The lower gate is only a few inches tall, guys; it's not the Great Wall of China. It's really really nice,
especially for groceries...you just leave the lower gate closed and set the groceries in, ya know, kinda like a trunk. And when you get home you don't have to do the little dance of leaning under and trying to catch the tomato sauce rolling out the back.
I was absolutely against the squircle...until I drove it. it works with the dash, is very comfortable in the hand, spins nicely coming out of a turn (it's not a hard-cornered square for crying out loud), the flat top and bottom are very nice to rest your hand while cruising, and it really took no adjustment whatsoever. If you have
actually driven it and didn't like it, that's one thing...but if you are just looking at it and saying "hmmm...that's different...I don't like it" you really are doing yourself a disservice.
Even the touchpad buttons are great! Another thing I was hesitant about. The main complaint I see online is "I have to take my eyes off the road to look down at the screen to see what I'm pressing"...well, from the road to the instrument cluster is a lot shorter distance than the road to the steering wheel itself! Plus, just like "regular buttons", you learn what's what in about 2 days and then it's fine. I have had mine for about a month and never have to look to know what I'm pressing.
Like
@CJ Dave , I don't mean to be the contrarian on this "let's all bash the new design page", but it all works really really well. Again, if you actually have some seat time in one and don't like it, good for you, the Chevy dealer would love your money. But if you have previously liked Expis and are just looking at the Gen5 online and are scared of the changes...do yourself a favor and actually go drive one. I was resigned to buying a Lexus LX because I didn't like all the changes, but that was before I drove one. Once I did, and realized the folks at Ford haven't just made changes for the sake of making changes, I couldn't wait to order mine. I love it. (Other than the black-only liftgate...that's dumb, ha!).
And honestly, I would rather them make some radical changes from gen to gen than just ignore the vehicle like they did from Gen1-Gen3 letting it fall so far behind the GMs.
I'm guessing I could get used to the tailgate, but it's not as utilitarian for me. My 2011 WK2 was the last year they had a liftglass, and I swore I wouldn't buy another one after they got rid of it. I use(d) it all the time. Have something 6-8' long, no problem. Pop the lift glass, let it hang out and tie it down a little, depending on what it is, pull the lift glass down and secure it. Now, you have this few inch thing, stuff will hang out downwards, far more likely to fall out. Heck, I could see the stupid software folks preventing you from putting it in gear with the top up.
The squircle, yes, I have drive others and the way I drive, while much like
@LokiWolf, I could get used to it, but I would never "Like" it. Heck, how many people have had to drive with their knee for a short while to say open an Egg McMuffin on the way to soccer at 7AM? The way I drive my steering wheel is perfectly position top to bottom to where I can use my knee and still see the full bezel. Now cut 2-3" off the top and bottom of the circle, no longer possible. Now for example, my wife's Acura has the flat bottom wheel, I can still make that work. I don't like at all having the wheel return to center after a large turn though, I don't want a pre-greek wheel feeling.
Touchpad buttons? Largely reviews are far more negative about their effectiveness. Have I used them, no. However, I still harken back to the fact that these stupid software folks prevent me from looking at the contents of a USB thumbdrive while driving, but somehow the idea of scrolling through various screens and menus to do simple tasks, that muscle memory and say a single button used to be able to accomplish, yet the USB drive is somehow dangerous, is a joke. I literally use buttons every day on my rig, for example today on the way to drop off a kid, while driving with a hot coffee in the right hand, I was able to reach over with my left hand and turn on the hvac with a single button. Screens, menus, screen context, etc etc makes that a lot harder. You know, when your finger is 22 pixels away from the right on-screen button. edit: I could do this very same task via the Sync screen, with taking my eyes off the road, finding, and hitting 3-4 buttons on screen.
Ford I would say is, in my opinion is 4-5 years late. Many manufacturers are already admitting they over corrected with the "no buttons" concept and are slowly moving back to more of a hybrid approach. The grand wagoneer with an IMAX amount of screen real-estate still has physical buttons that are functional.
If Ford offered say a soccer mom version, and a utilitarian version, I think I might still have a place for this in my future. Similar to say a Wagoneer S vs. a GW (not quite the same, i get it, the S is smaller and E, but you know what i mean). But I don't want a Body-On-Frame Prius.
Finally, again, the fact that if I were to buy a Plati again today, it would cost me 20%+ more, and I would lose have a dozen feature or functions to what I have in my '19, and have to get used to these bad design decisions. I wish another Expi was in my future but I have to ride this out till the warranty expires and find something else at this point.
