2001 Mazda Tribute Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Overall, the Tribute's external dimensions are comparable to those of the Jeep Cherokee and Honda CR-V. It is longer than a CR-V and wider than a Ford Explorer. The Tribute offers an aggressive look, due to its forward-tilted stance, short overhangs and wide track. Thick bumpers, side cladding and wheel lip moldings smoothly integrated into the body work convey a sense of stability and refined ruggedness. Large multi-reflector headlamps with clear lenses and rear combination lamps with crystal lenses convey a sense of sportiness. A two-tone color scheme and minimal use of chrome create a clean appearance. The Tribute is aerodynamically superior to the CR-V and 2000 RAV4.

Interior Features

The Tribute offers seating for five. In fact, the Tribute offers more front and rear legroom than the Lexus RX 300 luxury SUV. It's more comfortable with four people, however, and no shoulder belt is provided for the rear center position. The front bucket seats and the rear bench seat are comfortable and of higher quality than what's found in many SUVs. Like many smaller SUVs, the rear windows do not roll down all the way.

The second-row seat folds down revealing a flat cargo floor and more than 74 cubic feet of cargo space. It will even accommodate 4x8-foot sheets of plywood, if you don't mind flipping open the rear glass hatch and letting the plywood stick out the back. The lift gate window does not have to be closed before opening the rear hatch. A 12-volt power outlet is located in the rear of the cargo compartment.

Radio controls are easy to use with big volume and tuning knobs and the heating, air conditioning and ventilation controls are simple. Cruise controls are mounted on the steering wheel. The instrument panel is straightforward and easy to read. Noise, vibration and harshness levels are low when underway. Visibility in all directions is very good. The shape of the Tribute's hood and the seating position allow the driver to clearly see both front corners of the vehicle, an advantage over the Honda CR-V, while narrow A- (front) and D- (rear) pillars minimize blind spots. A low bottom edge maximizes visibility out the rear window and there's no spare tire to block the view.

Leather seating surfaces and a six-way power driver's seat are standard on the ES model. An available 190-watt AM/FM/cassette/six-disc in-dash CD ($505) stereo with six speakers and a subwoofer delivers excellent sound system for LX and ES models.