What Is It?
2007 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin
What's special about it?
Sitting in the corner like an overlooked middle child, the Sport Trac Adrenalin paled in the glow of the Shelby Mustang that accompanied it onto the show stage. But the fact that little attention was paid to the all-new high-powered sport-ute had nothing to do with a lack of performance credentials.
Asked why Ford chose the Sport Trac for its next project, Director of SVT Hau Tai Tang told us the Sport Trac configuration gives it better overall performance than the much loved Lightning. "It's lighter, smaller and has an independent suspension," said the director. "Combine that with the fact that it has just as much power as the Lightning and we think customers will appreciate its performance package."
Under the hood of this surprisingly good-looking SUT is an intercooled and supercharged 4.6-liter V8 that belts out 390 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. Ford used a forged crankshaft, reinforced con rods and forged pistons to assure this four-valve V8 can withstand both high-performance driving and extended tow duty.
A six-speed automatic borrowed from Ford's full-size SUVs handles the shifting chores and gives the Adrenalin a useful 6,000-pound tow rating. Full-time all-wheel drive is a first for an SVT vehicle giving the Sport Trac the off-the-line traction the Lightning never had. You can forget burnouts, but a 40/60 front-to-rear power bias should at least give it a performance feel in the corners.
Two inches longer than the previous Lightning, the Sport Trac also rides on a 10-inch-longer wheelbase. Front and rear sway bars work with recalibrated springs and shocks to give it a more precise feel than the hopelessly vague setup in the standard Sport Trac. The show car rode on 21-inch wheels, but the production model that's set to arrive in 2007 is likely to have a slightly smaller setup.
SVT's quest for "balanced performance" is further emphasized by an interior that's performance-oriented but not stripped. Four heavily bolstered captain's chairs provide comfort for four while SVT's signature black-on-white gauges distinguish the dash. Additional metallic trim dresses up the dash and the optional DVD navigation system is a first for SVT.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The idea of an SVT-tuned Sport Trac didn't sound too exciting at first, but its clean design and credible performance specs are hard to dismiss. SVT's mantra of balanced performance may not appeal to hard-core straight trackers, but to anyone who wants to go fast and still have a useful vehicle the other six days of the week, the Sport Trac makes a lot more sense than a regular cab pickup. Then again, does anyone buy an SVT vehicle because they make sense? — Ed Hellwig
2007 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin
What's special about it?
Sitting in the corner like an overlooked middle child, the Sport Trac Adrenalin paled in the glow of the Shelby Mustang that accompanied it onto the show stage. But the fact that little attention was paid to the all-new high-powered sport-ute had nothing to do with a lack of performance credentials.
Asked why Ford chose the Sport Trac for its next project, Director of SVT Hau Tai Tang told us the Sport Trac configuration gives it better overall performance than the much loved Lightning. "It's lighter, smaller and has an independent suspension," said the director. "Combine that with the fact that it has just as much power as the Lightning and we think customers will appreciate its performance package."
Under the hood of this surprisingly good-looking SUT is an intercooled and supercharged 4.6-liter V8 that belts out 390 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. Ford used a forged crankshaft, reinforced con rods and forged pistons to assure this four-valve V8 can withstand both high-performance driving and extended tow duty.
A six-speed automatic borrowed from Ford's full-size SUVs handles the shifting chores and gives the Adrenalin a useful 6,000-pound tow rating. Full-time all-wheel drive is a first for an SVT vehicle giving the Sport Trac the off-the-line traction the Lightning never had. You can forget burnouts, but a 40/60 front-to-rear power bias should at least give it a performance feel in the corners.
Two inches longer than the previous Lightning, the Sport Trac also rides on a 10-inch-longer wheelbase. Front and rear sway bars work with recalibrated springs and shocks to give it a more precise feel than the hopelessly vague setup in the standard Sport Trac. The show car rode on 21-inch wheels, but the production model that's set to arrive in 2007 is likely to have a slightly smaller setup.
SVT's quest for "balanced performance" is further emphasized by an interior that's performance-oriented but not stripped. Four heavily bolstered captain's chairs provide comfort for four while SVT's signature black-on-white gauges distinguish the dash. Additional metallic trim dresses up the dash and the optional DVD navigation system is a first for SVT.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The idea of an SVT-tuned Sport Trac didn't sound too exciting at first, but its clean design and credible performance specs are hard to dismiss. SVT's mantra of balanced performance may not appeal to hard-core straight trackers, but to anyone who wants to go fast and still have a useful vehicle the other six days of the week, the Sport Trac makes a lot more sense than a regular cab pickup. Then again, does anyone buy an SVT vehicle because they make sense? — Ed Hellwig
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