"Clumsiest launch ever" as Tesla's Model Y Juniper stumbles out of the gate

If the 2025 Tesla Model Y's Juniper refresh is anything like the Model 3's Highland refresh last year, the best is about to get even better. Although the Model 3 didn't strictly need an update, seeing as it was already the best value in its class and the envy of most of its peers, the Highland Model 3's sleeker exterior styling, improved ride quality and enhanced powertrains made it even harder to argue against. I won't be surprised in the least if the Juniper Model Y ultimately follows the same trajectory.

The Juniper is off to a rough start, however, and it comes at the worst possible time for Tesla, which is facing headwinds like never before thanks to various issues, including flagging Cybertruck sales and CEO Elon Musk's polarizing antics in Washington.

So what was the problem with the Juniper launch, exactly? Make that problems, plural — and let's walk through them one by one.

The "Launch Edition" Juniper was pricey and not particularly interesting

If you're going to charge a pretty penny for a limited-run model to kick off a refresh, it had better be something special. But the $59,900 Model Y Juniper Launch Edition was really just a Model Y Long Range AWD with Tesla's Full Self-Driving and Acceleration Boost features, plus a handful of free-if-you-want-'em options that included the towing package, 20-inch wheels and premium paint.

The key question about such supposedly exclusive models is, "Can I get essentially the same car when the regular edition comes out?" And in this case, the answer was yes, absolutely. The only reason to jump on a Juniper Launch Edition was if you knew you wanted all those features anyway, in which case you could theoretically save a few grand, which is all well and good.

But for everyone else, what was the rush? Why not let Tesla roll out the whole lineup and then build a Model Y to your taste? Phrases like "Launch Edition" are great for building up hype, but only if the product itself can deliver on that promise. Particularly given the enduring excellence of the pre-Juniper Model Y, Tesla just didn't do enough to set the Juniper Launch Edition apart and make it feel like a must-have for current Model Y owners, let alone potential first-time buyers.

The Juniper's advantages over the pre-refresh Model Y were less than obvious

And maybe that's because they're really not that significant, but Tesla didn't do a stellar job of making the case that the Juniper was a giant leap forward. By the numbers (see below), the Model Y Juniper Long Range AWD is only marginally better in terms of range and acceleration, and while its ride quality is said to be improved, the previous Y's ride didn't stop it from being the best-selling vehicle in the world.

Note that the Acceleration Boost feature lops off half a second in the sprint to 60 mph whether you're talking Juniper or pre-Juniper, so that's a wash. At the end of the day, the Juniper LR AWD gives you 16 miles of range and two-tenths of a second to 60 mph — for an extra $1,000.

These are nice-to-haves, to be sure — well, the range is, at least; I doubt you'd feel the acceleration difference — but they're not eye-opening advancements that make upgrading seem like the obvious choice. Many people probably sized them up and thought to themselves, "This Juniper thing is more about the new light bars than anything else." And it's hard to refute that if you look at the specs.

The cheapest and longest-range Model Y Juniper still isn't available

This may be the most damning misstep of them all. If you're going to get a pretty unremarkable refresh rolling with an unexciting launch edition, at least come out guns blazing afterward with a full model lineup, right?

Okay, you can hold off on the Juniper version of the Model Y Performance — that's fairly standard. The Model 3 Highland also made folks wait for its Performance variant, which is like BMW taking a little longer to bring out a refreshed M3. Fair enough. We're talking niche products for a narrow demographic.

But the Model Y Long Range RWD is not a niche product. In pre-Juniper form, it was three grand cheaper than the Long Range AWD, and it delivered a whopping 337 miles of range at last check, 26 miles clear of the Long Range AWD.

Again, that's the cheapest and longest-range variant in the lineup — and as of this writing, you still can't order the Juniper Long Range RWD in the U.S.

It does exist in the world (you can build yours now in England, for example), but I haven't heard a timeline for its American launch beyond sometime this year, maybe later rather than sooner. Meanwhile, the pre-Juniper Model Y is no longer in production, so if you want the Long Range RWD specification today, your only option is to look for a lightly used one. Which might actually make a lot more financial sense than waiting for the Juniper version, but I digress.

(Editor's Note: The Long Range RWD debuted shortly after this article was originally published, and you can read our assessment of it here.)

The optional third-row seat oddly isn't available either

Finally, here's another one to file under "Failure to launch fully." The Model Y's tiny third-row seat has been ridiculed by some for not accommodating adults with ease, but the truth is, plenty of parents find it invaluable for schlepping little ones around town. I know a few such parents myself.

So why on earth would Tesla launch the Juniper Model Y well before the third-row seat was cleared for production? Well, alright, I can understand the urgency, because Juniper had been a long time coming and the company was eager for a shot in the arm. But why didn't they see to it that the third row was ready at the same time as the rest of the car?

In the pre-Juniper Model Y, remember, you had to get the Long Range AWD if you wanted the third row. But that was just fine with plenty of Model Y shoppers. For a $2k premium over the five-seater Long Range AWD, you got two additional seats.

It was an irresistible upgrade for many families, and it's just plain not available on the Juniper Model Y until further notice. If you check the British configurator I linked to above, you'll see that you can't even get it over there.

This just seems like an obvious own goal on Tesla's part. How hard could it have been to have the third-row option ready to go for the Juniper? What could explain the hold-up here, other than suboptimal planning and execution?

MotorDonkey says

Visit the American Model Y configurator right now and you'll see the freshly added option of 1.99% APR financing, which strongly suggests that Tesla's having a hard time drumming up interest in the Juniper so far. This comes on the heels of reports that there are still unsold Juniper Launch Edition models, even though production of the Launch Edition ended about a month ago.

Of course, the Juniper's lackluster rollout isn't the only factor that's weighing on Tesla sales these days. Many will point to Elon's DOGE activities and increasingly unhinged tweeting, but I personally think you can trace today's problems back to the Cybertruck debacle, which set the company back years when you consider all of the resources that had to be diverted to that project.

However Tesla got here, though, it's clearly facing huge obstacles as it looks to defend its market dominance. Bumbling through perhaps the clumsiest launch ever for its refreshed top-selling model isn't going to help the cause. ⛐ md