2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT V-8 4X4

2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT V-8 4X4 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT V-8 4X4
Short Take Road Test

The first Explorer Sport Trac, based on the Ford Explorer of the late 1990s, was born to a world nearly bereft of compact four-door pickup trucks. Why a four-door pickup version of the Explorer was given the name Sport Trac seems odd, as it wasn't very sporty and not much was trac-ready about it. Maybe they meant the truck could support an owner's sporty hobbies while providing some superior traction. Had Lotus followed that logic, it would have called the Lotus Exige the Elise Luxury Roc, since you could have driven it to a swanky restaurant while avoiding rocks along the way.

Fine marketing choices aside, in 2000 the segment had only two other competitors — the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and the Nissan Frontier crew cab. Consequently, the Sport Trac stood out then because it was relatively refined. However, it went largely unchanged for five years, and the competition soon downshifted and surpassed the long-in-tooth Sport Trac. So Ford is rolling out a second-generation 2007 Sport Trac in the hope that it will compete more successfully in a world now replete with fresher four-door pickups.

The Sport Trac continues to be based on the Explorer sport-ute: It's identical to the 2006 Explorer from the B-pillar forward. The new Explorer platform increases structural rigidity 444 percent, Ford says, over last year's Sport Trac. From behind the wheel, the difference is apparent immediately as the truck is quieter now and feels sturdier and unflappable over lousy roads. The ride and handling are further improved by the independent rear suspension that replaces a solid axle.

It's from the B-pillar back that the Sport Trac begins to differ from the Explorer SUV. A 16.8-inch section is added to the frame to extend the wheelbase to 130.5 inches, the rear doors are extended, and a four-foot-long composite pickup bed with a built-in bed liner has been grafted on. Interior space is unchanged from the Explorer's, and if you've ever sat in a Honda Ridgeline, the Sport Trac will feel a bit cramped. Most of the engineering effort seems to have been directed toward the four-foot bed that is good for carrying 1430 pounds. The bed has a water-tight, lockable tonneau cover and tailgate; a small storage bin inconveniently placed at the front of the bed; and two even smaller compartments near the tailgate.

The interior of the Sport Trac is lifted from the latest Explorer, with the exception of the rubberized plastic found on the floor of XLT-grade models such as our tester. There is an F-150 feel from behind the driver's seat, but it still doesn't measure up to the F-150's cabin in terms of build quality. And then there are the annoying door releases that are as difficult to find as the door pulls. Owners should grow used to them, but we couldn't.

We did get used to the 292 horses provided by the optional 4.6-liter V-8 (a 210-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 is standard). Mated to a six-speed automatic, the V-8 delivered 15 mpg in the truck, which weighs nearly 5000 pounds. Although the 7.5-second run to 60 would have been good for second place in last year's four-door-pickup comparison test ("Do-It-All Compact Pickups," June 2005), the V-8 isn't exactly swimming in low-end torque; it must be spun past 4000 rpm to get any meaningful thrust. For those who tug their toys, a Sport Trac 4x4 will pull a 6640-pound trailer, a mere 10 fewer pounds than the Dakota Quad Cab 4x4, which was the towing leader of the aforementioned comparo.

With its available V-8 powertrain and impressive towing capacity, the Sport Trac excels at pickup chores. However, its small bed isn't terribly useful, and there should be more interior room in a vehicle this big. Ford hasn't announced pricing of the 2007 Sport Trac, but we expect it to cost about the same as a comparably equipped Explorer sport-ute, or about $31,000. Unless you really need the extra towing capacity, we would still recommend the comparo-winning and dynamically more satisfying Ridgeline.