Tesla reveals powerful new Model Y Performance

Tesla has revealed a new Performance variant of its Model Y electric SUV, with extra power, quicker acceleration and a visual upgrade inside and out.

Available to order in the UK and some European and Middle East markets now – but curiously not in the US just yet – the new Model Y Performance starts at £61,990, making it £10,000 more than the previous top-tier car, the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive.

Upgrades to the car’s electric motors see its power increase to 460 hp, while the 0-62 mph time falls from 4.6 seconds for the Long Range AWD, to a supercar-like 3.3 seconds for the Model Y Performance. Top speed has increased from 125 mph to 155 mph, while claimed range has only fallen by four miles, to 360 WLTP.

The new Tesla’s motors are shared with those of the Model 3 Performance. Called Performance 4DU, the drive unit delivers 16 percent more torque, 32 percent more peak power and 22 percent more continuous power over its predecessor. It’s also capable of higher thermal and performance limits, Tesla says, resulting in higher performance without reducing efficiency.

Although Tesla doesn’t state a capacity for the Model Y Performance’s battery, it says the car has new and upgraded cells (over the standard Model Y), which deliver a higher energy density without adding weight. Tesla states an efficiency rating of 26.07 kWh per 100 miles for the new car. This converts to 3.84 miles per kWh.

Tesla has given the Model Y Performance the same active suspension upgrade as the similarly potent Model 3 Performance, but with its own tune, and there’s a new set of 21-inch wheels too, ahead of a set of red brake calipers.

Tesla says the new body kit is about more than just styling. It claims the changes reduce drag by 10 percent and lift by a massive 64 percent, resulting in a 27 percent improvement in front-to-rear lift balance compared to the previous generation of Model Y Performance.

Other visual tweaks include a more aggressive front bumper, a rear bumper with integrated diffuser and a carbon spoiler on the boot lid. Inside, changes include a slightly larger touchscreen display – up from 15.4 to 16 inches – sportier front seats with extra bolstering, and a menu system for accessing the car’s various drive modes.

These include Standard and Sport for the suspension – where the latter sharpens up the active dampers – and Standard and Reduced for the stability control system, where the latter gives the driver more freedom before intervening.

The new Tesla Model Y Performance is available to order now, with the first deliveries estimated to arrive between October and November.