Advice? 26 CT Beast (320 range) or 26 Premium Y RWD (350 range)

[Lenny 1973]

I drive a 250 mile work commute with speeds of 55-70mph depending on the traffic. Mississippi to Missouri so normal four seasons temperatures. AC and heat very minimal use. Winds definitely change the efficiency on I-55 but everything else stays consistent. Winter temperatures below 40 killed my previous two Teslas range. 22 YLR and 23 XLR both wouldn't make it in the winter temperatures and winds.

Which Tesla using FSD would you choose with max range and safety being most important for your work vehicle. Both would have plenty of cargo for my needs. Recently tried my father's 26 Y AWD using FSD on a 200 mile trip and was very impressed. I don't have time to pull over for a quick charge because of work schedule so I need predictable range.

Owned 2023 R1T max pack with 370 range and it makes the commute with ease on all temperatures using BFG KO3 ATs. Unfortunately Rivian can't compete with Tesla FSD so considering making the switch later this year.

Appreciate real world range advice since Tesla won't allow me to demo for 24 hours to test the stated ranges. I'm always using the conservative modes to maximize efficiency

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[leoaa777]

As much as I love CT, if you truly need 250+ mile daily range for your commute this isn’t for you. Especially with a beast, that 300 will shrink real quick even on FSD.

Winter you will really need to plan accordingly.

 

[Lenny 1973]

As much as I love CT, if you truly need 250+ mile daily range for your commute this isn’t for you. Especially with a beast, that 300 will shrink real quick even on FSD.

Winter you will really need to plan accordingly.

I found out the hard way in 2022 the Y stated 330 miles and rarely ever made it without stopping. Upgraded to the X in 2023 for the 350 miles and it wasn't much better. I would arrive for work with 15-20 miles left and it would phantom drain by the time we finished surgery all day.

That's the reason I need the demo for 1 day to make the round-trip commute. Unfortunately our small college town doesn't have a good Turo fleet to setup a CT rental. My gen 1 R1T makes it every commute with 30-60 miles remaining.

 

[UberNoob]

I have a 24 FS beast, I’ve taken it from FL to Michigan several times but now I live in NW Arkansas, very familiar with i55. I’ve got 71k miles on it now. Using AT tires and On the highway I average around 480wh/mile. I don. Think you would make the whole trip in one shot and would need to stop for a quick 10-30 min charge.
It’s best to keep the beast between 20-80% state of charge for battery health longevity. You could charge to 100% overnight and get a few miles further however that not recommended for daily drive. Today my estimated 100% charge is 287 miles on the display and at 80% I’m at 233. Tbh I’m not so sure the AWD would make the whole trip on a single charge in the winter. Jonesboro- Memphis and back is about my limit on a single charge.

 

[Lenny 1973]

I have a 24 FS beast, I’ve taken it from FL to Michigan several times but now I live in NW Arkansas, very familiar with i55. I’ve got 71k miles on it now. Using AT tires and On the highway I average around 480wh/mile. I don. Think you would make the whole trip in one shot and would need to stop for a quick 10-30 min charge.
It’s best to keep the beast between 20-80% state of charge for battery health longevity. You could charge to 100% overnight and get a few miles further however that not recommended for daily drive. Today my estimated 100% charge is 287 miles on the display and at 80% I’m at 233. Tbh I’m not so sure the AWD would make the whole trip on a single charge in the winter. Jonesboro- Memphis and back is about my limit on a single charge.

This is the real world advice I'm looking for. Maybe when the Model Y L is available in the US it will at least 400 miles available. It makes zero sense to not have 400-500 on a premium CT. I would gladly pay 100k for the range and utilize FSD

 

[Lenny 1973]

What in tarnation did i just read.

There is no such thing as a 26 RWD 350 mile range truck. Your whole comparison is invalid

Maybe want to reread. I listed 2026 Model Y RWD

 

[UberNoob]

Yea FSD does make the trip nice, I don’t mind the stops to top off, gotta pee after about 2 hours on the sippy cup.

 

[BlueLightning]

Owned 2023 R1T max pack with 370 range and it makes the commute with ease on all temperatures using BFG KO3 ATs. Unfortunately Rivian can't compete with Tesla FSD so considering making the switch later this year.

Appreciate real world range advice since Tesla won't allow me to demo for 24 hours to test the stated ranges. I'm always using the conservative modes to maximize efficiency

Yes thought Rivian has self driving?

Rivian offers hands-free assisted driving through its Rivian Autonomy+ feature, which allows for driving on 3.5 million miles of roads in the US and Canada where lanes are clearly marked. However, fully autonomous driving capabilities are expected to develop over the next few years, with the CEO stating that Rivian vehicles will be driverless "well before the end of the decade." ~Rivian.com (2026).

 

[Lenny 1973]

I have a 23 gen 1 R1T. I use the hands free for limited miles. It's nothing like the FSD I experienced in my father's Y. Maybe their Gen 2 trucks have better hardware for the latest software etc..

I think the new Rivians will be able to use something called Lidar??

It's hard to understand why the Y or CT wouldn't be capable of driving 250 miles consistently in 2026. Especially in sloth mode

 

[cattledog]

Any possible access to level 2 charging at your work or office? That might help -

 

[leoaa777]

I have a 23 gen 1 R1T. I use the hands free for limited miles. It's nothing like the FSD I experienced in my father's Y. Maybe their Gen 2 trucks have better hardware for the latest software etc..

I think the new Rivians will be able to use something called Lidar??

It's hard to understand why the Y or CT wouldn't be capable of driving 250 miles consistently in 2026. Especially in sloth mode

It’s capable of doing so but you are reliant on charging to 90-100 percent regularly. My AWD says 261 miles of range at 80% , however I know that variables affect that max ideal range.
I use FSD most of the time (97% according to the thing) and average 360-380 wh/mi. So I get pretty much 2ish-3 miles per Percent at 72-75 mph

I drove a lot as well, my furthest account is 250 miles round trip, those days I like to charge close to 85-90% just to buy myself some extra buffer miles. Pre-conditioning is huge on these trucks, if you don’t plan accordingly you might be in the 500 or so wh/mi killing your range significantly until it warms up.
True winter, good luck staying below 400 wh/mi.

this is my experience in ‘26 AWD, received 12/27 already at 11,xxx miles.

 

[Schroederhc]

The YL has a bigger battery in the other markets. If that holds, it would do the trick.

 

[Jabman]

Is no one going to address the gorilla in the room? Your commute is 250 miles?! That’s insane.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe…move closer

 

[hemiarch]

Maybe want to reread. I listed 2026 Model Y RWD

Would you really want a rwd in potentially snowy or icy conditions though? Was a model S ever a consideration?
also, there isn’t a single supercharger on that whole commute you could top off at?
my thought would be for that kind of commute I’d want the least valuable vehicle also since you’re clearly going to be destroying the resale.
so I’d probably say, find a supercharger and buy a model 3 (or S) that’s already taken a value hit. Low mileage 2024 hw4 type thing.
And if there are truly no superchargers anywhere, maybe we should campaign for one the next time the survey is up for voting which seems to every couple of months.
I’m personally wrecked after an entire operating day and wouldn’t feel safe doing that drive. HW4 FSD is a must.

 

[AWDMK4]

Currently the longest range vehicles are either the M3 Premium RWD, MY Premium RWD, or a LR MS w/19" tires. Even with those, it may be tight during sub-optimal conditions, even charging to 100%.

You state your schedule is so tight you can't stop for 5-10 mins to get you back home after a days work? My wife on occassion would drive to her corporate office, which was 230 miles round trip in her '23 Model 3 RWD (LFP). With 25k miles on it, it has an estimated range of 262 miles. During the summer, she could make it but during the winter she had to stop for no more than 5 mins to add enough to get home with a comfortable 10%.

It will be interesting to see what the MY-L will get in the real world.

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