Sport Trac, what's the story?

[Bdox]

Where I live, I have only seen a few "Sport Tracs," and don't know much about them.

Is it basically an Explorer, modified to be a quasi-pickup?

Any major pros or cons?

My sister-in-law is looking at possibly buying a used one (40k mi., 4x4) that appears to be in good shape.

They told her they guessed it only gets 15mpg, is that what you'd expect?
She comes to me for advice about it and I have never been in one.

[MCDT]

The interior is just like an Explorer but with rubber flooring instead of carpet. The bed is nice for a weekend worker. The around town mpg is about 15 and I can get 20 on the highway. All in all a nice vehicle.

[Bdox]

Thanks MCDT, just out of curiosity, what is the size (inside ) of that bed?

[F0rdzTuff]

I had one, and all I know is it didn't haul much, and the payload capacity isn't much either. I get the same mileage in my 2008 F150 that I got in that thing.

[Rainbow ST]

I don't know the exact size of the bed.. but I have an 01 Job 1. .with the bed extender and I haven't had a problem with it yet. The mileage sounds about right.

I love mine. If you like having 4 doors, but stll want a bed, but don't want a full size supercrew, then this is the truck to have.

PS.. it is my understanding that the original ones (like mine) was literally a pile of spare parts, from the explorer, ranger and F150.. Ford needed to compete in the mid size arena and threw it together.

[fordguy55]

I've had my '02 since it was new. Although I liked the F150, it was too big and I needed a commuter. The F150 was too much of a gas hog and didn't ride any better. My Sport Trac fits a lot of needs. It seats 5 adults and I can carry drywall (sheetrock to some of you) with the bed extenter and a lot of other stuff. If you constantly do a lot of hauling of supplies, you's be better suited in an F150. Mine is RWD because I found that it rode nicer than the 4X4 and I don't do any off-roading. I use studded snows on the winter which sometimes gets me a laugh when I pass stuck 4X4's spinning all 4 wheels on icy roads. A lot of guys say it's not so great on gas milage. That's true if you have a lead foot. When the price of gas started to climb, I started to drive like someone's grampa, usually pissing off drivers behind me. I just take my time getting to the speed limit. And, no joke, I can get 19mpg around town and to work and 25 on the highway for long trips. Don't try extending your milage with that ETHOS crap. I did it with high hopes. My first tank actually dropped my milage so I stopped using it. Just use regular gas, change the air filter regularly and maintain all the other stuff and it'll last a long time. I have never had a major repair.

[gasman6674]

I have an 05 2wd I have been tracking my mpg since I got it and get a consistant 16.5 mpg combo driving, I have got as high as 22 on long trips. I love mine i have hauled eyerything I have ever wanted to, from a side by side refridgerator to 2 cu yards of mulch. And it fits in my garage. I would recommend them to anyone.

Regards

[Neal 97 250]

My wife wants to sell our Excursion and get something smaller. She is looking at the Toyota tacoma 4 door. I was wondering how this sport trac compares to say toyota or nissan's crew cab small bed trucks?

[gasman6674]

One of my co-workers has a Toyota he loves it. I have ridden in it and it rides fine. It does seem a little smaller inside than my Sport Trac though.

Regards

[Neal 97 250]

Good food for thought. Thanx.

[Bear River]

Fuel economy isn't hte only consideration. It is true that often they get about the same as a half ton. However, they cost much less to maintain. The brakes are easier and less expensive, the engine costs less to maintain. Virtually every system is easier and less expensive to maintain.

It really boils down to what you need. Do you need a large bed? Do you often have to carry more than 2 people? How much do you need tow. How long do you intend to keep it?

BTW, reliability wise, the Sport Tracs have both the Toyota and Nissan beat. Nissan has major quality control issues, and getting on that works well is mostly a matter of luck. Toyotas have fuel control and emissions related issues. Their computers are built by a GM company, so they inherit the same problems.

[Neal 97 250]

Great news to hear. So to sum up what I believe you guys are saying is the ford is a bit worse on mileage and is better on maintenance and reliability. There is more room in the cab but less room in the bed.

It sounds like the ford is a better option for us. We only have 1 child, 2.5 years old, so we can put the child seat in the middle and put two adults on each side if necessary. Atleast that is what we do in the EX. I have a 3/4 ton truck so I do all the camper towing and major stuff. She just wants a truck in case she has to haul off the garbage or something like that. She hates putting it in the back of our EX.

What different engine sizes are offered with the Sport trac and what years would be best to stay away from or steer towards?

I am thinking a smaller engine and possibly 2wd would be best for us. just as long as it is safe and can get from point A to B without breaking down or breaking the bank.

Thanx in advance for your replies on this.

[bluedevil3758]

it comes with the 4.0l v6 and 4.6l v8 and i think the bed is 4.5ft

[rockstate45]

We have an '07 and an '08 Sport Trac. Both have been pretty good to us. The 4.6s are quick, but not nearly as fast as my 5.7 Tundra.

It can do work (high payload - or at least almost as much as my Tundra) but the bed space and the plastic liner leave a lot to be desired for. We use my truck for anything that needs to be put in the bed b/c I have a Rhino Liner (doesn't scratch or let things slide around). I'm comparing that to my Tundra or any other half ton truck. If I wasn't worried about scratching it up, it'd be used a bit more but since we have a truck that has a bedliner, why not use it? The bed extender is a must and comes in handy quite often. Same with the tonneau cover.

Maintenance wise, it's pretty good. The '07 has 28K miles and hasn't had a big problem yet (something with the RR blinker is wrong and it's not the bulb). The '08's just fine but the panel that holds the window switches is lose on the left side.

Gas is about 15.6 in the city for both V8s. That's better than the 13.5 I'm seeing in my Tundra and that's with factoring a small 60 mile highway trip at around 60-65 mph.

-rockstate

[85e150six4mtod]

Concerns would be same as Explorer:

--rear axle bearings. If it isn't howling by 50-60,000, it's probably good for another 100k.

--4.0 engine antics with the cam chain tensioners. They say they are fixed, maybe...

--4.6 close to 4.0 for mpg.

--5 speed auto behind 4.0 is a potential unfixable pos, with outright parts breakage failures to "flaring" being issues. Some are no problem, maybe you get lucky.

So, if I were forced to buy I'd go the V8.