Tesla is already well known for its minimalist interior design. Take for example the cabins of the Model S and Model X, which have long been largely devoid of physical buttons and switches. Then there's the smaller Model Y and Model 3, which funnel most of their vehicle functions into one large touchscreen. For the newly refreshed Model 3, Tesla has taken things a step further, blending that single-screen ethos with a stalkless steering column and newly designed wheel.
The Model 3 continues to offer an expansive view forward, with a low cowl and a sweeping, almost flat dashboard, interrupted only by that tablet-like central touchscreen. There is no gauge cluster, nor are there any physical switches anywhere on the dashboard to either side of the wheel. The steering column itself carries no buttons for its adjustment; changes to its height and extension are handled via the touchscreen.
It's an already unconventional approach that now delivers an even more unconventional experience: a steering wheel that hovers in front of the driver without the usual visual cues surrounding it. As it's done with the Model S and X, Tesla has disappeared the old 3's two remaining links to conventional thinking—the turn signal stalk to the left of the wheel, and the Mercedes-like electronic shift wand on the right. So, what's it like to use the 3's new Tesla steering wheel that seems to float in space?
Everyone who's ever driven a car is familiar with signal stalks. You swat down for a left turn, up for a right, and in most cars, you pull back on it to flash or otherwise activate your high beams. With that stalk gone, those controls move to the Model 3 Highland's new steering wheel. Arranged in the same order as a traditional turn signal stalk's motions are two buttons—the left signal is activated by pressing the lower button on the lefthand steering wheel spoke, the right signal by the upper button on the same spoke.
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.
As for the high-beams, those can be flashed via a third button on the left steering wheel spoke; deeper headlight controls (such as high-beams, parking lights, etc.) once again live in the central touchscreen, though they carry more prominent billing in the upper left corner, above a rendered Model 3. Keep in mind that the 3 has automatic headlights and auto high-beam control, which is what makes the single high-beam flash button on the steering wheel acceptable.
On the other side of the wheel, the space formerly occupied by the shift wand is also empty. The old wand worked like this: You'd press a button on the end of the stalk for park, pull the lever down for drive, and push it up for reverse. There was a semi-complicated (to the uninitiated) procedure for selecting neutral, which could bite folks who didn't practice before, say, entering an automatic carwash. Ask us how we know.
Those transmission controls have been scattered to several places. The primary alternative is the touchscreen, where an up/down slider button appears on the left edge of the display when you come to a stop. Press and slide the car in the direction for reverse to engage reverse and do the same in the opposite direction for drive; park is a button that lives above the slider, while neutral lives in the middle. Given the display's size, the onscreen controls are quite useful, barely a reach from the steering wheel, and they're a snap to use. Consider this a lateral—we liked the old stalk for its simplicity and tactility (you could use it without your hand leaving the steering wheel), but this setup is easy and cool, too.
Tesla offers two other options for transmission control: One is predictive, as introduced in the Tesla Model S and X, and the other is intended as a physical backup in case the screen goes kaput. The predictive bit is gimmicky and didn't work consistently for us, even if, like many Tesla features, it'll surely wow your friends. It's supposed to work like this: You get in the car, and when your butt hits the seat, the car is armed and ready to drive, at which point it predicts a direction—forward or backward—via the touchscreen, along with instructions to step on the accelerator pedal to confirm said direction. Step on it, and the car goes in that direction, no transmission slider press needed.
The car often flubbed this decision. For example, nosed into a curb in a perpendicular parking spot, it suggested driving forward. Other times, with something behind the car, it would try backing up. Several of our staffers, though, saw consistent success. You can turn this feature off if you don't see similar results or simply aren't fazed by, you know, physically manipulating the onscreen buttons. Or you can go with door number three: semi-hidden, touch-sensitive buttons on the overhead console. Above the rearview mirror, on the panel that also houses the emergency flasher button, "PRND" buttons will glow to life if you press it, though you can almost make out each letter without the backlighting. Again, Tesla says this backup—like the buttons "hidden" below the Model S's touchscreen—is intended for use if there's an issue with the central display. Some of our staff preferred using these controls, however, and they're the closest thing (location aside) to conventional transmission controls
With no shift lever, which previously handled activation of Autopilot and Full Self Driving assists, how are both of those functions used now? Easy—by using the button on the right steering wheel spoke and the scroll wheel next to it. Previously, the scroll wheel handled speed adjustments after first activating adaptive cruise control (with one downward pull of the shift lever while in motion), Autopilot with autosteer, or (if equipped) Full Self Driving (FSD) via a double tap of the same lever. It still handles speed adjustments, but now activating adaptive cruise control is handled by a button to the scroll wheel's immediate left. Pressing the scroll wheel adjusts the following distance.
The wheel itself has been designed specifically for the Model 3. Detailing on the unit is sharper than before, and "TESLA" is now spelled out on the horn panel instead of the Tesla "T" logo. There is a more noticeable flat spot on the bottom of the rim, lending it a sportier, more overtly "D" shape, along with tasteful silver trim on the spokes.
Tesla still incorporates two scroll wheel controllers on it, one per side, which can also be clicked and tilted left and right; the left side functions can be customized, but our preferred baseline is using it for volume control (scrolling) and track selection (left-right). On the right spoke live yet more new buttons: the cruise control activation button, a highly useful shortcut to the exterior cameras (a boon when parking); a wiper button; and voice assistant button. For almost all of these—scroll wheels aside—you previously needed to jump into the touchscreen to handle the same tasks.
Overall, the stripping of the steering column's stalks and the addition of buttons to the wheel itself is successful here. On paper it certainly reads like one of Tesla's oddball decisions, made more to look cool or futuristic than for any plausible, business-forward reason, but the new setup really works well and is natural to get the hang of. And, yes, there's a good reason why Tesla keeps rethinking different vehicle controls (the silly steering yoke on the Model S and Model X notwithstanding): It saves money. Yes, those two fewer stalks probably save Tesla a few bucks per car.
That the company can pass off such cold financial motives as innovative and interesting while also adding improvements such as the on-wheel shortcuts to key functions shows it can listen to customers and clutch fast to its techy, freewheeling image at the same time. After all, the only thing lamer than blatant cost-cutting? Appearing to go "corporate" by making mundane improvements to user interfaces. The Tesla Model 3's new steering wheel steers around that conundrum by being better and well executed—yet still unlike anything you'll find in other cars.
