Overview & Reviews

Pickup? SUV? How about both? The specialized Ford Explorer Sport Trac was a vehicle meant to offer the best of both worlds, which is to say the cargo-hauling ability of a pickup and the comfortable interior of an SUV. It was, in essence, an Explorer with a pickup bed grafted to the back.

There have been two generations of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. We were never very impressed by the original. Though clever in concept, it lacked in execution. The first Sport Trac was low-tech, underpowered and saddled with poor handling characteristics. The redesigned second-generation model, which debuted for the 2007 model year, was a much better package overall thanks to improvements in its power, cargo and towing capacity, and handling and comfort characteristics.

In most respects, Ford succeeded at its goal of building a vehicle that could act as both a pickup and an SUV. For consumers in need of a vehicle for hauling recreational gear or just something that can be used for light-duty trips to Home Depot, the Sport Trac should work just fine. We recommend shoppers take a look at some competing automakers' crew cab midsize pickups of the same time period, however, as they fulfilled much of the same role and offered advantages in refinement, performance and cab/body style configurations.

Most Recent Ford Explorer Sport Trac Models
The most recent generation of the five-passenger Ford Explorer Sport Trac was offered from 2007-'09. It came in a single body style: a four-door crew cab pickup. Although it shared the fundamental structure of the Explorer SUV, the Sport Trac was nearly 17 inches longer. The added length came from its longer wheelbase, which allowed room for the 4-foot cargo bed as well as plenty of rear legroom.

The Sport Trac's bed was constructed from sheet-molded composite (SMC), which was lighter than steel and wouldn't rust or dent. There were three integral storage compartments, and options included a folding cargo-bed extender and a hard tonneau cover. The bed contained a 12-volt power outlet.

Two trims were offered: base XLT and luxury Limited. The XLT's standard features included power mirrors and windows, keyless entry, cruise control, air-conditioning and a CD player. The Limited adds larger 18-inch wheels, color-keyed bumpers and mirrors, foglights and side-step bars. Major options include a sunroof, dual-zone climate control and a navigation system.

There were two engines offered in this generation. The standard 4.0-liter V6 engine (210 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque) was matched to a five-speed automatic transmission. The available 4.6-liter V8 (292 hp and 300 lb-ft) came paired with a six-speed automatic. There was also a choice of either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

In reviews of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, we found the vehicle competent, with no major faults. Acceleration is average, even with the V8, and handling pleasant enough to fulfill Ford's target of carlike driving qualities. In addition, the cabin was comfortable and worked well enough. Although adequate in most respects, the Sport Trac wasn't outstanding in any one area. Accordingly, we'd advise consumers shopping for a multipurpose crew cab pickup to check out the Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Frontier before making a decision.

Changes throughout this generation's brief span were minor, with Ford adding the Sync system for 2008 and upgrading the optional navigation system for '09.

Past Ford Explorer Sport Trac Models
Sold from 2001-'05, the first Ford Explorer Sport Trac suffered from the launch-model blues. It was based on the old, second-generation Explorer and built around the Explorer's 4.0-liter V6 engine, chassis and suspension. At the time, we noted that we liked the vehicle's dual-nature configuration and many available features, but disliked its sloppy handling, limited towing and hauling capabilities, and subpar off-road abilities.

Changes to this generation were minor, so used-model shoppers should probably not feel a need to focus on any particular year.

User Reviews:

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  Built Ford Tough - 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By bwhite - August 27 - 3:13 am

  I have owned my V6 XLT for three months and I have been very happy with my purchase. I dont need to haul large or heavy objects very often, so the small bed works for me. The ride is comfortable and composed. The V6 has plenty of power and everything has been reliable. Ford needs to work on the fuel economy. I am not dissappointed with the mileage, but I think Ford could do better.

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  2003 Ford Sport Trac XLT - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Crudup - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Drives like a wild horse. Ride is very bumpy. Wind noise.

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  2002 Sport Trac - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By WCH - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Traded in a 2000 Ranger V6 for the Sport Trac. Has all the room that I was looking for and the comfort to boot! Very nice leather interior, comfortable seats, high look-out view. Drives very well on the open highways, except on very windy days...then you get blown all over the place! Otherwise, decent ride for a truck. Gets LOTS of looks from everyone! Would recommend to anyone!

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  Problem Solver - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By SEVEREBEAGLE - May 27 - 11:40 am

  My lease is finally over! I really enjoyed this wanna be truck, too bad the gas mileage was not great. 16 mpg on a good week of city driving. I wish the new 2009 was out but not at the dealer yet. Two things need to improve, the gas mileage and the small compartments in the bed should be waterproof and with locks of some kind. I am really gonna miss this one.

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  great truck - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By gunnar - May 16 - 2:00 am

  A well built vehicle thats fun and adventures

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  Not perfect, but not bad - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By AA - May 2 - 12:43 am

  After 110000M, its still going strong without any mechanical failures. Just the basic maintenance required. It has excellent fuel consumption, compared to my Tahoe. Of course, you trade off horses when you go into a V6 but its enough to do most things that can be done with a 4 foot long box. Outside styling looks very sporty and the paint has a tough anti scratch coating. The suspension is a little too soft for spirited driving, but the truck still handles very well on the road. Very comfortable front seats. Dunno about back ones, never been on them. Havent heard complaints about them though. The tail of the truck is a extremely light (fiberglass box), but nothing some sand bags wont fix.

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  the siver beat - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By montoya - April 16 - 10:00 am

  comfortable seating and roomy

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  Kevins Sport Trac - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Kevin - April 9 - 3:03 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for 2 years, I have not had any mechanical problems, just routine maintenance. It has fairly comfortable seats, but could use a little more power.

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  Sport Trac - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By LDG - April 2 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the vehicle used with about 24,000 miles. I have not had any trouble at all with the vehicle, except due to my slight negligence in letting the front brake pads get too low and it blew the front calipers out. Other than that, no problems. One curiosity that I do have with the vehicle, is that when I have the rer window down, I can hear a squeaking noise coming from the area between the bed of the vehicle and the cab. This can get to be slightly annoying, but not enough to get rid of the vehicle or have it looked at. It has been there since day one. I read a review in Consumer Reports, and it was noted in there as well.

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  brake dust - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By unired00 - March 10 - 10:00 am

  I am enjoying my sport trac. The only think that Ive noticed is the amount of brake dust coming from the front rotors. Ive gotten 3 opinions and have been told all 3 times that its normal on SUVs. I havent had any problems with the brakes, it just looks like crud. The interior driver space is limited. Your arm will get stuck trying to adjust the seat.