Tesla famously shirks conventional automotive thinking. Well, not totally, but at least in the way that it doesn’t do yearly model overhauls, it’s unique. To that end, new updates pop up somewhat randomly and a few improvements were just seen in a showroom.
To make things clearer, without yearly model updates, it’s not unusual for two Teslas from the same year to end up with different features. The photos and videos below show what the latest version of the Model S will ship with.
First and foremost, the steering yoke is now just an option. The steering wheel is now the standard way to pilot the flagship sedan and the photos below show what it looks like from the driver’s seat. Forward visibility into the gauge cluster doesn’t look constrained to us and the flattish bottom looks a bit lower than one would get on the yoke. There’s no word on whether or not there’s a honk mechanism under the airbag but it does seem to have more travel than the version on the yoke.
More: Tesla Slashes Model S And X Prices By Up To $10,000 Or 9% In The U.S.
According to The Kilowatts account that spotted the updated Model S, it’s also equipped with Tesla’s HW4 or Hardware 4 package. What all it includes we don’t know because Tesla hasn’t spilled the details on it and doesn’t have a PR team that we can ask. What we do know is that it has updated cameras that should improve Sentry Mode, and dashcam features, and could positively impact Autopilot too.
In addition, Tesla has changed the way that customers access the rear restraint mounts for child-safety seats. In older models, the flap hiding those mounts simply lifts up. In the new model, it actually slides back towards the trunk and goes completely out of the way. That should simplify the process by requiring no extra hand to hold the flap out of the way while the mounts are connected to the seat.
The Kilowatts account also wondered if perhaps the frunk is different or perhaps even smaller. It’s tough to tell from the photos but clearly, it’s nowhere near as large as it was when the Model S first debuted. We hope to hear what the official updates are in the future but we’re not holding our breath.