Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer had possession of the Tribute for the month of June. It was six months ago when he last piloted the Tribute, and despite a recurring theme of "this thing gets bad gas mileage" from previous drivers, Karl never had a real appreciation for the problem. That changed this month. Early in the month, he drove the Tribute along Pacific Coast Highway while watching the fuel needle go from just off "E" to below "E" before finally reaching a gas station. While Karl was convinced he'd make it to his chosen gas station with no problem, the rapidly dropping gauge caused him to second-guess his estimation. "I was really sweating toward the end because I had the wife and kids with me, and I really didn't want to run out of gas on the deserted stretch of highway north of Los Angeles."

When Karl finally made it to the gas station, the gauge was completely below empty and the low-fuel light had been on for about half an hour, but the car only took 13.85 gallons and the gauge only went to seven-eighths full. Karl checked the owner's manual and confirmed that the six-cylinder Tributes are supposed to have a 16-gallon tank, meaning he had more than 2 gallons of fuel left when he filled up — despite the gauge showing well below "E." That, plus the fact that filling the vehicle only got the gauge to indicate seven-eighths, convinced him that the gauge was about one-eighth of a tank off (to the "low" side).

However, a few days later, Karl filled up again after the gauge was below "E," and this time the Tribute took 14.8 gallons and indicated full after the fill-up. Karl figured the previous gas station's pump was overly sensitive and didn't let him fill the tank completely. Still, 14.8 gallons would indicate that there was more than a gallon of fuel in the tank, if it really holds 16 gallons.

It was after this fill-up that Karl noted a fuel smell when he pulled into his garage at home, but we've already taken the Tribute to the dealership (see last month's update), and despite a recall and TSB related to this exact symptom, Santa Monica Mazda claims the vehicle is fine.

About halfway into the month, Karl took the Tribute for its 30,000-mile service at Santa Monica Mazda at 8:30 a.m. on a weekday. After being greeted by a service advisor, he stated that he just wanted the factory-recommended service as was listed in the owner's manual, nothing more. The service writer assured him that was what the dealership did and had Karl sign the work order. Karl then asked to see a copy of exactly what the dealership was going to do, and at first glance, it indeed appeared to be the same basic items as described in the owner's manual (replace oil and oil filter, replace air filter, replace fuel filter, lubricate the locks and inspect everything from the drive belts to the brakes to the exhaust system). Then Karl noticed the price written on the dealership's service sheet: $449.50. It's worth noting that Karl was not told this price and he'd likely have never known it if he hadn't asked to see the list of service items the dealership was planning. Karl commented that the price seemed sort of high, but the advisor assured him it was already on special, and then quickly offered to find a coupon to cut the price another $50.

Still not convinced, Karl scanned the dealer's 30,000-mile service list again, carefully, and finally spotted the problem: "Flush coolant fluid and replace. Flush transmission fluid and replace transmission fluid and filter." Karl reiterated that he didn't want either the coolant or the transmission fluid flushed and replaced since those procedures were not recommended in the owner's manual. With obvious annoyance, the advisor begrudgingly wrote up another work order that didn't include coolant and transmission fluid replacement. Karl then asked him how much the service would now cost and was told, "Oh, I'll have to figure it out and call you later, but the flushings are the most expensive part so it should be less than half the previous amount." Although Karl accepted this answer and walked outside to wait for his ride, he soon realized that such an answer was pretty weak and he should have been more demanding. Nobody should ever leave a dealership without having an estimate for service or repair charges.

Later that afternoon a mechanic from Santa Monica Mazda called to say that the Tribute needed new front brakes. "They have less than 2 millimeters left." Karl didn't know exactly what 2 mm meant in terms of brakes, but it didn't sound good. The mechanic assured Karl that the rear brakes were fine and quoted a price of $199, plus tax, to replace the front pads. A recent quote for brake work on our long-term Grand Caravan was supposed to cost $1,000, so $200 seemed like a good deal and Karl told him to go ahead after he was assured the vehicle would still be ready that day.

At 4:45, Karl called to check on the vehicle and left a message, and a few minutes later he got a call back to say the car was ready. It was picked it up with minimal fuss for a charge of $365.22. While still not cheap, it was better than the original $450 Karl had been quoted (especially since that first figure didn't include a front brake job).

This experience led our editor-in-chief to the following conclusion: "Yet another dealership interaction that confirmed you really have to watch out when you go in for service. My suggestion is to copy the service schedule from your owner's manual, highlight the items on the page you want done, and tell them to do nothing more and nothing less."

A few days later, after trying to clean the windshield with washer fluid, Karl noticed that the Tribute didn't get new wiper blades as part of the 30,000-mile service, even though it sorely needed them. Karl's aggravation was summed up in his statement that "...it's frustrating how they wanted to flush the fluid in two major vehicle systems just to raise the service bill, despite no indication that those services needed to be done. Yet during the same visit, they completely overlooked a rather obvious service item that really did need attending."

A final observation that Karl has remarked upon in previous months relates to the Tribute's gear indicator. "I've always had an issue with how the gear shift lever tends to land between drive and second gear when quickly shifting out of reverse. This results in no 'box' being displayed around any gear (to indicate what gear the vehicle is in). It's easy not to notice the situation because the Tribute will drive normally at low speeds. It's only when the engine starts revving in second gear at higher speeds that you realize the SUV is not upshifting into third gear. A slight pull up on the gearshift lever will usually 'pop' it into drive, so it's not a huge deal. But the frequency with which this occurs makes the trait worth noting."

As his last logbook entry before handing over the keys, Karl wrote, "As a nimble, powerful utility vehicle that's easy to drive, the Tribute scores well. But as a fuel-conscious, rugged and trouble-free offroader, this mini-ute could use some improvement. Still, considering the high sales numbers generated by the Escape/Tribute twins, it's obvious which characteristics are truly valued by consumers."

Current Odometer: 31,397
Best Fuel Economy: 27.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.4 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.3 mpg
Body Damage: None
Maintenance Costs: $365.22
Problems: None