2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

This is, admittedly, an odd truck. As if it couldn't decide between pickup and SUV at birth, Ford's latest creation engenders a measure of both, combining the passenger room of the extremely popular Explorer with a macho-but-small utility bed. Available in either rear- or 4-wheel drive and blessed with a healthy dose of style to go along with this unique brand of flexibility, the Explorer Sport Trac offers a new take on the basic SUV genre. Given the initial public response—Ford initially hoped to sell 50,000 2001 Sport Tracs, but orders have already exceeded that number—quite a few potential customers have already been smitten by what they see. We recently drove several versions but spent the bulk of our time in a rear-drive autoshifted version, which will likely account for the bulk of the Sport Trac volume.


In many ways the Sport Trac's evolutionary design does make perfect sense. A conventional pickup truck is never big enough for more than a couple or an intimate threesome. Even many of the extended- and crew-cab versions typically leave backseaters suffering that "are we there yet—" feeling. With a passenger compartment that's equal in size to an Explorer, those who ride in the Sport Trac's aft quarters can forget about such sentiments. On the toting front, traditional SUVs are far happier carrying a week's worth of groceries or the family's Golden Retriever in the enclosed rear bay rather than a load of pungent peat moss or a brace of mud-caked dirt bikes. Given that basic truth, the Sport Trac provides an easy way to enjoy the best of both worlds without sacrificing very much in the way of practicality.

Sport Trac interior design retains the basic Explorer design but adds a few special twists of its own.

Because this variation on America's best-selling SUV is aimed more at mall-crawlers than Baja racers, its passenger compartment is well appointed even in standard trim. Far from the bare-bones quality of many pickups, it boasts items like air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, even an in-dash CD player. Up front, occupants ride in unique, wear-resistant buckets while racy white-face gauges add a sporty flair to the dash. The cabin can be jazzed up with options, of course. Notable is the Leather Comfort Group, which includes, naturally, swatches of rawhide on the seating surfaces along with rear audio and climate control switchgear, helping back-seat passengers enjoy the ride. The top-line audio package is a 6-speaker, 290-watt Pioneer sound system with subwoofer.