Either engine can be equipped with Control Trac four-wheel-drive system, which has an automatic torque-split to transfer power to the front wheels as the rear wheels begin to loose traction.
Holding all this up is a much improved chassis, using the F-150 pickups' tube-through-tube frame design, where the cross beams pass through the frame rails. This delivers an impressive 444 percent increase in stiffness over the previous Sport Trac's traditional frame, for improved handling and decreased squeaks and rattles.
The new Sport Trac frame is shared with the 2006 Explorer, with a few significant changes: the wheelbase is 424 mm longer, a unique hanger accommodates Sport Trac's two-piece driveshaft, there's a spare tire carrier in the rear assembly, and the two-bar is built into the step bumper.
To capitalize on the stiffer frame, engineers developed all-new front and rear suspensions. The front suspension features a short- and long-arm design with coil-over-shocks, and there's an independent setup in the back for the first time.
Four-wheel disc brakes are standard, as is the four-wheel, four-channel antilock system with electronic brake force distribution. The package creates a balanced chassis with ride and handling that is unrivaled in its segment, says Lyons.
"You wouldn't even want to bring in a comparison to a compact pickup in terms of ride and handling," Lyons adds. "The highest praise I can give the Sport Trac team is that they achieved the same driving experience as the new Explorer. Like Explorer, the new Sport Trac is just as comfortable on the freeway as it is driving down a washboard road, with the ideal balance of road isolation and ride control."
The 2007 Explorer Sport Trac also features the same safety package that's offered on the 2006 Ford Explorer.
Sue Cischke, Ford's vice-president of environmental and safety engineering, says Sport Trac "offers active safety technology -- including confidence-inspiring handling and braking combined with AdvanceTrac with industry-exclusive Roll Stability Control -- to help prevent accidents. In the case of an accident, the new Sport Trac offers enhanced rollover and side-impact protection, and four new adaptive safety technologies that help tailor frontal-impact protection based on crash severity, occupant size and safety belt usage."
Sport Trac's handling and confident braking provide an added measure of safety and security during emergency maneuvers, Lyons notes. Contributing its confident nature is Sport Trac's standard Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control.
Like typical active stability enhancement systems, says Lyons, AdvanceTrac integrates three major components, including the anti-lock brake system, traction control, and yaw control. "However, while typical systems are designed to control yaw or spinout only, Ford's AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control goes one important step further."
The exclusive vehicle roll-motion sensor helps monitor vehicle roll motion approximately 150 times per second. "If it detects a significant roll angle," Lyons explains, "it automatically engages AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control to help keep all four wheels safely on the ground."
photo:Ford Motor Company
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| 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
The new Sport Trac frame is shared with the 2006 Explorer, with a few significant changes: the wheelbase is 424 mm longer, a unique hanger accommodates Sport Trac's two-piece driveshaft, there's a spare tire carrier in the rear assembly, and the two-bar is built into the step bumper.
To capitalize on the stiffer frame, engineers developed all-new front and rear suspensions. The front suspension features a short- and long-arm design with coil-over-shocks, and there's an independent setup in the back for the first time.
Four-wheel disc brakes are standard, as is the four-wheel, four-channel antilock system with electronic brake force distribution. The package creates a balanced chassis with ride and handling that is unrivaled in its segment, says Lyons.
"You wouldn't even want to bring in a comparison to a compact pickup in terms of ride and handling," Lyons adds. "The highest praise I can give the Sport Trac team is that they achieved the same driving experience as the new Explorer. Like Explorer, the new Sport Trac is just as comfortable on the freeway as it is driving down a washboard road, with the ideal balance of road isolation and ride control."
The 2007 Explorer Sport Trac also features the same safety package that's offered on the 2006 Ford Explorer.
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| 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
Sport Trac's handling and confident braking provide an added measure of safety and security during emergency maneuvers, Lyons notes. Contributing its confident nature is Sport Trac's standard Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control.
Like typical active stability enhancement systems, says Lyons, AdvanceTrac integrates three major components, including the anti-lock brake system, traction control, and yaw control. "However, while typical systems are designed to control yaw or spinout only, Ford's AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control goes one important step further."
The exclusive vehicle roll-motion sensor helps monitor vehicle roll motion approximately 150 times per second. "If it detects a significant roll angle," Lyons explains, "it automatically engages AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control to help keep all four wheels safely on the ground."
photo:Ford Motor Company
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