Peter Lyon
February 18, 2025
Tesla has just revised its big-selling Model Y and in Malaysia it’s just officially debuted. Prices for the facelift, without insurance, start at RM195,450 on road, and available in two variants— Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range All-Wheel Drive. Currently, both versions are offered in a limited-edition “Launch Series.” Prices for the facelifted Model Y have increased by RM4,450 for both variants as compared to the pre-facelift model.
The new exterior design, which Tesla has termed “Cyber Design,” was influenced by the Cybertruck and Cybercab. In addition to new designs for the 19-inch alloy wheels and a rear diffuser, the updated Model Y now has a new cross car lightbar up front and an entirely new rear lightbar as well. For the Tesla Model Y facelift, Tesla continues to provide extra exterior accessories, including as colour selections and alloy wheel upgrades from 19 to 20 inches.
The Y facelift, which is a part of the limited-edition “Launch Series,” has a customised launch badge on the back, a puddle light badge, and a doorsill plate with a special “launch” logo. The interior features an all-black vegan suede upholstery and unique styling for the floor mats and dash charging console in a special launch design with silver accents.
While the rear passengers now have access to an 8-inch touchscreen located on the centre console, the facelifted Y’s interior maintains its ultra-minimalist design with the recognisable 15.4-inch central touchscreen display. Ambient lighting, a panoramic roof for a quieter ride, and double-layer, silver-coated, acoustic glass for all windows are also new. According to Tesla, the rear boot space may be expanded to 2,130 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.
Unlike the Model 3, there are stalks on the Y’s steering column. Apart from the two physical buttons on the steering wheel and stalks on the steering column, there are no physical controls on the dash.
Standard interior features includes a 15.4-inch touchscreen display, 8-inch touchscreen display for rear passengers, panoramic sunroof, double-layer silver-coated glass for all windows, ventilated front seats, power-recline second row seats, and a Tesla engineered audio sound system.
As usual, Tesla has not released any official details about the Model Y facelift’s battery parameters, charging capabilities, or performance in Malaysia. The WLTP range of the rear-wheel-drive version, however, is reportedly 466 kilometres and it jumps from zero to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds.
Although only the “Launch Series” Long Range variation can do this using “Acceleration Boost,” the all-wheel-drive version offers 551 km (WLTP) and blasts from 0-100 in 4.3 seconds with a top speed of 201 km/h for both versions. When it comes to charging, Tesla Superchargers allow the Model Y to juice up to 266 km of range in 15 minutes.
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Such range and charging speeds make the new Y arguably the best choice in its segment, although, to be honest, we are seeing Elon Musk’s escapades of late hurting Tesla sales globally. Included in the price is a four-year or 80,000 km basic vehicle warranty, a supplemental restraint system warranty of five years or 100,000 km, and an eight-year or 160,000 km battery and drive unit warranty for the Rear-Wheel Drive variant and an eight-year or 192,000 km for the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant.
