There is better visibility of the dash as Tesla designed all the UI around no steering wheel blocking the view. It was never an issue in the 2012 Model S at least. So it is a bad design to throw in a round steering wheel and not make so UI changes to those cars.Thanks for the detailed comments @sleepydoc! Let me see if I can address them.
Yes, I would consider the professional driver to be inexperienced after only three weeks. This said, please remember that I am not referring to track use; only average street driving. I agree that the wheel is safer on a track.
With respect to the dash being a bad design; the word bad can be subjective. Let’s assume that you are correct, and the design of the dash is bad. My point is that there is better visibility (for me, and with a nod towards ergonomics, for most, I suspect) with the yoke.
Let’s close with your “soul” comment. You and I are simply different. I can work on any car myself, and I can fix anything myself armed with enough time and money. I intentionally drive cars that are not “safe”: a 1936 Chrysler Airstream, a brass era Jewett, a Corvair… and on and on. I don’t need safe cars, and in fact, I enjoy driving “unsafe” cars more than I do “safe” cars. The soul of a car is important to me. Anyone who restores and drives antique vehicles knows that they are not safe by today’s standards: single piston master cylinders, no airbags, roofs that can collapse in a rollover (convertibles for example), no seatbelts… and again… on and on and on. I do not care about safety, and I don’t care much about reliability except on modern vehicles.
There is no right or wrong with respect to the choice between a yoke and a wheel, except on an individual level of analysis. Whatever you want is right for you, and whatever you do not want is wrong for you. My intention with my post was simply to convey my feelings but not to impose them on others.
Again, thanks for the detailed reply.
Joe
The yoke would be fine with steer by wire as others have said. The removal of center horn (now fixed) and turn signal stalk were some other bad design decisions.