove from Dedham, MA, to Plymouth and Duxbury. It was about 2.5 hours of driving in the rain in the dark.

Some thoughts on the Model Y:

• #1 Tesla lets you do an overnight test drive if you tell them you are trying to make a final decision (which I am).
• autopilot (as a driver assist, with hands on the wheel and paying full attention) is really durable. It was dark and raining hard and Tesla had no problem following the lane on the divided highway. The only place where it had trouble was a construction zone that was newly paved with just a little square of paint every 20 feet (the pre-painting markings). It's hard for a human too. I just turned it off in the construction zone after a quick test. But autopilot was phenomenal in 90 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic and really took the stress out of the drive.
• If you switch lanes in autopilot, it disengages. I really like the Ford copilot 360 how it will reengage after you switch lanes.
• Autopilot had no problems with tight corners and even an exit ramp if the line markers are clear.
• No wiper stalk to control the wipers. Big three thumbs down for this.
• The wipers had four modes: 1, 2, 3, and auto. Auto was passable. But it should have been more frequent. There is no sensitivity control for the auto wipers (I believe the MME does have auto wiper sensitivity in the twisty part of the wiper stalk. Can anyone confirm?)
• The wipers had to be turned on from the touch screen or via voice controls.
• The voice controls work great form some things (heated seats, temperature)
• The voice controls didn't work for surprising functions ("tune to 88.9" and "change radio station to 88.9" didn't work).
• The suspension is very stiff and you feel rough roads and potholes.

My longstanding annoyances with the Model Y:

• I hate that it has no CarPlay.
• I hate that it has no instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and no physical controls beyond the two wheels/buttons on the steering wheel and the blinker and drive mode stalks.
• The order fee (now $250) is not refundable.
• The side view mirrors do not have a great enough range of adjustment, especially the driver side.
• I hate that it doesn't have framed doors.
• I hate the handles to open the doors. It's this really awkward motion and I end up grabbing the glass as soon as the door is open a crack. (I LOVE the button doors on the MME).
• The back emergency release for the doors is ridiculously hard to get to and adults would have a hard time using it in an accident and it would be impossible for kids. You have to remove the speaker grill near the floor and find this wire loop to pull.
• No BLIS (blind spot indicators) in the mirrors.
• No cross traffic alerts backing up.
• Charge port at the back and you have to back in to most superchargers.

And some huge plusses for the Model Y:

• The acceleration is unbelievable (and I was in a long range AWD). The car is planted. The wheels never spin out.
• Sentry mode and dashcam
• Dog mode and camping mode
• Heatpump
• Faster charging speeds; 100% reliable chargers (how many non-tesla reviews do we see where people have to switch units or move to a completely different station?? The needs to be fixed Ford and other non-Tesla manufacturers and the charging companies.)
• The screen is not laggy.
• The maps are up-to-date (the MME maps do not have current exit numbers, some new-ish roads and businesses are not present — this is not acceptable in any modern car, never mind a $50k car)

Some things keeping MME at the top of my list:

• The door buttons and handles (I LOVE THEM)
• The door access code and password to drive
• Instrument cluster behind steering wheel
• Comfortable drive (really handles rough roads an potholes nicely)
• Styling!!!

Things that would cause me to drop my MME order and go with a Model Y or another BEV:

• Reliability on the MME seems to be less than ideal (lots of people on this forum and on FB need to bring it in for service for things that should not be an issue)
• Paint and windshield glass seem less durable than other cars.
• Terrible Ford Pass smart phone app (it needs to have up-to-date information; you need to be able to set temp of car for pre-conditioning; and you need to be able to see locked status and window up/down status)
• Phone as a key continuing to be a problem
• If ford doesn't improve 80-100% speed at DC Fast Charging stations. I know it'll be significantly slower than 10-80%, but it should be competitive with other modern BEVs.
• Kia EV6 800V charging.
• Instrument cluster buzzing

CC: @Ford Motor Company

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[Garbone]

Yesterday I was backing into my driveway as my neighbor was riding his bike down his (think 2 feet of grass separation) and my car stopped me before I knew he was there. Could have just as easily been my daughter or one of her friends in our own driveway. Great feature, surprised Tesla does not have it.

 

[RockwallRick]

Tried to get our local Ford dealer to let us test drive one of their Tesla’s. They actually seem to sell more Tesla‘s than MME’s!! It was a NO GO but they did let us put 1500 miles on their demo MME!

 

[pt19713]

Note, Tesla can have glass issues, too. It's not just the Mach-E.

 

[mattbostonmache]

Tried to get our local Ford dealer to let us test drive one of their Tesla’s. They actually seem to sell more Tesla‘s than MME’s!! It was a NO GO but they did let us put 1500 miles on their demo MME!

1500 miles! How long did they let you take it for? I'm jealous!

 

[silverelan]

The MME 4X's slower acceleration is one reason why I ordered the GT. I rarely go farther than 200 miles from home so the range works well for me but the 100kW average charging for 30 mins is not great and may not ever get better so it's somewhat of a legitimate drawback.

Tesla's Supercharger network is often cited as the top reason to get a Tesla Model Y, followed usually by their software. Nobody seems to ever say they got the MY because it looks good, it's comfortable, or the workmanship shows. If the best reasons to get a Model Y are not the car itself, then maybe something is off...

 

[RockwallRick]

1500 miles! How long did they let you take it for? I'm jealous!

We took it out several times starting in April up until June. The party came to an end after we got it up over 2K miles and then they sold it out from under us! Lol

 

[TheCats]

There is quick access to the Tesla wiper setting -- taps on the end of the turn stalk.

The simplest to remember is a single tap, then selecting the speed from the options that come up on the screen.

Voice commands work as well.

It takes a week or two to become used to the door handles. After a month it's completely natural to open them.

 

[dmasteR]

There is quick access to the Tesla wiper setting -- taps on the end of the turn stalk.

The simplest to remember is a single tap, then selecting the speed from the options that come up on the screen.

Voice commands work as well.

It takes a week or two to become used to the door handles. After a month it's completely natural to open them.

Yeah the door handles really aren't that hard to use. Thumb in and grab with the rest of your fingers and pull.

 

[Olds442]

i don't like the styling of the Y. other than the body styling, it's a nice vehicle.

tesla does struggle with consistent builds, panel gaps, paint issues, glass, scratches that happen in transport.

i've had a model S performance, and a dual motor model 3. each had it's issues cosmetically.

the mach-e vehicles that i've inspected, are just a different level of build. hands down.

 

[Joetz]

I put ps4 Michelins on my MME because I had some hair raising experiences where I felt like the grip wasn’t there in emergency maneuvers. Now the grip is there but the stiff sidewalls make the ride WORSE than my model Y. Model Y has a much larger footprint on the road so I left the tires alone. Right now tesla has tons of aftermarket solutions for the suspension if you aren’t happy…and the Y is a relatively new vehicle. To be honest neither car has great suspension tuning. I would say, after some tinkering, that the Ford’s is probably worse but it’s masked by a softer tire (Michelin’s primacy). Tesla is stiff but there are none of the bouncy aftershocks you experience with the Ford.
I’m looking forward to a really good suspension solution or a fix from Ford.

another thing that’s interesting as an owner of both cars is I noticed the MME can typically beat the range estimates or at least match them. The model Y falls short. Both are great but flawed cars.

the stuff the OP complained about (wipers and door handles) are total non issues once you get used to them.

one thing the OP didn’t comment on (and I’m surprised so few people do) is the superior steering the MME has. It really does have close to the weighting and feedback of something wearing a Porsche badge. Totally amazing and in this area the Y is completely outclassed. Amazing they got the steering so right and the suspension tubing so wrong

 

[zvez]

I find the model y looks actually growing on me. I must say tho, the landscape center screen, not liking that.

That's a great writeup. I think the only thing I'd have a problem with in buying a tesla, is that it's putting money in Elon Musk's pocket. ?

 

[timbop]

I think the only thing I'd have a problem with in buying a tesla, is that it's putting money in Elon Musk's pocket.

You are not alone in that regard

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