Tesla’s yoke steering wheel on the Model S and Model X has been polarizing from the very beginning. Introduced in 2021 as part of a wider refresh, the controversial yoke was originally meant to be an option for those who wanted parking or three-point turns to be a more challenging procedure.
However, it instead became not only the standard wheel shape, but the only option altogether until Tesla finally offered a round wheel option after two years. Apparently, too many owners opted to replace their yokes with the $700 round steering wheel, as it’s currently out of stock after just a week according to Autoevolution. And if you check out the store for yourself, you’ll see that to be exactly the case.
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Unlike Lexus’ yoke in the RZ, which adjusts the steering ratio based on the vehicle’s speed, Tesla’s doesn’t, making it harder to maneuver in tight spaces since you have to do hand-over-hand on an open rectangle rather than a circle.
But despite the yoke’s controversy, there seemed to be a surprising amount of positive reception from Tesla owners themselves, with some even claiming it was even better than a traditional wheel. Perhaps it was a bit of confirmation bias, or maybe a very loud minority, but regardless, it seems the round steering wheel selling out paints a more truthful picture. Regardless, we do have to give credit to Tesla, who originally used the yoke as a selling point, then managed to cleverly capitalize on the damage control when people decided they weren’t having it.