Remember when all the pilots here were like FINALLY A YOKE!

[Wol747]

Some of the "improvements" embodied in this yoke joke are beyond parody. Quite apart from the rectangular "wheel" having buttons that are in random places just when you need them is ridiculous. ( Assuming they are on the yoke as was forcasted.)

 

[AMPd]

Would you be thinking that Tesla will make recall or service appointment for current 2021 model owners to come and change the non-speed variable steering rack to the speed variable steering? If one have learned to avoid potential accidents so far then will they be quick to learn it again with changed behaviour?

I would assume not, what I think will most likely happen is a round wheel will become an option.

 

[lowtek]

Would you be thinking that Tesla will make recall or service appointment for current 2021 model owners to come and change the non-speed variable steering rack to the speed variable steering? If one have learned to avoid potential accidents so far then will they be quick to learn it again with changed behaviour?

The current version (and most modern cars) have mechanical variable steering linkage .. there's a pic in one of the threads .. question is does the Plaid have the same linkage as the Raven, upgraded linkage for the Yoke, or still unconfirmed/undenied steer by wire (electronic)?

 

[mark95476]

This gasser Randy passed was a joke. S Plaid needs to auto transmit a blue flag signal to all vehicles in front.

 

[P100D_Me]

by your comment, I'm guessing you haven't actually tried it yet ?
I tried it for 2 days and it was a refreshing change. U-turns at traffic light; no big deal.
But sure, some people are resistant to change.

Suggesting to someone they are resistant to change on a Tesla owners forum, ah ok
No I haven't tried it, like I said I don't need to try it to know it is a step in the wrong direction, common sense and logic would suggest it is a bad idea for anything but a drag car or dedicated race car that doesn't need to do full circles with the steering wheel.

Note I am in a right hand drive country so some operational references below will seem backwards.
When I drive my right elbow often sits on the door arm rest with my hand at about 2 o'clock on the wheel....can't be done with the yoke but is a comfortable driving position.
When doing a sharp turn it is natural (in fact you are taught) to let the wheel return to center by loosely holding your hands at about 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, can't be done with the yoke.
It seems you would be forced to cross your arms or let go of the yoke on some turns as there is no way to 'feed' the wheel in a full circle, again not what you are taught to do when driving.
Without trying it I can only speculate, but on a long drive having your resting hand positions at 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock means the weight of your arms is pulling down constantly vs a steering wheel where the weight of your arms is taken up by your hands resting on the wheel at 2 & 10 o'clock.

Hey if you like it then good on you, but I wouldn't be buying a new Model-S until they offered a normal wheel (which I'm hoping they will be forced to do in some countries therefore it will become an option).
But again it comes back to the question, why? What was Tesla actually trying to achieve by going this path?

 

[Wol747]

>>But again it comes back to the question, why? What was Tesla actually trying to achieve by going this path?<<

Exactly.

 

[manitou820]

But again it comes back to the question, why? What was Tesla actually trying to achieve by going this path?

This ^^^^^

Why is the yoke better than a round steering wheel? What is the advantage to having two turn signal buttons on the same side on the face of a steering wheel versus a stalk? I don't want every car manufacturer to change the way turn signals work so I have to relearn it every time I get into a new car. Sometimes standards are nice.

I don't see any improvement. Just something else to get used to which would be a turn off for anyone not completely sold on buying the latest Tesla. At a minimum why not offer a traditional layout as an option. Round steering wheel with standard turn signal stalks. The gear change (forward to reverse) seems at least reasonable by using the center touch screen, and could be kept standard.

I can guarantee my 80 year old father who is looking to replace his E-Class Mercedes with an EV will be completely turned off by a Model S because of the steering wheel alone. He is already intimidated by the idea of buying something as different as an electric car.

 

[Cheburashka]

Doubt Tesla cares. The new S is more of a halo car anyway.

 

[P100D_Me]

The gear change (forward to reverse) seems at least reasonable by using the center touch screen, and could be kept standard.

Oh I hadn't even got to that doozy yet, again how is that better or more efficient in operation?
I think most of us have owned a Tesla vehicle long enough by now to know their software solutions are not exactly perfectly executed at times so that worries me.
In 5 years will Tesla software bloat make the new MCU run like crud (as the MCU1 does now)? MCU1 users, imagine our gear selection was done via the touchscreen

It is not about cost savings (leaving out stalks etc), the rear display is far more costly than a couple of left over Benz parts and yet I can't see the rear display as a deal sealer for a perspective buyer, but I can see no stalks and touchscreen gear selection a deal breaker.

 

[Silicon Desert]

This ^^^^^

Why is the yoke better than a round steering wheel? What is the advantage to having two turn signal buttons on the same side on the face of a steering wheel versus a stalk? I don't want every car manufacturer to change the way turn signals work so I have to relearn it every time I get into a new car. Sometimes standards are nice.

I don't see any improvement. Just something else to get used to which would be a turn off for anyone not completely sold on buying the latest Tesla. At a minimum why not offer a traditional layout as an option. Round steering wheel with standard turn signal stalks. The gear change (forward to reverse) seems at least reasonable by using the center touch screen, and could be kept standard.

I can guarantee my 80 year old father who is looking to replace his E-Class Mercedes with an EV will be completely turned off by a Model S because of the steering wheel alone. He is already intimidated by the idea of buying something as different as an electric car.

then don't buy one.

 

[Wol747]

then don't buy one.

.... and a lot of people won't.
I suppose there will be some people who will get it for the "cool" yoke, others will and get used to that - but the loss of physical stalks for FWD/REV/N and turn signals is just plain whacky. I can see some interesting insurance claims coming up especially in the first few months of owning one.
Imagine trying to do a parallel park when the car tries to go one way and you the other, then a search for the swipe/button several times.
Not saying one can't get used to it - anything - but progress in ergonomics is supposed to make things better, not more complicated.
Just one example is the Airbus accident in snow when the same knob used for ROD was also for glidepath angle - Murphy's law.

 

[Cheburashka]

It's a safety thing. What do most people do right before they get in an accident? Honk the horn. That puts your hand right over the airbag at the exact moment it goes off. 27% of accidents lead to the airbag breaking your wrist and smashing your hand into your own face. Elon thoughtfully placed the horn on the side of the yoke to avoid face-smashing.

* 65% of statistics are made up, just like everything in this post.

They used to have the buttons off to the side in cars in the 90s... Not sure it added anything to safety.

.... and a lot of people won't.
I suppose there will be some people who will get it for the "cool" yoke, others will and get used to that - but the loss of physical stalks for FWD/REV/N and turn signals is just plain whacky. I can see some interesting insurance claims coming up especially in the first few months of owning one.
Imagine trying to do a parallel park when the car tries to go one way and you the other, then a search for the swipe/button several times.
Not saying one can't get used to it - anything - but progress in ergonomics is supposed to make things better, not more complicated.
Just one example is the Airbus accident in snow when the same knob used for ROD was also for glidepath angle - Murphy's law.

It's not like the car decides which gear to choose for you, it just automatically takes the car out of park. Getting used to the touchscreen gear shifting probably isn't too bad but the stalk would be easier to reach.

Must be fun doing a multipoint turn with the yoke while using the touchscreen to select forward/reverse...

 

[stopcrazypp]

.... and a lot of people won't.
I suppose there will be some people who will get it for the "cool" yoke, others will and get used to that - but the loss of physical stalks for FWD/REV/N and turn signals is just plain whacky. I can see some interesting insurance claims coming up especially in the first few months of owning one.
Imagine trying to do a parallel park when the car tries to go one way and you the other, then a search for the swipe/button several times.
Not saying one can't get used to it - anything - but progress in ergonomics is supposed to make things better, not more complicated.
Just one example is the Airbus accident in snow when the same knob used for ROD was also for glidepath angle - Murphy's law.

Well the argument is it makes things easier because you skip out on an extra step in a vast majority of usage: just like previous Tesla design decisions like walk up unlock, not having a start button or ignition, the auto opening doors on the Model X. Of course that depends on the software getting things right 99% of the time, which has yet to be demonstrated.

 

[stopcrazypp]

It's not like the car decides which gear to choose for you, it just automatically takes the car out of park. Getting used to the touchscreen gear shifting probably isn't too bad but the stalk would be easier to reach.

That's incorrect, it does decide what gear to choose for you. You however can override that decision (either from touch screen or the buttons on the bottom of the phone holders).
First look at Tesla Model S Plaid’s "Auto Shift out of Park" in action

Must be fun doing a multipoint turn with the yoke while using the touchscreen to select forward/reverse...

If the proximity sensors or other sensors can detect things in the way, it's possible the auto-shift may work in this situation also.

 

[airborne spoon]

You people always crack me up with your nonsense.

You watched a video of what can only be described as the world's worst driver fumble around with the new wheel while trying to look as stupid as possible.

I'm glad the yoke is the standard because the top portion of the wheel is completely useless anyway. And if you are crossing your arms over each other while trying to drive maybe you're just an idiot

 

[Ofarlig]

Gonna be interesting testing the yoke out when it comes over to Europe actually, I think it is just a muscle memory thing, you have to relearn some stuff. I think the indicators will be the thing that might get annoying since they are on the wheel, always thought Ferrari was crazy for doing that. I’ll appreciate not having to hunch down to see the entire instrument cluster though…

 

[whitex]

But again it comes back to the question, why? What was Tesla actually trying to achieve by going this path?

The answer seems obvious to me:

1. Hype - lots of other car companies used a yoke for concept cars, it looks futuristic. Tesla is all about hype, so this serves the purpose well.
2. Cost reduction - replacing all physical controls with capacitive touch saves money per car. Considering Tesla is still losing money on every car, it's may seem logical to try to save on production costs. IMHO the actual cuprite is required service, but perhaps Elon has better data, maybe it is production parts cost that is causing them to lose money.

 

[whitex]

then don't buy one.

Bingo. I'm on a wait list for $160K Audi which is slower than plaid, but I just cannot bring myself to order a car with the yoke.

Full disclosure, being a Tesla customer since 2013 and experiencing the sleazy marketing (700hp P85D which will find me anywhere on private property, yea right ) and parts&service degradation (your less than a year old $100K car screen going yellow is your own fault for exposing it to oxygen ), I was already not that inclined to buy another Tesla, but considered leasing a Plaid while waiting for the competition to catch up. The yoke killed that idea completely. I am still willing test drive it to make sure, but also willing to bet I won't like it.

 

[mark95476]

The usual anonymous nicks spouting off in this thread were never interested in a Tesla or S Plaid anyhow.

then don't buy one.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Must be fun doing a multipoint turn with the yoke while using the touchscreen to select forward/reverse...

Good point. Any edge case where the driver needs to turn and change gears will be interesting. The benefit of stalks is one can keep their eyes on the road and surroundings, without reaching over to a screen (and probably glancing at it). I've also experienced a few cases in back to back parking lots, where I had to rapidly shift from reverse back to drive, to avoid someone backing into me who wasn't paying attention. Response time of getting to the screen and switching gears will likely be affected.