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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  POS - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By jdwk - November 24 - 2:00 am

  The car is very useful, and is one of the few cars I dont mind riding in the back of. However, it has been terribly unreliable. It is in the shop every other month. While it has been relatively swift in the past, it currently is painfully slow and is getting less than 10 mpg! I just got it out of the shop again, and although the strange noise during acceleration is gone, it is still slow and I havent noticed an improvement in gas milage.

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  Excellence From Ford - 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Willis - November 24 - 12:06 am

  I traded in a 2004 F-150 and got 2008 Limited Sort Trac, V8, 4X4, limited chrome and electronics. Ford couldnt have done a better job of putting a vehicle together. Great power anywhere you need it, I am am happy with my mileage compared to my F-150 V8 5.4. Getting 22mph on highway. Very smooth ride, If youre looking for something like this no other manufacturer can even come close to the quality and comfort of the Sport Trac.

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  2001 Overall A Disappointment - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By JR - November 21 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the truck with approximately 20,000 miles on it. The power rear window was a selling feature to me along with the looks and versatility of a SUV/truck. The ride is rough but after all its a truck so that is ok. The disappointing features are as follows; paint bubbling up and popping off the hood at 35,000 miles, Ford did pay for the repaint though. Lower Ball joints at 50,000 miles (told normal wear), horrible gas mileage (15 mpg mixed driving, 16-17 on highway), moisture in the headlights, annoying timing chain slap noise, slow/low torque motor and now transmission problems (which I was told is common). My 91 Explorer was bulletproof for 175K miles, doubt this one will make that.

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  Deceptive - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By LesterUt - November 8 - 9:20 am

  The Sport Trac is confining to drive. I had previously owned an regular Explorer and a F-150. This Sport Trac seems to be a buffed up Ranger and seems to be a Ranger chassis. Legroom and space for the driver lacks room and the seat sits fairly high, obscuring driver vision. The engine is underpowered for the frame. But fuel economy does not reflect the poor performance. I would not purchase this vehicle again. I would recommend spending a weekend with this vehicle before making a decision on your purchase.

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  My SportTrac - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Jerry - October 29 - 6:40 am

  Researched all lines of truck like this and found the SportTrac the best looking and functional fit. The complete redesign for 2007 puts it way ahead of the competition. Recommend trying and deciding for yourself instead of heeding the biased reviews given domestic cars and trucks today. Go Ford!

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  Great Car, Bad Gas - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Xena - October 27 - 10:00 am

  This car is very luxurious and spacious. It could fir five heavy adults. Handling is great. The styling and the bed size are perfect. Its perfect to haul furniture, etc. The best part is that its very high and you can see everything on the road. I love it!!!

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  Great little truck - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By SnowBeast - October 3 - 2:40 pm

  Bought new with less than 100 miles after my 94 ranger was totalled by a kid running a light. This truck is a beast in the snow. Winter 06 brought 2 major blizzards here with over 2ft of snow each time within 2 weeks. Had to blast through drifts over 4 ft to get to work. No problem at all. That is even with the crap stock goodyear RT/S tires. Tires started "thumping at 10k. Had to replace pads and rotors at 30k. Repair shop said a caliper was frozen on the right front and chewed throught the rotor. Replaced rotors, pads and calipers over $700. Now the breaks constantly squeak. Besides that have not had any mechanical issues what so ever "knock on wood"

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  SPORT TRAC - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By BILL B - September 26 - 10:00 am

  GREATI DO OWN IT STUPID!!!!!

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  Nice little truck - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Lubbockite - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Always runs well, designed with ordinary maint (brakes, oil, etc.) in mind. Very simple to work on. Fun for offroading, but fairly low clearance. Several safety recalls, but no problems under warranty.

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  love my Sport Trac - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By cj - September 22 - 10:56 pm

  After doing intake and exhaust plus programmer I am getting 28 mpg and power is incredible. I have a 4 inch lift and 33s on 20s and still have a incredible ride. I have a modified Excursion and Ranger and this has done better on results after modifying it.