I wouldn’t call myself a luddite, partially because I’ve found that calling myself in general rarely gets good results, but also because I’m not against technological progress, even in cars, despite what my current fleet of cars may seem to suggest. New technology in cars is great! Well, with one pretty big caveat: new technology is great if it does something that people actually want.
We’ve been seeing some pretty dramatic examples recently of car buyers making clear the fact that there’s plenty of advanced tech in cars and trucks that they just don’t give a duo of duces about, and carmakers like Volkswagen have taken steps to roll back some missteps like getting rid of buttons in favor of touchscreen controls, and hopefully every carmaker that put the glovebox opening control on a touchscreen will do a lot of soul-searching and significant acts of penance. And maybe cry a little.
But this is not to say that all applications of advanced tech in cars are bad! In fact, I asked you here today because I wanted us to take a moment to celebrate what I believe to be one of the best and yet somehow under-appreciated applications of modern automotive technology: the kick-to-open tailgate.
Yes, that’s right! I’m not talking about lane keeping or emergency automatic braking or Level 2 driver assist systems or any of that advanced, serious bullshit. I’m talking about one small feature that I think punches well above its weight when it comes to making lives just a bit easier in the context of using a car.
You know what I’m talking about here, right? It’s that feature that some cars – well, mostly SUVs and crossovers, I suppose – have where if you’re approaching the tailgate with your arms full, you can sort of just kick under the bumper and a sensor will detect your foot and then, as a reward, open the hatch, so you can dump in your armload of squirming ermine pups or cans of ham or whatever else you’ve loaded yourself up with.
Ford was the first to market with this technology, bringing it to market in 2011 on the Escape (or in Europe, the Kuga).
Here’s what Ford’s press release of the time had to say:
Ford this month is introducing its all-new Escape SUV featuring a segment-first hands-free power liftgate that opens with a simple kicking gesture under the rear bumper and without the need to fumble for a key.
The new Escape, which makes its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 16, will be the first SUV to use gesture-based technology – similar to that found in video games – to open the rear liftgate. A gentle kicking motion under the center of the rear bumper activates the system and raises the liftgate. The same kicking motion closes the liftgate as well.
“The hands-free power liftgate is yet another innovative Ford technology that makes customers’ lives easier,” said Jason Sprawka, Escape brand manager. “New Escape owners will be able to load their vehicle without ever having to set packages or gear down.”
For one of the few times in my career, something a PR person was quoted as saying in a press release doesn’t seem like completely delusional horseshit! In its own little way, this innovation does make some lives easier, in one very specific way!
I do have to note that this press photo is a little ridiculous, though. You need two hands for that one little box, ma’am? And your plan is to just stick it alone there in the back where it’ll slide around like a seal on ice? Just stick it in the seat next to you!
Another interesting Ford press release about kick-to-open states that the take rate for the feature on Kugas was fully half of the buyers, except for Dutch buyers, who picked it 94% of the time! Wow! Do Dutch people always have their hands full? Is this somehow related to tulips? Are their arms always packed full of tulips? Here’s the full breakdown for Europe, if you’re interested, which of course you are:
| Countries where more than 50% of Kuga SUVs are ordered with Hands-Free Tailgate | % |
| Netherlands | 94 |
| Portugal | 83 |
| Ireland | 77 |
| Norway | 70 |
| Romania | 67 |
| Denmark | 63 |
| Finland | 63 |
| Austria | 62 |
| Italy | 60 |
| Czech Republic | 57 |
| Germany | 57 |
| Poland | 53 |
| Belgium | 52 |
As someone who has at various times in the past handled ungainly objects that I desired to put inside a car, and had to do this with a child climbing on me simultaneously, I can absolutely say that being able to kick my foot around like I’m shaking off a determined squirrel under a car bumper and then having that tailgate open has genuinely made my life better, at least at those moments.
Sure, finding where to kick isn’t always the easiest, and I think the press release’s equating this tech with video game motion-sensor tech is a bit of a stretch, but overall, yes, I love being able to waggle a foot and have a door open.
In fact, I’d argue that this technology isn’t used enough; why is it pretty much just on SUVs and crossovers? This is as valuable on a car with a trunk, or, hell, even a frunk. Does the Ford F-150 Lightning’s huge frunk have a kick-to-open option? It doesn’t seem so, but it sure as hell should!
In fact, the kick-to-open feature may be the one thing that makes me think that proximity keys and power-opening trunks and hatches are actually okay, because I often think of them as sort of silly, despite their near-ubiquity. But you sort of need them for this to really work – the car has to unlock without any contact, and the hatch (or trunk lid) has to open on its own for this to make sense.
Well, now that I think about it, I suppose a version of this could have existed prior to all the electronic advances. You could use a nice strong spring to open the tailgate/hatch/trunk lid, and a mechanical foot-operated latch under the bumper. Also, I guess you’d probably have to give up being able to really lock it, though, as I can’t think of a way to get a key in there without using your hands.
Wait! A keyed shoe! Like this:
Of course, that requires special shoes, or at least something you’d have to strap onto a shoe, and that’s hardly ideal. I’d hope the toe-key would just be some sort of push-in kind of deal, and not require any twisting, too. The current implementation of kick-to-open is clearly the better way.
I’m feeling upbeat today. Instead of giving into the considerable joys of shitting upon something, I’m choosing to celebrate this little detail, this handy little innovation – not found on many cars, not just Fords – that makes life a little bit better. And even all the kicking around to find the sensor can be kind of fun.
I remember walking around the Detroit Auto Show with General Motors’ head of R&D and showing that off on the Ford Escape, which then lead to many discussions about why GM didn’t have something similar in-market…
That being said, having experienced it numerous times, I found it more annoying than helpful. And, although I’ve never tried it, I would imagine that someone in high heels trying to juggle a grocery bag while trying to find that perfect spot to kick would consider that a bit dangerous…
Now that I’ve figured out how to make it work consistently on my expedition, I love it. It would be nice if you could close it with the same motion, but oh well
I’d be 100% on board with this if the gate could still work as an ordinary manual gate. Powered gates really annoy me because of how slowly they open and close, and very often you find yourself with something that you might need to squeeze every so slightly to fit, but need to be able to feel the resistance to make sure you’re not squeezing too hard. Add to this their unreliability and expensiveness to repair (if you can even get the parts) and it’s a feature I’d spend more on not to get. There’s also the handful of times I’ve seen cars street parked overnight with their hatch open because the person hit the button, walked away with their stuff, and didn’t notice that 5 seconds later the gate “saw” or “felt” something in the way as it was trying to latch and opened itself back up.
I had one of the first F31s – a 330d xDrive MSport Touring to be precise, and spent £495 ordering this with the electric hatch function. We’d just had our first baby and I thought it would be useful with all the paraphernalia of parenthood. But it worked very inconsistently so I gave up on it very quickly and never missed it on subsequent cars. The hatch window that opens separately (which BMW have ditched in the latest Tourings) I miss every day though.
Power tailgates are great until they expensively break. And they will ALL expensively break eventually, it’s just a matter of time. I don’t find manually opening and closing a tailgate a hardship, and I have one wagon with the feature (Mercedes) and one without (BMW) currently. Actually, the one without is MORE convenient because on that one you can open just the glass separately from the rest if you only have a small package to put in..
-Luddite
I’ve had two cars with this feature and I can’t make it work. For my wife it works fine. Cars are sexist.
I had my Audi A5 for about a year before I realized it had this feature. I tried it once and didn’t have the technique right so assumed it wasn’t included in my trim. Then I actually read the manual and learned it needs to be a quick kick straight forward and I use it all the time now. Living where stores charge for disposable bags (is this commonplace everywhere now?), I’m always walking to my car with a pile of merchandise precariously dangling from my arms and it is great not to have to set it down to open the trunk.
Eh, I don’t like them. I prefer a manual tailgate, which I guess is technically possible to have a “kick to open” feature mechanically integrated but eh.
Oh, no. They won’t make that mistake again. Carnations are the future. 100% solid investment.
Our 3 series is very specific and looks for the motion of the foot kicking straight in. If you go side to side, it won’t open. Once we understood that it works every time. It’s a handy feature on the grocery getter.
Agent 98 certainly is not going to put the package of purloined plutonium on the seat next to her. She has already exceeded the safe exposure limit. Into the boot it goes. There is a lead-lined box waiting for it there.
Is it just me or does it look like the user is going to have to step back out of the way after the kick so as to not get hit by the tailgate?
In each illustration and the marketing photo the user is clearly in the path of the rising, and even descending, tailgate.
This can be a surprisingly small issue, as so many modern hatches are on swoopy-butted crossovers like mine, the hinge point of the hatch is so far forward on the roof that the bottom of the hatch only needs a few inches or rear clearance.
When I first got our car, I though for sure the auto-opening hatch would strike me or the garage door, but it’s totally fine.
To be fair, that box does look like it could be covered in glitter, in which case she’s totally justified in treating it as hazardous waste. 😉
I open and close my hatch, with my hands, like a pleb.
It’s just satisfying to slam it down.
I guess I’m easy to please because I’m still basking in the wonder of a key fob that can lock and unlock the car from 50 feet away.
I have it on my C class. There is definitely a technique to that kick (think Elaine dancing on Seinfeld) that I don’t consistently get right.
I do enjoy the close and lock trunk button. I used to think it was just something to break. It’s really nice not to have to slam the trunk shut.
Eh, in theory it should be great but even before we got the tow hitch for the 3-series wagon it was hard to activate. After installing the tow hitch with a 1/2-inch adapter the sensor was impossible to trigger without cracking a shin. Then we had the added surprise of a wintertime surprise hatch opening while driving!
Ice and snow had somehow jammed into the sensor, which then refused to allow the hatch to fully close. It wasn’t hard to code the car to prevent the sensor from opening the hatch, but seems like a better idea to locate the sensor to one side of the vehicle, maybe opposite the exhaust pipe and away from the tow hitch location.
I remember the previous gen X3 giving you this functionality, or towing package, but not both. They knew.