SecondhandSense/Mazda Tribute: Of all the four-wheel drive type options available, the Mazda Tribute is perhaps the one to avoid.
A product of Mazda's doldrum years when the company seemed to be able to produce little that was not a clone of some Ford project (Ford took a major slice of the company), the Tribute was launched in 2001 and was really the same vehicle as the Ford Maverick.
While the Tribute was in some ways a better looking car than the Maverick, it had very little appeal when compared to competitors like Honda's CR-V. Its dullness was matched by rather dull performance from a 2-litre petrol engine - thus limiting it to recreational use - which is noisy and incredibly thirsty.
If you are considering buying one, consider average consumption of about 20 miles to the gallon in town and about 30 on a long journey with a light foot on the accelerator. It was made in two- and four-wheel-drive options. The two-wheel-drive was always going to be a pointless exercise here, and without a diesel option in four-wheel-drive even more so. The Tribute was aimed at the lifestyle market, a niche seized on by car companies to flog you everything you thought you wanted, but never really needed in the first place.
The Tribute is really just a big, long station wagon that looks like it might spend some time towing a horse box, although God knows what that would do to the consumption. The engine is thrashy and noisy and has 129 horse power to give a top speed of about 175km/h. It's difficult to park and has a huge turning circle. It has good grip but ducks and dives quite a bit under pressure.
With a manual gearbox it is simply not enjoyable to drive, and one always wonders what the point of it actually is. One can see it fitting into the American "small truck" market where many cars are undistinguished, but in a small market like ours it fails not alone to stand out but to have any distinctive identity whatsoever.
The Tribute continued in production for four years and there are quite a few around. Its engine being limited to petrol ensured limited popularity - a pity because Mazda makes good cars with excellent reliability and longevity.
To summarise, the Tribute is neither fish nor fowl. It is useless to anyone needing four-wheel-drive capability for work, because of its consumption (although it does, ironically, perform quite well off-road) and it has been left behind by imaginative designs from other companies.
There are no EuroNCAP crash test results for the Tribute. Neither does it have a recall record to speak of, which reinforces Mazda's reliability record.
A 2003 version with manual gearbox, air conditioning, alloys, sunroof, electric windows and mirrors, CD player and fog lights and 50,000km on the clock is on offer for €15,950, while a 2004 model with 98,000km up is on offer at €17,975.
FOR:Equipment and interior lay-out
AGAINST:No diesel, high petrol usage. Belongs to the dark ages.