Tesla's Stretched Model Y Is Already Selling in China. It Feels a Lot Like a Model X Inside.

Tesla's extended-wheelbase Model Y, known in China as the Model Y L, is already on sale at Tesla's Beijing delivery center, which is capable of processing up to 700 vehicles per day. Kim Java and her co-host PJ flew to China specifically to walk through the car alongside a standard Juniper Model Y for direct comparison. The Model Y L is seven inches longer overall and roughly an inch and a half taller, with a six-inch longer wheelbase. That extra length makes room for a proper third row with captain-style seating and cargo space behind it. Battery capacity is 88 kilowatt hours, up from the standard Model Y's 82. CLTC-rated range sits around 460 kilometers, which the reviewers estimated would translate to around 350 to 360 miles on the EPA test cycle if the car comes to the US market.

The Model Y L occupies a price bracket that the discontinued Model X previously held for some buyers. The Model X starts in the mid-80s to around $100,000 in the US. If the Y L lands domestically at the $55,000 to $59,000 range the reviewers projected, the price gap is considerable. A prototype was recently spotted in the United States, and the reviewers said they expect it to arrive. Inside, the comparison to the Model X came up repeatedly and was not forced. Captain-style second-row seats, the cargo layout, the general proportions looking rearward, and the venting position all read as Model X. One practical improvement over the X: the emergency door release is positioned in the seat pocket rather than buried behind a speaker grille, making it accessible quickly. Total cargo capacity reaches 89 cubic feet, one cubic foot more than the Model X, and seats fold flat in both the second and third rows.

The third row is where the most useful data came from. PJ, at 5 feet 10 inches, sat in the third row and found enough headroom to be comfortable, because the extra wheelbase length moves occupants past the point where the roofline starts to slope. He compared it directly to the Model X six-seat third row and called the difference negligible. A small raised step between the second and third row creates a stadium-seating effect that actually helps with the sense of space. Second-row seats are heated, ventilated, and have a one-press folding armrest. The China-market car includes thigh support in the front seats and locally tailored apps, which may or may not transfer to a US version. Third-row seat material felt slightly less premium to both reviewers, with a fabric element they thought could show grime quickly in a family vehicle.

Bottom line: The Model Y L is the three-row Tesla that families have been waiting for since the Model X moved out of reach. If it arrives in the US near the projected price, it closes a gap in Tesla's lineup that has been sitting open for a while.