2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac User Reviews

Okay Truck, Will Get You From Point A To Point B Every If You Go Off Road. — The Sport Trac sports a 4.0L V6 that isn't to good at saving gas but with okay horse power and torque, there's plenty of power to get out of it's own way, but if you plan on pulling a boat or trailer this isn't the best truck to be doing the job. With out 4WD the sport track is pointless off road, with a long wheel base the ground clearance isn't what you would expect from a real truck. But if you do go off road the interior is great for it, with rubber floors and easy to clean cloth seats a little mud or dirt will easily be cleaned up in minuets. The off road interior has it's disadvantages many plastic parts and a noisy ride on the high way. The stock stereo system could use better speakers and a subwoofer. But other then that the interior is great for someone who likes to get dirty on the weekends. Even though the Sport Track seems more like an SUV it drives like a truck, you can feel all the bumps and dips of the road with no problem, giving you that "truck" feel with the SUV convince. The size of the truck is smaller then a full size truck but feels in no way like a tin can. Parking the Sport Track is as simple as any SUV, being a truck you do sit higher then cars on the road, making it much easier to judge traffic but with a vehicle as tall as the Sport Track making turns takes a little longer then the average car on roads today. When the Sport Track came out in 2001 the bold styling was a first for ford, with huge fender flares and a short bed, it was a new look for fords to come. The small bed is great for suburb chores, like hauling dirt, and mulch. But Large pieces of wood are awkward for the short bed, even with it's over sized rear power window it wasn't big enough to get a sheet of ply wood through it. Over all the Ford Explorer Sport Trac is a great truck for little jobs here and there, enough room for five it's safe to call it a truck or an SUV, great for the family or just a single bachelor, the Sport Trac can get the job done.

The Compromise Pick-up — Great truck if you don't need the ruggedness of a full-size truck but want a full-size rear seat. My only gripes are fuel mileage (about 17-18 mpg), and the bed size (there is a difference between 3' 11" and 4'). The seats are comfortable for long trips, more so than my 2005 Ford Freestar in my opinion. Only repairs to date (with over 100,000 miles) are a replaced transmission and some body repairs after a minor collision, both after the 100,000 mile mark. This truck has been bulletproof since purchase.

Solid, But Not Great For Work. — Good cab size for passengers, but that's essentially what it was: a pickup truck designed for passengers rather than cargo. The plastic bed liner was junk, and the bed was good for hauling some personal things around, but as a work truck, it was almost useless. Mileage was fair, considering it was a huge 4-door, 4WD V6, but I'm glad I got rid of it before gas prices started to jump. It's really an SUV for people who want to maintain an appearance of functionality, but this was basically just an Explorer with the rear top cut off, so it does look pretty strange at first.

A Good Effort — being that it was the first year ford produced this car. there seemed to be a few technical errors. on my particular model. ive warped 3 sets of standard rotors because the 11'' rotor only fits in the 15 inch rim. in 02 they went to 16'' rim and could fit a 12'' rotor. the trucks turning radius is great but has a tendancy to stall at full crank left at low speeds. ive heard this is a standard problem fords have. the soc motor has a rather unique way to connect the crank to the cam. it has duel timing chains. the rear tensionor had to be replaced wich was almost half the cost of buying a new warranteed motor from ford. The transmision is good. could use another gear for beter highway economy. the 4x4 model came with 4.10 gears. the 4x2 model came with 3.73's the 4.10's should have been standard to allow even the two wheel drive truck to tow things more easily and or the 2 wheel drive truck should have come with 3.55 or 3.27s to allow the 4L motor to actualy be an economical engine on the highway i baby the thing and have heard of better mileage out of 5.4L F150's and even 1980's 5L mustangs with almost 100 more horses than the ST factory 210. i have a K&N intake and a flowmaster exaust. i wish there where more things for the little motor but it has some pep in its step. the headers and underdrive pulley kits. there out there but expencive and impractical on a daily driver. Ive had a hell of a time finding a chip for the truck. would be nice if SVT came up with on.

Primary Use: Utility (towing boats, transporting cargo, etc.)

Ford Really Sucks — My car eats way too much gas and repairs are expensive on an SUV especially this one, the transmission has already needed replacing, I would not buy this car ever again. Top heavy car, doesn't corner well at all. U-turns need to be taken carefully. The only plus is that because of its size and solid frame I should fair well in a crash. Just another shoddy product of ford.