Ford’s Hands-Free Tailgate Is Fairly Popular Among European Kuga (Escape) Buyers

Owners of the Ford Kuga (aka the Ford Escape in North America) have been kicking the act of balancing bulky shopping bags while fumbling for keys to open the hatch (boot/trunk) thanks to Ford’s Hands-Free Tailgate feature, which enables drivers to open the boot simply by using a gentle kicking motion under the rear bumper, rather than using their hands.

In 2013, 35,700 Kuga buyers — which represents 48 percent of total customers — ordered the system. Leading the percentage of customers opting for the system in Europe are Dutch buyers, with as many as 94 percent of Kuga customers ordering the system in the Netherlands. Among Ford’s six biggest European markets by volume, the system is most popular in Italy (ordered by 60 percent of customers) and Germany (at 57 percent).

To ensure the Hands-Free Tailgate isn’t activated accidentally, such as by an animal running under the car’s rear overhand, the system utilizes two sensors in the rear bumper that read the driver’s leg and respond to the kicking motion. Additionally, Ford used volunteers to perfect the kicking motion when developing the system.

The Motrolix Take

It’s great to see The Blue Oval rewarded for leading the market in delivering such innovative features as the Handsfree tailgate. On a related note, we’d be curious to see how popular the feature is in North American markets on the Kuga’s twin — the Escape.