An honest review of the yoke

[roblab]

They still, in 2021, teach you to keep both hands on the wheel while making a turn. Palming the wheel is still unsafe.

Please stop making excuses for this ridiculous design choice. It’s a clear case of a man-child opting for form over function.

Really? I learned a lot of things in "driver's ed" lo those many years ago, and I maintain that some of those rules were made to drive the hard to drive cars back then, but things change. I don't have to signal with my hand, at least. My current steering wheel is round, but I often use only one hand to drive or one hand to turn simply because I know it's safe and easy, especially with the great power steering we have now. I can't see how an almost round steering wheel is worse than a round steering wheel. In minutes your brain should adapt to the new shape, just like my brain had to adapt to the smaller diameter steering wheel on my brother's Peugeot, which was also flat on the bottom. At 6'4", it made it easier to slide my knees under it.

 

[roblab]

One other point--given 3/Y buyers tend to skew younger than S/X, I would guess yoke grumbling will actually be lower with the 3/Y.

Yeah. Us old dudes can't seem to adapt. Oh, wait. I'm 77, and I LIKE the new yoke.

 

[Vvcj]

I absolutely hated the yoke like the op for the first month or so, but I've finally gotten used to it and now it is second nature. No more looking down for the turn signal etc. It takes time, but if you persist with it you'll get there.

 

[Dan_Foster]

Best case: they'll make wheel choice an option, and allow people to buy the other option post-delivery in the app (installed by mobile service). Let it phase in naturally.

Yes. But tragically, that would still leave us without stalks, and stalkless is absolute garbage.

 

[planetary]

One other point--given 3/Y buyers tend to skew younger than S/X, I would guess yoke grumbling will actually be lower with the 3/Y.

Dunno. There's a fair bit of "the yoke will kill Tesla" over on Reddit, which almost certainly skews younger than this crowd. That said, probably 75% of Reddit users feast on creating controversy in other people's spaces.

 

[omarsultan]

Dunno. There's a fair bit of "the yoke will kill Tesla" over on Reddit, which almost certainly skews younger than this crowd. That said, probably 75% of Reddit users feast on creating controversy in other people's spaces.

The yoke is the flavor of the month on what will kill Tesla over on Reddit . Somehow, deliveries keep increasing. Reddit works best with a large cybertruck of salt.

When I posted my first yoke experiences/videos back in June, there were some folks that actually wanted to understand the driving experience and a large number who "knew" a yoke would never work.

 

[FFCars]

My LR MS is due in a few weeks. I was hoping an option for normal turn signal controls and horn placement would come available before I took delivery. We have a pretty large fleet of cars and I’m too old to learn new crap. Plus I have a soon to be 16 year old that loves driving our MY, but I wouldn’t feel safe putting him behind the wheel of a car without a normal horn button and turn signal stalks. So if I feel he’s not safe to drive the MS, why would I be safe? I wouldn’t.

I think that if a MS was your only car, you’d adapt. But switching between cars may cause some unpleasant experiences.

I have been watching prices and I think I can make $5k-$10k by taking delivery and flipping the car. So that’s what we’ll probably do. If they come out with an option for normal controls, I’ll put another order in.

 

[planetary]

My LR MS is due in a few weeks. I was hoping an option for normal turn signal controls and horn placement would come available before I took delivery. We have a pretty large fleet of cars and I’m too old to learn new crap. Plus I have a soon to be 16 year old that loves driving our MY, but I wouldn’t feel safe putting him behind the wheel of a car without a normal horn button and turn signal stalks. So if I feel he’s not safe to drive the MS, why would I be safe? I wouldn’t.

I think that if a MS was your only car, you’d adapt. But switching between cars may cause some unpleasant experiences.

I have been watching prices and I think I can make $5k-$10k by taking delivery and flipping the car. So that’s what we’ll probably do. If they come out with an option for normal controls, I’ll put another order in.

If by "normal turn signal controls" you means stalks, no chance.

Maybe there'd be a yoke v2 with clicky buttons and a central horn -- but that's it. And there's zero evidence of that happening.

And in the universe where we do get a wheel, it would almost certainly have the same buttons and horn as the yoke. Just a round "handle".

 

[Wingsy]

I've had my S Plaid for about a month now and I agree with nearly everything negative said about the yoke. Driving straight ahead it's ok, but just barely. What I have a problem with is locating a button (on a smooth surface with no physical clues) when it's not where it was a second ago (i.e., in a turn). ESPECIALLY the horn. That, and trying to turn the yoke more than 180 degrees QUICKLY. Yeah, I know you don't need to do this very often but when you do it would be in a time-critical situation. Not here to argue the points...just my 2 cents.

 

[jbcarioca]

Yeah. Us old dudes can't seem to adapt. Oh, wait. I'm 77, and I LIKE the new yoke.

Maybe we are just so old we cannot see the entire wheel anyway. I'm 76 FWIW, and I early love the yoke. Here are my reasons:
1. Visibility of everything improves;
2. Turning, including tight turns (I have several of those entering and leaving my parking spot) is easier for me;
3. Once one learns the locations of various functions, including turn signals, I find them automatic;
4. Entry and egret a easier.
I have one reason I do not like the yoke:
It makes my other car seem horribly antiquated, it is a 2022 Volvo XC40 P8 electric, and is otherwise pretty much a good imitation of Tesla procedures, except for the two step process of lane control and TACC. Those aren't as good as Tesla, but are easy enough. That old-fashioned wheel, though, is a trifle irritating.
Note: The Volvo is sold in Brazil. The Tesla is not. My Model 3 has been reserved since 2016 with no sign of arriving, so I chose second best.

 

[2101Guy]

Maybe we are just so old we cannot see the entire wheel anyway. I'm 76 FWIW, and I early love the yoke. Here are my reasons:
1. Visibility of everything improves;
2. Turning, including tight turns (I have several of those entering and leaving my parking spot) is easier for me;
3. Once one learns the locations of various functions, including turn signals, I find them automatic;
4. Entry and egret a easier.
I have one reason I do not like the yoke:
It makes my other car seem horribly antiquated, it is a 2022 Volvo XC40 P8 electric, and is otherwise pretty much a good imitation of Tesla procedures, except for the two step process of lane control and TACC. Those aren't as good as Tesla, but are easy enough. That old-fashioned wheel, though, is a trifle irritating.
Note: The Volvo is sold in Brazil. The Tesla is not. My Model 3 has been reserved since 2016 with no sign of arriving, so I chose second best.

This might be the ONLY review I’ve read where the reviewer states the combo of yoke/no stalks/inability to honk horn via airbag is an UPGRADE over round wheel/stalks/airbag horn activation

 

[omarsultan]

This might be the ONLY review I’ve read where the reviewer states the combo of yoke/no stalks/inability to honk horn via airbag is an UPGRADE over round wheel/stalks/airbag horn activation

Ive been saying that that for a while now

 

[Melocotton]

Yes. But tragically, that would still leave us without stalks, and stalkless is absolute garbage.

Because you have a fixed mindset. You need a growing mindset to understant why a yoke will ultimately be better overall than a regular rounded steering wheel in most use cases. When I see the op talking about U turn or 3 point turn, my first reaction is "how often do I do such move ?", well, it is litterally 0.00001% of the distance I drive yearly.

Basically, you are taking exceptional cases and make it the rule. The reality is that in the other 99.99999% of the time, when you drive normally, the yoke will be superior : better visibility of the road, of the instrument cluster, and it also forces you to hold the yoke the "right way". How many people today are driving with one hand only on top of the steering wheel, just because they "think" it looks cool ? How many people are grabbing the top part of the steering wheel with their hands upside down (sorry, I dont know how to explain that better) and pull on the wheel having their left hand of the right side, etc; ? Well, that is dangerous, that is why the classic steering wheel IS NOT better than the yoke.

Regarding the turn signal buttons, well, again, stalks is clearly not optimal. As soon as your hands are not in the default 9-3 position (when you... turn maybe ?), well, you just cant reach them.. How can that be better than buttons that you have access to directly with your thumb, no matter the angle you are applying to the yoke ??

Finally, I would just add that you should just have a look at Formula 1 cars.. You know, they are not just going in straight lines or slightly turning in banking corners.. Yep, they are equiped with yokes, having tons of button on them, and need to turn around very sharp corners at high speed.. Apparently it works.

So, as a conclusion, I would say that what is garbage is the fact that so many people are unable to see when a tehcnology is stagnating. Today, Tesla is innovating where legacy car makers just didnt for decades.

 

[jbcarioca]

This might be the ONLY review I’ve read where the reviewer states the combo of yoke/no stalks/inability to honk horn via airbag is an UPGRADE over round wheel/stalks/airbag horn activation

If you have never read @omarsultan , among others, possibly. Many people are saying that, but some aren't listening.

 

[lbowroom]

I really don’t understand the “I can’t find the buttons” argument. With your hands on the yoke there isn’t much ambiguity in where they are.

 

[2101Guy]

Because you have a fixed mindset. You need a growing mindset to understant why a yoke will ultimately be better overall than a regular rounded steering wheel in most use cases. When I see the op talking about U turn or 3 point turn, my first reaction is "how often do I do such move ?", well, it is litterally 0.00001% of the distance I drive yearly.

Basically, you are taking exceptional cases and make it the rule. The reality is that in the other 99.99999% of the time, when you drive normally, the yoke will be superior : better visibility of the road, of the instrument cluster, and it also forces you to hold the yoke the "right way". How many people today are driving with one hand only on top of the steering wheel, just because they "think" it looks cool ? How many people are grabbing the top part of the steering wheel with their hands upside down (sorry, I dont know how to explain that better) and pull on the wheel having their left hand of the right side, etc; ? Well, that is dangerous, that is why the classic steering wheel IS NOT better than the yoke.

Regarding the turn signal buttons, well, again, stalks is clearly not optimal. As soon as your hands are not in the default 9-3 position (when you... turn maybe ?), well, you just cant reach them.. How can that be better than buttons that you have access to directly with your thumb, no matter the angle you are applying to the yoke ??

Finally, I would just add that you should just have a look at Formula 1 cars.. You know, they are not just going in straight lines or slightly turning in banking corners.. Yep, they are equiped with yokes, having tons of button on them, and need to turn around very sharp corners at high speed.. Apparently it works.

So, as a conclusion, I would say that what is garbage is the fact that so many people are unable to see when a tehcnology is stagnating. Today, Tesla is innovating where legacy car makers just didnt for decades.

YUGE difference with formula 1: the steering ratio. Formula 1 steering wheels do not go a full 360 degrees

 

[2101Guy]

If you have never read @omarsultan , among others, possibly. Many people are saying that, but some aren't listening.

Can you quote the post where omarsultan said the COMBO of yoke/no stalks/inability to blow horn via airbag is BETTER? I can’t find it..

 

[Dan_Foster]

I really don’t understand the “I can’t find the buttons” argument. With your hands on the yoke there isn’t much ambiguity in where they are.

Let us know how much ambiguity you perceive when you’re unfortunate enough to need the horn, in an emergency, while your yoke is turned 135°, e.g.: when rounding a tight turn in a parking lot, and someone starts aggressively backing out who clearly can’t see you / isn’t looking. (Be sure to remember you can’t reverse quickly because the ‘shifter’ stalk no longer exists either, and placing that operation on screen slows it down by an order of magnitude.)

 

[Melocotton]

YUGE difference with formula 1: the steering ratio. Formula 1 steering wheels do not go a full 360 degrees

Well, that is probably the next step for Tesla : if not possible yet, they will have to implement a variable steering ratio according to speed, which can be achieved mechanically but also, and that’s probably the next evolution of a yoke « v2 » is to use steering by wire, which also makes sense for a company that wants to make their car as robotaxis..
That would solve all the issue of having a very precise yoke at high speed, but can still be highly manoeuverable at low speed for tight corners.

 

[Melocotton]

Let us know how much ambiguity you perceive when you’re unfortunate enough to need the horn, in an emergency, while your yoke is turned 135°, e.g.: when rounding a tight turn in a parking lot, and someone starts aggressively backing out who clearly can’t see you / isn’t looking. (Be sure to remember you can’t reverse quickly because the ‘shifter’ stalk no longer exists either, and placing that operation on screen slows it down by an order of magnitude.)

You don’t need to find the horn button to use it, you can just put your entire hand over all the buttons of the right side, just like if you pushed the traditional centre cover. It works exactly the same except that it is a bit on the right. Doesn’t seems to be a big deal here.
Regarding the shift backward thing in case of emergency, well, I don’t think using the stalk is going to make it quick enough all the time anyway, plus you have to check in your mirror to see if you are not going to hit a pregnant lady right behind you. If you want to solve such situation, ask Elon to implement an feature that would automatically detect potential collision and back off the « only if » there is no obstacle behind..
Think out of the box and try to see the big picture, if you think Tesla engineers are doing such bold moves just because it « looks cool », you have it wrong.