Tesla Turn signal stalks deleted

[JeffKeryk]

Buttons on the wheel are not a great idea IMHO.

Signal levers are universal. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to activate them - even if you jump in someone elses vehicle. Now, I jump in a Tesla, I know there there, but I am fumbling around trying to find them.

In engineering we call this a solution in search of a problem. The old way works fine.

For many people, I agree. Yet when I get in our Lexi or TSX I find the dash cluttered and unnecessarily confusing.
You don't have to take your eyes off the road to set the blinker, not even off the wheel. Now many adjustments in our other cars force you to take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to search for and do simple things. The fan speed is the worst...

That's my experience.

 

[SC Maintenance]

For many people, I agree. Yet when I get in our Lexi or TSX I find the dash cluttered and unnecessarily confusing.
You don't have to take your eyes off the road to set the blinker, not even off the wheel. Now many adjustments in our other cars force you to take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to search for and do simple things. The fan speed is the worst...

That's my experience.

I agree, but the signal is a safety device, compared to a fan or radio.

But who are we kidding, everyone is texting all the time anyway so it doesn't much matter. The best solution would be to cast the turn signal to the drivers phone.

 

[ecotourist]

I could probably get used to having turn signals and wiper controls on the steering wheel but why would I want to do that. For me this may be a deal breaker. I can only hope that Tesla comes to its senses and at least offers the option of the old style stalks before I need a new Tesla.

Basic automobile controls should be universal. A new idea is not necessarily a good idea. Sure I could probably steer with foot steering controls, a lever between my knees, or by looking hard to the left or right, but why would I want to do that.

 

[djb]

I could probably get used to having turn signals and wiper controls on the steering wheel but why would I want to do that. For me this may be a deal breaker. I can only hope that Tesla comes to its senses and at least offers the option of the old style stalks before I need a new Tesla.

Basic automobile controls should be universal. A new idea is not necessarily a good idea. Sure I could probably steer with foot steering controls, a lever between my knees, or by looking hard to the left or right, but why would I want to do that.

I do agree that automobile controls should be standardized and placed consistently. But historically that hasn't been the case.

The starter on many early electric start vehicles was activated by a foot pedal. Its mechanical movement acted directly to close the starter contacts and engage the starter gear, the same actions now done by the starter solenoid.

The high beam switch was similarly a foot control, both for convenience and to keep the high current circuit on the other side of the firewall.

Wipers have been notorious for being in mysterious locations. Except for the ones with obvious handles on the inside, where the driver needed a fourth hand in the rain. Vacuum operated wipers would confound most people. Automatic rain-sensing wipers were around in the 1950s and 1960, with obscure controls.

Gear shift controls have been all over, along with parking and emergency brake controls,

I'm very hesitant about losing the multi-function stalk. I think it's excellent place to put turn signals. But gear shift control... that could be an innovation. The next time you drive, count how many times it should be obvious if you want to move forward or reverse. If you don't parallel park, it might be almost always clear which direction you want to move. "Do I want to drive through that wall, or back onto the street?" The primary concern is accidental pedal presses as people are settling into position after closing their door, and that is addressed with requiring an initial selection.

 

[Torrid]

I do things with different nonexistent items switching from car to car. Like trying to pull on a brake release pull handle or stepping down on the pedal with the car with the brake release handle. Or trying to change to drive with the right stalk when it's down center. These things happen and we adjust.

Oh yeah, I went through this yesterday with the mirror heaters. I rarely need to use them, but this wet heavy snow kept gumming them up at low speed. I went to reach for it on the door where it is in my GTI. Nothing. I start using the search on the menu in the Tesla and can't find anything about heated mirrors. I assumed it just didn't have them.

I find out later as I'm searching the internet that they activate automatically when the rear defroster is enabled. I would have never figured that out on my own, but now I'll never forget it. Would have been nice to get that quick blurb when I used the search feature in the car.

 

[Torrid]

I do agree that automobile controls should be standardized and placed consistently. But historically that hasn't been the case.

The starter on many early electric start vehicles was activated by a foot pedal. Its mechanical movement acted directly to close the starter contacts and engage the starter gear, the same actions now done by the starter solenoid.

The high beam switch was similarly a foot control, both for convenience and to keep the high current circuit on the other side of the firewall.

Wipers have been notorious for being in mysterious locations. Except for the ones with obvious handles on the inside, where the driver needed a fourth hand in the rain. Vacuum operated wipers would confound most people. Automatic rain-sensing wipers were around in the 1950s and 1960, with obscure controls.

Gear shift controls have been all over, along with parking and emergency brake controls,

I'm very hesitant about losing the multi-function stalk. I think it's excellent place to put turn signals. But gear shift control... that could be an innovation. The next time you drive, count how many times it should be obvious if you want to move forward or reverse. If you don't parallel park, it might be almost always clear which direction you want to move. "Do I want to drive through that wall, or back onto the street?" The primary concern is accidental pedal presses as people are settling into position after closing their door, and that is addressed with requiring an initial selection.

It's getting much worse now since tech has changed so much and it's no longer a button needed for each function. I get not being hindered by tradition so much to not make improvements, but at what point is it no longer an improvement?

 

[JHZR2]

For many people, I agree. Yet when I get in our Lexi or TSX I find the dash cluttered and unnecessarily confusing.
You don't have to take your eyes off the road to set the blinker, not even off the wheel. Now many adjustments in our other cars force you to take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to search for and do simple things. The fan speed is the worst...

That's my experience.

I never found the Tesla intuitive. And I’m a heavy tech user. I’ve recently rented a BMW x5 twice, and it’s even worse.

Even if the buttons and switches make it look complex, they are all there right away to execute a function. Not deeply nested and hard to find functions.

We’re not talking this.

 

[Torrid]

I never found the Tesla intuitive. And I’m a heavy tech user. I’ve recently rented a BMW x5 twice, and it’s even worse.

Even if the buttons and switches make it look complex, they are all there right away to execute a function. Not deeply nested and hard to find functions.

We’re not talking this.


View attachment 212236

That's it though. Controls that make sense. Most of us have been driving long enough that it is second nature. Completely changing the process of driving will take some adjustment. Its doable, but Im still resistent to it.

 

[JHZR2]

That's it though. Controls that make sense. Most of us have been driving long enough that it is second nature. Completely changing the process of driving will take some adjustment. Its doable, but Im still resistent to it.

Doable versus prudent are two different things.

 

[DwightFrye]

If the buttons on the Tesla wheel are symetrical, won't you have to remember that to signal a right turn if you already have turned the wheel 180 degrees that you have to push the button on the left side ? If that is the case, the design is brainless.

On both my Mazda and Jaguar there are controls for commonly used functions like the sound system volume and station selector on the wheel. I have found out more than once that instead of adjusting the volume I am hitting the cruise control speed up/down button (which thankfully the cruise control has not been activated) when I had the wheel turned.

A conventional turn signal stalk eliminates the issue with the buttons not having the functions you think they do by muscle memory and touch when the wheel is rotated.

I have said this before but I suspect Tesla's designers are more concerned with being different and trying unusual designs which is laudable in some ways but laughable in others. Some things that are tried and true are best left alone.

 

[y_p_w]

If the buttons on the Tesla wheel are symetrical, won't you have to remember that to signal a right turn if you already have turned the wheel 180 degrees that you have to push the button on the left side ? If that is the case, the design is brainless.

On both my Mazda and Jaguar there are controls for commonly used functions like the sound system volume and station selector on the wheel. I have found out more than once that instead of adjusting the volume I am hitting the cruise control speed up/down button (which thankfully the cruise control has not been activated) when I had the wheel turned.

A conventional turn signal stalk eliminates the issue with the buttons not having the functions you think they do by muscle memory and touch when the wheel is rotated.

I have said this before but I suspect Tesla's designers are more concerned with being different and trying unusual designs which is laudable in some ways but laughable in others. Some things that are tried and true are best left alone.

I would think the rationale is that most signaling occurs when the vehicle is going straight. The position is also on the left side when the steering wheel is neutral. Tesla isn’t unique in turn signaling on the steering wheel.

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/tesla-steering-wheel-model-3-review/

This arrangement seems odd at first, but we quickly got used to thumbing the buttons, which we've also become used to doing in exotics like Ferraris and Lamborghinis (both of which employ rocker switches for signaling). Tesla even molds in a gentle hump on the switch panel between the left and right signal buttons so you can feel your way to the correct one. A lighter tap calls up a three-blink-to-pass function, while a firmer press gets you a full signal beat that holds until after a turn, when it self-cancels.​

 

[Neniod]

Why are people buying when bmw exists...

 

[dumkid]

Where a/c knob

 

[OVERKILL]

For many people, I agree. Yet when I get in our Lexi or TSX I find the dash cluttered and unnecessarily confusing.
You don't have to take your eyes off the road to set the blinker, not even off the wheel. Now many adjustments in our other cars force you to take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to search for and do simple things. The fan speed is the worst...

That's my experience.

Who takes their eyes off the road to use the indicator with it on a stalk?

This move is pure idiocy. With the stalk, the indicator is always in the same location, while with the buttons, it's all over the bloody place depending on how the wheel is turned.

As somebody who has accidentally changed a song or adjusted the volume the wrong direction while trying to do so while turning, that's never happened with the indicator, because its location is stationary on the column, the function is always the same regardless of the orientation of the wheel.

This is a solution to a problem nobody had and arguably makes the operation far more error-prone. It's like making the trigger on a special brand of rifle a rotary knob with the safety integrated so you rotate one way for safe the other for fire, PURE GENIUS!

This is implemented not because knobs are better, but because the guy whose idea it was is himself in fact a knob. Then Hilda blows Bill's leg off because she thought she was setting the safety.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Who takes their eyes off the road to use the indicator with it on a stalk?

This move is pure idiocy. With the stalk, the indicator is always in the same location, while with the buttons, it's all over the bloody place depending on how the wheel is turned.

As somebody who has accidentally changed a song or adjusted the volume the wrong direction while trying to do so while turning, that's never happened with the indicator, because its location is stationary on the column, the function is always the same regardless of the orientation of the wheel.

This is a solution to a problem nobody had and arguably makes the operation far more error-prone. It's like making the trigger on a special brand of rifle a rotary knob with the safety integrated so you rotate one way for safe the other for fire, PURE GENIUS!

This is implemented not because knobs are better, but because the guy whose idea it was is himself in fact a knob. Then Hilda blows Bill's leg off because she thought she was setting the safety.

Mea culpa. My point was I find my other vehicles more complicated than the Model 3, in some ways at least. A turn stalk is not a problem, as you say. Other controls can be. Using a tablet interface can be dangerous, not only for the inexperienced but even for more seasoned owners like me. The Tesla interface can be maddening for new users; while some take to it pretty easily, others hate it.

Have you driven the car? The blinkers are not that hard. Is replacing the stalk with buttons a mistake? I could make that case because I know of many smart people who struggle with the different operation of the Model 3, as I've said. When I drove the Highland, I questioned the turn signal operation with the steering wheel 180* out, but I didn't test it.

These cars are not for everyone.

 

[y_p_w]

Mea culpa. My point was I find my other vehicles more complicated than the Model 3, in some ways at least. A turn stalk is not a problem, as you say. Other controls can be. Using a tablet interface can be dangerous, not only for the inexperienced but even for more seasoned owners like me. The Tesla interface can be maddening for new users; while some take to it pretty easily, others hate it.

Have you driven the car? The blinkers are not that hard. Is replacing the stalk with buttons a mistake? I could make that case because I know of many smart people who struggle with the different operation of the Model 3, as I've said. When I drove the Highland, I questioned the turn signal operation with the steering wheel 180* out, but I didn't test it.

These cars are not for everyone.

Sure. I'd love to drive a Ferrari and I'm not going to go crazy over the lack of a turn stalk. They opted for left right buttons on the opposite side of the steering wheel. The button locations should be intuitive.

Carbon fiber steering wheel

www.ferrari.com

 

[JeffKeryk]

@y_p_w I think I would be terrified to drive a Ferrari. I am more of a 49 Ford 3/4 ton with a load of brush kinda guy.
But I think a Model 3 Ludicrous is in my future, so there's that.

 

[OVERKILL]

Mea culpa. My point was I find my other vehicles more complicated than the Model 3, in some ways at least. A turn stalk is not a problem, as you say. Other controls can be. Using a tablet interface can be dangerous, not only for the inexperienced but even for more seasoned owners like me. The Tesla interface can be maddening for new users; while some take to it pretty easily, others hate it.

Have you driven the car? The blinkers are not that hard. Is replacing the stalk with buttons a mistake? I could make that case because I know of many smart people who struggle with the different operation of the Model 3, as I've said. When I drove the Highland, I questioned the turn signal operation with the steering wheel 180* out, but I didn't test it.

These cars are not for everyone.

I've only driven the non-Highland version, which has a traditional stalk.

I prefer a blend of physical controls and screens. My wife's RAM is better than my Jeep in this respect as it even has physical buttons for the seat and wheel heat (as well as those being available in the touch screen). Add a HUD and you are set.

 

[OVERKILL]

Sure. I'd love to drive a Ferrari and I'm not going to go crazy over the lack of a turn stalk. They opted for left right buttons on the opposite side of the steering wheel. The button locations should be intuitive.

Carbon fiber steering wheel

www.ferrari.com

Given the inherently limited audience of the Ferrari, that's not going to be much of a problem for the unwashed masses. The level of affluence necessary to experience this resigns it to statistical insignificance in terms of its impact on the driving experience at large.

The Model 3 on the other hand costs considerably less than my Jeep. Ergo, it's very much attainable for the folks that would drive into the car in front of them looking down at the wheel trying to find the indicator controls. I'm immediately reminded of the Cyber Truck that was lane changing to the left while it was signalling to the right, this is what this idiocy has wrought.

 

[I<3oil]

Your author claims that "it's moved to the touchscreen" which is false.

It's moved to the steering wheel. Took me about a minute to verify that. 1 and 2 in the picture below are the turn signals.

A modicum of fact-checking would have revealed this. Your author should be embarrassed.

Accepting what "journalists" state in "articles" is no longer a good idea, if, in fact, it ever was.

View attachment 212104

Jesus that’s a terrible design layout