We test the new Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD: the most efficient electric SUV on the market

The Model Y family continues to grow. The Tesla SUV, which has become the best-selling car in the world in its own right after selling 1.2 million models, has as of today a new version Model Y Long Range RWD ('Rear-Wheel Drive').

The new rear-wheel drive variant is presented as the most efficient model of all Model Y to date. Its maximum range reaches 600 kilometers under the WLTP cycle, with an energy consumption of 14.9 kWh per 100 kilometers.

Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD technical sheet

The most efficient Model Y to date

If we compare it with the Model Y RWD or with the Model Y Long Range with all-wheel drive, we see that this new model theoretically consumes significantly less. The 600 kilometers of range are above the 455 km of the rear-wheel drive Model Y and the 565 km of the Long Range all-wheel drive Model Y.

As Tesla explains, These 14.9 kWh/100km are the lowest consumption in the electric SUV sector.

The rest of the features are equivalent to the Model Y that we already know, from its design to the materials used, including that 854-liter trunk, the sound or the maximum speed of 217 km/h.

Yes, the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h has been improved, going from 6.9 seconds in the standard model to 6.0 seconds in this Model Y Long Range RWD.

Tesla's charger infrastructure in Europe already reaches 1,200 locations, with a total of 14,000 superchargers.

According to Tesla, the Model Y is also the 2022 model that obtained the highest safety score in the European NCAP test, with a percentage of 98%.

At the warranty level, Tesla promises 4 years and 80,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. Regarding the powertrain warranty, Tesla has improved compared to the standard Model Y and extends it from 160,000 to 192,000 kilometers, or 8 years, whichever comes first.

We have already tried it

The changes that come with this Tesla Model Y are few but very important. In Xataka we have already had the opportunity to try a car that, due to its price, seems to make it very difficult for rivals. If we take a look, for a similar price we could get a smaller car or one with a smaller battery, compared to the rest of the brands.

In practice, what is pure and simple driving, there are no changes in the Tesla electric SUV. As far as driving aids are concerned, we can say that Elon Musk's electric car works as well as the Tesla Model Y Performance already performed for us. Also in ease of use and smoothness, both with the autonomous functions connected and when we do not have them active.

While rumors point to a major redesign of the electric SUV, as has happened with the Tesla Model 3, the company has decided to combine the engine of its rear-wheel drive version with the larger battery (75 kWh). With this they achieve the expected increase in autonomy but not only that.

According to the company, the car is more efficient. In fact, it is the most efficient Tesla Model Y to date. The brand claims that some engine components have been renewed (although they have not given us much more details) and they tell us that, in fact, by combining it with the new battery of its older brothers they can get a little more power out of it (hence the improvement in acceleration).

On the go, this improvement in 0 to 100 km/h It is not obvious but it has enough power to move easily among the rest of the vehicles. Taking into account that its design, as in the Tesla Model 3, relies on direct reactions and a suspension that prefers to be harsh rather than too comfortable, Elon Musk's electric SUV moves sufficiently.

If we talk about consumption, it does seem that the Tesla Model Y can give a great result to its potential customers. In our case we have reached almost 600 kilometers, with two clearly differentiated routes that are worth explaining.

In the total kilometers, the consumption average has been 20.8 kWh/100 kilometers. A high average (much more if we take into account what is expected) but which is a direct consequence of two variables. The first is the wind, since we had bad weather and a lot of wind in the test.

The second, and most important, is the type of driving. For much of the trip, the kilometers have been traveled on the German autobahn, where there are no speed limit restrictions. There, we have moved at cruising speeds of 140-150 km/h, traveling, in reality, at the speed of traffic. There, consumption has skyrocketed.

Because in a second part of the trip, we have tried to replicate the conditions that would apply in Spain. On this shorter route and with little weight in the final consumption, the average obtained traveling at 120 km/h has been 16.2 kWh/100 km, a final figure that is much closer to the approval and that we consider more realistic. for Spanish conditions. At least for those who don't want to risk a fine.

If we look at the average consumption of 20 kWh/100 km, we can expect a range of about 375 kilometers to be traveled, but with the consumption that, we believe, is more realistic of 16.2 kWh, the expected range exceeds 450 kilometers in real driving conditions.

We are talking about a very notable figure for an electric car that stands at around 48,000 euros. With that price, it is undoubtedly the more balanced, logical and rational option within the Tesla range, which thus completes a puzzle in which now, yes, all the pieces fit together.

Availability and price of the Model Y Long Range RWD

The new Model Y Long Range with rear-wheel drive arrives with a competitive price, halfway between the basic model (44,990 euros) and the Model Y with great autonomy and all-wheel drive (51,990 euros). It can be purchased in Spain starting at 47,790 euros.

In Xataka | We tested the Tesla Model Y: this is how this 100% electric SUV packed with technology manages to make sports car fans fall in love with it