2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Review

Specifications

Ford has built a strong reputation by creating tough, rugged go-anywhere trucks, from its most basic four-cylinder Ranger XL all the way up to its biggest and strongest workhorse, the F-450 Super Duty. Ford has also made some very positive waves with the introduction of its numerous sport utility vehicles and crossovers, ranging from the futuristic Edge and redesigned Escape to the brand new Flex and even larger Explorer and Expedition models. Now what would happen if you infused this legendary truck DNA with the popular Explorer? Well, the mating of these two beauties would rear the Sport Trac, and what a machine!

Introduced to North America in 2000 as a 2001 model, the Sport Trac is a mid-sized four-door SUV with a small, truck-like bed. It’s larger than the Ranger, but smaller than the F-150. This configuration gives its driver the luxuries and conveniences of an SUV, like heated leather-trimmed front seats, a roomy back seat, fair visibility and lots of optional features. It’s also not short on the perks of a pickup, like a composite bedliner, a tubular bed extender and a cargo cage. I think it’s a fantastic balance of the two, as it’s not so big like the Avalanche or a crew-cab Silverado or F-150, but it also appears stronger and sturdier than Honda’s Ridgeline. And the Sport Trac is a very comfortable vehicle too, featuring the Explorer’s fully-independent rear suspension. Now in its second generation, the 2008 model sports a host of content upgrades, including standard fog lamps and Safety Canopy curtain airbags.

Unlike the Ranger or F-Series trucks, the suspension is much more forgiving and feels more SUV-esque than anything else, which means it’s great for everyday driving. You don’t feel the bounce or bump that’s normally associate with a conventional pickup. That’s not to say it doesn’t have the four wheel drive capabilities for the ‘serious’ truck/off-road lover, because it does. That is… if you check off 4WD when ordering as it’s an option on all Sport Tracs. If so equipped, just shift into neutral and push the button that drops the truck into Lo-Range mode. Voila, you’re ready for four-wheelin’ action. Alternately, there’s an no-cost optional AWD system available exclusively to the Limited. It is essentially permanent all wheel drive with no 2WD mode for all-weather traction.


The Sport Trac’s drivetrain mirrors that of the regular Explorer. It comes standard with a 4.0-liter V6, although you can get a 4.6-liter V8 with a six-speed automatic as an upgrade. With 24 valves (3 valves per cylinder), the V8-powered Sport Trac boasts 292 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 3,950 rpm. That’s enough power to pull its weight around and then some. And speaking of pulling weight, the V8 4×4 Sport Trac has a maximum towing capacity of 7,000 lbs, which would be perfect for hauling my speed boat, matching his and her ATVs and dirt bikes… that I’ll have one day!

But until my dreams come true, I only loaded the tonneau-covered bed with a couple of chairs I bought from a garage sale. The lockable tonneau cover is handy when wanting to store larger items in the bed without feeling worried about them getting stolen. The total exterior cargo volume is 37.5 cu-ft, while the covers are easily accessible so there is little to no fuss when wanting to load anything inside. This feature would’ve come in handy when I had to drive my brother to his hockey games many moons ago. It would have put some distance between me and his hockey gear, which, needless to say, got pretty smelly. The bed also features drain plugs in case it rains and you don’t have the tonneau cover up. Plus, there’s under-bed storage too.

It would have also been nice to have the convenience features of the Sport Trac back in those days. The Limited trim of this 4×4 model can be had with heated leather seats, but comes standard with driver door entry pad and tubular step bars . All of these amenities made the driving experience very pleasurable. I almost felt spoiled with all the bells and whistles and I haven’t even scratched the surface. The 4×4 even came with the optional navigation system to help me plot my way around town. Since I know where I’m going most of the time, I didn’t need its assistance, but it was nice to re-familiarize myself with this GPS program, as I’ve played with it before in last year’s Escape Hybrid.

The Sport Trac’s tough but refined exterior is embellished with the Limited chrome package that comes with a little bit of bling. Included in the package is a chrome step bar, 18-inch chrome clad aluminum wheels wrapped around 235/65SR18 all-terrain tires and chrome rails with black crossbars. The chrome-ing of the Explorer is done in a tasteful way, giving it that extra bit of edge without making it look tacky. And believe me, it’s not hard to get carried away when wanting to add a little extra flare to set yourself apart from the crowd, especially with SUVs! For those with an aversion to chrome, there’s also the new Adrenalin package which equips the Sport Trac with a mean looking aero kit, lowered suspension, larger wheels and black-colored grille. You could mistake it for an SVT truck.

While I’m talking about setting yourself apart from the crowd, it’s been a long time since I’ve fallen in love with a stereo system, but the hiatus is over! Truly, the Sport Trac’s audio system was the cat’s meow. The premium Audiophile stereo system comes with seven speakers, AM/FM/CD player with MP3 playback capability, Sirius satellite radio, the Microsoft SYNC system (which I’ll get into in just a bit), and a whole lot of bass. For example, a couple of my friends from work joined me to pick up some lunch one afternoon. After picking up our oh-so-exciting chicken Caesar salads we headed back to the office. It just so happened that my iPod shuffle decided to play a fantastic song that Carrie and I just love. We had the windows rolled down, the tunes and bass cranked up, and we just sang the song away. It was probably the highlight of my week with the Explorer. Just being able to ride around town in style with a great stereo and my good friends is one of those simple moments in life that I’ll treasure for a long time.

Now, back to that Microsoft SYNC system. For those who have never heard of SYNC, it’s described as, “a factory-installed, in-car communications and entertainment system” that enables its user to “use their voice to command their digital media player and Bluetooth mobile phones.” What a system! It takes a few minutes to figure out and learn the commands, but the user guide is super straightforward and I was able to make my first voice commands after a few minutes of fiddling.


As much as I hate to talk on my phone while driving, sometimes it’s unavoidable. “SYNC”-ing my phone with the system allowed me to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times. Whether someone phoned me or I phoned them, with the Bluetooth activated it’s all hands-free, baby. And with the push of the telephone icon located on the steering wheel, I was even able to enter the truck while talking, start the engine and drive away while the system automatically connected to my Bluetooth-equipped phone without having to call anyone back or lose my connection. Very cool.

But what I got the most use out of was the USB 2.0 port located in the center console. Not only does this charge my iPod while driving, it also plays my music at the same time. Now it may not seem like that big of a deal, but when I can make voice commands as to what I want to play from my library, that IS a big deal! The SYNC system displays the artists and song titles along with the genres and album names of whatever I have on my iPod. Sifting through my music is easy; all I did was push the “Media” button (which looks like the profile of a person speaking), say “USB” then, “PLAY ALL” or “PLAY GENRE-CLASSICAL (or DANCE or whatever my little heart desires )” . Or I could do it the traditional way and sort through it on the LCD touch-screen display, but that isn’t nearly as cool. Plus all my friends thought it was amazing. I would definitely want this system in my car. In fact, it makes me want to spend more time in any Ford with SYNC, because it’s so much fun to play with and this system is exclusive to FoMoCo vehicles. That’s not to say the truck itself wasn’t fantastic… I just really liked its gadgets. In fact, I could write an entire review on the SYNC system, but I’ll save that for a rainy day.

Fuel economy-wise, the six speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive configuration (when not in 4×4 mode) help cut back on pump costs. I mean, the Sport Trac has an estimated 13 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway, so granted, filling up the 22-gallon tank at over $4.00/gallon isn’t cheap. I do a lot more city driving than highway driving so it all adds up, literally. Maybe Ford will come out with a Sport Trac hybrid one day, to ease the fuel-pumping pain.

Even with all of its positives, there must be some negatives. The interior quality of all Fords has been getting a lot better over the last few years, but it’s not perfect yet. I was sitting in the back seat reflecting on what it feels like to be a passenger (sad, I know) when I noticed a bundle of wires hanging out from under the glove box. I’m not talking about a small yellow or red wire, I’m talking a fat chunk of wires. I’m hoping this is not a reflection of all the Sport Trac models because it would be a shame. After all, this is a very well composed vehicle and I’d hate to see a minor, but major, detail like dangling wires overlooked.

Overall, the Sport Trac gets an 8/10 score in my books. Whether it’s the SYNC system, ultra comfortable leather seats, or the cumulative driving experience, I had a blast taking this pseudo-truck out for multiple spins around town, whether with friends or all by myself.