R 2
Well-Known Member
This is an account from the Laguna media drive event, mentioning the Toddman, featured in an article here in the automotive news recently:
When Ford Motor Company hosted a ride-and-drive event for the new 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac in southern California recently, the company invited not only the media but also a half dozen Sport Trac enthusiasts.
"The Sport Trac has a devoted following," said Bryan Olson, Ford marketing manager for the Sport Trac. "By having vehicle owners at the event we were able to give the media a grass roots view of the new Sport Trac. It gave us great credibility because media weren't hearing accolades only from Ford management."
Olson added that attending reporters took the opportunity to talk with the owners about the vehicle and that the owner’s enthusiasm for the Sport Trac carried over to the event itself.
"Ford went an extra mile with this event. It was an opportunity of a lifetime," said Todd Zabbia of Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Zabbia is a 2003 Sport Trac owner and is planning the 2006 Sport Trac Enthusiasts' Rally at the Louisville (Ky.) Assembly Plant, where the Sport Trac is made.
A construction inspector who enjoys fishing in his free time, Zabbia said he appreciates the Sport Trac's versatility. Of the redesign he's impressed with the additional power, extra interior space and more comfortable ride.
"Although the bed is only four feet long, I can load it up with a lot of stuff. And the interior is roomy and comfortable enough for a night on the town with friends," said Zabbia. "It's a complete upgrade."
Zabbia is a frequent contributor to www.mysporttrac.com, a fan site managed by Rich Stern, who has written about his impressions of the new vehicle.
"The success of the Sport Trac since its launch in 2000 has demonstrated that consumers want a passenger compartment equal to that of an SUV, mated with a versatile pickup truck bed," Stern wrote after seeing the vehicle for the first time at the Texas State Fair in Sept. 2005.
"Ford has succeeded, and in a big way, at producing a more refined, more capable Sport Trac, leveraging the advances of the new Explorer."
Stern's Sport Trac site has 10,000 registered members and receives approximately 2,000 postings by members each month. The site ranks among the top "Sport Trac" results on a variety of popular search engines.
Although Stern, who owns a 2001, did not attend the ride-and-drive due to a scheduling conflict he has since taken a 2007 for a test drive and said he's "absolutely thrilled with it."
Among the six Sport Trac fans to attend the ride-and-drive were Paul and Adelle Brezina, who drive a 2003.
"It was interesting to do a side-by-side comparison between the '03 and the '07 with the media at the off-road portion of the event," said Paul Brezina, an executive at a beverage company in Fort Worth, Texas.
"There's a huge difference between the old and new. I was afraid it would lose its sporty personality with the redesign, but the Ford Sport Trac team has made ST owners proud by giving us the enhancements we wanted. It has far surpassed our expectations."
Brezina highlights the 2007 vehicle's power, handling and "awesome" safety features as far superior to the older model. Although his wife Adelle plans to keep her "baby" (the 2003), Brezina said he's definitely ordering a 2007 for himself.
"I was kind of mad after the event," Brezina said jokingly. "We drove 1,480 miles to get to the event, got to spend a day driving the ’07, and then had to drive back in the '03. All the way home we talked about getting the '07."
When Ford Motor Company hosted a ride-and-drive event for the new 2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac in southern California recently, the company invited not only the media but also a half dozen Sport Trac enthusiasts.
"The Sport Trac has a devoted following," said Bryan Olson, Ford marketing manager for the Sport Trac. "By having vehicle owners at the event we were able to give the media a grass roots view of the new Sport Trac. It gave us great credibility because media weren't hearing accolades only from Ford management."
Olson added that attending reporters took the opportunity to talk with the owners about the vehicle and that the owner’s enthusiasm for the Sport Trac carried over to the event itself.
"Ford went an extra mile with this event. It was an opportunity of a lifetime," said Todd Zabbia of Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Zabbia is a 2003 Sport Trac owner and is planning the 2006 Sport Trac Enthusiasts' Rally at the Louisville (Ky.) Assembly Plant, where the Sport Trac is made.
A construction inspector who enjoys fishing in his free time, Zabbia said he appreciates the Sport Trac's versatility. Of the redesign he's impressed with the additional power, extra interior space and more comfortable ride.
"Although the bed is only four feet long, I can load it up with a lot of stuff. And the interior is roomy and comfortable enough for a night on the town with friends," said Zabbia. "It's a complete upgrade."
Zabbia is a frequent contributor to www.mysporttrac.com, a fan site managed by Rich Stern, who has written about his impressions of the new vehicle.
"The success of the Sport Trac since its launch in 2000 has demonstrated that consumers want a passenger compartment equal to that of an SUV, mated with a versatile pickup truck bed," Stern wrote after seeing the vehicle for the first time at the Texas State Fair in Sept. 2005.
"Ford has succeeded, and in a big way, at producing a more refined, more capable Sport Trac, leveraging the advances of the new Explorer."
Stern's Sport Trac site has 10,000 registered members and receives approximately 2,000 postings by members each month. The site ranks among the top "Sport Trac" results on a variety of popular search engines.
Although Stern, who owns a 2001, did not attend the ride-and-drive due to a scheduling conflict he has since taken a 2007 for a test drive and said he's "absolutely thrilled with it."
Among the six Sport Trac fans to attend the ride-and-drive were Paul and Adelle Brezina, who drive a 2003.
"It was interesting to do a side-by-side comparison between the '03 and the '07 with the media at the off-road portion of the event," said Paul Brezina, an executive at a beverage company in Fort Worth, Texas.
"There's a huge difference between the old and new. I was afraid it would lose its sporty personality with the redesign, but the Ford Sport Trac team has made ST owners proud by giving us the enhancements we wanted. It has far surpassed our expectations."
Brezina highlights the 2007 vehicle's power, handling and "awesome" safety features as far superior to the older model. Although his wife Adelle plans to keep her "baby" (the 2003), Brezina said he's definitely ordering a 2007 for himself.
"I was kind of mad after the event," Brezina said jokingly. "We drove 1,480 miles to get to the event, got to spend a day driving the ’07, and then had to drive back in the '03. All the way home we talked about getting the '07."
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