I owned a 2021 Model Y 7-seater and I called it a waste of money. That third row was trash. So when the Model YL showed up, I walked in expecting to hate it. I was wrong, and this second visit to the BGC Tesla showroom in the Philippines is the one that flipped me.
The Model YL is Tesla’s stretched three-row Model Y. It started in select Asia markets, and Tesla just made it official: as of July 2, 2026, the Model Y L is available to order in the United States. My first look was a rushed phone-only session. This time I brought a better camera, a better mic, and a taller test dummy.
Bringing a Taller Passenger This Time
A lot of you commented that I’m short, so you couldn’t tell how the third row would work for a normal-sized adult. Fair. This time I brought my brother-in-law, who is 5’10”, a few inches taller than me. His family is actually shopping for a three-row SUV. They currently run a Hyundai Staria, a Hyundai Starex, and an Isuzu MU-X, so he knows what real family hauling looks like.
That family context matters here. In the Philippines, when we go out, we all go out together in one vehicle. It isn’t like the US where everyone takes their own car to the same destination. Here you pack everybody in, so that third row isn’t a luxury, it’s the whole point.
The Exterior and the Colors We Don’t Get
Out front sat the Cosmic Blue, an Asia-exclusive color built in Shanghai. It does not exist in North America, which is a shame because it is genuinely beautiful and already popular here. There was a silver on hand too, one with an almost beige tint that’s also exclusive to this market.
Even from across the lot you can pick out the YL. It is noticeably longer than the standard Model Y, it rides on different wheels, and it wears a rear spoiler the regular Y doesn’t get. Park the two side by side and the six-or-seven-inch stretch is obvious. That small amount of length is exactly what makes the difference, and I’ll come back to why.
The Model YL Third Row With a 5’10” Rider
Here’s the part everyone actually wants. Getting into the third row means stepping up and over a raised section of floor, so you sit slightly elevated compared to the second row. My brother-in-law’s legroom back there was fine. The second-row seats slide forward, so you can open up even more space if you need it.
The problem is height. At 5’10”, his head sat right up against the glass. One good bump in the road and you’re tapping that roof. Someone commented on the last video that no six-footer is sitting back there, and that’s true unless your whole family is tall. Legroom is a non-issue. Headroom is the ceiling, literally.
Model YL Interior Details That Won Me Over
The color inside was Zen Gray, a light shade that reads almost beige in person. Up front the seats and dash feel like a proper step up from the older Model Y I owned.
The second row is where it clicks. The seats recline, and I confirmed on the screen that they’re ventilated, not just heated. That’s a real feature, not a spec-sheet checkbox.
My favorite touch is a control that powers all four rear seats up and down. Rivian, take notes, because my R1S doesn’t do that. The third-row headrests are their own clever piece too, with a side button to raise and lower them instead of the usual pull-up design. The third row gets heated seats and its own vent controls, though there’s no dedicated ventilation back there. The frunk is about the same size as the five-seater, so nothing gained or lost there.
Software and Autopilot
The display unit had 14 km on the odometer and was running software 2026.14.100 on Full Self-Driving Computer 4. It’s a Dual Motor car, and it listed Full Self-Driving Capability as an included package, though FSD itself isn’t live in the Philippines yet. What is available is Enhanced Autopilot for an extra ₱120,000, which includes Smart Summon. That’s genuinely useful here, where parking is tight and everyone somehow parallel parks like a pro. Interesting split, too: Tesla still offers Enhanced Autopilot in the Philippines, but it’s gone in the US, where Full Self-Driving is now the only paid driver-assist upgrade you can add on.
Would I Recommend It Now?
Yes, with one condition. If your third-row passengers are kids, or adults who only ride occasionally, the Model YL is a real three-row SUV worth buying. If you regularly haul six-footers back there, go sit in it yourself first. The extra length that fixed the old 7-seater’s biggest sin is the whole story, and now that it’s officially on sale in the States, I think it sells well.
Big shout-out to Diana at the showroom, who was ordering one and used my referral. If you’re planning your own Tesla order, use my referral link for a benefit on delivery, and if you’re cross-shopping the standard Model Y, what I actually paid for my Juniper is a good price baseline.
Let me know what you think of the Model YL, especially if you’ve sat in that third row yourself.
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