The first-generation Ford Explorer Sport Trac rode on the bones of the 1991 Explorer (which was itself derived from the 1980s-era Ranger), and while its combination of an SUV cabin and a short pickup bed was intriguing, its meager underpinnings betrayed its appeal. Fortunately, about the only things the all-new 2007 Sport Trac has in common with the old model are its name, its packaging concept, and its base engine. Riding on a stretched version of the new Explorer's frame-its wheelbase is 16.8 inches longer than the Explorer's-the Sport Trac is now five inches longer and two inches wider than its predecessor.
Unfortunately for Ford, the parameters for judging the Sport Trac have changed due to the packaging brilliance of the Honda Ridgeline. The Sport Trac lacks the Honda's locking, in-bed, weatherproof trunk and its two-way tailgate, but it has a few small bins and a full-size spare tire tucked under its four-foot-long cargo floor. The Honda's bed is five feet long. The Ford's rear seats don't fold up as quickly or as neatly as the Honda's. The Sport Trac's cabin is handsomely turned out, but it lacks the Ridgeline's plentiful storage bins.... Read full article