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Road Tests: Long-Term Test
Long-Term Test: 2001 Mazda Tribute ES-V6
November 2002
By editors at Edmunds.com
Date Posted 12-16-2002
Video highlights of this vehicle
Due to a heavy travel schedule, this month's Tribute assignee, Road Test Editor
John DiPietro, saw very limited time in the vehicle. Associate Editor Warren Clarke
took the wheel and had mostly nice things to say about the little SUV.
On his way to a vegetarian restaurant in Pasadena, Calif., Warren was able to
let the Tribute stretch its legs on one of the few freeways in California not
plagued with perpetual gridlock. "The Tribute performed admirably; although, the
engine can feel somewhat raw at low speeds, it's silky smooth and potent on the
highway. Whisking past slow-moving vehicles and cruising at 75 mph were no sweat
for the Mazda."
Warren's extended seat time with the Tribute allowed him to scrutinize details
he might have missed just taking the vehicle home a couple of nights. Mr. Clarke
found the seats supportive and the dash cleanly styled and functional, for the
most part. But when a cold front passed through Southern Cali, Warren took issue
(as other drivers have) with the truck's climate control system, which he found
noisy and lacking a separate recirculate button. In the Tribute, one must activate
the air conditioner to use the recirculate function (which on cold days wastes
energy) when all one wants is to leave foul outside air (such as when following
a diesel truck), outside.
Although he didn't log many miles in the Trib, Mr. DiPietro had a few comments
scribbled into the logbook. He noted that in addition to the long gearshift stalk
that blocks some of the radio controls, the ignition key slot is also positioned
awkwardly and out of the driver's sight line. "It almost always took a few tries
to stick the key in the slot, which isn't lit up at night, either. I imagine that
if I drove the Tribute a lot more (like a typical owner), it might become second
nature. But located down low, recessed into the steering column and not illuminated,
the ignition switch is user-unfriendly. Sometimes, while attempting to fire up
the Tribute, I felt like I was playing the automotive version of 'Pin the Tail
on the Donkey.'"
Still, John likes the Tribute. "Its sprightly performance, manageable size and
precise handling make the Tribute one of the few SUVs I enjoy driving. In spite
of some petty annoyances, I'm going to miss this truck when it leaves our long-term
fleet next month."
Current Odometer: 36,705
Best Fuel Economy: 17.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.1 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None
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