Patients young Padawan

 

I believe you, but only because you aren't driving it every day anymore. If you didn't have the new 3, you would be upgrading the Y.

 

Deleted Post- Accidentally hit save

 

Before I start this review, I'm going to make a statement that some may disagree with. That's OK please feel free to. The new Model Y refresh is one of the best mid-size SUV's I've driven, and I've driven a lot of them and have been a passenger in many as well. It drives better and is quieter than any Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura or Mazda SUV I've driven or driven in. It drives better than an X3 (I'm comparing it to an X3 because of similar size). It's more powerful and efficient than any of the SUV brands I've mentioned. And it's just as comfortable as many SUV's I've driven or driven in. And lastly, it's priced equal or lower than most of the SUV's from the brands I've mentioned.

Now that I got that out of the way, This was an invite only test driving event. And it was full. They had three vehicles available for test drives. Normally you can just walk in, they give you a car for 30 minutes, but this test drive was limited to 20 minutes. Some pics of the demo Model Y:





There are many changes from the Previous Model Y, which are very apparent. The seats have been changed, they are now both heated and ventilated, and they are super comfortable. The moment I sat in the front seats, I could feel how much refinement went into the new Y. Because it's taller and roomier, it was a much better space to sit in than my Model 3. There was also stitching on the dashboard...real stitching



Also, they did a much better job with the ambient lighting, they created a crevice where the LED's are mounted



Moving on to the drive, since this was the Launch Edition, it had the Power Boost, which gives it 50 more HP, for a total of 455 HP. I don't have to get into this much, this thing is FAST. But it's also super quiet and refined. You cannot hear much road noise, even at 85 mph, which was the max speed Tesla had this set to. We also hit some of the worst roads the city of Fremont offers, and because the ride height is higher, the suspension refinement was even better than my Model 3's.

Handling...this thing handles like a champ. It handles better than any SUV I've driven. The steering is firm and direct. And braking is extremely confident.

How does this new Y differ from the old Y? Oh man, I almost wish I never drove it. Don't get me wrong, my 2023 is a great, but the new Y is another level. IMO it now competes with the luxury brands. It may have a much simpler cabin layout, but it's just as comfortable, as well as smooth and quiet as the quietest luxury vehicle. So it's whole new level from the older Y. That said, I have no plans to sell my current Y.

To conclude, I would encourage everyone to at least do a test drive. And if you are not impressed, you are just straight out lying. Just kidding 🤣. I'll leave you with some more pics

 

Nice! So now that you've driven Juniper, how does it compare to the Highland upgrades on your Model 3?

 

Exactly the same, except as I mentioned, the the new Y has a higher ride height and is roomier. It's probably slightly quieter because of more tire sidewall and higher ride height giving more room for the suspension. Also, they did a better job with mounting the ambient lighting, creating a crevasse that makes it look more "refined". Both vehicles handle road imperfections almost the same, although the Model 3 feels lighter and handles better it being a sedan

 

Question was really now that you've experience them all, has Juniper done more to improve the Model Y than Highland did to improve the 3 in terms of overall upgrades and enhancements?

 

I would probably answer YES to that question

 

Thanks for the review. As long as you keep "I, my, me..." no one will give you a hard time. I will find time to give it a run... I think it's a signification improvement. I was hoping the front windows are also improved but looks like the same, just the rear ones.

Well... she's a wife... wives don't see same way as gf's do. Maybe the cost has a factor to it. Seriously though... it's not uncommon to see MY's owners **** about this new one. Some say things like... "I'm glad I didn't wait." Me honestly... new ones almost always look nicer than previous ones regardless, EVs or not. Some will be right at the production, others just need a little time. I think this is a nicer design even when I first saw low resolution images. Along with additional features, it will sell well.

 

In the end, it's only my personal opinion

 

Looks like deliveries already started. Someone pulled out of one of the office buildings near me on my way home from work driving a new Y. Still getting used to the rear light reflector bar, at first I thought it was a Lexus from a distance

 

Likely, but remember the Y has large castings front and back that the 3 doesn't this makes a huge difference in making the structure stiffer. Night and day way less chassis flex. Cybertruck takes it to another level go watch some crash vids and where they intentionally roll it the truck doesn't flex at all first time I've seen this in any vehicle.

The Y had a structural battery pack for a very short time then it vanished and never came back.

 

The Y definitely feels more solid, which is likely due to large castings you mentioned.

BTW, anyone who says people have lost interest in the Cyber Truck are dead wrong. Other than the crowd that was there for the new Model Y, there was another crowd there for the CT. Almost every one of them was being test drove. I talked to one guy who has a Lightning, and he's interested in adding a CT.

The thing I really don't like about the CT are the sharp edges. You can easily cut your hands if you're not careful. I can see certain spots where they used a Dremel to make them less sharp, but it looks like unprofessional. Maybe that was done on purpose to give it a rugged look. Also, way to many panel gaps for my tastes

 

I forgot to ask before you went to look at the car I'm curious what the material is like that the LED strip reflects off of, some have said it's textured is this true? Makes me wonder how you'd ever maintain the surface.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't really pay much attention to the material. I did take a picture above the reflective strip


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