An honest review of the yoke

[4SUPER9]

Sales actually went up for S and X. So your assumption that many didn’t buy it bc of yoke is wrong.

That is not a valid correlation. Sales likely went up because it is a vastly superior car, either because of the yoke in addition to many other reasons, or in spite of.

 

[serendipitous]

Regardless of how you feel about the yoke, the 1 thing I don't understand is why they wouldn't offer a wheel (when they clearly already had one designed per the test mules). There is not 1 single person in the world who bought this car SOLEY because it had a yoke, they may like the yoke, but it wasn't the deciding factor. However, on the other hand, there are many people who refuse to buy the car because of the yoke, so it makes zero sense.

They don't need to care about those people. They're selling every one they make, they're generating buzz, and they can always introduce a wheel whenever they need your money.

Statistically they probably have lower costs too - I'm sure there's a correlation between people who are willing to try a yoke, and people who won't complain and open a service ticket because they got confused about a feature...

 

[4SUPER9]

The Model S Plaid's yoke is actually very comfortable to use when driving the car. I'm just used to it. It's very comfortable on the 95% of driving that's straight lines and I've developed the muscle memory to turn and not hit buttons.

After 4 months of use, I can say that while my initial use of the yoke was awkward, but acceptable, I am extremely comfortable with it now. So much so that when I drive my wife's 3, it feels weird. The gear shifter, OTOH, is completely stupid and dangerous. I will never come to like it. I can probably say the same for the horn.

 

[jdubya3]

I'm one week in on my new MSLR and I can tell you, so far I'm not a huge fan of the yoke. In my short term exposure to it, I feel it limits my wanting to drive the car hard/fast, maybe I'm just still uncomfortable. Unlike when I got my M3P, or my wife's MYP, both of which i hopped right into and was able to drive smoothly, quickly, and confidently, so much easier to adapt to. Reading these posts, I'm hoping the yoke might be a bit better with increased variable rate steering. I hope that comes quickly. Other than that, I love everything else about the MSLR.

 

[4SUPER9]

I'm one week in on my new MSLR and I can tell you, so far I'm not a huge fan of the yoke. In my short term exposure to it, I feel it limits my wanting to drive the car hard/fast, maybe I'm just still uncomfortable. Unlike when I got my M3P, or my wife's MYP, both of which i hopped right into and was able to drive smoothly, quickly, and confidently, so much easier to adapt to. Reading these posts, I'm hoping the yoke might be a bit better with increased variable rate steering. I hope that comes quickly. Other than that, I love everything else about the MSLR.

That is exactly what I said up thread. The yoke is very easy to get used to if you are driving slowly and cautiously. Driving hard and fast is extremely dangerous at the beginning. Several months in, I can say I am definitely getting far more comfortable with it. It will never be as secure as a wheel, but at least I feel I am getting close

 

[MarcG]

I'm one week in on my new MSLR and I can tell you, so far I'm not a huge fan of the yoke. In my short term exposure to it, I feel it limits my wanting to drive the car hard/fast, maybe I'm just still uncomfortable. Unlike when I got my M3P, or my wife's MYP, both of which i hopped right into and was able to drive smoothly, quickly, and confidently, so much easier to adapt to. Reading these posts, I'm hoping the yoke might be a bit better with increased variable rate steering. I hope that comes quickly. Other than that, I love everything else about the MSLR.

Highly unlikely that Tesla would retrofit variable rate steering to existing models, if they even ever build one. If they did, you’d most likely have to buy a new car altogether..

 

[Dan_Foster]

Believe it is only a matter of time until Tesla will also offer variable ration steering. Probably with just an OTA software update that will give options. Tesla already has electric steering that handles Autopilot.

That’s not possible. The steering rack is mechanical, the electric boost and the autopilot simply act upon it. Software can’t change the ratio.

 

[Dan_Foster]

Regardless of how you feel about the yoke, the 1 thing I don't understand is why they wouldn't offer a wheel (when they clearly already had one designed per the test mules). There is not 1 single person in the world who bought this car SOLEY because it had a yoke, they may like the yoke, but it wasn't the deciding factor. However, on the other hand, there are many people who refuse to buy the car because of the yoke, so it makes zero sense.

I own a 2015 Model and love it. But at the end of its useful life, I will not replace it with another Model S (nor any Tesla for that matter, because the S is the size and package I need & love) unless there is a straightforward way to replace the horrid haptics with stalks; and the loathsome yoke with a proper wheel. I have driven the new S with the new controls and find them utterly detestable. No way I’m spending >$100k on a car with worse primary control ergonomics than a Toyota Corolla.

 

[jeremymc7]

Replacing the wheel itself isn’t a big deal. As far as 3/Y go there are 3rd party options to put a yoke it.

As for S/X there is already; or it’s in the works for 3rd party to replace the yoke with a conventional wheel. However adding stocks to replace the haptics is a whole other problem.

 

[TigerNinety]

I own a 2015 Model and love it. But at the end of its useful life, I will not replace it with another Model S (nor any Tesla for that matter, because the S is the size and package I need & love) unless there is a straightforward way to replace the horrid haptics with stalks; and the loathsome yoke with a proper wheel. I have driven the new S with the new controls and find them utterly detestable. No way I’m spending >$100k on a car with worse primary control ergonomics than a Toyota Corolla.

Having lost my 2016 MS75D to a hit and run, I’m anxiously awaiting my 2022 M3LR, since nothing else is in my price range right now. It’s pretty clear, though, a Model S (which I’d prefer) with the current control system is NOT in my future. All signs are that, in 2-4 years, when I’m ready to get my next EV, if the S doesn’t have a wheel and stalks, there will be plenty of competition that does.

 

[Dan_Foster]

Replacing the wheel itself isn’t a big deal. As far as 3/Y go there are 3rd party options to put a yoke it.

As for S/X there is already; or it’s in the works for 3rd party to replace the yoke with a conventional wheel. However adding stocks to replace the haptics is a whole other problem.

Absolutely. But the single worst thing is on-screen “shifting”—the worst parking / multi-point turn / low speed maneuvering experience ever. “Auto-shift” is worse than useless: it selects the wrong direction 25% of the time, even when parked facing a brick wall, so one must always be ready to confirm / override. “Auto-park” finds spots only rarely, and at best takes four times longer to parallel park than me, but for this garbage ‘solution’, they deleted the physical stalk for direction selection. #DealBreaker

P.S. Yes, I know the 3/Y stalks fit the new S/X, and I know Tesla could include the code to recognize them on the S. But they won’t, so some brilliant guy made a can-bus dongle…yeah, I just hate the direction Tesla is headed: these crap haptics are horrible changes to physical controls that were perfect and satisfying the way they were.

 

[jeremymc7]

Doesn’t the new S/X have buttons (be they haptic though?) on the center console for “gear” selection ?

 

[Dan_Foster]

Doesn’t the new S/X have buttons (be they haptic though?) on the center console for “gear” selection ?

Yes. They suck.

 

[tm1v2]

...these crap haptics are horrible changes to physical controls that were perfect and satisfying the way they were.

The 3/Y wheel and shifter are perfectly good. The return-to-center turn signal stalk is still driving me batty after 6 months with the car. Sadly I've no doubt the new S/X haptics are worse.

 

[jeremymc7]

The 3/Y wheel and shifter are perfectly good. The return-to-center turn signal stalk is still driving me batty after 6 months with the car. Sadly I've no doubt the new S/X haptics are worse.

Wait it works different than most German cars. Tap and it blinks three times for lane change. Push Al the way and it stays on until you complete a turn or you turn it off.

 

[tm1v2]

Wait it works different than most German cars. Tap and it blinks three times for lane change. Push Al the way and it stays on until you complete a turn or you turn it off.

The problem for me is cancelling a turn signal. All the time I'm still accidentally signaling the wrong direction (moved the stalk too far) or failing to convince it to do anything (didn't move the stalk far enough).

It doesn't take away my enjoyment of the car, like the S yoke probably would, but I still miss having a regular/traditional turn signal stalk.

The lack of a wipers stalk was also majorly frustrating due to terrible VO autowipers, but Tesla vastly improved the autowipers with the December 2021 updates and now I'm actually content with just the wipe-once button.

 

[lbowroom]

The problem for me is cancelling a turn signal. All the time I'm still accidentally signaling the wrong direction (moved the stalk too far) or failing to convince it to do anything (didn't move the stalk far enough).

It doesn't take away my enjoyment of the car, like the S yoke probably would, but I still miss having a regular/traditional turn signal stalk.

The lack of a wipers stalk was also majorly frustrating due to terrible VO autowipers, but Tesla vastly improved the autowipers with the December 2021 updates and now I'm actually content with just the wipe-once button.

In 2018 there was an issue with the turn signal controller that made it almost impossible to set and cancel signals to the left if I remember correctly. If you are having issues, I’d check that out could be a part fault. Otherwise should be easy as any other car

 

[tm1v2]

In 2018 there was an issue with the turn signal controller that made it almost impossible to set and cancel signals to the left if I remember correctly. If you are having issues, I’d check that out could be a part fault. Otherwise should be easy as any other car

I've got an October 2021 build Model 3. Turn signal stalk seemed the same on the cars I test drove, as best I can remember. I was hoping I'd get used to it and I sort of have but I still don't like it.

It's different than the turn stalk on any other car I've owned. All the rest, including my old Model S, have distinct stalk positions for left, none/cancel, right. You can tell by feel what it's set to, and you can feel it click between each position. Whereas in the 3 I often have to glance at my screen to check if my signal is still on, and then I undershoot or overshoot trying to cancel it because there's zero feeling of what the right movement is for a cancel, and then I need to check the screen again to see what happened (undershoot, overshoot, or correctly cancelled).

I still like driving the car very much but this little aspect really could and should be better. Like the yoke, it's a case of making an input worse than the standard way it's been done for decades in most other cars.

 

[kailm]

The problem for me is cancelling a turn signal. All the time I'm still accidentally signaling the wrong direction (moved the stalk too far) or failing to convince it to do anything (didn't move the stalk far enough).

It doesn't take away my enjoyment of the car, like the S yoke probably would, but I still miss having a regular/traditional turn signal stalk.

The lack of a wipers stalk was also majorly frustrating due to terrible VO autowipers, but Tesla vastly improved the autowipers with the December 2021 updates and now I'm actually content with just the wipe-once button.

You can move the stalk in the same direction to cancel! It bothered me at first to cancel, but then I realized this method.

 

[Laddcruzer]

Come on, that's the silliest argument I've ever heard.

We will accept your opinion that the argument is silly.