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 love my 1996 Trooper, but the one unconscionable design choice is the rear door brace. Once the main door in the 70/30 split opens all the way, you have to pull a tiny metal tab on the bracing arm hard enough to get the door (with spare tire) moving, then quickly reach around to the end of the door to grab it and pull it closed all the way. It’s tough with one hand full of groceries and damn near impossible with two.
Maybe this was mentioned, but (as I understand/assume) the kick-to-open feature also requires that the car have some sort of keyless/proximity key option, right? So the car knows it’s YOU waving your foot around under the rear bumper and not some random rodent, right?
And then that whole modern ‘you don’t have to put the key in the ignition to start the car’ thing gets you into justifiable paranoia, wondering if you now need to keep the key/fob/card/whatever inside a Faraday cage thingy so modern miscreants with Flipper Zeros ( https://flipperzero.one , or whatever the kids use these days) can’t spoof your code (again: or whatever) and drive off with your beloved Prius (one final time: or whatever).
It’s all too much to think about this early on a weekend morning. I’d like the kick-to-open thing since my arms often ARE full of stuff as I approach my car, but my youngest current car is 21 years old, so I don’t have that feature.
Someone feel free to assuage my fears about hackers if you have one of these things.
PS: as I’ve mentioned before, I kinda like this car feature: https://www.theautopian.com/fiat-once-offered-a-car-with-a-built-in-espresso-machine-and-heres-how-it-worked/ but if I had it, I’d also need a tiny fridge in the car for cream.
Now imagine if that keyed shoe gets stuck in the bumper of your older Ford with a worn out pawl and it starts to roll away, dragging you along for a brief but potentially painful ride.
Alternate take: keyed shoes sounds very “From Russia With Love” – era James Bond.
I recently inherited a Lincoln MKX with this feature, and my opinion is not so positive. It works about 30% of the time. The other 70% of the time, I’m dancing around like a Rockette with my hands full behind the car.
If you look as nice as that blonde in the black dress and heels does while doing so, I’m all in favor. 😉
Weird. My sister has a 2016 Lincoln MKX, and this feature works quite reliably for her.
My Chrysler Pacifica (previously featured in an Autopian article about aluminum corrosion!) has this feature, and I love it under most circumstances. I recently put it up on a lift at a friend’s house for the first time to replace the rear brakes. When the car is on a lift, there’s no kicking needed to open the tailgate. In fact, you don’t even need to be directly under the bumper. With the car six feet in the air, all you have to do is walk too close to the rear bumper and the tailgate will start to go up. Not ideal in that situation, especially when there’s a tire rack mounted on the wall above the area within striking distance of the tailgate when it is on the lift. So several times I would hear the beeping and have to reach up and stop the tailgate from opening before it hit the tire rack.
Next time i put it up there I’ll have to dig through the menus to see if there’s a way to disable it.
Wouldn’t a piece of painters tape over the sensor work? A lot easier than digging through menus.