This morning I tried to upload all these images to show how the back hatch of the XUV actually works but the system was being fidgety. Sorry to take so long to post about it though. The retractable hard top and extendable flatbed are the features of this vehicle. There is absolutely nothing else it does that will differentiate it from the pack of other large SUVs. That's not saying it doesn't have a nice ride and creature comforts, but come on, everyone wants to know about the back.
Overall I found it really pointless. This is essentially a covered pickup truck that can extend into a double cab interior. How often will anyone really need the feature? And if it is frequent they?re probably better off with a truck. That said the whole set-up is exceptionally well thought out and pretty easy to use.
The XUV must be parked and then the roof can retract, slowly, at the touch of a button above the dash of the roof near the map lights. The rear glass and center glass can also be lowered from this area. Now I?ve gotten everything ready and have to move my ass to flip the seats down. I almost forgot to mention the engine must be on to move the roof and middle window. Why is this important? Well if you?re approaching the XUV in a Home Depot parking lot you can?t just start moving stuff around. You need to get in and start her up.
What is excellent though is the ease in which the rear seats flip up to accommodate the flatbed. Using the 1-2 switch shown here they?re a snap. If our Jeep Cherokee had this feature I?d be a happy man. Sometimes such a simple feature blows us away. So that part is easy. Then a quick push of the button (only on one side of the XUV) lowers the middle separation and tah-dah flatbed. Not too hard right? Not at all.
Really the ease here is key. GMC really did it right. What I was kind of disappointed at was the hard plastic bed as my cargo, and dog if I had put her there, went sliding everywhere unless it was really heavy. There are plenty of hooks for ties but I?d really like to see a ?hookable? carpet liner since this is such a ?high-end? SUV.
More on ride tomorrow. Check out Day 1 here.
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