Exterior Design and Build Quality
Electric Tailgate Close Button on the Wrong Side for Right-Hand Drive
The Issue
On several cars tested with powered tailgates, the close button on the inside of the tailgate panel was located on the left side of the tailgate structure. In a right-hand drive car, the driver approaches the boot from the right-hand side of the vehicle. After loading, the natural movement is to close the tailgate and walk directly to the driver's door on the right. In practice, a driver will often have already taken a step or two in that direction before realising the close button is on the opposite side of the car. They must then either walk back across to the left to press it, or stretch awkwardly across the full width of the open tailgate.
Why It Matters
This is a direct consequence of adapting a car from a left-hand drive original without completing all of the relevant localisation steps. In a left-hand drive market, approaching the boot from the left and pressing a button on the left side is natural and efficient. The same layout in a right-hand drive market requires an additional movement that serves no purpose and that drivers in the UK will notice within the first week of ownership. It is a small inconvenience individually. Over an ownership period of several years with frequent boot use, it becomes a daily signal that the car was not fully prepared for this market.