Tesla Model Y is equipped with an ‘off-road’ mode

We are starting to learn some more tidbits about the Tesla Model Y as deliveries are starting, like the Model Y’s Off-Road Assist Mode.

As we reported last week, Tesla is now starting to deliver the Model Y across the US.

In order to help new owners, the automaker has started releasing instructional videos about the electric SUV.

One of the most interesting videos is about Model Y’s awesome trunk cargo system and capacity.

Tesla has also released the Model Y’s owners manual in full so that owners and prospective buyers can familiarize themselves with their new electric vehicle.

We have been going through the owners manual and pulling out some new and interesting information and differences between the Model Y’s and Model 3’s manual.

The two vehicles are fairly similar since they are built on the same platform and share about 70% of their parts, but they have a few major and smaller differences.

A good example of the latter is a new ‘Off-Road Assist’.

Tesla describes the feature in the Model Y’s owners manual:

Off-Road Assist is designed to provide overall improvements when driving offroad. In addition to allowing the wheels to spin, Off-Road Assist balances the torque between the front and rear motors to optimize traction. Off-Road Assist improves traction on rough and soft surfaces where one side of the vehicle may lose traction while the other side still has traction. When Off-Road Assist is on, the accelerator pedal provides more gradual torque, which is useful for crawling at low speeds (for example, over rocky surfaces). When enabled, OFFROAD displays on the touchscreen above the driving speed.

As you can see, it’s a little more than just deactivating traction control, which the automaker suggests you make sure is enabled after using the feature.

Electrek’s Take

That’s a nice little differentiator between the Model 3 and Model Y.

I know that some people disagree with calling the Model Y an SUV and I wouldn’t necessarily take a Model Y off-road, but Tesla is marketing it as a small SUV and it’s nice for them to include a feature like Off-Road Assist, which you would primarily be found in an SUV.

It doesn’t really make the Model Y a workhorse, but there might be a few use cases.

Do you see yourself using Off-Road Assist in Model Y? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.