In January this year, Tesla announced that it would reinvent the steering wheel. The steering wheel was changed from the previous round to a flat-bottomed rectangular steering wheel, which Tesla called yoke steering, and both Model S and Model X would be introduced. Now that the new version of the car is on the road, and the new steering wheel has been unveiled, what exactly is it?
In July, the reviewer Marques Brownlee released a video introducing the steering wheel of the new Model S Plaid. The new steering wheel seems to be completely contrary to driving. It can only be held in one place during operation, which is sometimes inconvenient, such as parallel parking. If you want to put a hand above the steering wheel or want to change your posture, sorry, can’t do it. Marques Brownlee believes that the above shortcomings are not a big problem, and you can adapt to the habits. The real problem lies in the buttons on the steering wheel.
After the introduction of the new steering wheel, many basic features operated with traditional buttons must be controlled by touch-sensitive buttons, such as turn signals, headlights, and wipers. After Marques Brownlee drove a car for hundreds of miles, it was still easy to accidentally press the button when turning.
Another thing that makes Marques Brownlee dissatisfied is the location of the horn control button. In traditional cars, the buttons are placed in the center of the steering wheel, and the Tesla horn is controlled by touch buttons on the steering wheel. The driver has developed muscle memory, and the old-fashioned horn control method is very good, so you can just shoot when you are in danger. When it comes to Tesla, it is really complicated to use small touch-sensitive buttons to control it.
Is there no advantage to the new steering wheel? Of course, there are. Marques Brownlee said that sitting on the new steering wheel has better vision, and the new design looks very futuristic and cool. Nevertheless, compared to touch-sensitive buttons, traditional buttons may be more practical.
