The yoke steering is not the only option anymore for the Model S and X.
Customers that want to go back to a round steering wheel can ask Tesla to retrofit.
Tesla is listening to its customers.
Tesla has proven many times: it doesn’t do things the way other car manufacturers do. When the Model S and Model X were renewed last year (for the 2022 model year), both vehicles landed on our roads with the famous “yoke” steering wheel.
However, it seems that the brand’s direction has decided to revise their decision to offer only the half-moon steering wheel. Yes indeed, a conventional steering wheel is once again available to consumers, at no additional cost. However, it should be mentioned that unlike the previous versions of both vehicles, the new versions leave the factory without the old transmission lever, which has been moved to the central touch screen.
According to the engadget.com website via a post from Youtuber Marques Brownlee, Tesla is also offering consumers who want to go back to a conventional steering wheel the option of doing so for a fee of $700 (US). Installation is included in the price.
Admittedly, the yoke steering wheel option is far from being unanimously supported by Tesla fans. The steering wheel is considered dangerous in certain situations (such as parking maneuvers, for example), and is also difficult to handle with one hand, according to comments all over the web.
The other detail that seems to have annoyed the brand’s regulars is the absence of the gearshift lever, Tesla having preferred to integrate new touch-sensitive buttons on the central screen of the dashboard, a solution that does not please everyone.
This change of direction by Tesla shows that competition is becoming increasingly fierce in the purely electric segment. The brand’s decision makers will have to be more responsive to the demands of their loyal customers. And this new steering wheel option – which is still available in the brand’s other vehicles, by the way – is proof of that.
