Tesla is making its fastest Model Y SUV a bit 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 being delivered in Australia in 2023″.
The account tracks ships carrying Tesla cars and monitors the VINs of incoming vehicles to check for spec changes, and claims it has “verified the info and check it against an actual car”.
It points to a change in a part number on the vehicle as evidence of the hardware change.
We’ve contacted Tesla to confirm the change, and will update this story with its response if it gets back to us.
The Tesla Australia website says the Model Y Performance comes with “lowered suspension”, but doesn’t mention any changes to the original tune.
Reports from the USA suggest all Model Y SUVs built in Berlin and Fremont moved to a more comfortable suspension tune late in 2022.
It’s not clear when Performance models built in Shanghai, where Australian-delivered Teslas are produced, made the switch, or if the wider range has been updated with a more comfortable suspension tune.
Ride quality has been one of the biggest criticisms levelled at the Model Y range, not just the Performance, since its arrival in Australia during 2022.
Our first review of the rear-wheel drive model said: “It crashes over potholes and minor road imperfections to the point where you fear the result of catching the next cat’s eye on the road…”
“The Model Y is desperately in need of adaptive damping to limit the exhausting battle to find smooth sections of road. As an entry-level family SUV the ride doesn’t need to be this firm, there’s just no logic to it.”
Tesla is known for rolling out changes at seemingly random intervals to its vehicles.
Tweaks to the interior trim, added features, and updates to hardware such as the heat pump have been made throughout the Model 3 and Model Y’s lives, 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 unheard of for carmakers to fettle how their vehicles ride as part of a running change.
Hyundai tweaked the suspension on its Ioniq 5 to offer better body control as part of its 2023 model year changes, for example, and the current-generation Nissan Navara has been updated multiple times with changes to how its coils behave.
MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y
