Styling; ride; handling; general comfort; 6-disc CD changer; load capacity; willing engine; 5-speed automatic works well. Both a comfortable cruiser and a hard-working truck.

Gas mileage (18 MPG avg.); minor production quality glitches; could use another 25 HP. Manual transmission should be made available with all option packages.

This is the most versatile vehicle I've ever owned. It can carry four adults in sedan-like comfort (five in a pinch), and still haul paving stone, the lawnmower, etc. The 4.0-L. SOHC V-6 lacks a little in low end punch, but makes up for it as the RPMs build. Easiest and best part-time 4WD system I've encountered; effortlessly handles deep snow.

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1994 Ford Ranger XLT, extended cab, 4X4.

Engine, tranny, handling, looks great, very versitile and useable. The best truck I have had.

A little too narrow for me, gas milage could be slightly better, 2 more inches of ground clearence would be nice.

Over all a very good truck. Ford has improved the 4 wheel drive alot - off road and in the snow it was very good. A very well designed and built (German) 4.0L SOHC engine and a very good electronic shift 5 speed Overdrive Transmission. The same tranny that is in the 2002 Explorer. The handling is very good for a truck on the street and the highway. The Sport Trac is the most versitle truck I have had. You can load up the bed with anything and still keep the interior clean.

Versatility, Comfort, Handling, Ride quality, and Styling.

Slightly lower fit and finish quality when compared to the imports but this is probably (hopefully) due to mine being one of the first off the assembly line. Engine could use 20-30 more horsepower but NOT at the expense of gas mileage. Wish the turning radius was a little tighter (41feet). Would like to see the use of higher quality, fully wrapped leather on the seats.

I have had my Sport Trac for almost 16 months and put over 28,000 miles on it. My overall impression has been very positive despite having a few of the initial model fit and finish quality problems. Like so many other reviewers of this product I marvel at it's versatility and cross functional usefulness. To coin a phrase, it is "A Swiss Army Knife of a vehicle" and does many tasks very well. Mine has every option that was available at the time I bought it except 4-wheel drive.

Comfort:
With it's very comfortable electrically adjustable leather seats, electric sunroof, Power rear window, in-dash 6-CD player, spacious center console, and many other electrical accessories, this vehicle can provide a level of luxury that rivals many cars in the near luxury class. It’s extra large SUV class back seat area allows you to carry three adults comfortably. With it's unique and deep composite cargo bed, cargo bed extender, powerful drive train, and ground clearance, you can perform all of the tasks normally reserved for pickup trucks with ease.

Quality:
I have owned more than a dozen different vehicles in the past 20 years with most of them being imports. With the exception of one vehicle, I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed driving and owning any of them as much as I do my Sport Trac. While the quality of this vehicle seems to be good overall, I do believe that Ford must do a better job in the fit and finish department. They must pay greater attention to the smaller details if they are to remain competitive with the quality of the imports.

Performance:
While I think the engine provides excellent performance overall, I believe it could really benefit from a 20-30 horsepower boost but not at the expense of gas mileage. My mpg's have been around 19-21 in mixed driving but I know of many who average in the 15 mpg range or less. The 5-speed auto transmission has been a true delight. It is so smooth that most of the time I cannot even tell when it is shifting when rpm's are kept below 3000. Handling has been better than what I expected in a SUV/Truck. Having driven Ford Explorers, and small pickups, my Sport Trac has always handled better and felt more stable, solid, and sure footed in cornering. Body roll was also much less than what I have experienced in other pickup trucks and SUV's. I recently replaced the original equipment Firestone tires with larger Michelins. This significantly improved every aspect of my Sport Trac's handling, ride quality, and road noise. I highly recommend the Michelin XLT M/S for the Sport Trac.

Bottom Line:
The Sport Trac like every vehicle is not perfect but I haven't seen any other product that can compare favorably to it. There really isn't a strong competitior to the Sport Trac right now so if I had to replace mine today, I would replace it with another Sport Trac. When it is time for me to buy again in 2003 I will keep my options open and re-evaluate what's on the market. I have no brand loyaly whatsoever.

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Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier are the only ones in the neighborhood but they aren't really strong competitors to the Sport Trac in my opinion.

Unique multi-purpose vehicle with versitility, and a good balance of comfort, ride quality, and performance. Excellent Atomatic Transmission, composite plastic pick up bed is nearly indestructable.

Early models had a number of irritating problems with the fuel pump, oil pressure sending unit, front disk brake squeal, and early brake pads and rotor failures. Ford has responded and corrected these defects in the newer models and has provided warranty repairs of these defect on all the previous models.

Excellent all=around vehicle. Roomy cabin with full 4 doors. Lots of creature comforts, and eye-catching good looks. Performance of the 4.0L
SOHC V6 has been very good, and often very suprising to others. It's the perfect merging of a roomy 4 door SUV, and a small Pickup Truck. I don't usually care for pickup trucks, but the Sport Trac is the first pick up truck I really liked enough to actually buy it.

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Currently this is the only vehicle of it's kind. Possible vehicles that might be consider for comparison would be the Nissan Frontier Quad Cab, and possibly the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab.

Strong engine, smooth transmission, comfortable ride, taughtness, practicality.

Wind noise, minor paint flaws on door undersides.

2001 2X4 Sport Trac w/automatic- beautiful (to me truck that delivers both comfort and practicality in an unusual new design.

V6, AT, AC, Styling, Seats, Pioneer 6CD, Leather, and so on.

NONE

Just ordered 2002 but test drove 2001 and what a ride! It's got everything you need and SUV/SUT. Drive it, you'll buy it!

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Tacoma

V6, AT, AC, Styling, Seats, Pioneer 6CD, Leather, and so on.

NONE

Just ordered 2002 but test drove 2001 and what a ride! It's got everything you need and SUV/SUT. Drive it, you'll buy it!

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Tacoma

BABE MAGNET, especially at the beach!

Not enough room to carry all the babes.

Swiss army knife of SUT's. Awesome styling and smooth ride. So versatile, and functional too.

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Xterra

BABE MAGNET, especially at the beach!

Not enough room to carry all the babes.

Swiss army knife of SUT's. Awesome styling and smooth ride. So versatile, and functional too.

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Xterra

This is a versatile people and cargo hauler - much more people-oriented than a four-door pickup. Comfortable ride, good clearance, and the 2WD version is surprising off-road capable considering the inadequate tires.

The 4.0 V6 just seems like it's working too hard. The 5.0 or even the HO 4.6 would be very welcome. Gas mileage is bad, but that's not really a surprise since an under-powered motor is essentially pushing three vertical surfaces through the air. There were a few fit and finish problems, but Ford took care of them promptly.

The Sport Trac has been a great vehicle so far. We have had none of the quality control problems mentioned elsewhere - after 18,000 there's only been 1 blown fuse, and a few dash pieces that were replaced due to poor fit. The truck travels on poor dirt roads several times a day and never misses a beat, and has even out-mudded some light-duty 4x4's. Ride quality is very good despite what looks like a tall, narrow wheelbase. The powerplant is a little weak, but I'll be modifying that as soon as the aftermarket performance parts start hitting the shelves. The cargo area is well though out, with ample tie-downs, a power-point, and since it's composite rather than sheet metal, nearly indestuctible. The only substantial options are 2x4 or 4x4, and some appearance pieces such as side steps, grill guard, tonneau cover, etc.

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Chevy S-10 pickup - no comparison
Chevy Blazer - not even close
Dodge Dakota Quad cab - more of a people-carrying pickup than a cargo-hauling SUV. Close.