Why the side-swinging rear door?
 

Hi all! I'm new here and had a question.

First off, let me say I really love the new gx, as well as the old one, and hope to purchase one soon, and the side-swinging door does NOT bother me. I just noticed that a lot of people are bothered by it.

So why would toyota make the rear door side-swinging, especially with all the complaints and considering they already use a lift-gate on all their other SUVs(except the prado).

Also, why does everyone hate it so much, i can't see how it would be THAT much less convenient, enough to be a deal breaker on an otherwise awesome truck.

I think the swing door is inconvenient when there is very little space between the rear and whatever is behind it. Think about it: if some guy at a shopping mall parks too close to the rear of your GX, how on Earth are you going to open the door to put in your newly-bought bookshelf? My example might be a bit exaggerated, but you get the idea. Unless you have long arms and can reach down to the trunk by opening the rear flip-up window, the rear door must be open to put in even the lightest and small bag of groceries you do at the supermarket.

The side door is also inconvenient if you are parallel parked. Also, in the NW where it does rain often, a lift gate is a nice way to block the rain.

Good points, but my main question was why toyota would again put in a side-swinging door. What are the benefits of this?

I can't think of one single benefit of a swing door. I agree with another poster about a lift gate being great in the rain. It creates an awning over the rear while loading items. If Lexus went with a split gate like the LX / Landcruiser I think it would have better disguised (hidden) the 3rd row seats that raised rear floor 4-6" that looks weird.

The swing door is one of the biggest disappointments of the redesign. I'm not sure about other people's garage, but the swing door on the GX can't be opened in my garage without the garage door being opened. Loading the truck with the garage door down is good when the weather is cold or raining.

The lift glass would be helpful if it was lower. I'm over 6ft and have a hard time reaching in. If the car is dirty I'm sure one won't be using the glass much since it will be hard not to touch the car body while reaching in. Also, I see that part of the swing door getting lots of scratches due to it being so high and getting rubbed by clothes and the items being lifted in and out of the back. The lift glass is better than nothing, but it doesn't appear to be very thought out.

I suspect the reason why Lexus went with the swing gate was to save money... The LC Prado uses the swing gate and that is what the GX is based on. To redesign the GX to use a liftgate would cost additional money vs just changing the look of the rear door (cosmetic vs mechanicals). My guess is not packaging, but more a desire/preference of the LC Prado buyers to have a swing gate and therefore the GX buyers get one too.

The reason why Lexus chose a swing door versus a tailgate was for packaging reasons. That was the explanation I was given by Lexus.

In my opinion, the GX would have faired better with a split tailgate/liftgate design like in the current LX.

I think it's a cost saving decision.

It costs them less to just carry over the swinging door of the Prado versus re-designing the rear door for the US market.

The swing door was why I didn't consider the GX when I was looking. For those of you that have it, is there a way to lock it open? I tow boats and jet skis and very often when the trailers are empty it easier to see by just opening the hatch on the SUV and looking back. That would be difficult to do with the rear swing door.

Yes, once the swinging door is fully open, it can be locked into place.

Yes, there is a lock located on the gas strut hinge assy. All you do is twist the shock body to lock. See below...

http://www.flipside909.com/gallery/a...0248.sized.jpg

But whats the point of putting in a swinging door in the Prado in the first place?

Some models of the 2010 Prado still offer the spare tire mounted on the rear door.

I'm not sure why they put a swing door on the prado either... As I said in another post, I can't think of one good reason for the swing door.

This SUV is very popular overseas and it gives people a good option here. If you want a traditional door you can get a RX or LX or used LX.

Some people like the barn door. When you load you can walk right up to the SUV instead of having a gap b/c the lower door is down.

Maybe it is easier for the 2 rear passengers to climb out the rear?

The main advantage of a swing door is it is easier to load and unload. A hatch or vertical-opening door is a hassle for tall people as they can hit their head, or have to bend in awkward positions to load the vehicle. A vertical hatch is also a problem for short people as they may not be able to reach it to close it. A swing door also needs less effort and energy to open compared to a vertical door.

Besides, the 2GX has the split-opening rear window, so for those who don't want to use the swing door the rear window can easily be used.