What was Ford thinking by adding back in the tailgate?

[dlcorbett]

My problems with the new design are as follows:

3) The bar across the width of the floor dividing the full flat floor? We regularly use the full flat floor and want to slide long objects in and out.


We will wait and see if they got the reliability fixed, if so, may be able to look past the other things.

What bar is on the cargo floor of the new suvs? I've never noticed a bar on my test drives?

 

[tangbang]

Yeah No Shit**, We are not short, but also not 6'2". Yesterday I was unloading some things from our '17 Expy and could barely reach the items up against the back of the 2nd row seat from the rear. So adding what appears to be 15" would make that more difficult. Could I go to the side door and fold down the 2nd row to reach stuff, sure. But isn't that a little ridiculous?

Or maybe you could buy one of these - I love mine (and don't need it to reach the back of third row):

Ford Large Soft-Sided Folding Cargo Organizer

 

[tangbang]

My problems with the new design are as follows:
1) The non circular steering wheel. This is the answer to a question no one ever asked, and maybe could create dangerous driving situations. All to be able to see a long low LED screen that maybe shouldn't be where it is?
2) The almost complete lack of hard buttons - several of our current vehicles have controls via central touch screen, but also have hard buttons for key items.
3) The bar across the width of the floor dividing the full flat floor? We regularly use the full flat floor and want to slide long objects in and out.
4) The fact that the tailgate pushes our reach in further away from the cargo area. We are past the point in our lives where anyone would sit on a tailgate.

We will wait and see if they got the reliability fixed, if so, may be able to look past the other things.

1) Doesn't bother me at all, took less than 200 miles to not notice it anymore. In fact, I find the 10:00 / 2:00 positions, right at the top bends, very comfortable for my hands. I also like to rest my hands on the flat-ish bottom at times. Skeptic turned supporter here.
2) Heard this a few times as well, and like #1 above, quickly became moot point for me. Plus you can control most anything a button would do with voice commands, pretty convenient.
3) No idea what this comment refers to, but sounds highly specific to your needs, not some general design flaw that might affect many people.
4) commented on this in my previous post, and can only be an issue for MAX anyway. I saw my five year old trying to get something out from the back of our MAX and she couldn't; every other kid could. Oh, and very specific to our use case but our four kids LOVED sitting on the tailgate, thought it was way cool, and tomorrow we all go tailgating for real at an MLB game - should be fun!

 

[LanceExp2025]

My problems with the new design are as follows:
1) The non circular steering wheel. This is the answer to a question no one ever asked, and maybe could create dangerous driving situations. All to be able to see a long low LED screen that maybe shouldn't be where it is?
2) The almost complete lack of hard buttons - several of our current vehicles have controls via central touch screen, but also have hard buttons for key items.
3) The bar across the width of the floor dividing the full flat floor? We regularly use the full flat floor and want to slide long objects in and out.
4) The fact that the tailgate pushes our reach in further away from the cargo area. We are past the point in our lives where anyone would sit on a tailgate.

We will wait and see if they got the reliability fixed, if so, may be able to look past the other things.

Yep, I am in agreement with you on most everything. I don't have a 2025 (we have a 2024) but the items you mentioned are some of the things that made us forget about getting a 2025. One other thing I did NOT like on the 2025 was that huge Black Plastic shiny gob on the upper rear tailgate. We garage our Expy and are very picky about keeping it washed weekly and waxed monthly but I have noticed, even with all of our care, that the large black plastic columns where the exterior keypad is located on the drivers side and on the passenger side (in line with the windows) has become ever-so-slightly scratched which I am sure will become dull looking in a very few short years. NOT GOOD in my old grumpy opinion. Thanks, Lance

 

[GlennSullivan]

What bar is on the cargo floor of the new suvs? I've never noticed a bar on my test drives?

 

[dlcorbett]

View attachment 85610

- thats the lip for the rear floor. In the 4th gens, that area wasnt flat, it was tilted a bit bEhind the third row. Though ford added a slanted lip at the edge of the cargo floor, I hated that the area behind the third row was always slanted. To alleviate that and add cargo room for my25, ford made the floor to be able to lay completely flat if the third row is up. You can adjust the floor to below the lip for the floor to be completely flat behind the third row. You can also adjust that part of the floor to the top of the lip to make it flat to the seat With the seat when its folded. That's actually one of the first things I looked at when looking at one and both me and my wife loved that you could do that.

 

[tangbang]

Or maybe you could buy one of these - I love mine (and don't need it to reach the back of third row):

Ford Large Soft-Sided Folding Cargo Organizer

View attachment 85608

I love this thing - very functional and folds up flat. Unlike sun visor or cargo table/bench thingy, I use this accessory regularly.

 

[Fastcar]

Yep 1badhabit: My wife and I are 2 of those "People" that think it's "Much" harder to reach into the 2025's. And, yes, with the 2025, 2-piece, lower tailgate 'down', it would be over a 4ft reach in. On our 2024 Expy MAX Limited, it is 3 ft from the liftgate seal to the back of the 3rd row seats. So, if the 2025 lower tailgate is 1'-6" (18") deep, that would make it a 4'-6" reach into the farthest forward portion of the rear cargo area. I do know that it was 'no big deal' when we were 35, in fact any drop-down tailgate was NEVER even given a second thought back then, but at 'over-70', things are much different and "Much Harder". Especially so for my wife at 5'-4" w/ bad shoulders. When we bought our 2012 Expedition EL w/ a 1 piece tailgate, it was such a wonderful improvement to be able to stand w/ your legs right behind the rear bumper and easily reach in the 3' to put stuff in and get stuff out easily. I would guess we were just 'spoiled' by this "GREAT", 1 piece Tailgate Ford idea, back then. So, NO we didn't want to go back in time to an antiquated design of a 2 piece tailgate. I see you have a 2025 Expy. How do you like the fully digital dash & screen, so far? We didn't like that but without even a 1-time test drive of a 2025, we had NO experience to make any judgement on it. Also, No offence taken. It's just us getting old and liking what's easiest for us now. Thanks, Lance.

Brother, I'm with you on this!

 

[sanman28]

So buy a 24’. Plenty new ones still around.
It’s interesting that folks are complaining about reaching an extra 12”, with the tailgate down, to drag something along the floor and out. Wouldn’t the item be right there against the tailgate? What are you guys loading/unloading that is the issue? Clearly i think the 2 piece design is far more useful for most every daily need. I’m not sliding much in or out. We are setting things in and lifting them out….and that 12” is not an issue….for us.

 

[Armin]

So buy a 24’. Plenty new ones still around.
It’s interesting that folks are complaining about reaching an extra 12”, with the tailgate down, to drag something along the floor and out. Wouldn’t the item be right there against the tailgate? What are you guys loading/unloading that is the issue? Clearly i think the 2 piece design is far more useful for most every daily need. I’m not sliding much in or out. We are setting things in and lifting them out….and that 12” is not an issue….for us.

Luggage or boxes or anything else that doesn't slide while driving I'm 6 ft and I cannot touch the back of the 2nd row (not 3rd as some people seem to be confused with) on my new non-Max '24 (*) while standing straight, nor could I reach it on my old non-EL '17. So, I definitely cannot reach it on a '25 non-Max if the item itself is not big/wide enough for me to grab it and pull it out. On a road trip with tons of unnecessary luggage or me just transporting many smaller boxes, unloading the back is definitely more cumbersome.

For me it was more that they removed the glass gate which allows me to open it while my bikes are on the truck, and that I find the black plastic cheap looking with my favorite colors, but overall I doubt this was a smart move. I wonder if the amount of people who love it (as opposed to not mind it) vs hate it is net positive. This especially as with the tailgating accessories Ford added standard, this is possibly part of why the base price went up. (Perhaps making it black-only compensated partially for that?)

But if Q3 sales come back positive, I guess we 'haters' are all proven wrong of course.

*) as I indeed just bought a '24.

 

[sanman28]

I could see them painting the black section. Easy to do.