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Road Tests: Long-Term Test
Long-Term Test: 2001 Mazda Tribute ES-V6
July 2002
By editors at Edmunds.com
Date Posted 12-16-2002
Video highlights of this vehicle
Last month, we wrangled through the always laborious process of a major service,
but came away with a fully juiced Tribute and a new set of front brake pads. This
month, it was smooth sailing for the most part, as various drivers piloted our
Mazda.
Edmunds.com President Peter Steinlauf was one such driver, as he used the Tribute
for commuting to and from the office. Having driven the Tribute numerous times
before, Peter's reaction to the car was much the same as before — plenty
of power, an overly touchy accelerator and a nicely controlled ride. His tall
frame fit easily within the confines of this spacious mini-ute, while the elevated
stance made getting in and out quite easy.
His only major complaint was the location of the ignition switch, as he found
it hard to find easily compared to other cars in our fleet. This issue has been
echoed in previous updates, so there's obviously a bit of a problem there, but
there's nothing we can do about it. Peter also noticed a loose trim piece floating
about the cabin during one of his morning commutes. As it turns out, the piece
in question had dislodged itself from underneath the front passenger seat. Once
we ascertained its correct placement, a solid hit from a sturdy palm was enough
to snap it back into place.
Associate Editor Warren Clarke also spent some time behind the wheel this month,
and his comments essentially echoed those of numerous editors past. "There's plenty
of power, but you pay for it at the pump," he conceded. "This thing sucks gas
a like a Hoover does dirt." His suggestion of a bigger gas tank seemed to imply
that while he disdained the low fuel economy, his enjoyment of the gutsy V6 took
precedence.
With so much talk of the Tribute's dismal fuel economy, we figured it was worth
mentioning some interesting news out of Detroit. Ford, parent company of Mazda
and manufacturer of the Tribute and its sister vehicle, the Escape, has announced
that it will introduce a hybrid version of the Escape sometime next year. The
Escape HEV will use a standard four-cylinder gasoline engine combined with a 65-kilowatt
electric motor to give the HEV V6-like performance while returning up to 40 miles
to the gallon on 2WD versions. This would be a stark contrast to our test vehicle's
lifetime fuel economy of just 18.3 mpg. For more information, check out the 2003
Ford Escape HEV in our Future Vehicles section.
Until then, however, we'll just keep our gas cards handy and our eyes off the
gas gauge. With only five months left in its term of service, our Tribute is still
one of the more popular vehicles in the fleet, a testament to its practical setup
and fun-to-drive nature. If we have nothing more to complain about than its less-than-frugal
mileage, it will be a job well done in our eyes. Stay tuned and see.
Current Odometer: 32,831
Best Fuel Economy: 19.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.2 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.3 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None
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