New 2021 Model S Unveiled January 27, 2021

[Hayseed_MS]

I tried the experiment today of avoiding the top portion of the wheel. It was...fine? Not a big deal at all. For u-turns I found myself using the bottom of the wheel more. It was seriously not a big deal. I think everyone is over reacting because “change is different”.

This reminds me a lot of the big ui refresh when the classic analog speed/power gauges were replaced by the car/road rendering. TMC was up in arms for months, folks wanting refunds, class action lawsuit threats. Everyone just breathe. Things will be fine. The yoke will be fine. The prnd will be fine. You will adapt. You will wonder “wow how did I ever use that silly stalk and top part of the wheel”.

Do folks remember the early days when people just couldn’t get over the fact there was no engine noise? How can you drive a completely silent car! Or no manual transmission option? Think how silly those days were compared to now. I predict the yoke and stalk threads will be very similar. You’re telling Henry Ford you want a faster horse.

Same here. Will need to get used to it totally but no big deal. The round wheel in the pic looks weird now. Do not spoil it for us willing to try it out.

It amazes me the amount of bitching at something that no one has even seen in person let alone tried. Let it come out and then judge it. Retrofitting a "traditional" wheel would be very simple and no more that $1-2k. It may even come with a cup of cocoa...

 

[CapeOne]

And how many of those times was the model you ordered discontinued and replaced by a totally redesigned one before you received it?

You don't typically have those types of scenarios. Automakers set order cut-off dates for model changeovers so that orders can still be met at the given prices. They don't continue to take orders for cars at the "old" prices if production for a particular model/generation has ended or is knowingly ending before those orders can be filled.

Tesla should not have continued to promote the lower base prices and take orders for cars at those prices if they weren't going to fulfill them. They should've set an order cut-off date that would've given them enough time to build those cars at the old prices. Instead, they continued to take orders for cars at prices they weren't going to honor.

 

[SilverGS]

Why would you not touch the lower section of the wheel or leave your hands only at 3 and 9? Seems like anywhere between 3 and 9 is fair game with the proposed design.

I'll give your little experiment ago, using only the bottom half of the wheel. Instinctively I think this is how I tend to drive anyway, but I agree it would be an interesting theory to test.

I always drive with my hands at the 9 and 3 positions - it just feels so much more engaging to me and I love driving. Occasionally I will hold the steering at the 5 position with my right hand and 9 with my left. Never, ever do I hold the top part, even when reversing.

I think most people that have voiced concerns over this yoke just don't realize the top part of the wheel is not that important for 99% of driving.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I always drive with my hands at the 9 and 3 positions - it just feels so much more engaging to me and I love driving. Occasionally I will hold the steering at the 5 position with my right hand and 9 with my left. Never, ever do I hold the top part, even when reversing.

I think most people that have voiced concerns over this yoke just don't realize the top part of the wheel is not that important for 99% of driving.

It is "important" because it is a habit and something different to them.

With that being said, I may get it and just hate it - but I will try it and see. It is a beautiful vehicle and well spec'd out. Enjoy it.

 

[viper2ko]

It is "important" because it is a habit and something different to them.

With that being said, I may get it and just hate it - but I will try it and see. It is a beautiful vehicle and well spec'd out. Enjoy it.

Looking at the picture and seems when holding the wheel it might be awkward and uncomfortable to have to move the left thumb over to hit the turn button. If the wheel could be held at a higher position you could just move the thumb to the right. As is now its up and to the right

 

[46&2]

The round wheel in the pic looks weird now.

My words

I want that thing. Not the round one!

The little guy likes his Paw Patrol and Peppa pig, ya know....

If my youngsters find out the car now plays Peppa Pig...

 

[FreqFlyer]

Exactly! I think a lot of folks complaining are stuck in the past...

That is the great them about the free market. We are about to see how many think the steering wheel is "cool" and "futuristic" (pilots would beg to differ), and how many are put off by it. The only reason the S/X is getting this interior update is because more competition is on the way with newer designs. Maybe Elon thinks this will help the S/X stand out versus the competition. We are about to find out what the market thinks in a few months.

 

[Needsdecaf]

Loootttttaaa yoke justification going on in this thread, lol.

 

[lowtek]

Loootttttaaa yoke justification going on in this thread, lol.

I love the yoke! We'll see how it plays out when deliveries start.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

Loootttttaaa yoke justification going on in this thread, lol.

Not justifying or defending it. It is what it is and I like it (or at least I think I will like it).

 

[jbcarioca]

I swore I'd never again get a bigger car than a Model 3, but here I did it again with another Model S. Plaid+ was too much to resist. For years I thought my 911's were big, after all they were 2+2, sort of. The came the P85D which really did not seem so big even though it was. Now I not only did it again but I ordered another thing I had never seen before, much less driven/piloted. In airplanes I did it four times, in cars several more, in boats twice. Almost all of them worked out very well. One airplane was enough of a lemon that the manufacturer took it back although they sold it promptly to a Swiss charter company.
In cars all my experiences worked out very well, none so well as the two Tesla ones.

Oddly, perhaps, I think the yoke will be just fine. I've experienced some unusual steering devices and am quite sure that the progressive treatment will make it better than the wheels have been.

 

[eCharcoal]

If Tesla already has a round steering wheel in the drawer, hopefully they will offer it as an option? Expect to pay for a round wheel though. Kinda like how they offered the Model 3 key fob after some owners complaining about the phone key being unreliable.

 

[serendipitous]

You don't typically have those types of scenarios. Automakers set order cut-off dates for model changeovers so that orders can still be met at the given prices. They don't continue to take orders for cars at the "old" prices if production for a particular model/generation has ended or is knowingly ending before those orders can be filled.

Tesla should not have continued to promote the lower base prices and take orders for cars at those prices if they weren't going to fulfill them. They should've set an order cut-off date that would've given them enough time to build those cars at the old prices. Instead, they continued to take orders for cars at prices they weren't going to honor.

Their entire model is direct sales. You want them to post 2 months early that they have new stuff coming and ruin their own sales pipeline just because you didn't read the terms of your order agreement, which specifically say "If we decide not to make it, we can cancel your order".

It's so irritating watching the people here whine, ESPECIALLY when the lead-up to this change was filled with these same people posting that they were placing speculative orders hoping to get a free windfall (WHICH THEY DID!).

Sorry you missed your chance, over the last 5 YEARS, to get the previous generation car. It isn't around anymore. Take the new one or leave it.

 

[BigNick]

To drum to the beat of the music!

Sounds like the yoke will make it easier to play air keyboard on top of the dash.

 

[JustSaying]

That round wheel looks so out of place.
I seriously hope they wont go back to a round wheel, now I feel like wheels are very outdated.

a small arc on the top of the new yoke design would work for me....

 

[NickEHughes]

It states they are staggered here: Model S. Scroll down to the picture of the Arachnid wheel. It says:
Responsive Performance

Staggered, performance-focused wheels and tires keep the car planted and transfer even more power down to the road.

I also noticed on the order page, if you zoom in on the front Arachnid wheel/tire, the front tire is now wider at 265/35R21. I'm guessing the back is probably 285/35R21 since the old setup was 245 front and 265 rear.

Thanks for pointing this out. Looks like the tires are Pilot 4S, so pure summer tires. Hope mine comes later in March, otherwise I'll need to figure out what to do. Should I keep my existing 19" Slipstreams with all weather and trade/sell my current S with the arachnids? Was hoping to sell the arachnids separate from car, only have 3K miles on them.

 

[46&2]

I love the yoke!

Haha, c'mon, look at you avatar, you wonder?

 

[TespaceX]

To everyone complaining about people complaining, should this forum be made accessible to those that have only positive things to say about a Tesla?
Not everyone here will have the same exact preferences with everything Tesla.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Elon will just Tweet “ the yokes on you,” !

While the weird looking option is getting a lot of attention, it appears the S & X will get a round steering wheel.

I wouldn't be interested in a Yoke-style steering "wheel".

2021.5 Tesla Model S: Proof a Round Steering Wheel Option Might Exist!

 

[sonofagunn]

The yoke just needs a place you can screw in an Edson power knob