Because we are naught but a humble import car blog, you would have to wonder why we even write about the latest and “greatest” things going on at Tesla. (Yes, we use those quotes to indicate sarcasm.) Well, as we know that Tesla has the market cornered for electric vehicles, it is easy to see that where Tesla goes, the EV community likes to follow (at a slight distance, and slightly to the side, of course, to avoid their lawyers). So with the unveiling of the 2022 Model S Plaid, we were both interested and alarmed to see that there was a definite difference in the cockpit. This difference should be immediately obvious even to those poorly versed in all of the inside bits of a car. Instead of a steering wheel, which with few exceptions has mostly been just that, a circular wheel that steers your car, we see something somewhat unusual.
Different How? What Tesla Gimmick Has So Warped This Wheel?
There have been additions of various helpful items to steering wheels over the years, including airbags, cruise control buttons, and radio controls. What MotorTrend details for the new Tesla, however, is less a circular wheel, and more of a yoke, like on an aircraft, with nothing along the top to grab. A yoke that includes things like your turn signal buttons, windshield wipers, and access to the Tesla version of Siri, with dual scroll wheels to customize your selections. With everything wrapped up in touchscreen options and the infotainment system, it is less a driving experience and more like using your smartphone. But these are all things that have becoming increasingly common in higher-end vehicles. No more buttons and knobs to adjust your cabin temperature, its time for touchscreens. The problem aren’t the addition of these gadgets, but the subtraction of the top quadrant of the steering wheel.
It Still Looks Cool No Matter What You Say, So How Is It To Drive?
This is where the real sticking point is; it kinds stinks. It’s fine for when you are out on the highway or winding back roads, but any sort of city driving involving fine maneuvering or parallel parking ends up being kind of a nightmare. MotorTrend has helpfully provided a video of the author of the piece swearing while trying to maneuver the car into position for a photoshoot, and clearly trying to grab the top part of the wheel that doesn’t actually exist—because it is a yoke. He also admits that while getting used to not having the top part of the steering wheel when he test drove the car for a week that he “almost ran into a stationary object” because he grabbed for that part of the wheel that simply doesn’t exist.
We’re clearly not impressed with the idea of a yoke on a car because unlike on an airplane (where yokes are normally used) the car can go in more directions than just forward. It seems like an unnecessary gimmick that will cause accidents. It does, however, seem like the way Tesla is moving forward in the future, with the yoke being featured on their Roadster and the visual monstrosity that is the Cybertruck. This is the part of the piece where we beg the other EV manufacturers to pass this “innovation” up. Steering wheels are round for a reason, and we would prefer if you kept them that way. Please.
