The Tesla Model S has been a revolutionary vehicle. We here at the Clutch like to talk trash about Telsa from time to time, but that’s more a response to their CEO’s often head-ass takes. The vehicles themselves, when judged in a vacuum, are pretty impressive. In fact, they’re probably the most impressive cars to ever be built with parts from Home Depot.
While the Roadster was the first real offering from the Palo Alto company, it was more proof-of-concept than a legitimate production vehicle. It wasn’t until the Model S sedan was released that electric vehicles really hit the cultural zeitgeist. With the looks of a modern car, it offered a reasonable driving range and was completely electric. It also rendered the ICE obsolete thanks to the benefits of an electric motor’s ability to offer 100% torque at zero RPMs.
The company has been slowly rolling out the rest of its lineup in the following years. First came the questionably-designed Model X, the smaller Model 3, and, most recently, the Model Y CUV. (Note that, when taken together, the lineup spells S3XY, cause Elon Musk is nothing if not the world’s edgiest thirteen-year-old.)
The Tesla Model S Will Now Catch Up With the Models 3 & Y
The Tesla Model S has received incremental updates in that time, yet’s grown a little long in the tooth. Now, however, it’ll finally get a refresh to bring it up to date. This is reflected in the inclusion of features already found on both the Model 3 and Model Y. Key among these are a heat pump, a horizontal screen, and the ability to use your phone as a smart key.
More interesting (and, perhaps, ill-advised) are a couple of other new features. The history of automobile design and engineering has continued to rely on a circular steering wheel. Some companies will switch to flat-bottom wheels for their sportier products, but otherwise, road-going vehicles have relied on conventional, round wheels. Tesla, (again, run by an edgelord man-child) have swapped that out for an F1 inspired alternative.
Predicated on the idea of if-it-looks-cool-do-it, the half-square wheel is designed more for promo photos than such passe activities like three-point turns and parking lot navigation. It offers little space for drivers to actually grip, and will likely be a huge pain-in-the-ass for real-world driving (that’s if it makes it to production.)
Even more bizarre is the removal of the turning signal stalk. While the ability to indicate turns is a vastly important if under-utilized, feature, Tesla has done away with it. Instead, the car will use its bevy of sensors and cameras to try and guess (that’s using their own words. Musk literally said the car would “guess” the driver’s motives) which way to signal.
Sure. Why not. I mean, there are a million reasons why not, but c’est la vie.