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:
Showing 431 through 440 of 560.00-
The best yet! - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By James Williams - May 3 - 8:10 pmExcellent drive. Turns a lot of heads.I would highly recommend. My wife loves it. I have a another mid size truck and this one beats it hands down, in driving, fuel economy, interior design and size.
-
2001 Ford Sport Trac - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Charles Shaffer - May 1 - 11:13 amIt will be a year in June 2008 since I bought it. Have had trouble with bad vibration in the whole truck, in the steering, and front end. Mechanic said the owners of the truck who had purchased it new had under the new warranty to get it fixed. The power steering pump has to be replaced with a bigger valve in it along with some other things concerning the pump. This is what is causing the vibration. Could cost me at least $1000 to fix it. Not a happy camper.
-
03 Sport Trac - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Jonathan - April 23 - 11:26 amThe only flaw I have found is the rigid and light rear end causes some stability issues. Often at normal road speeds, hitting bumps when going any direction but straight can cause the rear to skip a little, not a fun feeling. I would pass on the power seats if you want to be able to store anything under them, and the rear seats dont fold down flat if you store anything of size under them. Other than that, a wonderful truck.
-
The Best truck out there to day 2013 - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By wvguy - April 7 - 6:11 am10-4-13 I love my truck the 2004 ford sport trac 4x4 it rides very good belt very good great on gas & snow rain hope you will injoy your to scott wv
-
still lovin it! - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By arnie_c - April 6 - 4:43 amThe Sport Trac is all and more than we expected. We use it to haul a 16 bass boat around in the summer. The cap we put on lets us transport the dog during hunting season. Its an outdoorsmans dream!
-
Great looks, poor mileage - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Torreadorered - April 6 - 2:00 amTotally disgusted with mileage. Ranges from 10 mpg in town to 15-16 on hwy. Does much worse than my full size GMC with similar driving. Great ride, lots of good features. Wife even likes ride and accessories.
-
I never expected to love it - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By jocopapay - April 6 - 2:00 amI was driving a BMW 315 when I came across the Sport Trac. It was supposed to be for my husband but I loved driving it..now its mine! The back seat has so much room, even four adults can ride in comfort and there is plenty of room to haul just about anything. Sitting up so high makes me feel safer too.
-
Should have bought it sooner - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By Bo - April 3 - 11:10 pmI looked at the Sport Trac a couple years ago and really liked them but hesitant to buy one because of past problems I had with an F-150. When I finally decided it was time to buy I started looking at trucks and SUVs from all manufacturers and probably judged Ford the hardest. I pretty much selected a vehicle from all the major manufacturers and then started the process of elimination by comparing features. Once I had it narrowed down to three vehicles I then went to dealerships for test drives and "in person" comparison. After extensive head-to-head tests there was no denying that the Sport Trac was the clear winner in features, style, usability, and build quality.
-
Love it, but I did overpay - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By washatkc - April 1 - 10:00 amThis baby handles well. It is fun to drive and I love the original look. Easy to clean, gas milage for a truck/SUV is solid. I am happy with my Sport-trac, just realize I was over charged. So if you are buying in the KC area beware Rusty Eck.
-
BEST TRUCK - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
By RANGER - March 27 - 12:26 pmI love this truck! Ive owned 3 Rangers before this and a F-150. The Sport Track is like a mini F-150. The ride, handling, noise levels are so much better than the previous generation Sport Trac. I would highly recommend checking out this truck
