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

[P100D_Me]

Cost reduction - replacing all physical controls with capacitive touch saves money per car.

Well they haven't found that balance very well. The rear screen is unnecessary (but I am sure costly) and these days is hardly a 'hype' item (note, it'll probably turn yellow from the sun through the rear window anyway).
If only Tesla cared about the opinions of those outside the internal 'yes men' group, I am sure a quick poll would have shown customers prefer a full 360 surround parking camera set up (like nearly every new car seems to have these days) to a rear screen that will entertain the kids while they sit in the back looking at their iDevices.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Well they haven't found that balance very well. The rear screen is unnecessary (but I am sure costly) and these days is hardly a 'hype' item (note, it'll probably turn yellow from the sun through the rear window anyway).
If only Tesla cared about the opinions of those outside the internal 'yes men' group, I am sure a quick poll would have shown customers prefer a full 360 surround parking camera set up (like nearly every new car seems to have these days) to a rear screen that will entertain the kids while they sit in the back looking at their iDevices.

Here's an article on Tesla market research (namely they no longer do any, other than Elon asking on twitter):
Does Tesla's Elon Musk Need Market Research?

As for what people would prefer, I doubt you can do a statistically useful poll that necessarily reflects what feature would really sell the car (and targeting the appropriate group also; the Model S isn't a general market car). The article touched on it, but typical market research would typically converge on existing features most people already are used to, and may be a barrier to innovation.

For example, I remember in articles in the past (and it still remains quite true today) that when there were discussions about touch screens in cars, a vast majority of people preferred physical buttons. If market research was the primary driver of car features for Tesla, we may have never seen the large touch screen interfaces we are used to in Teslas today (which other players in the industry quickly copied). Same thing with the ventless HVAC, no one asked for that, but now that Tesla has it, we are seeing others follow suit (Porsche being the first example).

When people talk about cool features in the Plaid, one of the features brought up was the ventless AC for the rear, which the rear touchscreen facilitates control of (and rear passengers can also finally control their own heated seats). Something like 360 parking, while perhaps more practical, is just a feature many cars already have and would not be a unique selling point for the car.

 

[whitex]

Well they haven't found that balance very well. The rear screen is unnecessary (but I am sure costly) and these days is hardly a 'hype' item (note, it'll probably turn yellow from the sun through the rear window anyway).

A "me too" feature is needed for hype. The rear screen is to provide controls for rear passengers. So many reviews comparing against other luxury sedans pointed out how the rear had no controls for their HVAC or seat warmers. They tried with phone app control, but who wants to give all their passengers their Tesla password to control audio or seat heaters, or hand them their personal phone for the duration of the ride.

 

[David_Cary]

On the "getting used to things" argument. I have 93k miles and 6 years on my S.
The HVAC controls are reasonable but buttons would still be better. The rear seat heaters on our 3 is even worse.
And a comparable, although wickedly cheaper "feature" was the doors on an X. We never got an X because of them and I am pretty sure that lots of people share that view. Most people of a certain income level don't want to stand out. And getting an EV is already a big change, and they aren't ready to pay down cold hard cash for too many changes.
Count me in the - so annoyed at Tesla that I probably wasn't going to give them anymore of my money and the yoke just sealed the deal.

 

[2101Guy]

"...routine maneuvers quickly become a chore. Parallel parking, for instance, is made needlessly difficult as you're forced to keep a hand on the yoke's grip while pivoting unnaturally backward to look out the rear glass. Three-point turns (or more, God forbid) are even worse, as you're left juggling a rectangle in one hand while swiping the virtual transmission shifter back and forth into gear on the center infotainment screen. We can't imagine how miserable Tesla Cybertruck owners will be reversing a trailer if it comes with a yoke, as seen in the early prototypes."

"We went into our steering yoke experience with an open mind, but the more time we spent with the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid, the less we liked it. Tesla may be able to get away with the whimsy of a yoke in a sports car like the long-delayed Tesla Roadster—the type of vehicle whose owners perhaps drive only occasionally as a weekend toy—but in a daily driver like the Model S, it's pointlessly annoying. The Model S Plaid's steering ratio simply isn't quick enough to make low-speed maneuvers anything less than a burden. A variable power-steering ratio could help, but it would be a band aid with added cost and complexity simply to solve a problem no one has had before.
And before you ask, Tesla says it has no plans at this time to offer a traditional steering wheel on the new 2022 Model S, Plaid or not."

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Steering Yoke Review: So, Is It Good or a Gimmick?

Is Tesla's unconventional new steering yoke the way forward or a step backward?

www.motortrend.com

 

[mark95476]

Autopark has been available for years.

Tesla isn't going to have a problem finding customers for the new S and X or CT.

"...routine maneuvers quickly become a chore. Parallel parking, for instance, is made needlessly difficult as you're forced to keep a hand on the yoke's grip while pivoting unnaturally backward to look out the rear glass. Three-point turns (or more, God forbid) are even worse, as you're left juggling a rectangle in one hand while swiping the virtual transmission shifter back and forth into gear on the center infotainment screen. We can't imagine how miserable Tesla Cybertruck owners will be reversing a trailer if it comes with a yoke, as seen in the early prototypes."

"We went into our steering yoke experience with an open mind, but the more time we spent with the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid, the less we liked it. Tesla may be able to get away with the whimsy of a yoke in a sports car like the long-delayed Tesla Roadster—the type of vehicle whose owners perhaps drive only occasionally as a weekend toy—but in a daily driver like the Model S, it's pointlessly annoying. The Model S Plaid's steering ratio simply isn't quick enough to make low-speed maneuvers anything less than a burden. A variable power-steering ratio could help, but it would be a band aid with added cost and complexity simply to solve a problem no one has had before.
And before you ask, Tesla says it has no plans at this time to offer a traditional steering wheel on the new 2022 Model S, Plaid or not."

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Steering Yoke Review: So, Is It Good or a Gimmick?

Is Tesla's unconventional new steering yoke the way forward or a step backward?

www.motortrend.com

 

[whitex]

Autopark has been available for years.

Tesla isn't going to have a problem finding customers for the new S and X or CT.

I think the EQS and F150 Lightening are going to give Tesla some stiff competition for the S and CT.

New S features vs. the competition

Lol and I agree 💯 😊. Tesla’s not for everyone 👍 I Lol and I agree 💯 😊. Tesla’s not for everyone 👍 wait, you DONT want the reach around function??? I…. I mean a friend of mine said he would most def pay for FSD if it included this… The Taycan definitely has better build quality an better...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[AMPd]

Well they haven't found that balance very well. The rear screen is unnecessary (but I am sure costly) and these days is hardly a 'hype' item (note, it'll probably turn yellow from the sun through the rear window anyway).
If only Tesla cared about the opinions of those outside the internal 'yes men' group, I am sure a quick poll would have shown customers prefer a full 360 surround parking camera set up (like nearly every new car seems to have these days) to a rear screen that will entertain the kids while they sit in the back looking at their iDevices.

Not if you don’t expose it to oxygen!

so just don’t expose it to oxygen and you’ll be fine

 

[aerodyne]

Knight Industries already tested the yoke on the Two Thousand and Three Thousand models for several years and their test driver, Michael, had only good things to say about it.

IIRC, Will Smith did drove pretty well with it in I, Robot.

 

[aerodyne]

The in car camera could detect improper yoke use technique, and bring up a Tesla Tutorial on YT...

Oh wait, they have made said vid yet. That is a fail, I'll admit

 

[2101Guy]

Autopark has been available for years.

Tesla isn't going to have a problem finding customers for the new S and X or CT.

Oh, auto park is great, assuming the "P" ever comes up when you actually need it to come up for parallell parking and assuming that it does not curb your rims when parallell parking.

Unless it uses some sort of different technology than Smart Summon uses that allows Smart Summon to have your car drive up and onto a curb when you are parked parallell to that curb when you yourself are on the other side of that curb when you initiate smart summon.

And also assuming AP will absolutely function better than Smart Summon was about to function here just a week or so ago on latest software:

Smart Summon: would have made it or body shop visit averted?

At local Sam’s. When I viewed the path, going into the pickup lane wasn’t shown as the path it would take. But obviously that was the path it chose. (This time). I’ve successfully used smart Summon here before, having the car come from same parking spot each time but it has always gotten a...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[rohiggidy]

not a fan of the yoke

 

[mark95476]

Curbing a rim....

People in low slung sports cars have been doing much, much worse for decades trying to park with their steering wheels. Crunching a skirt or nose is all too common. I'd take a scratched up rim any day over any of the really expensive alternatives.

Oh, auto park is great, assuming the "P" ever comes up when you actually need it to come up for parallell parking and assuming that it does not curb your rims when parallell parking.

Unless it uses some sort of different technology than Smart Summon uses that allows Smart Summon to have your car drive up and onto a curb when you are parked parallell to that curb when you yourself are on the other side of that curb when you initiate smart summon.

And also assuming AP will absolutely function better than Smart Summon was about to function here just a week or so ago on latest software:

Smart Summon: would have made it or body shop visit averted?

At local Sam’s. When I viewed the path, going into the pickup lane wasn’t shown as the path it would take. But obviously that was the path it chose. (This time). I’ve successfully used smart Summon here before, having the car come from same parking spot each time but it has always gotten a...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[David29]

Cross post:

It seems the yoke is required to turn way more than 90 degrees - so much for all the fanboys faith that it would be variable ratio and never turn more than 90 degrees - believing doesn't make it so folks. I wonder how well that works when Navigate On AutoPilot turns it >90 degrees and the user has to emergency take over. The video clearly shows the confusing nature of the directional signals when the driver confuses the signals at ~4:45, and that's while all is calm, vs. changing lanes on a busy highway where taking eyes off the road to peck at tiny touch buttons doesn't seem like a good interface design. Of course good luck finding the horn button in an emergency.

Bottom line, it seems to be designed by video game designers, not automotive UI designers. It explains all the buttons as far away from the driver's line of sight as possible. The only thing that's missing is your health and number of lives left.

Although I admit I have not yet driven a car with a yoke, and I acknowledge that I have read that some of the videos by early owners show them getting acclimated, my big concern remains the unexpected moment, the emergency situation when you do not have time to think -- that will be the acid test and probably when you will rely on muscle memory.
I do not doubt that owners will be able -- over time -- to adapt to these changes and become reliable users, there is the unfamiliar driver -- the parking attendant or valet who does not know where the controls are or how they work and mistakenly drives in the wrong direction, and so on. Some of these changes (especially the stalk removal) are so drastic that there will certainly be accidents among the new/unfamiliar/infrequent drivers, or among those who have not yet developed new muscle memory and make an error....

 

[stopcrazypp]

Oh, auto park is great, assuming the "P" ever comes up when you actually need it to come up for parallell parking and assuming that it does not curb your rims when parallell parking.

I have tried the parallel autopark extensively when I had my FSD trial and it leaves a fairly decent big margin, so the risk of curbing wheels is quite low. There have been reported instances however of it bumping other cars, so you still need to keep a good eye on it.