The all-new, 2007 Explorer Sport Trac shares much of its platform and technology with the current Explorer SUV, which Ford redesigned last year. Thanks to almost 17 inches of added wheelbase compared with the previous model's, the Sport Trac boasts a 4.3-foot-long composite bed and crew-cab pickup-type seating for five adults.
The biggest improvements this year are the all-new reinforced frame and four-wheel independent suspension. The new IRS, attacking corners and banked turns with significantly more confidence and composure, is far superior to the two-generation-old live-axle/leaf-spring setup on the previous Sport Trac. Add Control Trac, Advance Trac, and roll-stability software programs to help keep all four wheels safely on the ground (plus front, side, and curtain airbags in case they don't), and you have a fine, practical solution for those who want SUV feel with pickup-truck style.
All Sport Tracs will be offered with two engines: a 210-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6 (with a five-speed auto) and a 292-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 (with the only six-speed auto in a pickup). Also noteworthy is a bed structure made entirely of durable, dent-resistant plastic with a reinforced and roughened lining designed to take abuse. Three clever storage bins are molded into the bed, two large enough for a six-pack and one running along the width for various tools, straps, or edibles.
We were able to get our hands on an early Sport Trac and found that, compared with the previous model, it's almost a full second faster to 60 mph and 2.0 mph faster in the quarter mile, and it stops seven feet shorter from 60 mph--a significant improvement. Look for V-6 Sport Tracs to start around $27,000 when they arrive in dealerships by spring 2006.
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