Tesla Adds Decontented Model Y AWD Trim, Drops 'Standard' Name From Lineup

There's nothing Tesla loves more than shuffling around its trim levels like deckchairs on the Titanic. Just four months after adding the bargain-basement (in features only) Model Y Standard to its lineup, Tesla is dropping the "Standard" name and adding an all-wheel-drive variant of the deeply decontented vehicle that'll sit above the base-level rear-drive model. It's also changed up the naming of the Model 3, getting rid of the "Standard" moniker, but has yet to add an All-Wheel Drive variant. The base is now called the "Rear-Wheel Drive" and starts at the same $38,630 as before.

Anyway, the base Model Y starts at the same $41,630, including destination, that it started at when the Standard was introduced, but it's now simply called the Rear-Wheel Drive. Above that is the newly introduced Model Y All-Wheel Drive, which starts at $43,630. For that, you get a 0-60 of 4.6 seconds (which is the same as the Premium AWD), 294 EPA-estimated miles of range and all of the other crappy treatments the Model Y standard got, which I've kindly listed for you here. The big highlights are a smaller 69.5-kWh battery with slower charging speeds (it can only add 152 miles in 15 minutes, according to Tesla), crappier wheels and lights, no panoramic glass roof and less tech inside.

From there, you can bump up to the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive at $46,630 (exactly $5,000 more than the base RWD) and the Premium All-Wheel Drive at $50,630 (exactly $5,000 more than the base AWD), and those continue on with the same Tesla Model Y features you know and love (if you're weird. Of course, above that is the big-dog Model Y Performance at $59,130, which gives you a 3.3-second 0-60 time and a 155 mph top speed. You don't need that car.

It's sort of interesting that the basic All-Wheel Drive keeps the Premium's power rating but loses out on range. Since Tesla doesn't release official power numbers, it's safe to assume that it gets the crappier battery of the Rear-Wheel Drive car but the more powerful motors of the Premium All-Wheel Drive. Strange company, Tesla is.

I'm not sure if the addition of all-wheel-drive will be enough to get customers to buy into the cheaper Model Y. Sure, it's only $2,000 to add AWD to the cheapest car, but once you're at that point, you may as well spend a little bit of extra cash and spring for the Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive. I guess that's a bit of a slippery slope.

From what I can tell, Tesla has had trouble moving the "Standard" Model Ys in its fleet. Anecdotally, I've only seen a few of them, and Tesla is offering 0% APR financing on Model Y Rear-Wheel Drives right now. It had a similar deal for the Standard at the end of last year. Hell, even the newly minted Model Y All-Wheel-Drive can be had with 2.99% APR, which isn't terrible in this day and age.

No matter how you slice it, though, this car isn't the $25,000 Tesla we were promised oh, so many years ago. Elon Musk has all but given up on that, choosing instead to focus on his robot and cars that'll definitely be driving themselves any day now.