Like every car in the first model year of production, the Model Y isn’t perfect. Tesla’s fourth vehicle line has been previously criticized by a detailer over a lot of imperfections, and this time around, Sandy Munro takes a jab at the electric crossover.
A name you’ve likely come across over the years, Sandy from Munro & Associates has more than 30 years of experience under his belt, working with automakers and tier 1 suppliers alike. The first thing that caught his attention about the Model Y is a piece of plastic in the frunk that came right off, meaning that a worker on the assembly line may have been slacking off. Worse still, one of the clips was broken. On an all-new vehicle!
The frunk also needs some muscle to properly close into place, flush with the front bumper. Regarding the missing cowl cover clip, there’s no denying that quality control needs to be improved to the detriment of production volume. Don’t think for a minute that Sandy’s raison d'être is to slam Tesla; even Elon Musk is taking nicely to his assessment, tweeting: "high-quality critical feedback is much appreciated."
Moving on to the suspension, the design may be similar to the Model 3 but different too. For example, two screws hold the damper and the front lower control arms are a little beefier. The rear end’s lower control arms, however, are labeled “Model 3.”
The Model Y Performance with the Performance Upgrade in the following videos gets a couple of thumbs up for the low-voltage wiring’s corrugated split loom as well as the increased thickness of the front impact structure compared to the Model 3. The underbody aeroshield also receives praise in the guise of “a better design” over the sedan, yet the headroom and seating position for the third-row seats are “semi-comfortable.”
All in all, Sandy and company received the Model Y better than the Model 3. If you remember Jason Fenske’s video of the Model 3 on Engineering Explained from a few years ago, there’s no denying that Tesla did better with the first units of the Model Y.
High quality critical feedback from Munro & Co is much appreciated!
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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