Tesla has made a habit of letting its cars speak louder than its press releases. The latest example? The refreshed Model Y Performance, which arrives packing a party trick the company didn’t bother to highlight: launch control.

Like its Model 3 Performance sedan sibling, the Model Y Performance comes with a dual-motor setup and all-wheel drive. Tesla claims 0–100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, but owners now have a way to make that sprint feel even sharper thanks to a hidden-in-plain-sight Launch Mode.

The discovery didn’t come from Tesla’s own announcement, but from eagle-eyed fans on Reddit. Photos posted by a distributor show an in-car instruction screen that spells it out: with the left foot hard on the brake and the right foot burying the accelerator, the system flashes “Launch Mode enabled.” Release the brake, and the crossover catapults forward with maximum power.

Tesla does caution that this feature is for closed tracks and grippy surfaces only. That’s the official line, though we suspect many owners won’t resist testing it on the nearest stretch of asphalt.

For now, Launch Mode is exclusive to the Model Y Performance, but knowing Tesla’s tendency to add features over the air, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the Model 3 Performance inherit the function down the road.

Whether you call it Launch Mode or launch control, the message is clear: Tesla’s most popular crossover just got even quicker off the line.

Source: Tesla