Friday, October 24, 2025
How To Clean A CyberTruck in 15 minutes for under $5
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
More Cheap 'Diet' Tesla Models: I am NOT a Fan
More Cheap 'Diet' Tesla Models
I am NOT a Fan
Great things happen when you push the envelope.
Mediocrity sets in when you stay in your comfort zone.
Tesla just released the new "Diet" Model Y and Model 3, and I am NOT impressed. I think Tesla trying to move downmarket is a big mistake as these stripped down models lose their mojo. It's like John Travolta once said "If you are going to have a chocolate chip cookie, have a chocolate chip cookie." Nobody wants a diet chocolate chip cookie with 3 chocolate chips.
Ironically, the new cheap seat underwhelming Model Y also lacks Autopilot as a standard feature, which has everybody scratching their heads, as this makes zero sense. I mean this model is completely stripped own and lacks even power folding mirrors, and they even removed the power seat controls from the seat side, and now require the user to go into a screen menu setting to move the seats.
This new Model Y is super slow doing 0-60MPH in 6.8 seconds, which is horrendously slow for a Tesla, let alone any electric vehicle!?!! This poor performance unfortunately puts the overall acceleration way out of the ideal Goldilocks zone, thus making it more than twice as slow as the Performance Model Y, which does 0-60MPH in only 3.3 seconds, which is impressive!!!
Tesla also removed the standard dual pane windows and replaced them with single pane, and despite keeping the glass roof, strangely covered it with a headliner.
I recently wrote in detail about how stupid the stripped down 2WD CyberTruck was that Tesla released, only to discontinue it almost immediately afterward as nobody purchased them.
For the record, when Tesla decided to make a stripped down CyberTruck that nobody wanted or purchased, it cost a lot of R&D money to make all the custom changes, like the super goofy new tonneau cover, which ended up being a complete waste of precious time and resources for Tesla.
In my opinion, these stripped down models are just another pathetic cash-grab from Tesla, which is very short sighted. I recall the Porsche 912, which was a 4 cylinder 911, that didn't last long either, and that's for a reason.
With the watered down 2WD CyberTruck, Tesla was like, "Hey, we lowered the price by $10K!!!!" and I was like, "Yeah, but you removed $20K worth of cool features!?!!"
Same thing here. Tesla lowered the price by $5k, and easily removed $10K worth of features. All I see here is "Cash Grab, Cash Grab, Cash Grab!!!!" and I don't like this cheap strategy. In the early days of Tesla, they would include all these extra features and accessories, like including a charging cable, which they now charge separately for.
They even used to include a free electric kids Tesla with the purchase of a Model S or Model Y, but not anymore. Now they charge for EVERYTHING, which is fine so long as they are not charging to take away useful features, which is the case with the new stripped down Model Y and Model 3. I did predict immediately that Tesla would discontinue the stripped down 2WD CyberTruck, and I was right, as they did.
Do I think they are going to discontinue these stripped down new Model Y and Model 3 vehicles? It's hard to say, but I think they will definitely lower the price on them soon. For instance, the new Standard RWD Model Y, now starts at $39,990, and I would not be surprised within 4 months from its introduction (in Q1 of 2026) the price gets dropped down $10K to $29,990.
On a positive note, I will say I like the aesthetic of the new Model Y better which lacks the CyberTruck-like lightbar. I think removing the lightbar gives it a cleaner, more minimalist look and vibe. On a negative note, cloth seats, YUUUUUUUUCK!!!! In my opinion, as a designer, I think Tesla should focus its energy on adding valuable features, not taking them away. Tesla is great at making cars that surprise and delight and inspire and push the envelope. Vehicles that people aspire to own. Not uninspiring mediocre crap cars.
If I had to sum up these new models in one word, I would say "Booooooooring!?!!" Tesla should only seek to surprise and delight, not to deliver ultra boring and uninspiring vehicles that are stripped down. These new models offer features nobody is asking for or wants. Tesla should focus all of its energy on innovating and raising the bar, not on going backwards, by seriously dumbing down their vehicles.














