The new Tesla Model S refresh and its yoke steering wheel, in particular, have drawn mixed opinions, as the new design requires revamped muscle memory from those that have actually tried it.
Will Tesla offer a regular round steering wheel option for the Tesla Model S refresh? In a response to MKBHD’s review of the Model S Plaid, CEO Elon Musk responded to the question on Twitter with a succinct answer of “no”.
No
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2021
The Model S refresh does not include any stalks for turn signals and other controls, instead there are capacitive buttons on the yoke steering wheel itself. MKBHD cited in his review of the Model S Plaid of how easy it was to accidentally press one of the buttons on the yoke steering wheel.
Nevertheless, Tesla’s forward-thinking design choices for its vehicles, in particular the Model S Plaid are bold choices that regular drivers may need some time to get used to. With just one steering wheel to manufacture instead of two, it should allow Tesla to churn out more Model S and Model X vehicles faster.
But really, when Full Self-Driving eventually comes (keyword: eventually), who needs to touch buttons on the steering wheel anyway?
