Spaciousness Good clear vision Plenty of power if required

Numerous rattles, knocking noises in brakes (calipers), consistent knocking noise in rear wiper, ignition key system prevented key from being taken out, air conditioner compressor replaced twice, sun roof rattles (fixed twice), door lining replaced, headlight assembly leaking (replaced), drive shaft continually clunking (still not rectified), rubber seals around doors loose (replaced)- think that will do !

Overall, extremely disappointed in my first so-called four wheel drive vehicle. Would think twice before buying again. For the money I spent, I expected extreme performance and quality.

* gas mileage at 22,000 miles averages 25 m/g on highway and in town driving. * powerful engine. * comfortable, roomy interior.

*aside from some initial cosmetic problems - had to have interior ceiling replaced aa well as rubber lining along passenger doors/windows and stripping along back windows. *problems with the clutch have brought me to the dealership twice now in two weeks with a possible need to replace the entire mechanism. *A/C and heating vents could be better designed to reach floor space. *on the standard DX model, despite dealership advertisement, the model does not allow for fog lights unless wired directly into the main harness and a trail hitch, i'm told, "is not possible on this model" even though it is advertised as having the capacity to tow 3500 lbs. * no rear door or rear window opener/ latch from the front (like in the glove compartment) * no cloth panelling on the doors

i really enjoy my tribute, but lately have been concerned about a persistent clutch problem that's inching up to lemon law proportions. i purchased mine in march of 2001, having traded in my great little mazda protege, and have greatly enjoyed driving it. i'm just a little concerned that all the kinks won't be worked out of it by the time the warrantee has expired and i'll end up with some heavy engine repairs. we shall see

Looks good. Drives good. Plenty of room for the little one's. Sporty looking enough for the younger Mom's and Dad's. Great value

Road noise above 50mpr but have a few screaming kid's in the back seat and you'll never notice.

So far so good. My wife and I drove every small SUV on the market. She wanted a SUV but nothing as large as my Ford Expedition. She really did not care for the Explorer,Jeep Liberty, Sante Fe, or the Montero. She did like the Toyota Pilot but she was truly impressed with the tribute. She liked the ride, the 6 changer in dash cd player and the room it had. Living in Memphis you have to have a car with some get up and go which the tribute has. Overall she is extremely happy that she traded in the Accord on the Tribute. The tribute has lots of nice features for a decent price.

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None. THis is the first small SUV we have owned. We currenly have a 2001 Eddie Bauer Expedition which I love but I am very happy so far with the Tribute.

I think the sound system is great considering it's stock. Very stong, has great "get up and go". Love the way it looks. I've even talked one of my co-workers into buying one. We have pretty harsh winters, and I have never fish tailed or slid while driving the slick roads.

Cabin noise while highway driving. Interior could be more detailed. Somewhat weary of the Firestone tires, but so far have had no problems.

I love my Tribute! I was recently in an accident going between 50-60 MPH when a truck collided into us, then we were forced head on into an exit sign. We had few injuries, none of them serious. I feel it was the strong body and frame that helped save us, not to mention the dual airbags that are standard on the Tribute. I've had my Tribute for more than a year, and the only problems I've had is the rear ceiling was somewhat drooping on the edges, and the rubber around one of the back doors kept coming loose, which was corrected by Denil-Wall. The only other problem I've had is there seems to be quite a bit of cabin noise on the highway, but this is a small inconvenience compared to the safety Mazda vehicles provide.

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This is my first SUV; however, I have previously owned a Mazda Protege' and the only problem I experienced with it was a screw came loose after 55,000 miles. Pretty good track record!

Strong engine, nimble handling, quiet ride, comfortable interior, looks good

Mediocre tires, and spare is not full sized.

Just bought it. Wife loves it. I think it is the best value in the SUV market. The Honda Pilot was our first choice after testing everything listed but the Tribute, but the dealer we went to (Ernhardt Mazda in Phoenix) lied to us and tried to hide roughly $11,000 in fees and markups over MSRP (for example, $1,995 for a detail cleaning and wax coating, $3,995 acquisition fee etc...). So we walked out of the dealership. A week later, we saw a Mazda commercial and remembered the Tribute. Driving up to the dealership, we saw it from the street -- very cool. Test driving it (all my test drives include fast start and stop test, parking, turn radius, emergeny braking and steering, and mild off-roading, thank you all you dealers out there), I came away with the impression that it was toe-to-toe with the big boys (Pilot, Jeep, Explorer) in power-weight ratio, interior quality and comfort, and ride quality. While the bigger utes offer more cargo room and some have a (useless) third row of seating, the Tribute handles 4 fill sized adults and groceries / suitcases / camping equipment just dandy. Since the Tribute is a Mazda designed vehicle, and has already had a year+ to iron out any Ford foul-ups in it's build, I don't have any real concerns over quality (my 1998 626 has never had any problems so apparently they have avoided "Ford-ification" pretty well, though the 626 transmission by Ford is pretty sloppy by Japanese standards). So far I have had no problems either on the road, the freeway, or the parking lots. Highly recommended for at least a serious look and test drive.

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Tahoe. Test drove: Axiom, Highlander, Grand Vitara, Explorer, Pilot, Rodeo, Sequioa, CRV, Liberty and Limitted Jeeps.

power (lot of it). Seats. Nice painted door/bumber molding (LX/ES only). Nice sporty body.

colors are limited. No yellow ??? Ford Escape has yellow and so does Nissan Extera. I could do without the interior (typical of Ford or any american car makers for that matter)

Had it for 6 months now. Update on the lawsuit against Anaheim Mazda, I was awarded the judgement so now I'm waiting for the money from the court. I loved the look on the dealership manager's face when heard the judge granted me judgement, he looked shocked :-) Anyway, my wife likes the Tribute, lot of power for a SUV and small enough to get in & out of the garage and still look big enough. Three problems, 1.) The wind noise, it's annoying but hey, it's a truck so I guess I can live with it 2.) The trasmission/gear growls/hesitates at around 45-50. I guess it tries to switch gear but couldn;t make up its mind so I ususally step on it a bit so that it gets past 50 and it goes away. I hope this is not a problem and they'll fix it in the 2003 model. 3.) The air outlet sucks ! It doesn't allow you to turn on the fan but have it blow down to your feet instead in your face. It must have been designed by some idiot at Ford cause I haven't seen any japanese card that has the air system like this.

(1) fun to drive (2) looks nice (3) great value

(1) hard, flat seats that don't hold driver in when cornering (2) significant engine noise at highway speed

You get what you pay for, and the Tribute gives you a lot. The interior is simple but functional. I would strongly recommend buying aftermarket mudflaps to protect the cladding. Upgrading the tires also makes a big difference too. I have Michelin Cross-Terrains and they are much better than the Goodyears that came with the vehicle. It also comes with inexpensive speakers that I think most people will want to upgrade (because the stereo plays an important role in drowning out engine noise on the highway). All in all, this is a fun truck that looks great and has been trouble free so far.

Power, roominess, looks.

Above mentioned problems plus the car hesitates to switch to a higher gear at speeds above 40mph. When you need to accelerate sharply when going 40mph and above, it hesitates and you have to push the gas pedal real hard. Maybe it's the way it should be, I don't know.

The car has the following problems: 1. When the speed reaches 35mph, some kind of a strong noise starts coming from the bottom. It is not a wind noise as many describe. It might have to do with tires or something else. I am lost as to the cause of this problem and I have not heard anybody else have this kind of a problem with Tributes. My luck, I guess. 2. When slowly releasing the break pedal , there is some grinding noise. The same when coming slowly to a stop. I guess, it is the brakes. May not be serious but very annoying.

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None.

It is fast and reliable and gets you where you want to go every time.

I have found no weaknesses at all with this vehicle.

The 2001 Mazda Tribute SUV is fast, sporty, reliable, has good gas mileage, seats 5 adults comfortably, has a super radio and CD player, fits tons of groceries into the back, suitcases, etc., and it loves to go on long trips.

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None. This is my first SUV.

Good looking; affordable; smooth engine; fun-to-drive; good cargo space

Lower than expected gas mileage; ergonomic problem with the column shifter in front of the stereo/cd control; stereo/cd/cassette unit is margninal at best (I suggest replacing it with a Nakamichi MB 75 unit - 6 disc cd changer); speakers are marginal (replace with Infinity speakers and subwoofer); not a serious off-road SUV

I've had this Tribute for about 7 months with close to 6800 miles. This SUV has yet to let me down. The Duratec engine is smooth and powerful. The steering is car-like and nimble. It's a fun SUV to drive and seats 5 comfortably. As for the cargo space...there's plenty. You can carry a load if you fold down the seats. The downside, see below for specifics. Keep in mind this is an SUV made for the majority of us who stay in town and don't go off-road. Overall, I have good success with Mazda. We used to own a 1991 Protégé in which racked up 140,000 miles. No problems out of the ordinary except for normal wear and tear. I think this Tribute will be the same...dependable plus it's good looking!

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Nissan Xterra, Jeep Cherokee; Isuzu Rodeo, GMC Jimmy/Chevy Blazer