Tesla Malaysia not too long ago gave us a sneak peek of the Tesla Model Y L at its Cyberjaya base. This thing began life last year as a China-only model but is now making its way to right-hand drive markets – it’s already in Australia (AU$75k, RM207k) and Thailand (two million baht, RM244k). Malaysia is next – and because the car is only going to be launched this Wednesday (April 1), all we can do over the next 48 hours or so is speculate with regard to the price.
The L is the range-topping Model Y Down Under, costing AU$6k (RM17k) more than the Premium Long Range AWD, but curiously, in the Land of Smiles, it’s the other way round, being 20k baht (RM2.5k) cheaper than the Premium Long Range AWD. As Malaysia’s PLRAWD is RM242,450, will our L duck under RM240k or hover around RM250k? If it’s going to be the latter, you’re looking at currently the priciest new Tesla in Malaysia – the Juniper Performance isn’t (yet?) here.
Anyway, let’s look at the car. The Model Y L is 4,976 mm long (+179), 2,129 mm wide (=) and 1,668 mm tall (+44), with a 3,040 mm wheelbase (+150) and a 169 mm ground clearance (+2) – millimetre deviations from the regular Model Y in brackets. At 2,088 kg, the L is 96 kg heavier than the heftiest Model Y (PLRAWD), but its redesigned tail and subtle boot lid spoiler (black regardless of body colour) has made it the most aerodynamic Model Y, its 0.216 drag coefficient beating the regular car’s 0.22.
From the photos (even official pics seen before), it may look like the L has a bit of a bulbous-head look compared to the regular car – after all, its roofline has indeed been pushed upwards towards the tail to yield more rear headroom. But somehow in the flesh, even when viewed side-on, it really doesn’t look much different from the regular car, which was also parked there for comparison. Really – put your Beluga whale and/or London black cab concerns to rest.
The champagne gold-like body colour you see here – called Cosmic Silver – is an optional extra exclusive to this model. This hue replaces the usual Quicksilver. Also unique to this model are those 19-inch Machina alloys (with staggered 255/45 front and 275/45 rear tyres; Continental EcoContact 7 S). These are the standard rims; it’s not known yet whether you’ll be able to upsize to 20s like on other Model Y variants.
The highlight is, of course, six seats in a 2-2-2 formation. The middle two are ‘independent seats’ with power-retractable armrests, heating and ventilation. You may choose to call them captain seats, but don’t confuse them with a luxury MPV’s business-class chairs, because they’re really just individual seats, and they’re relatively narrow. No ottoman, no tray tables and the thin armrests are mostly things you tuck away (in fact they automatically retract when you open the nearest door, then come back up when you close the door) to make it easier for you to walk between the seats to the third row.
How is the walk-through to the third row? Be mindful of a rather tall step between the second and third rows (which forces you to crouch more); otherwise, it’s quite painless for 175 cm-tall me. Once seated – thanks to the elongated roofline – headroom is actually better than expected (about three fingers), although leg- and shoulder-room are at a premium and the high third-row floor means your knees are in the air. The third row fits adults, no problem, although they would thank you to keep those journeys short.
You may choose instead to place kids in the third row, and you’ll see there are Isofix points here. In the seven-seater Model Y available in other markets, which is based on the standard-wheelbase car, the third row has no Isofix and there are flat headrests that retreat flush with the seat backs (necessary to give the seats enough space to fold flat).
Here, you get proper headrests, and when you fold the third-row seats (electrically, either via switches in the boot or through the screens), the headrests drop forwards to allow the seats to fold flat. When you command the seats back up again, you’ll have to manually pull the headrests back up. Just to be clear, both second- and third-row seats are power-reclinable and power-foldable.
With the second and third row folded, Tesla claims the L can swallow 2,539 litres of barang, versus the standard-wheelbase Model Y’s 2,138. That’s no surprise since the L is a bigger car; what you want to know is how much you can store behind the third row. In this regard, it’s really not bad – Tesla does not divulge boot space with all seats up, but a couple of carry-on suitcases will not at all be a problem. The under-floor storage is also pretty deep. And of course, there’s always the frunk.
Up front, you’ll notice the seats are different from the regular Model Y’s – here they’ve got integrated headrests and power-extendable thighs. A black interior is standard; the Zen Grey you see here is optional. The wireless phone chargers here are 50W and 30W (2 x 15W on the regular Model Y), and have active cooling. You get 18 speakers and one subwoofer, beating the PLRAWD’s 15 speakers and one subwoofer, and lesser variants’ nine speakers.
Here’s another highlight – like the Performance, the Model Y L has adaptive damping (Balanced and Rear Comfort settings). All other current Model Y variants in Malaysia have frequency-selective damping.
Beyond all that, the L is pretty much the same as every other Model Y Premium, with textile interior trim, faux leather upholstery, a 16-inch touch-screen, an eight-inch second-row touchscreen, a panoramic glass roof, ambient lighting, eight exterior cameras (still no full 360-degree view) and a hands-free tailgate.
Now, another thing Tesla never officially discloses is battery capacity, but the L’s WLTP range is 681 km – very close to the Long Range RWD’s 691. So it’s the Model Y variant with the second-longest legs currently. Like the PLRAWD, the L is a two-motor all-wheel drive car – 0-100 km/h is done in five seconds (PLRAWD takes 4.8) and 201 km/h is the top speed (same as all Model Ys). Max charging rates are 250 kW DC and 11 kW AC – status quo.
On to colours – Stealth Grey is standard; optional are Pearl White, Diamond Black, Glacier Blue, Ultra Red and the aforementioned Cosmic Silver. What do you think of the Tesla Model Y L? You may want to wait for the price before making a full judgement, but for now, like what you see?
Six-seaters are quite a niche in Malaysia – other players include Mazdas CX-8 and CX-80, the Jaecoo J8 AWD, the Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy, the Zeekr 009 Ultra Luxury and the Kia EV9 6-seater.
