Great Concept, SUV that rides like a car. Like the looks compared to the competition. LOVE the CD changer. Handles great in bad weather. My dog loves the space (compared to my Honda!). Excellent cargo capability.

Besides the problems noted above...Rattle of the back window and squeaky seat belts. Noisy brakes (although that could have been the Master Cylinder going out), wish the back windows would roll all of the way down so my dog could stick her head out without drooling all over the window.

I think I also got one of the Lemons out of the first model year. I have had my car at the dealership more in 6 months than I have ever been to a Car Dealership before in my life. Let see...the transmission was leaking, fixed, leaked again, fixed...drove out of the dealership parking lot and transmission was making grinding noises, transmission replaced, clicking noise began, fixed, oil coolant light had a mind of its own...different dealer discovered leaking brake fluid, master cylinder being replaced as I sit here an write this. Not a very happy camper, considering the only time I took my Honda Accord to the dealership was for maintenance. Never once had a problem with it. Should have kept my Honda.

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Test drove Ford Escape and Toyota RAV-4. Mazda Tribute definitely is the best value for your buck, as long as you don''t get a Lemon.

Looks and for the comfortable and fun ride. Value.

Some wind noise. Much less noticeable if you listen to the radio or pop in a CD. The shifter is too long and obstructs from the radio. You can adjust to this.

Actually, I''ve had this SUV for just over a week and I love it. I shopped around, researched this and other make/models on the web but this was the car for me. The ride is very comfortable and of all the SUV''s, it is the best-looking. The twin Escape is a close second. Very responsive. The V6 has a lot of pep. Cruise control works flawlessly. Roomy interior. Back seats fold flat. Plenty of cargo space. More than adequate room for a couple of dogs that I own. The premium audio upgrade is worthwhile with tweeter and subwoofers and a 6 cd changer and cassette player-- essential if you enjoy music. There are some minor flaws or weaknesses that I''ve listed below. Every vehicle has their fair share. I could have bought a more expensive vehicle but for the value, you can not go wrong purchasing a Tribute. The Tribute is great-looking and so far has been loads of fun to drive.

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Also test drove the Ford Escape and Toyota Highlander.

Good power,good looks, great stereo(6CD Changer).

Loud wind noise,rear hatch is a little rattley as is the sunrrof.

We were one of the first people to have a Mazda Tribute on the road,we were looking for a used inexpensive car but as soon as we saw the Tribute money was no longer an issue. The great power and looks make it a great buy.

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Toyota Highlander, Nissan Xterra, Honda CRV, Suzuki Sidekick, Hyundai Sante Fe.

Acceleration, Handling(amazing), Looks better than the Escape(just my opinion), Brakes are great - short stopping distances.

Stock Tires ar crappy so I replaced them the first week with Michelin LTX M/S tires which are much better all around, long gear shift is actually not a problem for me since I rest my hand on it when using the radio/CD player, Seats could probably be a bit more supportive - 2002 model has adjustable headrests which should help.

We replaced our 92 MX-3 on Sept.8/2000 with one of the first three Tribs to arrive at the dealership. Mileage is now at 44,000km(27,500miles). A couple of warranty problems have been fixed with the most recent being an airflow sensor to correct a rattling noise under hard acceleration. Everyday I drive this vehicle it just reminds me over and over what a pleasure it is to drive - it really is fun. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with this vehicle and am considering a 2002 model for my wife.

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Grand Cherokee (rough ride, tracks poorly), Honda CRV (as ugly as the Aztek- almost), RAV-4 (too small), GMC Anything (not a chance).

Value - Plenty of size and power for the price. Of course you can see where the money was saved, but if we wanted to spend more we would have bought the Subaru. The extra features (6 CD changer, roof rack, moon roof, power pkg, ABS, leather) make this little SUV a strong buy.

As mentioned in other reviews the wind noise is just a bit high, but not to the annoying point. Turn up the CDs!

We have had our E6 V6 4x4 w/ ABS/ Tow Pkg/Leather for about 1200 miles. My wife drives it mainly to and from work about 25 miles each way. No problem issues have been encountered. We love the handling, size, look, and most everything else about it. It gets about the same mileage as my Acura 3.2TL which is 19/27 C/H. We had debated getting a Subaru Legacy Outback but equally equipped the Subaru was about 7k more. We hope the addition of the towing package helps the engine in the long run with the extra cooling capacity. I would say that so far we are very pleased

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Subaru Outback, Izusu Rodeo

Very nice pep. Like the ride and interior. I get around 21 mpg on hwy, not to bad.

Factory defect causing dangerous hesitation.

Yup, I see someone else has the same problem I have. Hesitation when cold. At times it is severe. It has been in the shop for about 38 days and the Mazada says they think they have a repair for it but the fix need to be approved by the EPA and that can''t happen until November at the earliest. Meantime, I am driving a rental car. Not what I intended to do when I bought a new car! At this time the repair shop (who has been very helpful) says that they expect an adjustment from Mazada any day. We''ll see.

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None

Curb appeal; Power; Value for the $; Loaded with features standard only on more expensive SUVs; Plenty of space for my partner and our dogs.

Gas mileage. I use mostly in city traffic and can barely get 200 miles / tank; Brakes are loud sometimes; Excessive brake dust on front wheels.

This SUV has it all...looks (I always get stares in traffic); handeling; power; space. It is an excellent auto. The only problem I have had has been the engine light on a down grade, but the dealership replaced the air flow regulator and everything has been fine. I would and have recommended this vehicle to friends.

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Good comfort, power and workmanship. Excellent entry and exit as well as loading. Cargo area not large but with some adjusting I was able to transport a few sheets of plywood with the hatches open. The dealer couldn''t have been better. They went out of their way to make me happy with no BS.

With the air conditioning running all the time, the gas milage only averaged about 17 mpg. If you really get on the gas you can see the guage move down. Quality of materials could be better. I currently have a warped headliner. I;''ll see how well the dealer will handle this next week. How these hold up over the years remains to be seen. Road noise is high. A little sound insulation could fix this along with better weather stripping around the windows. The there is the infamous shift lever that blocks the radio, but everyone complains about that, but I really don''t find it that much of a problem.

For those that want ''bang for your buck'' this is the SUV for you. I wanted a fully loaded Tribute for a decent price and no hassel and that is what I got. To buy a Toyota Highlander, which I originally ordered and is another story, I would have to pay well over $30,000 for the same options.

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Had ordered a Toyota Highlander. To make a long story short, the dealer told me I could order my car from the factory with the options I wanted. After keeping me waiting for 6 weeks this turned out

Power is great! With all of our gear, bikes on the back, Thule roof pod, the Tribute had no problems climbing the mountains in B.C. The air conditioning also worked great. We ran this almost all the time on the highway and did not notice any decrease in fuel economy. We also did a 11 hour drive back home after getting the Tribute back and I was feeling pretty good. This same drive in the Civic would leave me exhasted.

I was pretty mad about that pulley. I have not really found any weaknesses so far, except I worry about the Ford factor.

The Tribute has been pretty good so far. We have been real happy with the ride, power and looks. Our previous vehicle was a Civic so the gas mileage hurts a little, but everything else makes up for the gas. We were on holidays and had a problem with a pulley for one of the belts. This ended up leaving us stuck. When I took a look at the broken part it had the Ford name stamped on it (YUCK) so of course it broke :) We were happy with the roadside assistance and the coverage for the hotel that we had to stay in. The part had to be sent from Ontario to British Columbia and was delivered overnight and installed by 10:00am

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CRV (gutless, very noisy on the highway), RAV4 (ugly and gutless), Highlander (too expensive), X-Terra (rough ride, kinda ugly), Jimmy (OMG what a piece of crap, slow to respond and scary on the corne

Power is great! With all of our gear, bikes on the back, Thule roof pod, the Tribute had no problems climbing the mountains in B.C. The air conditioning also worked great. We ran this almost all the time on the highway and did not notice any decrease in fuel economy. We also did a 11 hour drive back home after getting the Tribute back and I was feeling pretty good. This same drive in the Civic would leave me exhasted.

I was pretty mad about that pulley. I have not really found any weaknesses so far, except I worry about the Ford factor.

The Tribute has been pretty good so far. We have been real happy with the ride, power and looks. Our previous vehicle was a Civic so the gas mileage hurts a little, but everything else makes up for the gas. We were on holidays and had a problem with a pulley for one of the belts. This ended up leaving us stuck. When I took a look at the broken part it had the Ford name stamped on it (YUCK) so of course it broke :) We were happy with the roadside assistance and the coverage for the hotel that we had to stay in. The part had to be sent from Ontario to British Columbia and was delivered overnight and installed by 10:00am

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CRV (gutless, very noisy on the highway), RAV4 (ugly and gutless), Highlander (too expensive), X-Terra (rough ride, kinda ugly), Jimmy (OMG what a piece of crap, slow to respond and scary on the corne