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Tesla has unveiled new stripped-out, entry-level variants of its Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV for the US market.
Given these cars are produced in the US, at least initially, it’s likely these models won’t be coming to Australia just yet. Almost all Australian-specification Tesla models are sourced from China.
One of the biggest points of difference with these two new Standard trim levels, is they bring down the entry price for the Model 3 and Model Y in the US. They cost US$39,990 (~A$60,750) and US$36,990 (~A$56,180), respectively, which is around US$5000 (~A$7600) cheaper than the regular RWD trims.
Another is they both appear to come with a smaller battery pack. Tesla doesn’t disclose exact battery capacities, but both the Model 3 and Model Y Standard offer 516km of claimed range, according to EPA testing.
For context, the Model 3 RWD offers 584km of EPA claimed range and the Model 3 RWD offers 574km of EPA claimed range.
Both the Model 3 and Model Y Standard are also slower to 60mph, likely meaning they come with a less powerful rear-mounted electric motor. They do the 0-60mph sprint in 5.8 seconds and 6.8 seconds, respectively.
On the outside the biggest chance you note on both models are different wheel designs. The Model 3 Standard gets 18-inch ‘Prismata’ wheels, whereas the Model Y Standard gets 18-inch ‘Aperture’ wheels.
You’re also only able to choose from Stealth Grey, Pearl White multi-coat and Diamond Black exterior paint colours.
Beyond the wheels, the Model Y Standard also ditches the LED light bars from the front and rear, the adaptive high-beam functionality, as well as the panoramic glass sunroof. The latter two features are retained in the Model 3 Standard.
Inside, both the Model 3 and Model Y Standard receive fabric and synthetic leather combination upholstery, there’s no interior ambient lighting, the steering column is manually adjusted and the second-row touchscreen has been deleted.
Additionally there’s a less-sophisticated sound system with fewer speakers, no AM/FM radio connectivity, no heated rear seats, no ventilated front seats, manually adjusted second-row air vents and manually adjusted side-view mirrors.
The Model Y Standard in particular has an open centre console unlike the Model Ys which have storage cubbies with retractable lids.
Under the skin both the Model 3 and Model Y Standard have passive shock absorbers unlike the other non-Performance trims which have frequency dependent units.
All the safety hardware tech for both models is carried over, including the eight exterior cameras which allow for Full Self-Driving (FSD) as an optional extra. However, Tesla is only offering traffic-aware cruise control in these cars and not Autosteer, which is like a lane-centring function for highway use.
