Technical

The new base engine is the same 2.3L 4 cylinder that is used in the Mazda 3 and 6. It produces 153 horsepower @ 5 800 rpm and 152 lb/ft of torque @ 4 250 rpm. The 2.3L replaces the 2.0L that was borrowed from the Protegé, which lacked serious power to haul the Tribute around. The 3.0L V6 develops 200 horsepower @ 6 000 rpm and 193 lb/ft of torque @ 4 850 rpm. A 5-speed manual transmission is only available with the 4-banger and all V6s get an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic. All Tributes, except for the GT, are available in either FWD or AWD versions.

On the road

The engine is noisy from the moment it is started up and remains noisy until it is shut off. It is a good thing then that the V6 revs at only 2 000 rpm when cruising at 100 km/h. The V6 really comes to life at around 4500 rpm when it pulls its hardest. Low-end torque is plenty but it runs out of breath above 6 000 rpm. Fuel consumption was high at over 15 litres per 100 km.

New for 2005, are the 4-wheel disc brakes standard with the V6. They do a fair job of slowing down the Tribute but they provide no feedback and very little feel.

The automatic allows for smooth upshifts although, on occasion, it refused to kickdown into a lower gear. The steering is about as precise as can be expected from an SUV. Even though it lacks the response of a CR-V for example, feedback is still quite good... even with winter tires. The ride is nice and well controlled: only the worst potholes disturbed the truck's composure. I was surprised to note that there were no constant rattles inside the cabin except for the hatch making a little sound over harsh bumps. Wind noises were present at highway speeds though.

Safety

The car has standard dual front air bags, ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution and seatbelt pre-tensionners. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) awarded the car 4 out of 5 stars (a good result) for a frontal impact and 5 out of 5 stars (a perfect result) for both the front and rear passengers in lateral impacts. The IIHS has rated it average in its category.

Conclusion

In its first year on the road, the Tribute was plagued with many problems. Stories about blown engines, transmissions and premature rust were not that uncommon. Since 2002-2003, the build quality of both the Escape and the Tribute has improved and horror stories are fewer and farther between. The Tribute is up against some very stiff competition in its segment. The Subaru Forester, the Toyota RAV4, The Jeep Liberty, the Chevrolet Equinox and the Honda CR-V (best in the class in my opinion) all have something to boast about: Most power, best AWD system, best fuel economy, etc. The Tribute cannot really claim to be the best at any of these strong sale arguments.

Mazda has changed the DX-LX-ES badging for GX-GS-GT for 2005 to bring the range more inline with the other Mazdas. When most people hear the letters GT associated to a car, they tend to think of a sports car. Perhaps a MazdaSpeed Tribute is in order to compete and, for example, beat the turbocharged Subaru Forester XT at the power game. Then Mazda could stake a claim on having the fastest and most powerful compact Sport Utility vehicle.

Good stuff: Interior volume
Range of models and prices

Not so good stuff:
Fuel consumption
Noisy engine