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2003 Mazda Tribute Compact Sport Utility Vehicle
…Continued
With all this positive news and innovative product in the wings, the Mazda Tribute comes to the 2003 party mostly unchanged for the year. I guess Mazda must be thinking why tinker with success and it's hard to find a good reason for discounting their logic.
Sharing the same genetic makeup as the Ford Escape, the Mazda Tribute is a medium sized solution to the SUV question. Unlike Ford which offers many different SUV's, there is no way to 'Biggie Size' the choice. The Tribute is as large a Mazda SUV as you can get. But really, how many of us need to seat seven people and use up enough fuel to heat an entire city block for 24 hours.
Having said that, I was surprised by how much fuel the Mazda Tribute actually used over the one week period in which I drove the vehicle. While I wouldn't call it gulping, I would say the V6 engine in our Tribute ES was somewhat gluttonous in its appetite for fuel.
Power for the Mazda Tribute is available two ways. A 2.0 litre, DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder produces a respectable 130-hp at 5,400 rpm and 135 lb.ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm. By far the overwhelming choice is the V6 engine. The 3.0 litre, DOHC 24-valve 6 cylinder makes 200-hp at 6,000 rpm and 200 lb.ft. at 4,750 rpm.
Two hundred horsepower you say, what's that given everyone else is pumping out heavy duty thrust? Once again, I have to draw us back to logic. While it may be great to boast of horsepower and torque at the office or ball diamond, real world driving means so much more. Given that most of us will rarely exceed 70 mph in the U.S., what's the sense in giving so much unusable grunt?
Mated to either a 5-spd manual transmission, or 4-speed automatic, I found the shifting of our automatic to be smooth and care free. Given the nature of my job and the exposure to many different types of vehicles and drivetrains, I did find myself wishing for a 5-speed automatic, but decided to re-think my thinking and let reason win over desire.
Available as a two-wheel drive SUV, the off-road capable version of the Mazda Tribute uses a real AWD system. In snow, or rain the Tribute is more than capable of handling itself with poise. For true off-roading, you may want to limit the distance you travel from the highway to something approaching line of sight.
Up front suspension is MacPherson struts, while in the rear it's multi-link with two lateral links and trailing arms. Sedan-like in ride and handling, the Mazda Tribute makes short work of city streets and highway exit ramps, offering excellent on road feel and typical Mazda sportiness.
