Video – Tesla Model Y L: Six seats, 681km range, and the best Model Y yet

Tesla’s six-seat, long-wheelbase Model Y L has landed in New Zealand priced from $83,900, and we took it on a 750km Easter road trip from Mangawhai to Wellington to find out whether the biggest Y is also the best one.

The timing could not have been better. With petrol at $3.50 a litre and the Middle East fuel crisis making everyone nervous about long weekend travel, the highways were noticeably quieter than usual. The Model Y L, with its claimed 681km WLTP range and class-leading efficiency, made the fuel crisis someone else’s problem. Over the full trip we averaged 15kWh/100km. On the flatter sections it dropped to 10kWh/100km. Total charging time across 750km of driving: 11 minutes.

There is plenty more to talk about beyond the efficiency numbers. The 2-2-2 seating layout means everyone gets a window seat. The new continuously variable adaptive damping fixes the standard Model Y’s biggest weakness. The third row is genuinely usable for kids and smaller adults, and the boot is enormous with the rear seats folded. It is also the first Tesla sold in New Zealand with vehicle-to-load capability.

At $83,900, around $6,000 more than the standard long-range Model Y, it makes the case for being the best EV with more than five seats currently on sale in New Zealand.

Watch the full video review above. The complete written review is in the latest issue of EVs and Beyond magazine.