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sold in Canada will have the
V6 engine, and 75% will have

all-wheel-drive.

The first thing I noticed
about the Tribute is that it

_ looks bigger and talier than
some of its major competi-

_ tors. It has a genezous ~
ground clearance of 200 mm
{8.4 inches), yet the step-in

“height to the interior is not
too high and the front and
rear door openings are quite .
wide. |

Inside, the driver sits up

© fairly high with good visibility
all around. In particular, the —°.

"farge rear window which -

”_ slopes down towards the cen- _

"te; provides excellent visibili
ty to the rear. The spare tire
is. ‘stowed under the cargo

floor, so it doesn’t: ‘obstrui

BASE DX and Dy; V6 models have @ one-piece folding rear seatback, but LX and
‘ES models have, 60/40 spilt folding rear. seats, , creating a very roomy cargo area.

. mounted high in the centre”
‘and has big buttons for. -

s¢ Of use. Below that, the

front bucket seats is a foiding.
centre armrest with a’ roomy
storage bin, and there are ;

ets and seatback -

~ was that the door armrests

‘are made, of a hard plastic
that feels uncomfortable on _
Jong drives.

“Base DX and DX V6

models have a one-piece fold-~

ing rear seatback, but LX and

=. ES models have 60/40 ait

folding rear’ sea

and fold, creating a Sy
roomy cargo area. In ad
tion, the rear seat cushions .

are removeable which creates

even more space. ‘The rear:
seatbacks also recline for”
more comfort on longer dri
ves. The
is flat and has four tie-down
hooks. ‘There’s even a special

_. place to put the rear head |...
‘restraints when the rear seats",

cate folded down. :
“*~ A tear privacy cover.is
standard on LX and ES mod-

~ els. The rear hatch is easy to
and in des a separate aan

flip glass panel for loading
light items. aS With the flip-
open; a 4”.X 8” sheet o oy
wood will. fic into the cargo ”

side airbags (in the front |
Seats), three-point seatbelts,
and froat head restraints. .

Rear head restraints are avail.

‘able on LX and ES modeis.

Typically, small SUVs ‘cor:
ner, accelerate and brake bet

ter than mid-sized and full-

‘sized SUVs which o often feel’

‘0 floor.
~ Very quict, doing

bod construction, an stan-
dard 16-inch tires provide a
high level of stability and ~~
stecring control when corner

* ing. There is minimal lean in :

tight corners, and minimal.
dive and pitch when braking
and accelerazing

ta

sportier than the Ford °”
Escape. -

“On the highway, the ride”
is generally smooth and com-
fortabie, and the
s than -..
2,000 r.p.m.-at a steady 100:

/h on a flat surface. With |

horsepower and 200 ft.
lb. of torque available, the.
ribute accelerates quickly.
from both a ‘standing’ start ~

and: during passing and free-
wa ging situations. ‘The -

V6 bute 3s one of the fe

© compact SUVs available with
a six-cylind:

ngine, 3 and”
offers class-leading horsépow:

‘er. hardly noticed ‘the four::

.pluses.and minuses,

On the plus side; tire grip:
is excellent on case surfaces,
wheel articulation over larg,
rocks and sudden dips is pret-

: ty good for a car-based sport-.

te, and the engine has plenty

“of of power for the steepest hills

The all-wheel-drive system:

works well up to a point, but |:

on steep, slippery surfaces,

. the automatic transfer of.
torque from the front to ti
‘rear wheels is hesitant, ¢ caus:

ing a momeatary jerk. Thi

V6 engine is :

2001 Mazda Triaie ES
Price as tested (ES) ..
Base price (DX)...

vvemeneed-OHlitre VB, DOHC, 24, valves aS

Horsepower “ 200 @ 6; COO ry

Torque........

Transmission

Tires -..

Curb weight...

Minimum ground clearance.
~ Maximum towing capacity

Wheelbase...

.200 mm (8.4 in,):
w= 1588 kg (3,500 fb)
2,620 mm (103.1 in}

395 mm (173.9 in.)

Fuel consumption
Warranty

" piece folding't tear seatback,

-map lights and cargo.ar
light. All-w heel-drive i

not an uncommon situation
in an AWD vehicle which :
runs in 100% frunt-wheel-
drive’ until front wheel trac:

“ gon is lost and power is

transferred to the rear wheels.
Fortunately, the Tribute

- has a 4WD Lock which locks

the system. in a permanent
50/56 torque ee front to

: em In my off-road test-

this eliminated the ®,
er transfer jerkiness, and

. pe
provided seamless traction at

all four wheels. -

Tribute’s do not have
Low Gear which can be’ used
for engine braking whe
elling down a steep hill, or.

--.when travelling slowly up

very steep hill. Mazda Canada

expects Tribute buyers. will. be

heading to the mall moze
ften they'll be heading :

‘into the mountains

; Prices and features

power. glass: inoonroof with
sunshade. :

wre engine immobilizer,
“ tilt steering wheel, invérmit