2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited 4x4 Road Test

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

Certain little details bug me, though. The air conditioning and heating buttons are tiny; rheostats for setting temperature and fan speed would be better. The door panels have hard textured plastic on the window sills, which irritate my elbow (hey, I'm a sensitive guy...). In addition, the door handles are mounted too low.

There's ample space for the rear passengers, and you can easily create a flat cargo area by folding down the rear seatback, which avoids getting the nice leather dirty.

The look of the Sport Trac is highlighted by several features, such as the tie-down hooks on the outside of the bed, the roof rack, the big door handles and the huge chrome grille (inspired by Audi?). It looks good. However, I thought that Ford would have given it a much sportier appearance after seeing the Sport Trac concept that was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2005.

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

The practical aspect of the bed is arguable. It's not very long or very wide, which limits its carrying capacity. Moving a washing machine or a bunch of boxes is not a problem, but a big ATV might not fit. This pickup comes with two options: a tubular bed extender and a hard tonneau cover. The extender is handy for hauling a motorbike, for example, and can easily be removed.

The tonneau cover is lockable, but is an option to think about. It's heavy and is difficult to stow away when you need to haul a big object. The cover doesn't come off easily, and has to be taken off by two people, unless your name is Arnold. Remember that you can't just load up anything you want while you discover the deal of the century at a yard sale... especially if the cover is in place.

The 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limtied 4x4 is an interesting truck. It has the potential to please pickup and SUV buyers alike. It's practical for some, but not enough for others. The price for this test truck, which includes the trailer-tow package ($500), the bed extender ($230), the

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

heated windshield ($405), the side curtain airbags ($600) and the tonneau cover ($895), totals $41,129. That's not bad, compared to a $41,330 loaded Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. What's very interesting is that you can buy a base Explorer Sport Trac for almost $10,000 less than the least expensive Explorer SUV.

So, is this a pickup that can please everybody? That's arguable, but I think it can. Is it a pickup that looks tough enough to please Arnold? I'm not sure.

What I like:
Luxurious interior
Good looks
Priced right

What I don't like:
Heavy fuel consumption
Limited practicality of the bed, especially with tonneau cover
Location of interior door handles