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 never wanted this feature, but now that I have it, I use it frequently. I was planning to install a hitch receiver that would interfere, but now I’m going to spend a little more to install one that is tucked up under the sensor.
My partner couldn’t get hers to work for months (without telling me). She was shocked when I used it immediately. Turns out, she was just keeping her foot under there and waiting. I think she also likes the feature now that she knows how it works.
A keyed shoe is just ridiculous! Even for you, Mister J. ‘Torch’ Sky! Anyone wearing one would sound like they were wearing tap-shoes, and the sound would attract miscreants who could easily take the shoes to steal the car!
Clearly the *sensible* solution is to take a page from Ford’s book and use a keypad-style door opening. Or rather, pedal-pads. Imagine five piano-pedal like levers mounted discreetly to the rear bumper, with numbers overmolded or stamped into the bumper housing above them, so you merely need to tromp out the entry number! Simple and elegant, with only a few dozen moving parts precariously exposed.
I’ve managed to live a fair number of years setting things down and then opening hatches and trunks and then loading them. I agree its a convenience. I’ve found I don’t put a huge amount of importance on a convenience level greater than what was common in the 1980s when I grew up. I’m not bothered by manual windows or manual door locks either.
Counterpoint. Its a PITA when you are trying to hook up a trailer and the door opens into your face, dumps your cargo onto you or tries to guillotine you.
I have this picture in my mind now and I’m terrified to put a hitch on my car. 🙂
My BMW G30 sedan has precisely the spring loaded version of this that you stated at the end. It has the sensors under the bumper but it has no motors to lift the trunk. It relies on the usual trunk lid springs. Of course you have to close it by hand but at that point the stuff you were carrying must be in the trunk already.
I like how simple it is and prefer it to the motorized hatch of our XC40 which is too slow IMO.
I live where I have to drive gravel and dirt roads, wonder how these would work- and snow too
They see through snow/ice/dust just fine IME. Trouble is they’re not good at seeing through a trailer hitch. If you add a hitch you may have to relocate the sensor or just accept that kick to open won’t work consistently.
Had a 2014 Escape with kick to open and it was awesome. My husband ha a 2019 Audi that is supposed to have this, but he’s never been able to get it to work.
I struggled with both of mine before I RTFM (we have an S5 and a Q7). You gotta kick in and out, not wave your foot side to side, in the middle-ish of the bumper (maybe off to one side a bit depending on model/hitch etc), and then take a step back.
It’s also possible that depending on when it was manufactured (IE during COVID/chip shortage era), it doesn’t have the hardware for it.
How well does it work in an upper Midwest snowstorm like when the whole underneath your car is packed with carbergs or whatever click and clack called them?
My tour X has been quite reliable through Michigan winters. I can never get my wife’s CMAX to work, but I don’t drive it often enough to say whether winter is the problem
I don’t often carry bumpers around, but if I did this would be fantastic.
You could have asked Rosa Klebb – she had something similar.
My MINI Countryman has this feature, and I love it with one caveat:
One option that the Countryman had is the Picnic Bench – probably a dealer-install accessory – is a little cushion/bench which goes over the bumper to provide a soft, comfortable place to sit and ponder your life’s choices. It’s great – as long as you don’t swing your feet beneath the bumper – in which case, the hatch will close upon your head and your happy little picnic bench dreams.
Bwhahaha. Reminds me of the final gen Clubman having barndoor struts that would dang near knock over children when the doors swung open.
I’ve never had one of these activate when I wanted it to, ever. What usually happens is that I approach my vehicle with my hands full of packages, kick around underneath the bumper like an idiot for a few seconds, give up, put the packages down and then open it with the button. The only time it ever seemed to activate is when I was taking my snowboard boots off while sitting on the back of my Explorer. My kids loved that part.
I was going to write my own comment but you did it for me. I have this feature on both of my cars, and it only results in me wasting time and tiring myself out with an armload of crap, before finally just setting it all down and opening it by hand.
The only time it works is when I trigger it by accident.
Oh, yes please. Let’s talk about it.
Just had a week in a Tahoe rental. You know how convenient the kick to open/close feature was? So convenient that it shut itself on me while loading or unloading 3 different times. My stroller? Once. My father? twice. A kicked rock at a trailhead while I held my toddler while walking up to get our trail carrier? Once.
Such a great technology when a vehicle thinks, “A foot….or a foot like thing! I better close the hatch on whatever it is attached to!”
Yep. *Bleep* that feature.
This makes sense, a terrible feature to have on rental cars. I had occasional trouble with this when I first got my car.
Have this on our minivan and it works so inconsistently it’s hard to really rely on it. My other half I think has used it exactly once. I’ve used it a few more times, but it’s a love/hate thing. When it works it’s delightful, but more often it doesn’t and I just feel like an idiot, waving my foot around with hands full of groceries while the little ones get impatient.
Put it down to good idea in theory, iffy in execution.
There is certainly no need for proximity keys or any electronics as you guess, my 1996 Cherokee has had this feature ever since I replaced the hatch struts with ones that turned out to be overly aggressive. It does only work if unlocked, but I just kick the release button, and the hatch opens. The downside is I practically have to hang off the hatch to close it
I do like this feature on my Volvo. I find it funny when I see a car still with the sticker on the bumper showing where to kick. maybe they are rentals.
GM shines a light on the ground where the sensor is
Based on how high up the hatch goes and the number of not-tiny-but-short people (5-foot-flat) I know, this is a necessity.
Voice commands will also do the trick, would activate only if the key is nearby.
Volvo owner here. This feature has yet to work properly when I needed it. Our Ford Escape had it as well but it was the same situation. Booo to this “feature.”
Once I figured out the proper technique it works like a charm. One swift kick in and out (not side to side) in the middle of the bumper, then take a step back (a thoughtful touch using the prox sensors to make sure the liftback doesn’t give you an uppercut). It’s very handy.
I did discover an unlikely downside of them recently though.
I had to go a state over to pick up my mom’s new Grand Highlander late last year, and while strapping it to my trailer, I kept triggering the sensor to open and close the door repeatedly while securing and tightening the straps under the back.
It was quite annoying.
I’ve never seen someone use one of these, I’ve always wondered if they actually work in the real world.
Ford removed this feature from the MachE in mid 2022. But are still selling it with the sticker in place, so you (and the clueless salespeople) think you still have it.
This is definitely one of those ‘yes and’ technologies for me. I drive with large bins a lot for work, and it’s genuinely helpful to have, especially when it’s raining and I don’t want to set things in a puddle temporarily.
That said, it’s important that (at least on the Polestar 2) it also has a manual switch that can trigger it to open, as the kick sensor is somewhat slow and inconsistent compared to just grabbing a button slightly below the license plate. Same place every time and much faster.
I will say it’s really annoying not being able to disable the power liftgate function at times so I can close the trunk on an odd shaped object, although sometimes it’s fun to wrestle with the sensors and try to trick it into closing on what I’m sure it thinks is a childs hand.
Hear hear! Many of my friends scoff at and deride my enjoyment of the kick to open (KTO) liftgate, but I wouldn’t want to own a car without one now. I was skeptical at first but soon realized that what you say in the article is true- this is a great use of technology. And it’s not just for when your hands are full. Many times, after going hiking in the mountains, the car gets all dirty and muddy from driving the dirt roads in the way to the trailhead, and I just don’t want to touch the filthy switch to open the tailgate – KTO to the rescue!
Edit: I have a Polestar 2 and a Nissan Ariya, and neither KTO system has ever given us any trouble. But I can’t vouch for any other manufacturers.
The only annoyance I’ve had with the Polestar 2 KTO is when plugging or unplugging the charger cable. Based on our garage layout and the location of the charger, the cable drapes under the rear bumper and opens or closes the hatch.
Similar setup for the charge cable. Socket on the left, port on Rav4 on the right. I suspended the charge cable overhead across the ceiling then down to the charge port, I used a quick release method, so when I need to remove it for travel, it is easy to do. I struggled with laying across the floor for a couple of weeks first.
I admit being able to trigger this with your hands full sounds convenient, but I despise powered liftbacks. They’re always agonizingly slow, I don’t have the patience for them.
I love the one on my wife’s Sienna, unlike most you can still open and close it manually without an issue, there’s gotta be a clutch or something that disengages the motor when using it manually because it feels totally normal when you do that, but then if you instead push the button it engages and slowly closes. I don’t use it often, but it is nice sometimes. We don’t have the kicker though.
Oh that’s good. My mom’s old Caddy SRX had one that was slow as molasses, and it freaked out if you tried to shut it manually. She has an MDX now, not sure how that one works.
On my 4Runner, not only is the hatch relatively heavy, but you also have to use some muscle on the release handle too.
Yeah it’s weird, her van is a 13 and does it perfect, but every newer Toyota I’ve driven with a power hatch sucks. They had it right, then made it worse.
Yes, this. I recently bought a used CX-5 that has this feature as part of a package. Didn’t want it, but you don’t get to pick and choose when buying a used car. I looked into downgrading it with the struts from the version without the feature, but of course it’s never that easy. I generally use the release on the fob when I’m 15′ away so that the gate is open when I get there.
Oh, good lord NO! My wife’s Escape has this feature and we hate it. It refuses to open even after you crack your shinbone on the hitch receiver and then somehow you accidentally trigger it while loading groceries and the damn thing tries to eat you like a slow-motion Jaws. It sucks, and we wish it could be disabled.
Could you unplug the sensor behind the bumper?
So much this.
The feature on my A6 Allroad works just fine to open the gate. So many times as I’m losing the trunk, I’d put my foot under the sensor and the tailgate comes down. I have to be alert when using the trunk. As soon as I hear the beep I jump out of the way, lest having my head smacked by the tailgate.
It’d be nice to disable the kick to close function. There ought to be a way but I’m just too lazy to RTFM.
We had the same issue and the dealer coded the car to not use the sensor. They could also probably just disconnect it.