Every "reiew" of cars with it say its not good...I'd never want one.
CONSUMER REPORTS FINDINGS
According to a recent CR review:
Tesla swapped the tried-and-true round steering wheel for a flat-bottomed, rectangular yoke reminiscent of what pilots use to steer an airplane. A traditional circular steering wheel is no longer available on the Model S nor on the mechanically related Model X SUV, even as an option. And that’s not the only steering wheel change. Flat, touch-sensitive buttons on the yoke replaced the vehicle’s turn signal and windshield wiper stalks. Those buttons also are how drivers now flash their high-beams or honk the horn.
And that appears to the root of CR’s less-than-positive take on whether the yoke should remain a non-optional feature for Tesla due to touch-sensitive controls that can easily be inadvertently engaged at the worst possible moments and direct the driver’s attention away from the road.
In fact, 10 test drivers from CR reported that they noted repeated instances of the yoke while driving having, “…slipped out of their hands during a turn, every ache and pain from gripping the handles during a highway cruise, every time a tester’s hands didn’t fit on the yoke’s grips, every time we accidentally honked the horn while trying to make a turn, and every time we had to look down to see which turn signal was which….”
The test drivers expressed some shared confusion over why in spite of some really good moves Tesla has made such as leading the move toward providing software updates easily and directly to vehicles, that Tesla (or Musk to be specific) saw it necessary to depart from the traditional steering wheel design that is, “so essential, ubiquitous, and universally understood, that to change it for the sake of changing it seems both foolish and foolhardy…” for purely cosmetic reasons so as not to “be boring.”
ONE PRO AND SEVERAL CONS TOWARD THE YOKE
But it’s not all bad news. The test drivers did point out at least one benefit that is a pro to the yoke:
“The yoke gives a panoramic view of the Model S’ wide gauge cluster (the screen or gauges that traditionally sit behind the steering wheel) but its bottom right corner blocks a portion of the center control panel, which is also the location of the one button that displays the all-important vehicle controls menu.”
However, in spite of this one benefit to the yoke, the drivers found that the following cons did not make them fans of a flat-bottomed, rectangular style steering wheel.
Trouble Making Turns---Backing out of driveways, making a sharp turn into parking lots, and similar maneuvers turned out to be problematic when it came to managing a good grip---especially for hands that are relatively small for such a large yoke body.
Hard to Hold On To---The drivers complained that the yoke “forces” a driver to hold unnaturally tight on the yoke’s body resulting in fatigue and pain---even after a few minutes of driving. Plus, during turns at higher speeds, there is noted difficulty in “catching a grip” should the yoke slip from a driver’s fingers. But even more annoying was complaint that, “…the odd-shaped yoke requires the driver to exert various different degrees of push and pull forces, which can cause the car to lurch instead of steering smoothly.”
Missed Signals---Making a distinction between the correct button to press while the yoke is not at a purely horizontal level can lead to confusion, having to look away from the road to the yoke, and having differing pressure sensitivities for different functions, all added to awkward and possibly hazardous driving. According to CR, some drivers admitted to skipping the use of turn signals just to avoid the hassle of pushing the right button the correct way.
“The lack of a turn signal stalk actually bothers me even more than the steering wheel,” stated one of the test drivers.
Similar to this were also complaints of button fumbling that led to unintentional high-beam, windshield wiper, and embarrassing horn engagement.
High-Speed Driving---While the yoke is well suited for
high speed racing on a track with anticipated curves, driving at higher speeds on an actual common roadway where debris, stopped vehicles or other obstacles need to be maneuvered around quickly and precisely, led to the message that the yoke fails markedly in this consideration.
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