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Scotty Kilmer Drives a 2021 Tesla Model Y Rental Car, Likes How It Accelerates

With more than 4.15 million subscribers on the world’s premier video streaming platform, Scotty Kilmer is probably the best-known mechanic out there. An outspoken critic of unreliable cars from General Motors and money pits from Mercedes-Benz, the 67-year-old YouTube personality has finally gotten the chance of driving a Tesla Model Y all-electric crossover.
Scotty Kilmer Reviews the 2021 Tesla Model Y 10 photos
Photo: Scotty Kilmer on YouTube
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“Like a spaceship” is how Scotty describes the car's interior, which may not be completely accurate. The highlight feature is the central display, and it doubles as a digital instrument cluster because there’s no dedicated digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. Just like the Model 3, the Model Y was designed from the beginning to be relatively cheap to make.

“Be forewarned, you’d better be into technology if you want to get one of these,” said the vlogger, who singles out the card that opens the car and the PIN code that you are required to enter before driving. Scotty’s wife owns a 19-year-old Lexus ES 300 sedan, which rides smoother on the bumpy roads of Rhode Island because it has softer suspension and weighs a lot less.

From a standstill, the dual-motor acceleration leaves the good-humored mechanic impressed because electric motors develop maximum torque almost instantly while combustion engines need to build up some revs. “It’s like a rollercoaster ride, and it does have an insanely tight steering system.”

Like all Teslas out there, the Model Y suffers from a few quality issues. Although it’s a brand-new car, Scotty immediately singles out the conspicuous gap between the right fender and hood. “You would never see such a wide gap from one side to another in, say, a Lexus,” he commented.

And finally, the internet mechanic isn’t too fond of the rear visibility of the electric crossover from Fremont, California. The shape of the rear window and the thickness of the rear pillars are to blame, but happily for customers, every modern automobile is required to feature a rearview camera.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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.
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