Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The Ford Explorer Sport Trac, also known just as the Ford Sport Trac, is a mid-size sport utility vehicle with a pickup truck bed that was sold mostly in North America. The Sport Trac was based on the Ford Ranger pickup and was built by the Ford Motor Company from 2000 to 2010. The pickup truck fell between the Ford Ranger and Ford F-Series in capability and price. It competed with crew-cab mid-size pickups and crossovers, such as the Honda Ridgeline, and was a smaller competitor to the Chevrolet Avalanche. During the first year it sold in the US, the waiting list grew to over 3 months. It was also the first body-on-frame sport utility truck. The Sport Trac was introduced at a time the Ford Explorer and Ford Ranger platforms diverged. The Explorer received its own chassis while the Sport Trac continued with the old Explorer's Ranger-based chassis. The Sport Trac is a class 2 vehicle with a GVWR of 6250 lbs., and a maximum GCWR of 12,000 lbs. This makes it the most capable mid-size pickup, having a greater GVWR and GCWR than the Dodge Dakota, GM's Canyon/Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma.

The Sport Trac was discontinued in October 2010, even though it was announced in earlier press releases that production would end in 2011, since the new generation Ford Explorer, advertised as a 'crossover SUV' on a unibody platform, was introduced in December 2010 as a 2011 model. The Sport Trac was sold through the 2011 calendar year as a 2010 model.