Verdict The Model Y Long Range is the pick of the line-up thanks mainly to its ability to travel further on a full charge, but also the price is excellent. The styling is starting to date, especially compared to fresher rivals with intriguing designs. But the advantage to Tesla is its battery tech and the constant over-the-air updates which will continue to enhance this product long after you've bought it. Verdict The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI R-Line is a comfortable daily driver with a couple of quirks and the extra two seats should appeal to families. While the ongoing costs are a little bit higher than its rivals, it still has a lot to offer - smart styling, lots of features and a reasonable price tag compared to its rivals. My son liked all the features in the middle row and felt comfortable this week, so he gives it an 8.0/10. Design The Model Y is a mid-sized SUV, about 4.75 metres long and has an aerodynamic wedge shape similar to the one Toyota’s early Prius had, but with a smooth and flat styling Tesla twist. The clean and featureless look made the Model Y appear futuristic and modern two years ago but now, with the arrival of other mid-sized electric rivals and their intriguing and attractive designs, the Tesla is starting to appear dated. There is a styling update coming to the Model Y, but it won’t be a completely new car, just a few tweaks to keep it looking current. But it won’t do much. I think the time is up on this design. The cabin embraces minimalism with plenty of clean and smooth horizontal surfaces devoid of buttons or dials. Only the large central screen and the steering wheel exist on the dashboard and in my eyes compared to rival offerings the Model Y’s interior has quickly gone from cool to devoid of personality. Design The Allspace is a seven seater but it’s a relatively compact and city-friendly one. So, don’t expect the space of a Toyota Kluger. However, that means the body looks sporty rather than lumbering. The R-Line gains new external I.Q Light Matrix LEDs, 20-inch alloy wheels and sporty R-Line-specific front and rear bumpers. The quad exhausts add to the sportiness and the shiny chrome accents against the blue paintwork of our test model really makes the sharp VW styling pop. In the cabin, nothing has really changed in terms of design for the current model. There is a nice mix of high-end materials with the Vienna leather seating and soft touchpoints but even the harder plastics feel nice. Doors close with a heavy thump, joinery is flush and the dashboard is headlined by good-looking tech with the 9.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system and 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The cabin is pleasant to look at and there's a charming mix of old meets new that should satisfy a wide range of buyers. Practicality Electric SUVs have moved practicality to a level combustion-engine equivalents can’t compete with thanks to their front and back boots and (no transmission tunnel) flat floors maximising people and storage space. The Model Y is practical with a 117L front boot and a rear boot with 854L litres of cargo capacity, while the cabin has large door pockets, wireless phone charging and two cupholders up front and in the second row. The Model Y comes as a five-seater only, but leg- and headroom in the second row is excellent and even at 189cm tall I can sit behind my driving position. Back seat passengers also have directional air vents and two USB ports for charging. Cabin practicality could be better, though. The large centre console is unnecessary as it’s not covering a transmission and driveshaft. We’re seeing other brands such as Kia make use of this area as a storage space perfect for even large bags. Locking and unlocking the Model Y is done with a key card that needs to be swiped against a sensor in the B-pillar. This worked sporadically for me and I felt like the action could scratch the pillar’s surface. There’s a phone app which can also lock and unlock the Model Y. We downloaded it and found the functions useful, from seeing how much charge is in the battery, to opening the boot, tracking the location of the car and turning the climate control on to cool or heat the cabin before driving. Practicality The cabin is fairly practical but that practicality is mostly found in the first and second rows. The front row offers the most comfort and space but occupants still enjoy the tucked-in feeling of being in a cockpit. The powered front seats are more firm than plush but the adjustable lumbar support, as well as the heat and cooling functions ensure a comfortable longer journey. Despite the panoramic sunroof, the middle row has plenty of headroom for my 168cm height and I have decent legroom behind my driving position. However, when you have a few taller adults seated - the cabin can feel squishy. The middle-row seating is firm and not as wide as it could be. There is a decent gap between the sides of the seat and each door, to make room for what appears to be a side step to the third row (which is not needed). This means that adults will see a bit of fatigue in this row but the heat functions on the outboard seats soften the blow. However, on a general note; the doors open widely and the 186mm ground clearance means the Allspace is ridiculously easy to get in and out of and to fit big child seats through the apertures. The third row is adorably small and even my seven-year old commented on how little room he had for his legs - so keep this row for kids only. Individual storage is pretty good for the class with five cupholders and four drink bottle holders throughout the car, as well as a glove box that can hold a manual, a cubby to the right of the drivers' knee and a small middle console with an adjustable armrest up front. There are four device pockets and two map pockets in the middle row but front rowers also get a dedicated phone shelf which houses the wireless charging pad, two USB-C ports and the 12-volt socket. There is a single USB-C port and 12-volt socket in the middle row but third rowers miss out on charging options. The other technology looks great and is easy to use once you spend some time with it. The multimedia system has an optioned ‘gesture control’, which enthralled my son but was a bit gimmicky for me. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto keep the cabin feeling neat. The optioned satellite navigation was a must-have in the city and simple to follow as the directions are displayed on the digital instrument panel. Rounding out the cabin is the boot space, which offers 230L of capacity when all three rows are in use but you can bump it up to a respectable 700L when the third row is folded. Underneath the level loading space is a space-saver spare tyre and dedicated spot for the cargo cover but you would have to remove the third row to access the tyre. This model comes with a powered tailgate, which I always like. Price and features Only the weather changes more than Tesla’s pricing, but the latest adjustment to the Model Y Long Range price had it listing for $72,900. That could easily change again so it might be best to check back at CarsGuide or Tesla’s website for any updates. At almost $73K the Long Range sits in the middle of the Model Y line-up, above the $64K entry grade and below the $83K Performance. The standard features list for on the Model Y Long Range is decent and includes LED headlights and 19-inch alloy wheels, there’s the fixed glass roof, synthetic leather upholstery, the 15-inch central touchscreen, power adjustable and heated front seats, a 13-speaker stereo, sat nav, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control with direction air-vents in the second row and a power tailgate. Also standard is Tesla’s so-called 'Autopilot' which is an advanced form of adaptive cruise control which combines braking and steering. Anything missing? A sunshade for the glass roof would be good. You can buy aftermarket ones but really it should be built-in. There’s no rear climate control, either, nor ventilated seats. But the one item that’s not here and should be is a head-up display because the location of the speedo on the central display isn't ideal for keeping your eyes forward and on the road. So, the price is good but the features list could do with a boost. Really, though, the reason for picking the Long Range grade is because it can travel further on a full charge than any other Model Y. You can skip ahead to the Efficiency section if you’re busting to find out what the range is. As for rivals, there are way more now than there were when the Model Y first came to Australia a couple years ago. Back then it was really just the Hyundai Ioniq 5.