2008 Mazda Tribute Philadelphia

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2008 Mazda Tribute Design

The B-pillar slopes back with a small angle to give the side windows some angularity, but there's no attempt at fancy shapes as with, for example, the Honda CR-V, a competitor to the Tribute. This allows a practical sized rear cargo window, for better visibility and safety. The liftgate window opens separately, a nice feature that used to be common but is less so, nowadays. The taillights, like the rest of the Tribute, are no-nonsense: big and blocky enough to be safe, with just enough shape to be handsome.

The grille is black egg-crate, in Mazda's wedge shape that suggests a grin, with a chrome Mazda gullwing logo centered in a chrome strip across the top. The halogen headlights, small and simple trapezoids, complement that shape. Under the nose there's a slim valance, either flat black or flat gray, containing the halogen foglamps that are standard with the Touring and Grand Touring models, and an opening for more air to the radiator.

Almost all of the changes to the 2008 Mazda Tribute have been to the exterior styling and the interior. It's much cleaner and better looking than the previous model. It no longer tries to sell itself with cladding and an over-done grille, like the 2006. It's also better looking than its fraternal twin, the Ford Escape, which looks like it's trying to copy the nose of the Nissan Xterra, or at least the front bumper. Our Touring test model came in Redfire Pearl, a metallic maroon red, and we got a number of compliments on the rig's good looks, which doesn't happen every day with your basic small SUV.

2008 Mazda Tribute Lineup

Tribute s Sport, Touring and Grand Touring are equipped exactly like those three models but with the V6 and associated equipment

Grand Touring adds leather seats, heated front seats, 190-watt sound system with six-disc CD player and seven speakers, a moonroof, heated mirrors, automatic headlights, and a cargo cover.

Touring adds a roofrack with crossbars, tinted glass, six-way power driver's seat with lumbar support, overhead console with bins

The Tribute i Sport comes with cloth interior, air conditioner with pollen filter, all the usual power things, 16-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires, halogen headlights and foglights, flip-up rear window, cargo hooks, rear heater ducts, reclining front seats, 60/40 split folding rear seats, AM/FM/CD player with four speakers, remote entry, cruise control and tilt steering wheel.

Interior of the 2008 Mazda Tribute

The trim for the center console is a hard shiny black plastic, same as on the doors, where again the buttons are simple and all you need: lock and unlock, four windows up and down, rear window locks, and remotemirror adjustment.

Everything is at hand and not problematic for the driver. The gauges are clean and easy to read, with a neat tach and speedo, split by small gas and temp gauges. Clean and simple. The center stack contains everything that's needed, with dials for the main controls of the sound system and climate system, and buttons that have simple standard icons and are big enough to see and use. It's a blessed relief, nowadays, to find a panel that isn't unnecessarily challenging. This simplicity makes for a safer vehicle, because the driver's concentration isn't stolen by confusion or problem solving.

The interior color scheme of our Touring model was two-tone black and cream, on the dash and cloth seats. The material is sturdy and stain-resistant, with a ribbed texture on the cream-colored part in the middle of the seat bottom and seat back. It's nice enough, and we have no complaints about comfort, but we wonder why the Tribute doesn't use the rugged sporty material of the Mazda3

Handling of the 2008 Mazda Tribute

We have no complaints whatsoever with the ride. We put 272 miles on the Tribute, over familiar terrain that sometimes jags us in other vehicles, but we were able to forget about those bumps driving the Tribute, with its wide track and independent suspension, using MacPherson struts in front and multi-links in the rear. The suspension tuning has been refined for 2008, as well. There's no tipping, wallowing, weaving, shaking, or anything like that.

The handling is steady, tight and nimble around town. One of the few new mechanical features is electric power rack-and-pinion steering, which helps make the Tribute easy to parallel park. The front fenders are more squared off than before, making it easier to see the front corners when parking; and good visibility with no blind spots out the back is another virtue. There's a tight enough turning radius, which we tested once to catch a parking space on the opposite side of the street.

Ford's all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 Duratec engine has been around for a while, and it still gets the job done. Two hundred horsepower is plenty for the Mazda Tribute. Although if you tow anything, you might need more than the Tribute offers.

Conclusion

You can't go wrong with the 2008 Mazda Tribute. For the price, it offers all you can expect from a small SUV, with excellent engineering and mechanical execution. Both the four-cylinder and V6 engines are proven, and gas mileage is good. The four-speed automatic transmission is smooth. The suspension offers a tight and comfortable ride, and the handling is nimble and steady. The interior has been carefully redesigned to be comfortable, with good headroom and legroom in the rear, and the instrumentation is intelligent and easy to understand and operate.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com