Tesla is always a fan of removing excess parts, and often, that also means simplifying information. In this case, they’ve applied the less-is-more principle on the Suspension menu in the 2026 Model S and Model X.
For years, enthusiasts have loved the detailed, data-rich look into the inner workings of the vehicle’s adaptive suspension, complete with real-time monitoring, feedback, and granular controls.
Now, with software changes on the refreshed Model S and X, Tesla has completely overhauled this interface, trading data-rich menus for simplicity with the new Dynamics tab, taking a page from the Cybertruck.
This change follows Tesla’s shift in their user interface philosophy: ease of use and intelligent presets are better than manual, deep-level adjustments.
The Old Suspension Tab
2025 and older Model S and Model X vehicles have a Suspension tab that presented drivers with detailed information about their suspension and offered granular options.
The centerpiece was a live diagram of the vehicle, visualizing how the air suspension was behaving at all four corners.
Tech-savvy owners loved this interface for its transparency and control. It offered real-time data on wheel readouts, including compression and rebound data, body acceleration, and ride height measured down to the millimeter.
It also offered more precise sliders for ride comfort and handling, enabling fine-tuning of the car’s ride style from soft to firm, and comfort to sport. Alongside that, a multi-step slider provided distinct levels for ride height, including Low, Standard, High, and Very High.
This older interface empowered drivers to tinker and tailor the suspension feel to their exact preference, and rewarded those who took the time to understand its intricacies. While power users likely enjoyed the granular controls, most owners likely found it overwhelming.
Riding into the Dynamics Tab
In 2026 vehicles, the dedicated Suspension tab is gone. In its place is a simplified Dynamics tab, which groups all settings related to the car’s driving feel into a single, streamlined location. The new interface does away with the data-heavy display in favor of clean and simple options. It consolidates acceleration modes, steering weight, and ride-and-handling presets.
The primary ride height control has been moved to the Controls tab, while users can toggle between Lower and Higher preferred heights on the Dynamics tab, allowing the vehicle to manage the specific heights.
The Drive Mode presets, including Comfort, Standard, and Insane/Plaid, change the settings underneath as a bundle, enabling easy and simple choices for users, while Custom offers some of the old functionality, without the additional level of detail.
A Focus on Simplicity
Tesla’s decision to simplify these menus stems from a clear philosophy of reducing user input and trusting the vehicle’s automated systems to do the brunt of the decision-making. The streamlined Dynamics menu is far less intimidating to new users and significantly faster to use. You can change the personality and style of the car with a single tap, rather than needing to adjust multiple sliders.
As Tesla’s adaptive suspension has matured, the system has become far better at interpreting road conditions and driver inputs. The three presets are now so well tuned that Tesla likely feels they cover the vast majority of driving scenarios, making fine-tuning redundant for most users.
While some long-time enthusiasts will mourn the loss of the vehicle display, the data, and the granular controls, this evolution is a sign of Tesla’s focus on the mainstream user. Many of those functions are still available in Track Mode V3.
Does Not Apply to Older Models
A lot of owners are understandably unhappy when Tesla removes features they once had. While Tesla could have provided these software changes to all vehicles, it is only applying them to new, 2026 models, making sure that existing vehicles are unaffected by the simplified menus.
This is an approach Tesla has taken for several years. If Tesla wants to simplify options or make major changes, they’ll only apply them to newer vehicles. An example is removing the option for Low regen, which reduces vehicle efficiency. While newer vehicles don’t offer the option, older vehicles can still choose between Low and Standard regenerative braking.
In Tesla’s view, the ultimate luxury isn’t infinite control or fine-tuning knobs or dials - it’s not having to think about any of it at all.
