Functional (!) benefits of the yoke?

[WilliamG]

That’s going to age me, but I remember driving plenty of cars where the horns were not on the center of the wheel but a button on top of the stalks or a separate stalk altogether. Nobody cried bloody murder because of those, and they sold millions of those they where VW‘s, Datsun’s, 1960’s Cadillacs (or maybe Buicks) had the horn button on the spoke of the wheel not in the center.

A different age. Things were more acceptable back then. It’s a travesty today.

 

[CyberGus]

That’s going to age me, but I remember driving plenty of cars where the horns were not on the center of the wheel but a button on top of the stalks or a separate stalk altogether. Nobody cried bloody murder because of those, and they sold millions of those they where VW‘s, Datsun’s, 1960’s Cadillacs (or maybe Buicks) had the horn button on the spoke of the wheel not in the center.

I prefer the center-activated horn for those “oh sh!t” moments, but that is far from being a universal standard.

The DeLorean uses a stalk-activated horn. The Miata uses horn buttons flanking the airbag.

 

[cmarshack]

That's assuming you press the button instead of the center, as I have been doing for the last few decades. I am not someone that honks my horn all the time, so I can't easily build new muscle memory. Twice now I have hit the center of the wheel to avoid someone reversing into me in a parking lot. In the first case the person fortunately saw me at the last second and stopped. The second case a pedestrian that was waiting for the car to reverse saw what was happening and knocked the other car on the roof. Had he not done that I may have ended up with a ding.

The point is this is also an argument against the center not activating the horn. If needing a light touch option actually helps people, then add both, but don't remove something that has been around for decades, in every single car.

I have already outlined the one situation where I don't like the turn-signals, and above is the one situation where the horn placement is not ideal. I too have been backing out of a parking space, already well into the process when someone else started backing out of a spot after me and was about to hit me. In this situation I really had no conscious consideration as to what position the yoke was actually in, and therefor could not quickly determine where the horn button was without completely taking my eyes off of the current situation and looking back forward, and down at the yoke. By then the guy would have hit me. It was faster for me to swipe forward and pull back into my parking spot. A horn in the middle completely fixes this issue.

I think it's important for me to clarify that I am not a Yoke hater. I am a huge Tesla fanboy and was really excited to pick up my 3rd Model S with the Yoke. But it's equally important to point out the issue we have with the UI Tesla implemented along with the Yoke and I have two legitimate scenarios where these buttons just don't work well. The round a bout with the turn signals and the need to alert idiots in the parking lot.

Other than that the Yoke is great (or at least will be one I get it wrapped in leather or something more appropriate for a $100k+ car)

 

[Mark II]

I think it's important for me to clarify that I am not a Yoke hater. I am a huge Tesla fanboy and was really excited to pick up my 3rd Model S with the Yoke. But it's equally important to point out the issue we have with the UI Tesla implemented along with the Yoke and I have two legitimate scenarios where these buttons just don't work well. The round a bout with the turn signals and the need to alert idiots in the parking lot.

Other than that the Yoke is great (or at least will be one I get it wrapped in leather or something more appropriate for a $100k+ car)

I don't hate the yoke per se. I just hate it's implementation. If the yoke was done with variable steering then many of the issues I have would not be issues, other than horn placement. For the most part I find freeway driving with the yoke is great. However, it fails miserably with city driving, for all the reasons people have cited. Unfortunately, most of my driving is city driving. So for me the yoke is a massive fail.

Had Tesla released the refresh with a round wheel, and stalks, it would have been a truly awesome upgrade, and no one would be complaining. There are many things they improved with the refresh, e.g. decent cup holders, vented seats, rear seat heating, side pockets, better motors, wireless charging, decent place to put my phone, better headlights, etc. and then they messed it all up with the yoke. So close!

 

[WilliamG]

I don't hate the yoke per se. I just hate it's implementation. If the yoke was done with variable steering then many of the issues I have would not be issues, other than horn placement. For the most part I find freeway driving with the yoke is great. However, it fails miserably with city driving, for all the reasons people have cited. Unfortunately, most of my driving is city driving. So for me the yoke is a massive fail.

Had Tesla released the refresh with a round wheel, and stalks, it would have been a truly awesome upgrade, and no one would be complaining. There are many things they improved with the refresh, e.g. decent cup holders, vented seats, rear seat heating, side pockets, better motors, wireless charging, decent place to put my phone, better headlights, etc. and then they messed it all up with the yoke. So close!

Cup holders are far too small… fyi.

 

[phonetele226]

I don't hate the yoke per se. I just hate it's implementation. If the yoke was done with variable steering then many of the issues I have would not be issues, other than horn placement. For the most part I find freeway driving with the yoke is great. However, it fails miserably with city driving, for all the reasons people have cited. Unfortunately, most of my driving is city driving. So for me the yoke is a massive fail.

Had Tesla released the refresh with a round wheel, and stalks, it would have been a truly awesome upgrade, and no one would be complaining. There are many things they improved with the refresh, e.g. decent cup holders, vented seats, rear seat heating, side pockets, better motors, wireless charging, decent place to put my phone, better headlights, etc. and then they messed it all up with the yoke. So close!

Agree with you. There is hope that somehow they get feedback and either improve the yoke or also offer a round wheel.

 

[Mark II]

Cup holders are far too small… fyi.

They fit a 16oz iced Starbucks just perfectly. So I am happy

 

[WilliamG]

They fit a 16oz iced Starbucks just perfectly. So I am happy

Well as long as you’re happy.