Plus you cannot open the window-gate anymore when a bike rack is attached to the hitch. I was near 100% guaranteed customer for the '25 model, but now 50-50% vs the Tahoe/Suburban just for that. Having to hurt my back to tilt the rack each time I need to grab something from the back during bike road trips is a HUGE issue for me.
I wonder if Ford truly did a wider customer survey, whether people a) cared, and if they did b) they thought it was positive. I suspect many people don't care that much. Also, I suspect the total manufacturing cost actually went up vs the old window-gate considering the extra bench and tray-mode that was added to compensate.