The Ford Explorer Sport Trac is probably one of many most forgettable automobiles that Ford has ever made. The Sport Trac was solely round for 2 generations, and there was a curious hole within the accessible mannequin years for 2006, however the truck was extra fascinating than it appears at first look. It was Ford’s first midsize truck with 4 doorways, and the final of its U.S. pickups with a really “trucky” characteristic: cargo tie-downs, or anchor factors, on the skin of the mattress.
Ford insisted the Sport Trac was part of the Explorer SUV household regardless of clearly being a midsize double cab truck — or a SuperCrew, in Ford’s lingo — and it slotted between the prolonged cab Ranger and the double cab F-150. It’s doable that Ford tried to distinguish the Sport Trac from its bestselling full-sizer with a view to cease it from cannibalizing any F-150 gross sales, however that looks like it could have been hardly obligatory given the F-150’s market dominance.
The Explorer Sport Trac shared some components with the Ford Ranger, however it had Explorer-derived styling and was constructed on the Explorer platform, which, confusingly, was as soon as Ranger-based. As our associates at The Autopian clarify, the Sport Trac was constructed on the platform of the second-generation Explorer however mixed parts from the Ranger, F-150 and Explorer, giving the SUV an extended wheelbase to accommodate an open mattress.
That mattress was simply over 4 ft lengthy, and it had a swing-out extender to stretch its usable size by two ft. The Explorer Sport Trac was by no means offered as a work truck, nevertheless, which is why the outer tie-downs seem to be an odd selection. If the Sport Trac was meant to be all play and no work, then why would Ford give it outer anchor factors, that are frequent on work vans around the globe?
Modern compact and midsize vans offered overseas, just like the Nissan NP300 and Chevrolet S-10 Max, nonetheless have the tie-downs, which appear fairly helpful. The new Ford Ranger and VW Amarok have related anchor factors alongside their mattress rails. But these are usually not frequent in any respect on American vans, not to mention on one offered till 2010. When you have a look at the tie-downs and styling of the Sport Trac, it’s jarring to see a contemporary truck with such an outdated quirk, however it’s a welcome shock.
The anchor factors ought to look misplaced, however they work properly with the Sport Trac’s styling. It makes me marvel why present vans don’t have outer tie-downs, as a result of these can’t be helpful solely on work vans. The Ford F-150 “Flareside” had the identical tie-downs at one level, however that mattress fashion was discontinued on the F-Series earlier than the Sport Trac was phased out.
The Sport Trac additionally got here with one other beloved characteristic of older Ford fashions, with the inclusion of the “Breezeway” rear window, which rolled down robotically on the contact of a button. Toyota fanatics will acknowledge this characteristic as a fan favourite on the full-size Tundra, however the Sport Trac had it, too.
The total decade of the aughts was an odd time for vans, when automakers have been prepared to attempt various things, like with the discharge of fashions such because the Lincoln Blackwood, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Hummer H3T. No matter the era, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac is one other unconventional pickup that’s largely forgotten, however it was quirkier than many people keep in mind.
Source: jalopnik.com