Launched earlier this week, the Tesla Model Y L is finally available to order on the Malaysian website, and with that comes official pricing for the six-seater electric SUV. The car costs exactly as estimated, retailing at a nice round RM260,000 nett, or RM262,615 on-the-road without insurance.
This makes the L RM17,550 more expensive than the regular Premium Long Range AWD, which is about the same as in Australia – although the reverse is true in Thailand. As with any other Tesla, the car is available with several cost options, including any colour other than the standard Stealth Grey.
One of the most expensive is the new hero colour called Cosmic Silver, an almost champagne gold hue that replaces Quicksilver and costs a whopping RM11,000, joining the similarly-priced Ultra Red (other colours include Pearl White Multi-Coat and Diamond Black at RM5,000, as well as Glacier Blue at RM7,500). As for the interior, the optional white has been replaced by Zen Grey, remaining at RM5,000 (black is no cost).
Available solely in Premium AWD trim. the Model Y L is 177 mm longer (4,969 mm) and 44 mm taller (1,668 mm) with a 149 mm longer wheelbase (3,040 mm) than the five-seater Premium model. This frees up space for a pair of third-row seats, with the roofline also being pushed upwards towards the rear to add some decent headroom.
Step inside and you’ll notice that the second-row bench has been swapped out for captain’s chairs with power-retractable armrests, heating and ventilation, leading to a 2-2-2 seating configuration. The power-folding rearmost seats are also more substantial (with proper headrests) than the third-row pews in the standard seven-seater (2-3-2) version, currently only available in the US and Europe. Meanwhile, the physically larger body delivers a maximum cargo room of 2,539 litres, versus 2,138 litres for the standard Model Y.
Aside from the slightly hunchbacked roofline, the Model Y L is differentiated on the outside through a jutting rear spoiler and unique 19-inch Machina wheels with a Y-spoke design. You can’t spec the 20-inch Crossflow alloys available on other Model Y Premium models.
Other new bits include more substantial power-adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats – now with extendable thigh support – as well as adaptive dampers (first seen on the full-fat Performance model) to replace the standard frequency selective shocks. The sound system has also been expanded from a 15-speaker to an 18-speaker setup, still with a subwoofer. The twin Qi wireless chargers have been upgraded to 50W and now feature cooling via air cond vents.
Beyond all that, the Model Y L is pretty much the same as every other Model Y Premium, with textile interior trim, faux leather upholstery, a 16-inch infotainment touchscreen, 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 opening tailgate.
In terms of driver assists, the Model Y L continues to come with basic Autopilot, which includes Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality. Enhanced Autopilot, which adds automated lane changes, park assist and remote park assist (which Tesla rather facetiously calls Dumb Summon) costs an extra RM16,000, while the dubiously-named (and non-functional in Malaysia) Full Self Driving add-on is double that at RM32,000.
Aside from the extra space and seats, the Model Y L also gains a larger 82 kWh NMC battery for a range of 681 km on the WLTP cycle, versus 629 km for the Model Y Premium LR AWD. The dual-motor 462 PS (340 kW) setup enables the car to get from zero to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds (two tenths of a second slower than the regular model) on its way to a top speed of 201 km/h.
