Tesla addresses a major criticism of the Model Y

Tesla is making its fastest SUV, the Model Y, a little more comfortable in Australia, according to a well-known shipping and VIN tracker.

Twitter user VedaPrime claims: “Newly updated comfort suspension is now confirmed for all Tesla Model Y Performance deliveries in Australia in 2023”.

The account tracks ships carrying Tesla cars and monitors incoming vehicles’ VINs to check for specification changes, claiming it “verified the information and compared it to an actual car.”

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It indicates a part number change on the vehicle as evidence of the hardware change.

We’ve contacted Tesla to confirm the change and will update this story with her response when she gets back to us.

Tesla Australia’s website states that the Model Y Performance will come with “lowered suspension” but makes no mention of any changes to the original tune.

Reports from the US suggest that all Berlin and Fremont-built Model Y SUVs have been upgraded to a more comfortable suspension setup in late 2022.

It’s not clear when performance models built in Shanghai, where Australian-supplied Teslas are produced, made the switch, or if the wider range was updated with a more comfortable suspension tune.

Ride quality has been one of the biggest criticisms of the Model Y range since arriving in Australia in 2022, not just performance.

Our initial review of the rear-wheel-drive model was, “It rips over potholes and minor bumps to the point where you fear the outcome if you catch the next cat’s eye on the road…”

“The Model Y is in dire need of adaptive damping to limit the arduous struggle for slippery sections of road. As an entry-level family SUV, the handling doesn’t have to be so taut, there’s just no logic to it.”

Tesla is known for making changes to its vehicles at seemingly random intervals.

Interior tweaks, added features and updates to hardware like the heat pump were made throughout the life of the Model 3 and Model Y, rather than being saved for a facelift four years after launch.

Changes to a car’s suspension are generally saved for a mid-life update, but it’s not uncommon for automakers to improve their vehicles’ driveability as part of an ongoing change.

Hyundai, for example, has tweaked the suspension of its Ioniq 5 to offer better body control as part of the 2023 model year changes, and the current-gen Nissan Navara has been updated several times with changes to its coil behavior.

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