Sport Trac comes with a five-speed automatic transmission that matches the engine for smoothness and sophistication. The optional 4.10 axle ratio should improve acceleration and towing performance, but at the expense of gas mileage because the engine will be revving higher at any given speed.

The four-wheel-drive system is electronically controlled and can be shifted on the fly between two- and four-wheel drive. A low-range mode is ready for heavy snow, deep mud or soft sand.

Sport Trac is more than just an Explorer with a pickup bed. To make the Sport Trac, Ford lengthened the previous-generation Explorer's frame more than 14 inches, for a 126-inch wheelbase. Thicker side rails, additional gussets and a tubular crossmember make the Sport Trac's frame 40 percent stiffer than the old Explorer's, despite the extra length. Urethane body mounts, the first ever used on an SUV, help smooth out the ride. But Sport Trac still doesn't ride as smoothly as the latest-generation Explorer, which boasts an independent rear suspension and many other improvements.

Sport Trac is quite tall, so it doesn't handle like a car. The bushings, spring rates, shock valving and stabilizer bars have been modified, according to Ford, to improve ride, handling, and isolation relative to the old Explorer. Still, the Sport Trac pitches, weaves, sways and jounces. It's not uncomfortable, but these ride motions grow larger as the road gets rougher or as speed increases. And the power rack-and-pinion steering did not provide as much assist as we would have liked for parallel parking in tight spaces.

But the Sport Trac is quiet. A lot of effort went into reducing the noise level in the cabin, successfully.

Sport Trac's suspension works well off the highway and in light snow and mud; but we wouldn't call this a highly capable off-road vehicle. Payload is 1,525 pounds, with a 5,300-pound maximum towing capacity for two-wheel-drive models. Towing heavy loads (like a race car) frequently will likely put wear on a Sport Trac just as it did on the previous-generation Explorer.

The Sport Trac comes with bigger brake rotors than the previous-generation Explorer, using ventilated discs in front and solid discs in the rear. Disc brakes resist fade better than drum brakes, good when braking frequently down mountain grades.