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Christopher Jackson | 3/19/2008 | Ford
It's like a Tonka truck for adults!
A recent winter storm gave me the opportunity to reminisce about the snowstorms of my youth; as soon as the white stuff began to bury the city, we'd be out in it with our sleds and snow-block makers at the ready. Whether or not school was closed, a big snowstorm was cause for celebration, and an excuse to break out a bunch of special snow-day toys.
Things haven't changed all that much. With eight inches of snow blanketing my home town, I was up at the crack of dawn, eagerly pulling out adult-sized "toys:" the trusty Ariens snowblower and a 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac.
More utilitarian than the average SUV, yet not quite a full-fledged pickup truck, the Explorer Sport Trac is a perfect grown-ups' toy. Since its introduction in 2001, it's been basically the same vehicle; an Explorer with a small pickup bed in place of the cargo area. A ground-up redesign last year added a V8 engine and improved strength and comfort, but the basic concept hasn't changed. For 2008, the Sport Trac gets new colors and added convenience features.
The Explorer Sport Trac's 4.5-foot bed is perfectly sized for tasks like hauling a snowblower across town to help one's friends dig out. With the optional two-piece tonneau cover folded back, there's room for a decent-sized piece of yard or leisure equipment. The 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac's sheet molded compound (SMC) bed is dent- and scratch-resistant as well. The standard flip-out bed extender cuts the cargo space in half when it's not being used, however, and hauling a quantity of groceries or smaller items in the Sport Trac's high-sided bed is hopeless if you intend to keep them from tumbling about. At the other end of the spectrum, it's not large enough to carry a full-sized sofa or an ATV. Think of it as the basket on the back of a Big Wheel, not a carry-everything Radio Flyer wagon.
On the plus side, the Sport Trac is a good-looking truck. The stubby bed and muscular fender flares give it good proportions. The face is shared with the Explorer SUV, with a bold chrome grille flanked by the "nostrils" that grace all of Ford's trucks. The bed is purposeful, with visible tie-down cleats along the sides, and there's an available roof rack for carrying even more gear up top.
Once the heat kicks in and the heated windshield takes care of the ice, the plain cloth interior makes a good temporary office to retreat to on a blustery winter day. Large cupholders ensure secure storage for mugs of hot chocolate, and the center console will swallow spare gloves and hats with ease. The 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac's floor is even rubber-lined with carpets on top, for easy cleaning. The instrument panel is the same as the Explorer's, with a handsomely laid out center console, a slightly outdated radio interface and the infuriating, top-mounted door handles that most passengers have expressed a strong dislike for as they sacrifice some function in the name of style. Side airbags and a power rear window are standard equipment. For longer wintertime trips, the available voice-activated navigation system and Sync hands-free phone and music controls add a measure of high-tech luxury to this relatively low-tech truck.
As I headed out onto un-plowed streets, the Explorer Sport Trac's available four-wheel drive made short work of the slippery pavement. With the optional 292 horsepower 4.6 liter V8 under the hood, there isn't much that'll stop a Sport Trac, other than a gas station. The V8 is pleasantly powerful, but it's also thirsty and the Sport Trac drinks fuel at a very trucklike rate. A more fuel-efficient 4.0 liter V6 is also available, with a five-speed automatic transmission. V8-equipped Sport Tracs get a six-speed auto. This truck has decent freeway manners and a pleasant enough ride to carry five passengers without complaints. The V6 and V8 will tow up to 5260 and 7160 pounds, respectively. The four-wheel drive includes a low-range for serious off-roading, like a proper weekend toy should.
Suspension-wise, the 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac is all truck underneath. The short-long arm front suspension and independent rear are shared in their basic form with the Explorer, and active safety aids like Ford's Advance Trac stability control and Roll Stability Control (RSC) are available. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS are standard equipment.
The Sport Trac tackled the cold, snowy weather gleefully, and was on hand to work and play until I was cold and ready to go inside for the day. It's got its practical uses, but at heart the Sport Trac is as much a toy as a metal-runner sled or toboggan. Good luck getting your parents to buy one for you, though. Sticker prices on the Sport Trac start at $28,505 for all-wheel drive models. My snow-ready 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac featured heated mirrors and windshield, a trailer hitch, adjustable pedals, the optional tonneau cover and cargo extender and Sync and carried an MSRP of $33,425.
Specifications:
Base price: $28,505
Engine: 4.6 liter SOHC 3-valve V8
Drivetrain: six-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 292 @ 5750
Torque: 300 @ 3950
Mileage: 13/19
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