Can the 2026 Mazda CX-70 GS-L’s Hands-Free Power Liftgate Open When Your Arms Are Full?

Groceries in both arms, keys buried at the bottom of a bag, rain coming sideways. Every Nova Scotia driver knows that exact moment at the back of the vehicle. The 2026 CX-70 GS-L’s hands-free power liftgate is built for that moment, and it’s worth understanding exactly how it behaves before you rely on it.

This piece walks through what the feature is, how it opens the tailgate without a touch, and where it genuinely helps versus where it’s just a nice extra.

What the Hands-Free Liftgate Actually Is

The GS-L’s power rear liftgate is programmable for height and opens hands-free, a feature that arrived on this trim for 2026 after previously being reserved for the GT. It pairs with remote-folding rear seats, so the whole rear cargo area, from the liftgate opening to the back of the second row, can be reconfigured without reaching into the vehicle.

The GS-L also carries an 8-speaker audio system, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and leatherette upholstery, but the liftgate is the piece that changes how you physically load the vehicle day to day.

How the Foot-Activated Gesture Works

The system opens with a foot wave beneath the rear bumper: no button, no kick motion required, just a foot passed under the sensor zone while the key fob is on your person. The owner’s settings menu lets you enable or disable this hands-free function entirely if you’d rather not have it active.

A related setting, Power Liftgate Keyless Control, determines when the fob can trigger the liftgate at all, either only when the vehicle is unlocked, or at any time. That distinction matters: if your CX-70 is set to “only when unlocked,” the foot gesture won’t do anything until the doors are unlocked first.

Because these settings can be changed, and because lock-state behaviour affects whether the gesture works, ⚠️ Contact us for detailed specifications. ⚠️ on how your specific CX-70 is configured before you assume the gesture will fire in every situation.

Where It Actually Solves a Problem

The honest answer is: it depends on your hands, not your wants. A grocery run with two full bags in each arm is the clearest case, no setting anything down on wet asphalt to dig for keys. Hauling hockey bags or ski gear in a Nova Scotia winter is another, since bulky, awkward loads make freeing a hand to touch a handle genuinely inconvenient.

A few real-world notes worth setting expectations around:

• Driveway loading tends to work best, since you can approach the bumper directly and the vehicle is stationary and level.
• Curbside pickup works fine but needs enough clearance behind the vehicle for the liftgate to swing open, particularly with the height set higher.
• Tight parking lots are the trickiest spot: a car parked close behind, or an angled space, can limit how comfortably you plant a foot under the bumper.

Rain and slush don’t stop the gesture from working, but standing water pooled right under the bumper can make the footwork awkward. None of this is a flaw exactly, it’s a reminder that the feature depends on proximity, stance, and how you’re parked, not just the sensor itself.

Cargo Space and Seating Behind the Liftgate

Once it’s open, the GS-L offers 1,131 L of cargo volume behind the rear seats and 2,147 L with the seats folded. The rear seats fold via a remote release, so a stroller, a set of golf clubs, or flattened moving boxes can go in without walking around to fold seats by hand first.

That gap between the two numbers is the difference between a weekly grocery run and a full trip to the hardware store, and the remote fold means you don’t need a free hand to access either configuration.

Who Notices This Feature Most

Parents managing strollers and diaper bags, anyone who regularly hauls sports equipment, and shoppers who make frequent stops with full arms are the drivers most likely to use this daily rather than occasionally. It’s a convenience feature rather than a novelty, which fits where the GS-L sits in the CX-70 lineup: it carries this equipment alongside heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rather than saving it for the GT-P or Signature above it.

If your typical load is a briefcase and a coffee, you may rarely think about it. If your typical load is two kids, a diaper bag, and a soccer ball rolling loose in the trunk, it becomes part of the routine within a week.

Trying the CX-70 GS-L’s Liftgate for Yourself

The hands-free liftgate is one of several convenience features that make the CX-70 GS-L easier to live with on ordinary errands, not a standalone gadget. Its real value shows up with the cargo you actually carry, not on a spec sheet.

Visit Truro Mazda in Truro to see the CX-70 GS-L in person and test the liftgate with your own bags, stroller, or gear, in your usual driveway or parking setup, before you decide how much it matters to you.