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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  Fun Truck - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By nyricanf15 - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Never thought of owning a truck until I drove the Sport Trac. It had everything I needed from comfort to cargo capacity.

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  Works fine - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Jesse - June 18 - 7:53 am

  I have had my sport trac since 2002 and now it has 158,000.00 miles on it. I have had to do some routine maintainace but it still runs really well and I am having a hard time replacing because it is in such good shape. I will get at least 200,000 miles out of this truck but I also take care of it and not try to dog it out. I would say to anyone if you want your car to last, you need to look at your manuel that came with your truck and do the maintainance. You will end up saving thousands on repairs. I know because this is not the first Ford that I have got this many miles out of.

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  Satisfied owner - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Rondo - June 12 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my 2004 Sports Trac for about 5 month. Have taken two medium length trips and found it to be comfortable and it handles well. Easy to get around in heavy traffic. My wife loves to drive it.Our grand children love it. Gas milage is good but it could be improved. I have no major complaints.It is fun to drive.

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  Have it all - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By boatndive - June 7 - 10:00 am

  This is a great truck for those who want to be able to carry some small loads for home use. The back window also goes down to accomodate lumber. A great towing capacity of 5000lbs for my boat, room for 4 with regular size rear doors. Suspension can be improved by adding sway bar underneth. Minimal cost. Very happy with truck except for door handles in 2002 model. The paint chips easily. Plenty of power from v-6 with truck being lighter than regular f- 150.

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  Great Truck - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By New owner - May 16 - 12:00 pm

  This is the second ST I owned. Sold the first back in 2003. This truck is a dramatic improvement. Serves my needs, space for the kids and my outdoor fun. The ride is smooth and comfortable. The V6 gives plenty of power for every day use. Also, the look is much better than the ugly Ridgeline.

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  Not quite what I expected - 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By a cooper - May 8 - 1:53 am

  The interior is not well designed. The door opener is ok, but the grip on the door is awkward; its hard to grab to keep the door from swinging too far, and at a bad position to close. The interior/exterior temperature gauges are small and hard to read. The message center is in the middle of the dash, but the speedo is hard to read through the steering wheel. The parking brake release is hard to reach and cramped. There is no indication on the dash as to what gear youre in. There is no way to manually shift out of the overdrive(s). The flip-over rack was bent and the locks wouldnt work. When you flip the larger back seat down, there is a big gap between the back of the seat/cab.

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  Great truck - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By fijisone - May 6 - 10:00 am

  The truck is a compromise for some but not for me. Perfect for a family of three, more usable than aregular pickup truck- still does all the hauling I need to do. I average 18 MPG. The only compromise is who gets to drive when we all go out together.

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  2005 Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin - 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By mbeery1 - May 4 - 11:16 pm

  Bar none one of the best vehicles ever owned. Some quality issues early on, but taken care of by dealer. Interior with heated seats has button located to left of driver seat that trips on when entering/exiting vehicle, not fun in summer. If youre looking for truck/luxury combo you found it with this vehicle. Stereo outstanding, I added XM Satellite which makes longer trips enjoyable. Sound quality superb! One of a kind vehicle for 2005. Check out the new 2007 models, could be worth the wait.

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  Great value - 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By joepalmer1 - April 22 - 2:00 am

  Researched all available midsize 4door 4x4 trucks. This one came out on top. Better mileage, fit and finish than dodge, chevy, gmc and nissan. Spoke with all available dealers and read all available reviews. Sport trac won on above mentioned items. Price out the door for a loaded xlt premium, 4x4, leather, hard cover, cage, 6 disc, heated seats, limt slip, and moon roof = $28950 with tax (5.75%) Happy deal making! nows the time to buy!

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  Worth the Wait - 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By phil1487 - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Traded in my F-150 extended cab for a used Sport Trac, and dont regret it at all. While physically smaller, the useable space in the cab is much greater. Bed space is less, but sufficient to move plenty of stuff. With lockable tonneau, it is effectively a huge trunk. Only had it for a month, so have not noticed any issues with accelerate brake wear (yet). Mileage varies from 16 / 21, just like Ford said it would. Only fault I have with it is that you can not get cruise/tilt steering with the five speed stick. Not sure why, but it is annoying.