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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Why? - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By JB - December 11 - 1:40 pmOk truck, but a bit small. Id be a lot happier if the bed were a foot longer. It drives well enough on the freeway, but leans and lurches about on the twisty stuff. Also, beware the W-I-D-E turning radius which means its not very nimble in parking lots and garages. The stock seats are comfortable. This is a good thing because they have only basic adjustments. The OHC engine performs quite well compared to my old anemic 94 model. Gas mileage is appalling, however, yielding a solid 14.5mpg in pure suburban driving and topping out at 21 for 100% interstate trips. For the gas it burns, I think Id better off with a full sized truck.
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Problem Child - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Sara - July 6 - 7:00 pmBought this truck a year ago and had nothing but problems. First the battery needed to be replaced a week after I bought it. I had to replaced a hose that was causing my engine light to come on 2 months after I bought it, it was figured out after two appts at the shop. My back driver side door does not open from the inside, I have to let everyone out by opening their door. My ABS kicks in when it should not kick in causing me to spend numorous visits to the mechanic. Turns out, I have to spend the big bucks and take it to the Ford dealer. Lastly, which is not diagnosed yet but Ive been told my alternater needs work. It just never ends with this truck.
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Disappointed - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By teddy - June 4 - 10:00 amIve had the ST for 6 months. In that time Ive had three CD Players, a 4x4 switch and moon roof fail. Ford needs to improve the quality of this truck.
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Could be much better!! - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Drewdawg - June 2 - 2:00 amWhen driving the Sports Trac around town I had noticed a squeeking sound when stopping but did not think of it as a problem. But about 1000 miles later I found out i had no pad or rotor left in the front disc brakes. Also during Highway driving i had to listen to a annoying wissling sound comming from the drivers side and passengers side windows. But over all the truck is fine just need to have better fuel mileage and fix the brake and wind noise problem!!
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Nice, but.... - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Mike Johnson - March 2 - 2:00 amSport Trac is a OK. It looks really good on the outside, BUT... on the inside its lacking. Climate control (no air recycle function), door handle seem flemsy and too damn close to the edge of the driver seat. And...where is the power seat control? I know its down there somewhere, but I cant see it. Also, the seats dont recline all the away, whats up with that??? My dealer ship sells the bed top separately...whats up with that??? Overall it looks good, but the gas mileage is just so so. Its only got a V6 and the F-150 has about the same gas mileage with more towing capacity.
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brakes...break - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By ex ford driver - January 20 - 3:53 pmFront brakes are junk! I bought this vehicle brand new and it just passed away at 187,000 miles. Engine blew last week. $$ to fix engine and of course I was at the 25,000 mile mandatory brake and rotor job. Other than that, oil changes and usual up keep along with bearings on both sides at 175,000.
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Ford should recall Sport Tracs - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By last ford? - November 13 - 1:36 amOnly complaint on the interior is the lumbar support on the drivers seat. Love the floor (no carpet), plenty of room, lots of adjustability. The exterior is great. Fuel mileage has been as expected (15 city, 19 highway). Good power. Rides like a truck, but it is a truck. Mechanically, Ford should issue a recall for brake problems. At 70,000 miles, its on its 4th set of brakes and 2nd set of rotors. Our Honda just had brakes for the 1st time at over 100,000 miles. We dont drive off-road, weve had no accidents, and we dont tow anything. We dont ride brakes, and we dont slam on them. This is clearly a Ford problem.
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Ford Explorer Sport Trac - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By ford - July 22 - 8:13 pmThis vehicle was purchased to tow small trailers and it performs fine. Gas mileage is not acceptable as it is well below the advertised sticker quote. Workmanship is poor. Have had problems from paint and loose body parts to major mechanical problems. All were promptly taken care of by the dealer, but some are reoccurring and the vehicle is no longer under warranty.
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Not that bad - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Tosh - April 25 - 10:00 amNo matter how I drive, I always get 15.6 to 16 MPG. Some times brakes makes noise (The dealer cannt help), A strange noise on my side windows (Dont know where its coming from). Anyway other then those probems, its not bad.
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What a disappointment - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Kenn Mag - November 24 - 2:00 amMy NEW Sport Trac broke down 5 times in the first three months. Once it just died on me as I came onto a freeway. The mechanic first told me that they ran diagnostics on it and, "out side of the fact that it wouldnt start, there was nothing wrong with it." The finally got it running again. It also had a high pitch whine at highway speeds. Ford said it was a chain in the 4WD transfer case and that they knew of the problem but had no fix for it. Ford bought it back from me, thank God.
