For a skier and anyone that needs or wants to sit at the back of his SUV to put on his boots or just mess with the equipment he is carrying the split tailgate gives hime a clean place to sit instead of the wet and dirty rear bumper. I have a RAV4 which is an excellent cheap car but I have to carry an old piece of carpet to sit on while I change from my driving shoes into my ski boots. The alternative is to run around with dirty pants all day. The BMW X5 seems to have made the tasilgate the right size for me. Too bad I can't afford one.