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2008 Ford Sport Trac V8 Limited 4X4 Road Test

Ford has built a strong reputation by creating tough, rugged go-anywhere

A fine example of selective breeding - in this case, a good SUV and a pickup. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

trucks, from its most basic four-cylinder Ranger XL all the way up to its biggest and strongest workhorse, the F-450 Super Duty. Ford has also made some very positive waves with the introduction of its numerous sport utility vehicles and crossovers, ranging from the futuristic Edge and redesigned Escape to the brand new Flex and even larger Explorer and Expedition models. Now what would happen if you infused this legendary truck DNA with the popular Explorer? Well, the mating of these two beauties would rear the Sport Trac, and what a machine!

Introduced to North America in 2000 as a 2001 model, the Sport Trac is a mid-sized four-door SUV with a small, truck-like bed. It's larger than the Ranger, but smaller than the F-150. This configuration gives its driver the luxuries and conveniences of an SUV, like heated leather-trimmed front seats, a roomy back seat, fair visibility and lots of optional features. It's also not short on the perks of a pickup, like a composite bedliner, a tubular bed extender and a cargo cage. I think it's a fantastic balance of the two, as it's not so big like the Avalanche or a crew-cab Silverado or F-150, but it

It's chrome all right, but it's tasteful. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

also appears stronger and sturdier than Honda's Ridgeline. And the Sport Trac is a very comfortable vehicle too, featuring the Explorer's fully-independent rear suspension. Now in its second generation, the 2008 model sports a host of content upgrades, including standard fog lamps and Safety Canopy curtain airbags.

Unlike the Ranger or F-Series trucks, the suspension is much more forgiving and feels more SUV-esque than anything else, which means it's great for everyday driving. You don't feel the bounce or bump that's normally associate with a conventional pickup. That's not to say it doesn't have the four wheel drive capabilities for the ‘serious' truck/off-road lover, because it does. That is... if you check off 4WD when ordering as it's an option on all Sport Tracs. If so equipped, just shift into neutral and push the button that drops the truck into Lo-Range mode. Voila, you're ready for four-wheelin' action. Alternately, there's an no-cost optional AWD system available exclusively to the Limited. It is essentially permanent all wheel drive with no 2WD mode for all-weather traction.

Inside, it's just like a regular Explorer SUV. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

The Sport Trac's drivetrain mirrors that of the regular Explorer. It comes standard with a 4.0-liter V6, although you can get a 4.6-liter V8 with a six-speed automatic as an upgrade. With 24 valves (3 valves per cylinder), the V8-powered Sport Trac boasts 292 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 3,950 rpm. That's enough power to pull its weight around and then some. And speaking of pulling weight, the V8 4x4 Sport Trac has a maximum towing capacity of 7,000 lbs, which would be perfect for hauling my speed boat, matching his and her ATVs and dirt bikes... that I'll have one day!

But until my dreams come true, I only loaded the tonneau-covered bed with a couple of chairs I bought from a garage sale. The lockable tonneau cover is handy when wanting to store larger items in the bed without feeling worried about them getting stolen. The total exterior cargo volume is 37.5 cu-ft, while the covers are easily accessible so there is little to no fuss when wanting to load anything inside. This feature would've come in handy

The bed isn't particularly large, but it's deep. With the tonneau cover, it's like a giant, waterproof trunk of sorts. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

when I had to drive my brother to his hockey games many moons ago. It would have put some distance between me and his hockey gear, which, needless to say, got pretty smelly. The bed also features drain plugs in case it rains and you don't have the tonneau cover up. Plus, there's under-bed storage too.

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