Good ride, good looks.
Written: Dec 13 '01
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Pros: Great ride, good seating room in back seat, good looking, utilitarian.
Cons: Column shift lever, cheap painted plastic interior trim.
The Bottom Line: This is a great vehicle for what it is made for. I think it is far better than the competative models by Nissan, Dodge and even (gasp!) Toyota.
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| homefndr's Full Review: 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
OK, I admit, I screwed up. I purchased a Ford SuperCrew in February, and while I liked the room...it was hard to park and didn't quite fit in the garage unless I backed it in. DOH!
Then, Ford came out with "Zero percent financing" and I decided to trade the big 4-door truck in on a smaller one. The Explorer Sport Trac seemed to be the best looking package in a 4-door smaller truck, and based on how I used the big SuperCrew...I thought this would work fine.
I looked at the Nissan and Toyota (both of which had much less back-seat legroom. Then I drove the Sport Trac. It feels heavier than the imports, and it has much better comfort features. The headroom is much better than the imports. The cloth seats are down right comfortable to ride in. They feel like over-stuffed easy chairs. That's something I believe you cannot honestly say in the imports.
The standard engine is a V-6 that has very adequate acceleration and good torque at highway speeds. The interior noise level at highway speeds is downright quiet...especially for a truck. It has an electric rear window that allows great ventilation, and the controls and gauges are comfortably placed and utilitarian. The air conditioning is very adequate (not the case in the SuperCrew) and the suspension (new this year) gives a super highway ride.
There are two options for a differential on this vehicle. You have a choice of "better gas mileage" or better acceleration. I chose the acceleration option. I felt the lower ratio rear-end truck I test drove was a little on the sluggish side...and the higher ratio noticeably more responsive from a stop to 30 mph.
The entire back half of this vehicle is encased in plastic. That includes the bed interior and everything visible. I found the Ford hard tonneau cover offered by the
dealer to be overpriced at $895.00...and found one on the Internet for about half that cost that I believe looks better.
With about 1000 miles on the vehicle, I get 16.5 MPG in city driving, and about 19 on the highway. The vehicle is easy to park and maneuver in city traffic...(far cry from the SuperCrew!) It came with Berber floor mats over a Spartan rubber floorboard, and cleans up easily. I absolutely love the vehicle, and would recommend it as a good sport utility option for someone who wants to have room for four adults AND a large bag of dog food or bale of hay in the back. The optional bed extender is a great option here, as the bed is indeed on the short side.
On the down side, I believe a floor mounted shift column would be an improvement, and for some reason, the visor mounted sunglasses holder is too small, unless you wear children's glasses. Also, the interior trim is painted plastic. It looks like someone painted it with Krylon as an afterthought. I doubt it will resist scratches or hold up to much wear. The interior door latch handles are awkwardly positioned under a large tubular handle...and they are tricky to operate without a lot of fumbling...at least until you get used to them.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Sport comfort interior group
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Epinions.com ID:
homefndr
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Location: Russellville, AR USA
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Retired AF Pilot. Married two kids, one grandchild. Hobbies, computers, golf, flying.
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