Tesla Y is Great but... These Brilliant Electric SUVs are Cheaper

In the early years of Tesla's success, the competitors tried to offer an alternative, simply equipping their production cars with electric motors and battery packs. But the conventional cars converted into electric vehicles didn't have much to offer in terms of driving range, convenience, or dynamics. And only recently, the leading manufacturers have switched to dedicated platforms to design electric models from scratch. That's why only now we can seriously talk about Tesla's competitors appearing on the mass market. Today's heroes are the challengers of the Model Y, a compact SUV that combines Tesla's distinctive dynamics with the practicality we can expect from a crossover. And to make the rivalry much more intense, we will compare long-range all-wheel drive versions of the most promising SUVs with the respective Model Y, and we'll discover each model's key features aimed to win the hearts of customers. To design its first electric crossover, the ID.4, Volkswagen has taken a more traditional approach. But while the others choose chrome, the usage of a light strip running across the whole front end adds a very futuristic accent to the vehicle. Inside, it's pretty roomy, with enough space both for legs and head. But at the same time, some people can have questions about some poor material choice. The seats are comfortable, featuring extra storage. There is a simple and clear display positioned in front of the steering wheel. But in this case, its design reminds some drivers of a baby tablet. The main touchscreen might be a bit glitchy, but that could be improved later with regular software updates. The vehicle also features haptic touch buttons instead of physical ones, some of which could initially be tricky to use on the move. Volkswagen offers a bunch of new technologies, such as the unique AR heads-up display that contributes to relaxed driving while the navigation is on, and the driver doesn't need to look away from the road. Along with the novel ID.Light system, they can interact with the driver and be great reminders for keeping a safe distance from the car in front. But what about pushing the start button to see what ID.4 can offer while driving? Six seconds of the 0-60 acceleration is pretty good for the upcoming AWD version, as it's not going to tear apart all the track records. The ID.4 is a smooth and quiet car on the road, offering good driving dynamics. The ground clearance of 210mm allows for some risky experiments on light off-road surfaces. Not sure you can try it on a Model Y with its 168mm of clearance. Besides, since the SUV has an incredibly tight turning radius, it can do a U-turn where even a Mini Cooper can't. A 77kWh battery pack is expected to score 240 miles of range in EPA test, which is notably behind the Model Y. Instead, Volkswagen offers three years of free charging on the Electrify America network. Add the possibility of charging from 10 to 80% in half an hour, things start to seem much more attractive if you're not going to But in terms of charging, Tesla has a huge advantage over its competitors, offering a supercharging network that is also densely distributed. But what can make the AWD ID.4 a desirable option is the price tag of $43,700. And considering the available incentives and low ownership costs, it becomes even comparable with a RAV4, regardless of the Overall, the ID.4 is a good car for both urban driving and rough terrain that comes with a bunch of new technologies. And since the use of some functions might be inconvenient for drivers, the ID.4 can be considered as the beta version of Volkswagen's future. If you prefer to benefit from ID.4's technologies with Audi's best expertise in making a good premium vehicle, the Q4 e-tron quattro could become a much more interesting choice. You can opt in for either a regular Q4 e-tron or its sportback variant, which differs with a sloped roofline and a split rear window. This helps not only increase the car's aerodynamics and the respective efficiency, but also gives it a sporty look. The car optionally comes with Audi specific advanced matrix LED headlights that feature variable digital light signatures, offering enhanced and even more precisely targeted illumination. The vehicle has a straightforward interior design rich in premium materials. It comes with an easy to navigate infotainment system, and you can notice physical buttons under the touchscreen for a climate control function. The futuristic squared off steering wheel features haptic touch buttons, which might be less preferable than the physical ones, but you might quickly get accustomed to this kind of solution that has become a technological trend for new cars. The rear seat passengers can benefit from generous legroom thanks to a dedicated electric drive architecture, which is common for the other EVs of today's list as well. The Q4 has a decent luggage capacity of 520 liters. The electric motors provide a total power output of 223 kilowatts, which is enough to boost the car from zero to 60 miles per hour in around six seconds. The system accurately predicts the distribution of drive torque when cornering, which increases the car's agility, providing better handling. The ground clearance of 180 millimeters is obviously below the ID4, but is better than the Model Y. Like Tesla, Audi offers a heat pump for higher efficiency. And with a 77 kilowatt hour battery pack, the Q4 e-tron quattro is expected to achieve a real world range of 240 miles. The base version of the Q4 e-tron costs $45,000 before incentives, while the Q4 quattro is expected to be a bit more expensive than the Model Y in the US. But after adding some of the desirable features, the price will reach at least $55,000. Our list of the most promising electric SUVs would be incomplete if we didn't mention Toyota. In spite of pioneering in hybrid and even hydrogen-powered vehicles, the Japanese automotive giant has only now introduced its first fully electric car to the world, the BZ4X. At first sight, it might resemble a randomly generated password. But actually, it symbolizes the The future production car will be developed in collaboration with Subaru, which means it will combine Toyota's reliability and Subaru's all-wheel drive capabilities to provide both a comfortable and sporty driving experience on the road and confidence off the road. Inside, it's pretty spacious, featuring a large infotainment screen and a floating center console with a bunch of The forward-looking car will offer an innovative steer-by-wire system, where the steering wheel is not physically connected to the wheels. Instead, the car can be steered using only digital information. This aims to enhance control and make driving easier, since, for example, you can achieve the same turn circle at low speeds with significantly less wheel operating range. Thanks to that, the yoke-style steering that Tesla also wants to implement becomes practical, as you will not need to take your hands off the steering wheel at tight turns. The automaker hasn't shared information about the car's specs yet, but the global sales are expected to begin in mid-2022. The Ford Mach-E premium all-wheel drive, coming almost at the same price as Audi, offers a slightly extended driving range and a thrilling 0-60 acceleration in just 4.8 seconds. Overall, the car's performance could have been even better if Ford used wider and grippier tires, ensuring a much higher level of handling. The subtle ground clearance of 145mm will force you to forget about off-road experience. Instead, you can enjoy the roomy interior with Tesla-style touchscreen infotainment system, as well as the softer and more compliant seats than in the Model Y. While Tesla uses a heat pump and comes with a very aerodynamic design to increase the car's range, Ford had to use more battery to achieve a decent driving range of up to 270 miles. To make the braking be more like a conventional car, Ford has developed a braking system combining the regenerative and friction brakes, but its work is not well synchronized, as the increased brake pressure sometimes doesn't follow the linear nature. Anyway, Ford hopefully can solve this problem later through an over-the-air update. The company promises a new hands-free driving system to be used on the highways, but Tesla's Autopilot has already gone much further, and is on its way to offer auto-steer on city streets. So, if you want to buy a car to get noticed on the road thanks to its muscular stance and overall sleek design, as well as enjoy the comfortable interior and have a decent driving range, Ford Mach-E could be a good choice. If we're talking about old traditional manufacturers, Nissan is the first of them that has entered the market with a fully electric LEAF hatchback. Now it's time to offer an all-new crossover that comes with a strong background in terms of electric technologies. Nissan has developed a new e-Force all-wheel drive technology that doesn't use full-torque vectoring, but mirrors the Nissan GT-R's Atessa ETS setup, which optimizes front and rear torque allocation and applies independent brake control at each wheel to improve agility and handling. This is important when we're talking about a vehicle with 0-60 acceleration of 5.5 seconds. Aria is easily recognizable with its futuristic exterior, featuring an angular front end with slim headlights and a full-width brake light that gives the feel it belongs to a luxury sports car rather than a family-friendly electric car. The coupe-style sloping glass roof and its spoiler give the Aria a classy and sporty look. Nissan calls this design timeless Japanese futurism. These ideas are reflected as well in the modern minimalist interior featuring very comfortable zero-gravity seats. Unlike Tesla that centralizes all the buttons into the touchscreen, Nissan uses haptic touch-sensitive buttons on the wooden panel for some frequently used functions. Also, here a new thing can be the automatic sliding center console that can open up space for drivers to get into the car from the passenger side. Like the Mach-E, Aria features advanced liquid-cooled batteries that will extend the longevity of the 87kWh battery pack, which is expected to be enough for about 260 miles of range for the AWD long-range modification. So, if you have around $50,000 savings and enough patience to wait until the end of this year, you may be able to enjoy a whole bunch of modern technologies packed into a futuristic electric crossover. Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the first South Korean vehicle that benefits from being designed on the dedicated e-GMP platform. This allows it to have a long wheelbase of 3 meters, which is even longer than the BMW X6, and aims to increase the interior space along with the fully flat floor. The interior of the IONIQ 5 is also clean and relaxing, featuring slimline adjustable seats that even help kick back and relax while the car is charging. The infotainment system is very responsive, and unlike most of the EVs, there are some physical buttons kept below the screen. Like the Model Y and Mach-E, the versatile interior space of IONIQ 5 includes a fixed glass roof as well, and dual 12-inch screens that streamline the dash. A sliding center console that can move from front to rear and back opens up more legroom on the flat cabin floor. But unlike the Nissan Aria, here it is done manually, which is quicker and Overall, the IONIQ 5 could be described as a distinctive example of how a post-modern electric car can look, with all these beautifully finished surfaces and thoroughly calculated intersecting angles. This clean and simple design helps bring more focus on the details, which Hyundai has made the most of. But outstanding exterior and ergonomic interior design are not all IONIQ 5 can offer to you. It comes with level 2 autonomous driving capability and is equipped with a modern AR heads-up display we've already seen on ID.4. The 77kWh battery pack can be charged from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes on a 350kW charger. Besides, you can use your vehicle as an additional power source, which can supply up to 3.6kW of power to feed, for example, your home when the electricity goes off. The car is also equipped with a multi-link rear suspension, which helps improve the driving comfort and handling. The AWD IONIQ 5, which will be available in the US later this year, is expected to cost about $48,000. And those who prefer better performance and more aggressive design with an outstanding interior can turn their attention to Kia EV6, the sibling of IONIQ 5 built on the same platform. It shares the same specs and benefits from all the same advantages of the IONIQ 5. But additionally, what Kia offers that Hyundai doesn't is the more powerful GT version of the EV6, which can reach 60mph in just 3.5 seconds with 430kW of power output. Together with the ongoing technological advancements, the incentives of up to $10,000 for buying electric cars, which might soon be also available for Tesla, can be a real promotion towards the electric revolution. So, let us know which one you like the most and which factors play an important role for you to make the final decision. Also, these manufacturers, except Tesla, offer RWD versions with cheaper price tags and 20-30 miles of additional range.