New Ford Kuga (2012): Kick a Kuga (or an Escape) +video

New Ford Kuga / Escape Hands-Free Tailgate - Kick to Open

The new 2012 Ford Kuga will debut later this month at the Los Angeles Motor Show (alright, strictly speaking it’s the 2013 Ford Escape – but they’re the same) so Ford has decided to tease the Kuga with its clever tailgate trick.

Yes, the new Kuga has a tailgate that has a party trick – it opens when you kick it. Yes, we’ve all hard cars that need their doors kicking to shut them (the new Kuga will do that too), but opening with a kick is a bit of a first.

Essentially, the Kuga has a couple of sensors built under the bumper which, Ford say, can recognise the waft of a leg under them. When they sense that kick the tailgate opens. Which means you can arrive at your new Kuga with your hands full and still get the boot open to deposit your shopping.

What happens, you may wonder, when next door’s Ginger Tom gets chased round the drive by your dog and dives under your nice new Kuga? According to Ford, exactly nothing. It seems the sensors can sense the presence of a shin and a wafting leg and only open the tailgate when that happens. Hopefully.

We’ll see more at Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, as every passing journo flicks the back of the Escapes on the Ford stand (could you resist?). And really, in almost every way, the debut of the 2013 Ford Escape is the debut of the 2012 Ford Kuga. Just throw in a slightly different nose and Euro-centric engines and you’re there.

And because the Escape has to fit Americans in, the 2012 Kuga should be a lot more roomy.

By Cars UK