In my last article, I was comparing the Tesla Model Y to the lineup of crossovers offered by Toyota and Lexus. I made the point that because Tesla decided to include a 3rd row of seating and offers a pretty wide price range and AWD, the Model Y can be competitive with 4 of the Toyota models and 4 of the Lexus models. But it is bigger than that.
Tesla offers 4 versions of the Model Y, but just 3 of those cover the 8 total models of Toyota and Lexus — the Value, Long Range, and AWD versions. Toyota and Lexus, as broad as their lineups are, don’t offer anything remotely close to the Model Y Performance. The Lexus RX 350 Sport has a claimed zero to 60 time of 7.7 seconds, while the Model Y Performance has a claimed time of 3.5 seconds, less than half the time! Clearly, not even on the same continent.
If Toyota & Lexus Don’t Make A Performance Crossover, Who Does?
Model Y from Tesla Press Kit
Lamborghini Urus from the Lamborghini Design Studio
I started looking around for a performance crossover and I remembered that Lamborghini made one. I remember talking to an exotic car rental agency a couple months ago (I was discussing putting a Tesla Roadster into their fleet) and the owner told me that the new Urus was very popular and they were buying another because it was always booked.
The Lamborghini Urus goes from zero to 60 (according to this review) in 3.6 seconds. To repeat, the Y Performance (which even seats 7 as opposed to the Urus’s 5) will go from zero to 60 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds. Looking at the pictures above, you have to see that they do not look super different.
Screen Capture from Tesla Design Studio
Screenshot from Edmunds.com
As you can see, the pricing of the Lamborghini is over 3 times as high as the faster and roomier Tesla Model Y.
Tesla Model Y — Crossing Classes Again
This isn’t a detailed review of the two cars — just a quick look at how disruptive the new Model Y is. The industry has not yet realized how broadly this vehicle will impact the rest of the auto industry. Tesla has made a single crossover (sharing the vast majority of its parts with the Model 3 sedan) that is competitive with vehicles as cheap as a Toyota C-HR and as expensive as a Lamborghini Urus! This was a brilliant financial move saving the company billions of development dollars that could have been wasted designing many different vehicles to cover these markets.
Related: Tesla Model Y Will Be World’s Safest Crossover & Quickest Affordable Crossover
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