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Under the hood, there are two engine choices: a 2.3-liter, 157 horsepower inline-4 and a 3.0-liter, 206 horsepower V6. Again, with both engines shared with the Escape, expect similar behavior (non-linear, on/off acceleration) and so-so fuel economy. The throttle effort is ridiculously hard, making the acceleration abrupt, especially during stop-go situations. A 50-kilogram weight advantage, thanks to the removal of the rear drive wheels over the Escape XLT, makes the Tribute V6 livelier. On the flipside though, the Tribute suffers a heavy dose of torque steering, especially when coming from a slow corner. While speed junkies will cherish the V6’s power, the inline-4 is the most practical given today’s petrol prices. It has a longer range between fill-ups too. In addition, there are not much additional toys in the V6 over the inline-4 to really justify the difference. Both have 6-disc in-dash CD changer and power moon roof as standard. The V6 though gains an additional three speakers (seven versus four), but loses out with a temporary space saver spare tire against a full-sized one on the inline-4. So, what’s the verdict on the Mazda Tribute? Well, the lesson learned here has nothing to do with the product per se, just don’t believe the marketing blurb. With the exception of the badge, the Tribute has no shred of sportscar DNA. In fact, with it being designed even before Mazda coined “zoom-zoom”, it sticks out against the rest of the model range. As a product, the Tribute excels with good value, solid build-quality and sound mechanicals. As a Mazda though, it fails miserably. Forget SUV with a soul of a sportscar, it’s more like the SUV with a soul of an SUV. Surprised? Perhaps not. |
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