Test Drive: My First Experience With the Tesla Model Y

For my next update of my journey as a Tesla owner, I thought I’d give you a quick story about my experience test driving the new Model Y.

So, last week I was back in my hometown in Massachusetts, and I finally got around to doing something I've been wanting to do for ages: test drive a Tesla.

As I mentioned before, I’d been eyeing the newly refreshed Model Y. Originally, I thought I had a bit more time—maybe a month or two—before the limited-edition Launch Series ran its course and I’d be ready to jump in. But that window closed sooner than I expected. Around the same time, I told my friend

Jordan Golson

I’d be in town and we should catch up. He immediately suggested we go test drive one. It was the perfect idea—there’s no better way to know if the car is truly for you than to get behind the wheel.

Seeing as Jordan is not only a car journalist but also a Tesla owner, test-driving a Tesla with him was the perfect idea. So, last week, a couple of days into my trip, Jordan picked me up at my dad's place in his Model 3, and before we even got to the coffee shop, he wanted to demonstrate the Tesla to me. First, he demonstrated the car's crazy acceleration. Then, he gave me a demo of the charging process and, of course, the "Actually Smart Summon" (ASS) feature. After the mini-Tesla show, we finally grabbed some coffee and made our way to the dealership.

Funny enough, I actually got a sneak peek at the Model Y the day before. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had a free afternoon, so I ended up taking my son to the Tesla dealership to look at the cars. They had the Model 3, Y, and X in the showroom, and we looked at all of them. But most of my attention, of course, was on the Model Y.

I can't recall how long we were there, but my son and I had fun looking at the cars' details. Eventually, someone informed me they had a test drive slot open—and of course, I jumped on it. Before hitting the road, I got a quick crash course in Tesla 101: basic controls, the layout, and the whole one-pedal driving concept, which definitely takes a bit to get used to.

If you don’t know already, Tesla’s one-pedal driving lets you control both acceleration and deceleration using just the accelerator. When you lift your foot off the pedal, the car slows down automatically through regenerative braking, which captures energy and sends it back to the battery. It can feel a bit strange at first, but once you get the hang of it, it makes for a smoother, more intuitive driving experience—especially in stop-and-go traffic. You just have to get used to it.

I spent the first part of the drive just getting a feel for how the car handled. Once we’d gotten a decent distance from the dealership, I decided to try out Full Self-Driving (FSD) on the return trip. And honestly? It was mind-blowing. That said, just before we got back, it did decide to take a surprise turn, and I wasn’t fast enough to override it and ended up taking the car on the highway. It was a blessing in disguise, though, because I got to drive the car more and get used to how it handled the road.

I always had confidence in FSD. Jordan has quite a few videos on YouTube demonstrating FSD. Here’s one of FSD handling traffic in the city of Boston.

So yeah, I already knew how impressive it was. But does it take some getting used to? Absolutely. After years of being in control, it’s definitely a shift to start trusting a car to handle the driving decisions for you. That said, riding in Jordan’s Model 3 while he used Full Self-Driving didn’t bother me one bit. It honestly felt like being chauffeured by a really competent driver—one who just happened to never touch the wheel. That experience played a big role in making me more comfortable using FSD myself.

Since I was still a bit green with electric vehicles, I felt much better having Jordan in the car with me. He’s like a Tesla whisperer, so I figured he could explain all the nuances. He hopped in the driver’s seat of the Model Y first (because I’d driven it the day before), and then I later took over to bring it back to the dealership.

I was seriously impressed with how the Model Y handled. It was so smooth, and I barely had to intervene. I wanted this car. I loved the design. I loved the tech. I loved the drive.

Of course, the day wasn’t done yet. Jordan had scheduled a test drive of the Cybertruck immediately after my test drive, so, after we dropped off the Model Y, we took the Cybertruck for a spin. He’d driven one before, but I was curious to see what all the fuss was about, even though it's definitely not my style. It was... memorable, to say the least!

All in all, driving the Model Y was a total blast. It's got so many features that I love. Between the sleek design and the insane technology, I was completely sold. This test drive definitely lit a fire under me, ultimately prompting me to buy one the night I got back home to New York.

I will give a lot more detail on the experience of driving the Model Y once I finally get to pick mine up and experience it on roads I’m more familiar with. If you’re considering getting a Tesla yourself, stay tuned as I share those experiences here on my Substack. If you’re about to pull the trigger on one, be sure to use my referral link for a bonus with your purchase.

If you’re considering getting a Tesla yourself, be sure to let me know what kind of questions you have, and I’ll be sure to answer them in a future update to help you make your decision.