New Ford Explorer SportTrac on the Way

SportTrac to Features Advanced Stability Control as Standard Equipment

While some automotive analysts are tying the Explorer SportTrac 4x4s worst in industry rollover rating, with a risk of 30 to 40 percent according to U.S. safety regulators, as the reason the model is being updated shortly, most others believe that the update was forthcoming anyway, which makes sense being that the 2004 SportTrac was based on the previous generation Explorer.

Few details have been released about the upcoming sport-utility truck, but Ford has let two artists renderings and a few specifications out of the bag prior to its January introduction. From a styling perspective, Ford has updated the model with Ranger/F-150 design cues, plus a nifty engine vent just above the front wheel cutout, similar to the vents first shown on 2003s SVT Lightning and more recently, the Land Rover LR3.

While the SportTrac promises to be wider by an unspecified amount, it will be 5 inches longer to make allowances for a roomier cab and a more accommodating pickup box. Just how much larger is the cargo area? With its 8.0 cubic feet increase it will be possible to haul nearly a 25 percent larger load, for a total somewhere near 38.0 cubic feet.

There are a variety of factors that should allow the new SportTrac to handle curves with better stability too, starting with a reduction in ride height by approximately 2 inches. While Januarys prototype will feature 21-inch rims, dont expect a wheel and tire package approaching anywhere near this diameter for production, although the gunmetal gray color may see the light of day. Also, the SportTrac will get an independent rear suspension for improved handling.

The prototypes dark and light blue two-tone interior may also be a sporty option, but what will matter more to those buying into Fords updated SUT will be standard Roll Stability Control (RSC). During yesterdays auto show preview held in Dearborn, Ford reiterated its plan to include RSC, which first debuted on the Ford-owned Volvo XC90 crossover SUV, as standard equipment in all new light trucks, full-size vans (2006 MY) and sport utility vehicles, which should equal about 500,000 vehicles per year.

What does it do? Basically RSC gives extra assistance to the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle during extreme accident avoidance maneuvers, when a rollover is most likely to occur. Both GM and Chrysler Group have made similar announcements, but compared to conventional stability control systems RSC is the most technically advanced system going. In fact, its so unique a total of 80 patents are pending and the automaker believes there is enough of a differentiation when compared to competing yaw stability control systems that Ford will be able to license it to rival brands wanting to keep up, which it plans to do.

How does it work? Rather than simply reacting to tire slippage, RSC continuously calculates if the vehicle may be approaching a situation where rollover is probable, and then takes measures to help prevent it from happening. A gyroscopic sensor determines body roll angle and roll rate, combined with other sensors inertial data such as yaw rate, plus lateral and longitudinal accelerations, and then makes a "decision" about the vehicles stability via algorithms embedded in the systems state-of-the-art software at a rate of approximately 150 times per second. If an unstable situation is detected, RSC kicks in by automatically reducing power to the engine, and/or applying the brakes to one or more wheels as needed in order to regain vehicle stability.

While safety issues are a critical concern in the sport utility segment, Ford promises a much more driver-centric vehicle when it debuts next summer.