An honest review of the yoke

[nilesborg]

My experience - I've met a couple of Plaid owners at superchargers now and we always talk about the yoke. They all laugh and say people are making a big deal about nothing and that they got used to it in a couple of hours and now love it.

YUP. My sentiment exactly. Took delivery 6/30, was instantly new & different, but pretty cool to say the last; took a few days to get used to it. Now a month in believe it or not using a steering wheel in other cars seems odd, who knew.

The amount of comments online and in the news from speculative people with zero experience hands on with the Yoke is a the joke, not the yoke itself.

 

[WilliamG]

YUP. My sentiment exactly. Took delivery 6/30, was instantly new & different, but pretty cool to say the last; took a few days to get used to it. Now a month in believe it or not using a steering wheel in other cars seems odd, who knew.

The amount of comments online and in the news from speculative people with zero experience hands on with the Yoke is a the joke, not the yoke itself.

I'm really hopeful I have the same experience. My first few drives, the yoke was just not a positive experience all around.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

My experience - I've met a couple of Plaid owners at superchargers now and we always talk about the yoke. They all laugh and say people are making a big deal about nothing and that they got used to it in a couple of hours and now love it.

Agreed.

 

[Skotty]

What’s your intent here? Do you seek to steer Tesla into offering a round wheel?

I will if I can. Happy to help peer pressure Tesla back into offering a round wheel for all of my fellow round wheelers out there.

What isn’t clear about my intent? I’m looking for someone to provide advantages to having a yoke over a traditional wheel.

So far it sounds like:
Visibility - which was never a complaint I heard anyone make
Touch controls are cool - sure. But you don’t need a yoke for that

This really sounds like Elon wanted something because it looks like his favorite video game controller and nobody had the courage to say “no”. There is just no argument to be made for why it is needed or superior to a wheel and all the fanboys are just saying “you get used to it”. That is not an answer to my question.

Touch controls, if you are talking capacitive touch, are cool. Everyone thought they were cool in the Chevy Volt. Until they lived with it for awhile. Then everyone hated them. I lived with them for quite some time when I had a Chevy Volt. They are not good. You always fight with them trying to get them to register button presses and trying to press in the right spots. It just sucks, regardless of any coolness. Now add in that they will be moving frequently because they are on the steering wheel. Not good.

The solution to the Yoke problem is simple. It's just a question of how long it will take until Tesla learns.

1) Replace the capacitive touch buttons with real buttons. It's the sensible thing to do.
2) Either provide a regular wheel *option*, or at least make it just a Plaid thing, and put regular wheels on the lower performance tier cars. Some people are going to love the yoke with a passion, some will hate it with a passion (I'm a hate it guy), there probably won't be a lot of middle ground, and that is a perfect scenario for providing an *option* to consumers. If the cars have only one option and everything else has to be identical, this is the option to provide.

 

[jammertwo]

Buttons have haptic feedback.

Is this confirmed somewhere?

 

[omarsultan]

Is this confirmed somewhere?

Yes, from using them

 

[jammertwo]

“Yes, from using them”

how do you like the haptic feedback? Is it enough to know you pressed the correct thing without having to look at the yoke?

 

[omarsultan]

“Yes, from using them”

how do you like the haptic feedback? Is it enough to know you pressed the correct thing without having to look at the yoke?

Yes the buzz and the bumps help a lot--TBH, I wish the buzz was a bit stronger

 

[Thepugster]

The yolk is fine for me. I can go either way. The problem is the turn signals. I have to change some driving habits. I have to active the signal before making any turns; otherwise I could end up with an upside down yolk and become confused on which button to press.

 

[BlueOwl]

Can anyone confirm that you can use the yoke buttons while wearing gloves?

I wear sun protection gloves because I burn on my long commute. I have gloves with the little sewed in panels on the end so you can use your phone, but they only work 75% of the time. I don't want to be on the road and all of a sudden I can't signal because I have to adjust my gloves.

I really didn't think of this when I put an order in for a Model S LR.

 

[oreobbq]

Can anyone confirm that you can use the yoke buttons while wearing gloves?

I wear sun protection gloves because I burn on my long commute. I have gloves with the little sewed in panels on the end so you can use your phone, but they only work 75% of the time. I don't want to be on the road and all of a sudden I can't signal because I have to adjust my gloves.

I really didn't think of this when I put an order in for a Model S LR.

Getting a ceramic tint on your windows could go a long way so you don't have to wear gloves.

 

[lbowroom]

I have to active the signal before making any turns;

Isn’t the point of signaling to do it before you turn?

 

[Thepugster]

Isn’t the point of signaling to do it before you turn?

True, but sometimes I forget or I changed my mind.

 

[FFCars]

When the model 3 came out with the center screen and no front screen, I didn’t think it was safe. But after 6 months of owning a MY, I’m fine with it. But, my horn works in a panic by hitting the center, the gears change easily, the turn signals work like normal, etc. The yoke might turn out to be the dumbest mistakes Tesla ever made if people start crashing because of it. It took a decade to build up Tesla’s reputation that some may call “shaky”. Why give haters a reason to hate on the products?
One of the best drivers in the world, Randy Prost, just ran the Plaid up Pikes Peak in winning fashion. He first tried it with the yoke and he quickly changed out to a regular steering wheel. If a pro like Randy

It’s great on SOME race cars with close ratio steering. It serves no purpose on a street car. The horn button is down right dangerous and so are the turn signals. I can get used to the PDNR but why? Just use a stalk and be done with it.

I have a MS on order, but if they don’t offer the regular steering wheel and controls, I’m out. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

 

[EVTracker]

Can anyone confirm that you can use the yoke buttons while wearing gloves?

I wear sun protection gloves because I burn on my long commute. I have gloves with the little sewed in panels on the end so you can use your phone, but they only work 75% of the time. I don't want to be on the road and all of a sudden I can't signal because I have to adjust my gloves.

I really didn't think of this when I put an order in for a Model S LR.

This. And how about driving gloves?

 

[omarsultan]

This. And how about driving gloves?

I tested way back when with that I had around the house--worked with latex/nitrile gloves and thin leather gloves, did not work with fleece gloves.

 

[EVTracker]

I tested way back when with that I had around the house--worked with latex/nitrile gloves and thin leather gloves, did not work with fleece gloves.

Thanks. My driving gloves have suede palms. Probably won’t work, right? Sucks. Maybe could cut off the thumb.

 

[Ledbettm]

Buttons have haptic feedback.

As a Plaid owner I can tell you the haptic feedback can not be felt when the car is in motion.

 

[WilliamG]

As a Plaid owner I can tell you the haptic feedback can not be felt when the car is in motion.

Agreed. And the yoke still sucks. My car's at the service center for the (death-by-a-thousand-cuts) fixing of yet more stupid issues that should never have made it out of the QC inspection, and I have a Model 3 in my possession as the loaner. Ahhhhhh... a steering wheel and stalks. As it bloody-well should be. I can pretty much guarantee a yoke is never coming to the Model 3 and Y. It would be suicide for Tesla.

 

[Dan_Foster]

I’m beyond worried that Tesla will foist the stalkless control paradigm on the entire fleet. If they do, they are dead to me.