The Ford Explorer Sport Trac blends all of the elements that make a truck and an SUV cool and blends them into a tight little package.

Rear-wheel drive, four doors and a clever dash mounted control that opens the rear glass can all be yours for somewhere around $24,000.

Great for the family, the Sport Trac features child seat anchors and a quiet ride with a little help from a handy hose-off rubber floor and urethane body mounts.

This mean machine employs an SUV platform rather than a pick-up platform, which may well indeed make all of the difference.

It's 50-inch SMC box is rust resistant, albeit not very big, but is available with a locking hard tonneau cover and for tailgate parties, there is even a power outlet mounted in the bed. Who woulda thunk it!

If you are looking for leather look elsewhere, because the Sport Trac only fashions cloth-covered front bucket seats and a cloth-covered back-bench that can fold fairly flat (notice I did not use the word 'completely'.

The dash is dressed in fake aluminum which does look a little odd next to the white-colored face gauges and beneath the center armrest is a removable, padded carrier that lets you take along the cd's and such.

It has pick-up and go featuring a 4.0-liter/205 horsepower SOHC V-6 powertrain and comes in a variety of colors.

Overall it's a great idea that could be improved upon within the next few years, but if you want the kids close to you and the dog in the very back away from the kids this is the vehicle for you.