- suv 97,613
- 1,428 below average
- 5,900 good
- North Hampton, NH
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- autoshopper.com
- 1,428 below average suv 97,613 gasoline green automatic
2008 mazda tribute review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Cleaner styling, improved interior, more safety for 2008. introductionthe 2008 mazda tribute has been redesigned on the outside and inside, although the engines and chassis are the same. It achieves an epa-estimated 18/24 mpg city/highway with 2wd and 17/22 with 4wd. In the tribute, it delivers a modest 153 horsepower and 152 pound-feet of torque. It gets better fuel economy than the v6 and costs about $2000 less. Tribute i sport is available with a manual transmission. The air conditioning is especially effective. All the controls are at hand and not confusing for the driver. This simplicity makes a safer vehicle, because the driver's concentration isn't stolen by problem solving. the ride, on a retuned suspension, is excellent. One of the few new mechanical features is electric power rack-and-pinion steering, which helps make the tribute easy to parallel park. The front fenders are more squared off than before, making it easier to see the front corners when parking; and, out the back, good visibility with no blind spots is another virtue. It uses two electric motors with the 2. 3-liter engine, and mazda says it should get as much as 35 miles per gallon while having the performance of the v6, and costing about $3000 more. the only major stand-alone options are the sound system, tow package and electronic all-wheel drive. Bike racks and other accessories are available from the dealer. walkaroundalmost all of the changes to the 2008 mazda tribute have been to the exterior styling and the interior. It's much cleaner and better looking than the previous model. It no longer tries to sell itself with cladding and an over-done grille, like the 2006. It's also better looking than its fraternal twin, the ford escape, which looks like it's trying to copy the nose of the nissan xterra, or at least the front bumper. The halogen headlights, small and simple trapezoids, complement that shape. The tribute's clean sides would be a nice canvas for great looking aftermarket wheels, though. The waistline has been raised by 1. 5 inches, making taller doors and a safer cabin. The flares around the wheelwells are just right, and the gratuitous cladding of previous models has been erased. The flat black or flat gray of the plastic valance carries along the rocker panels, and the door handles are body colored. There's no chrome for the sake of the chrome, except for one wide strip over the rear license plate indent, matching the strip over the grille. the b-pillar slopes back with a small angle to give the side windows some angularity, but there's no attempt at fancy shapes as with, for example, the honda cr-v, a competitor to the tribute. This allows a practical sized rear cargo window, for better visibility and safety. The liftgate window opens separately, a nice feature that used to be common but is less so, nowadays. The taillights, like the rest of the tribute, are no-nonsense: big and blocky enough to be safe, with just enough shape to be handsome. the rear bumper has a flat shelf having a rubber strip, making climbing up to the roofrack easier; that rack, with crossbars that easily adjust by fingertip knobs, is standard on all models but the sport. The material is sturdy and stain-resistant, with a ribbed texture on the cream-colored part in the middle of the seat bottom and seat back. Three passengers were in the back seat, one adult, two children; they had enough legroom, even enough kneeroom behind the driver whose seat was slid back, and the elevated seating gave them visibility out the windshield, plus the view out the rear windows is broad and open. the cabin was quiet enough for easy conversation during the trip, without much road noise from tires nor from the v6. for the passengers in the rear seat, there are two fixed cupholders on the console between the front seats, a small storage bin, an ac outlet, map pockets on the front seatbacks, and door pockets. There are no reading lights for them, however. The rear doors close easily with a solid notch for the hand. the rear seats fold easily enough, although not totally flat. The seat bottoms slide forward, and the seatbacks then flop down. We carried a bunch of windsurfing equipment without a problem, including masts that extended between the front seats to the dashboard, and one sailboard that was nine feet long, which obscured vision out the right front window, but still fit. It could have easily been strapped to the roofrack, but we were tired after windsurfing and too lazy. everything is at hand and not problematic for the driver. The gauges are clean and easy to read, with a neat tach and speedo, split by small gas and temp gauges. The center stack contains everything that's needed, with dials for the main controls of the sound system and climate system, and buttons that have simple standard icons and are big enough to see and use. It's a blessed relief, nowadays, to find a panel that isn't unnecessarily challenging. This simplicity makes for a safer vehicle, because the driver's concentration isn't stolen by confusion or problem solving. the air conditioning is powerful. We drove off on a 100-degree day and the ca. Cruise Control✔ Cloth Interior✔ AM/FM✔ CD Player✔ Air Conditioning✔ Leather Seats✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Alloy Wheels
5,900 North Hampton, NHNorth Hampton, NH at autoshopper.com