Powerful, very smooth for driving and ride. It has a very nice appearance, roomy, inexpansive.

shifter very hard to operate and awkward position. no step bar, somewhat hard to get in and out the car. NO lights for front, too dark.

I would highly reccommend this car, it's worth your money. It's definitely a great car.

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Test drive the Exterra, too expansive, not worth the price. Also the escape, it's a little cheaper, but can't compare the look with Tribute.

"Biggest bang for the buck". Great handling. Great window area with great visibility. Powerful engine (went to Lake Tahoe with no issues).

Agree with prior comments regarding protruding shift column. Leather seats are of a lesser quality, both in feel and comfort. Have heard better "premium" audio packages on other SUV's. Moonroof may leak during car washes. Recommend lighted interior mirrors for passenger and driver. Poor gas mileage (went from a full tank to less than 1/4 in under two hours).

Overall for the price, I have no regrets. The minor cosmetic and functional issues will require getting used to. I would recommend this car to anyone.

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Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Honda CRV, Hond Passport, Nissan Exterra and Pathfinder

--Styling
--Power
--Ride Quality
--Gas Mileage
--Interior Roominess
--Overall Value

--Awkward column mounted shifter

I was looking for an SUV that would give me some utility around town (offroad use unimportant) with a ride like a car. I compared the Tribute primarily to the Ford Escape and liked the Tribute's more upscale interior and handling. You can get a fully loaded Tribute with all the bells and whistles for around $25,000 compared to $40,000 for the Lexus or Acura. As a result, it's hard to find these on the lot. I was also surprised by the roominess inside the Tribute and found that it has more seating volume than a 2000 Explorer. It feels much bigger than it really is. The V6 provides plenty of power and matched with a car like suspension, it drives like anything but a typical SUV.

I would recommend the vehicle to anyone who is looking for a more upscale looking SUV with a car like ride. If you're looking for offroad capabilities, I wouldn't recommend either the Tribute or the Escape because the 4x4 does not have a transfer case and is built on a unibody frame rather than a truck frame.

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Ford Escape: Sister car with more hard plastic than the Mazda.
Toyota Rav4: Too small. Don't like the tire mounted on the rear door.
Hyundai Santa Fe: Interesting styling but uncertain about reliability.
Honda CR-V: Probably very reliable (I own an Accord) but I don't like the looks.

mostly everything. shifter is in a bad position. betcha they fix that awful quick.

MADZA LIES---i bought a 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTEDX-V-6. if you look on the usa web site on the net and the canadian web site they BOTH say MAZDA all modelscome with dual power mirrors. the canadian site has CP and the US site has S CP=convience package and S=standard package on ALL models
i have the wiring for dual power mirrors, BUT NO Switch or power mirrors.
just manuel. this makes me so mad as the dealer('s) are selling them this way. saying oh yes it has all power. i just want my power dual side
mirrors and then i'll believe madza is good like i thouhgt i was getting
until i purchased it. not too much to ask for a 21.000 vehicle.

MADZA WILL NOT BACK UP ITS NAME WITH THEIR MISTAKE ON THE DUAL POWER MIRRORS.

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ridesmoother than alot of suv's. can see more as the windshied is more rounfd than some.

Incredible price for the amenities, loved the style and color, incredible sound system (in-dash 6CD player), side impact air bags, sunroof, ABS, beautiful ride!

Gear shifter in an odd location
Could get better gas mileage (currently 18-20mpg) Supposedly improves with time.

Highly recommed this vehicle. I am well aware of the recalls that have occurred, but I bought my vehicle in November and I have had absolutely no complaints. I don't think that you will find a better equipped vehicle in this price range $17,000-24,000.

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Previously owned a Isuzu Rodeo..too truck like
Subaru Outback...weak engine, weak sound system, not as many amenities

Power, size, handling, interior room, ride & price.

Shifter too long, blocks some radio controls

Tested most of the competition, bought a Tribute LX 4WD. Very quick and handles great for a SUV. Perfect size - easy to park but can still carry alot. Looks and acts like a much more expensive vehicle than it is. Great value and fun to drive. Highly recommended

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Tested most of the competition: Santa Fe, CR-V, RAV 4, Escape, Explorer, Trooper, Rodeo, Montero Sport, Xterrra, PT Cruiser & Durango.

VERY zippy (zoom-zoom). We have the V6 model (why would ANYONE want to buy a SUV with a 4-cyl???) The acceleration and overdrive are amazing. LOTS of power. And drives very smoothly. Steering is amazingly easy when performing tight parallel parking jobs and cornering tight corners. Excellent handling. Spacious interior, back seat folds down easily to make extra cargo room, also has 5 cup holders in front. At first, thought it was overkill, but you get used to them quickly, especially on longer trips. Standard cd-player/stereo. I could go on and on, the list of strenghts is long! Great vehicle!

Seats a little uncomfortable on longer trips, not too bad. The automatic shifter is on the steering column, takes a little while to get used too, and when switching radio stations on the STANDARD cd-player, can bump the gear shifter, although it won't bump out of gear (thank god)

We've been looking for an entry-level SUV for about a year now, and every other model we tested had some good features, but we always felt like we had to sacrifice options for the 20-25,000 price range. Not so with the 2001 Mazda Tribute. It's the perfect size, not too small (6 inches longer than Jeep Cherokee), but not too large, like Explorers. Also, as far as the rollover problem with SUV's, the Tribute has a 6-inch wider body than Explorer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would like the look of a $30,000+ SUV (looks a lot like Mercedes SUV) for around $20,000.

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First SUV owned, but have tested and reviewed every other model

Handsome look, 3.0 V6 200hp engine, good handling, good price (17K-24K), roomy, plenty headroom space

Excessive wind noice, bad door handle, aweful looking shifter, too much Ford.

ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM....I would definitely recommend it. VERY GOOD ENGINE (my other car is a NSX), VERY GOOD HANDLING (again, my other car is a NSX). The interior plastic is a bit cheap but a lot of head and leg room. Pay $23,000 with leather, 4x4 and CD player. Cannot find a better deal in this category. RAV4 and CRV too small. Rodeo, Trooper and Montero Sport drive too much like a truck. RX300 is $18K too much. Santa Fe has much better interior but with a weaker engine and "HYUNDAI".

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Santa Fe, Rodeo, Trooper, Montero Sport, RAV4, CRV, RX300

Looks great, hefty engine, good handling, protective trim, simple controls, nice size (high enough off the ground, roomy enough interior, but not so big that I needed to raise my garage door like a pal who bought a Land Cruiser)

Little hard to see to the rear-right, more wind noise than a Grand Cherokee but less than a Cherokee or an Xterra

This is my first SUV. I test drove a Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Nissan Xterra, a used Pathfinder, and a couple others. I don't think any of them beat the Mazda in overall value.

The Grand Cherokee is possibly more comfortable (certainly quieter), but the Mazda handles slightly better and is priced significantly less. The Cherokee is so noisy (both wind noise and frame noise) that I discarded it as a possibility after 30 seconds on the highway. The Xterra is great for folks who really want to feel like they bought a truck while bouncing around, but I have no illusions; my vehicle will be on a paved road 99.9% of the time and I want a comfortable ride. The Tribute feels more responsive in terms of power at any speed than any of the above-mentioned cars. I've not once felt like the Tribute is under-powered (with the 200HP engine, that is).

I have encountered one problem with the Tribute that apparently is unique to mine -- it rattles in the pillar next to the driver's seat. The dealership has been unable to resolve this and has offered me a replacement vehicle. Provided this turns out to be a fluke (I haven't received the replacement yet) it shouldn't reflect negatively on the vehicle overall (and speaks volumes for the dealership's attitude toward customer service!). I've driven two other Tributes and they sound just fine, so I'm inclined to think it's a defect specific to my truck.

Other than that I enjoy my Tribute tremendously. It's comfortable, stylish, and performs exactly as advertised and expected. I purchased an SUV for two primary reasons: to haul scuba gear for me and my diving buddies, and to sit high enough off the road as to not have headlights from all those dang SUV drivers blinding me (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em). The Tribute has more than met my expectations and I'd highly recommend it to anyone with similar goals in an SUV. As far as I'm concerned, the only remaining question with the Tribute is to see if it holds up well in the long run from the maintenance perspective.

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None -- first SUV owned

-Engine(smooth, powerful, its great...)
-Interior Room
-Good Looks(I think anyways.)
-Usability of most things inside(i.e.,power windows, radio, etc.)
-Driveability(not too much body roll, and good feel on the road.)

-Gas Mileage(so far it is not great, it's supposed to get better when the engine puts on a few thousand km's.)
-Automatic Shifter(I might be me, but when changing gears it slips through them fairly easily. Not a major problem, just have to get used to it.)
-Moonroof Controls(There is a tilted position besides the open one. It takes some skill at first to judge wether it is on a slant, or flush with the hood.)

I did not pay for it, I won it. So my review is fairly un-biased, if I didnt like it. I could tell you without even thinking about it, although I do like it. The previous two cars at our household were a 90'civic, 87'integra. The civic is still putting' along, and the integra was totalled in the summer.
This car was a welcome change, it has lots of room. The ride is smooth for a vehicle of this type, and unlike the previous 4'bangers. The V6 is smooth and quiet when cruising.
If you are looking for a small-to-midsize suv, you're search is over. This beats all the others hands down, and you are getting a fair amount for your money. I would definetly recomend it...

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Jeep Cherokee Sport, my friend has one. It's really dated...