D R I V E N

If a genie could grant an automobile company three wishes for its car, the order of priority for Mr. CEO would be: rule the market segment, be the first in the segment, or, best yet, be the segment.  For the Philippine market, one vehicle is fortunate enough to have a market all to itself: the Ford Explorer Sport Trac.   Substantially bigger than its Japanese/Japanese-American pickup rivals yet smaller than the F150-Chevy Silverado duo, the Explorer Sport Trac is the only midsize pickup around these parts.

The original Sport Trac 4x4 was something of a sensation when it debuted in 2000.  A full-size passenger cabin and expansive pickup bed gave it a dimension of usefulness above its competitors.  For the non-farmers, looks are the most important and the Sport Trac delivered there, too.  A Tonka truck blown up 50x, it had just the right proportions, looking big but balanced from every angle.  It was also the first to feature the angular Ford truck front, now on the Expedition and soon to be seen on next year’s F150.

It was not too expensive compared to the compact SUVs then available, but prices have since gone up by more than PHP200,000.  A 4x2 variant was then introduced to keep a toehold on the market.  The 4x2 was visually different, lacking the step bar and fog lamps.  This created a problem, as many people bought these trucks to be seen in, and being seen in a lower variant is probably a step removed from driving up in a vehicle that’s silver…stainless. 

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