Ford has always been pretty good about equipping a split-opening glass liftgate on its SUVs, and the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport will continue the tradition. Not only is it great for preventing your groceries from rolling out after a sporting drive home, but it also makes for better airflow with all the windows down.
Basically, a glass liftgate is something every car should have. You already have the glass piece separate from the metal piece, why not make something functional and fun?
Anyway, the Ford Explorer has always had it, and now the new Ford Bronco Sport—the compact, more road-friendly sibling to the upcoming new Ford Bronco—will also get a similar glass liftgate, according to Ford Authority:
Ford Authority has learned from sources familiar with the 2021 Bronco Sport that it will feature a liftgate that will open upward, much like the unit in the current Ford Escape. Additionally, the rear glass section will also be capable of opening upward, separately from the primary liftgate. This functionality will be enabled by the black-painted external hinges present on leaked photos and various spy shots.
By comparison, the larger 2021 Ford Bronco will have a liftgate that opens sideways, a la the Jeep Wrangler, which was noted in leaked photos from a few months ago.
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you’ve been paying attention to the Ford Bronco Sport photos, which appear to show the hinge mounts for the glass liftgate on camouflaged prototypes, though we’ve yet to see it open. The leaked photos seem to show the button to release the glass under the rear wiper blade.
This may not seem like the most groundbreaking news, but people were really upset when the new Volvo XC90 lost its split glass liftgate. Almost 35 percent of the Sweedspeed forum was upset with the change. These things matter to people, and companies need to understand that.
And dogs will love it.