Engine

• The 2001 Ford Explorer Sport was powered by a 4.0-liter V-6 engine. This engine had a 12-valve single overhead camshaft design with a 3.95-inch bore, a 3.32-inch stroke and a compression ratio of 9.7-to-1. Output for this motor was rated at 205 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 240 foot-pounds of torque at 3,750 rpm.
  
  

Layout

• The Explorer Sport offered a five-speed manual gearbox as standard equipment, while a five-speed automatic transmission was an available option. The two-door Sport was the only Explorer in the 2001 lineup to offer a manual, as Ford only offered automatic transmissions in the four-door models. Ford offered a choice of rear-wheel or four-wheel drive systems on its Explorer Sport.
  
  

Capacities

• The Explorer Sport offered 35.5 cubic feet of luggage space behind its two-seat rear bench. Despite offering 5.9 cubic feet less of cargo space than the four-door model, folding the rear seats down could expand the Explorer Sport's cargo room to 71.4 cubic feet. The rear-wheel drive Explorer Sport had a standard towing capacity of 3,080 pounds, while four-wheel drive models had a capacity that was 200 pounds lower. The four-door Explorers offered 3,500 pounds of towing capacity due to the longer wheelbase that provided more stability.
  
  

Dimensions

• The Explorer Sport sat on a 101.8-inch wheelbase with a 58.5-inch track. The body had an overall length of 180.4 inches, while its width and height measured 70.2 and 68.2 inches, respectively. The wheelbase and body of the Sport were 9.8 and 10.3 inches shorter than the four-door model.
  
  

Fuel Economy

• The rear-wheel drive Explorer Sport yielded 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway when equipped with the automatic transmission, while the manual gearbox was rated at 16 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. The four-wheel drive model yielded 14 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway, regardless of transmission type.