2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Reviews, Pricing & Specs
Overview
Based on the hugely popular Ford Explorer, the best-selling midsized SUV at the turn of the century, the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac...
Based on the hugely popular Ford Explorer, the best-selling midsized SUV at the turn of the century, the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac brought the sport-utility vehicle evolution full circle, back to its pickup truck roots.
The 2001 Explorer Sport Trac helped create a new market segment, the Sports Utility Truck, with its hybrid design. A pickup bed (with optional tonneau cover) took the place of the Explorer SUV's rear cargo compartment; the body was lengthened by 14.5 inches to accommodate the truck bed.
Reviewers were a little disconcerted by the '01 Ford Explorer Sport Trac's appearance, and they weren't wrong: the design was clunky. Still, dealers couldn't keep the Sport Trac in stock; buyers wanted the comfort of the Explorer-style cab with the versatility of a pickup.
For its inaugural year, the '01 Explorer Sport Trac was offered in just one trim. Buyers could choose between rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models; the 4WD Sport Trac was popular with off-road aficionados. Manual transmission was standard; automatic transmission was a pricey option. Other options available included cruise control, tilt steering wheel, and bucket seats.
Under the hood, the Sport Trac offered one engine choice for 2001, a 4.6 liter single overhead cam V-6 that delivered 205 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque. Gas mileage wasn't anything special, with a rating of 15 mpg city, 19 mpg highway.
What owners say
"Overall, owners of the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac have mixed feelings about their trucks. Many appreciate its comfortable ride, spacious interior, and decent performance, especially in snowy conditions. However, a common critique is the fuel efficiency, as many find it lacking, and the bed size is often considered too small for serious hauling. While it serves well for everyday tasks and family outings, some feel it doesn't quite measure up as a work vehicle."
It's a truck. It's not really supposed to accelerate quickly, or turn sharply. And it doesn't. The brakes work well enough, although when it is wet, it has developed the habit of being very touchy when it comes to said brakes. Gas mileage is alright, better than an average truck of the same year. It's getting older now, and has developed some squeaks, and the drivers seat is pretty sunken in, but hey, its been around for 10 years now, so it has a right to, no? We've pulled a camper with it, and it did well. There were multiple recalls on stuff on it over the years, but none for a while. It has >110K miles on it and still runs like a champ. It has served it's purpose well, in that it has a bed for hauling, and a hitch, but also has a back seat that 2 large guys fit in with relative comfort. Additionally, it was short enough to still fit in a medium-small suburban garage. Plenty of anchor points placed all around the bed, which are very useful for tying cargo down. Very useful external code pad which, along with the automatic windows, didn't work for a while, but we had that fixed.
November 11, 2011The 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.
January 30, 2010Handles great in all weather and especially snow! The 4wd works great! This is a great daily driver, rides smooth and not bad on gas for road trips! The back bed cover does come off for extra hauling ability but it's great to have the full coverage to help save gas!
May 16, 2015What owners say
It's a truck. It's not really supposed to accelerate quickly, or turn sharply. And it doesn't. The brakes work well enough, although when it is wet, it has developed the habit of being very touchy when it comes to said brakes. Gas mileage is alright, better than an average truck of the same year. It's getting older now, and has developed some squeaks, and the drivers seat is pretty sunken in, but hey, its been around for 10 years now, so it has a right to, no? We've pulled a camper with it, and it did well. There were multiple recalls on stuff on it over the years, but none for a while. It has >110K miles on it and still runs like a champ. It has served it's purpose well, in that it has a bed for hauling, and a hitch, but also has a back seat that 2 large guys fit in with relative comfort. Additionally, it was short enough to still fit in a medium-small suburban garage. Plenty of anchor points placed all around the bed, which are very useful for tying cargo down. Very useful external code pad which, along with the automatic windows, didn't work for a while, but we had that fixed.
November 11, 2011The 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.
January 30, 2010Handles great in all weather and especially snow! The 4wd works great! This is a great daily driver, rides smooth and not bad on gas for road trips! The back bed cover does come off for extra hauling ability but it's great to have the full coverage to help save gas!
May 16, 2015Unique, fun, can do anything, solid for a Ford. This is a very unique vehicle. Although the bed is quite small, with a bed cover and/or bed extender (I have both) it has a lot of options. The interior is nice enough, but has weak points (center arm rest is known to break, paint flakes off easily). It looks like an Explorer with the back cut off to expose a truck bed. The side step rails are known to rust easily.
February 7, 2008Great 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.
July 17, 2008Good 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.
March 28, 2008I loved this SUV until we traded it in at the end of the lease. I always loved driving it. Had great handling and gas milage for tis size. Made getting through snow very easy.
April 20, 2008Big Transmission problems, I went through 2 transmissions during the three years of owning it and luckily they were all under warranty. The cost of ownership wasn't that bad at all, very fun vehicle to drive. Great Truck just wish the bed was bigger. Fun truck for off-roading and it could handle the snow with no problems in four wheel drive, another reason I got it.
September 3, 2009good on gas and mechanically runs great haven't had a problem
May 30, 2008Really like the truck, except maybe the small box it has.
June 21, 2008Trims & specs
Base MSRP $22,745 | Seating 5 |
Engine 4.0L 210 hp V6 | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG 17 | Drivetrain RWD |
Base MSRP $25,515 | Seating 5 |
Engine 4.0L 210 hp V6 | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG 16 | Drivetrain 4WD |
