Overview & Reviews

Extensive changes for the Tribute this year include a new base engine, restyled exterior and a new electronic four-wheel-drive system. A floor-mounted shifter replaces the awkward column shifter, and ABS is now standard on all models.

• Roomy and comfortable interior, peppy V6 engine, drives more like a car than a truck, long list of standard features.

• Mediocre fuel economy and driving range on V6 models.

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 173.00

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  Mostly a great car - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By zel1 - September 25 - 6:48 am

  We have put 164,000 miles on our Tribute, including many long highway trips and back woods driving on two-tracks in the UP of Michigan. We required a new (rebuilt Ford) transmission at 94,000 miles, which possibly can be attributed to driving with cupped tires that probably vibrated it to pieces. Mileage is so-so, up to about 21.5 on the highway (we are usually pretty heavily loaded on trips). A/C, defroster, heater have always given some problems, but still work OK. Never burned a drop of oil, and still has good power on the highway. Hoping to make 250,000 miles.

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  Noisy!!! - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By bbason - September 19 - 11:16 am

  After having the Tribute for less than a year, I couldnt take the creaking noises coming from the doors. I took it into the dealership to be fixed. They say it is the door strikers and they had to be adjusted. That only worked for about a month and then the creaking came back. Although it doesnt look as good, I applied electrical tape around the door catch and have not heard the noises anymore. However, the outside noise is awful. When Im on my cell phone, callers say it sounds like my windows are open. Outside of the noises, the car is awesome. No maintenance problems after 3 years.

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  Buy it, then buy new tires - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By pedersen - September 13 - 4:50 pm

  Love this SUV. Have 20,000 miles on it at the time Im writing this and already planning to buy another one this spring to replace another vehicle we have. Have had no problems whatsoever other than the subwoofer died. Dealer replaced it in an hour, no questions asked. If youre shopping for one, there are two things to pay attention to. One, the driving position; with the power seat all the way back the steering wheel is a long reach. Two, compare the Tribute and Escape carefully. They package the options very differently. I find the 6-way power seat very necessary for comfort. You can get that feature in lesser priced editions of the Escape compared to the Mazda.

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  My Mazda - zoom zoom - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By Ron - April 15 - 12:30 am

  Overall we really love this SUV . There are only two things that are bugging us. The cup holders in the console area are horrible! There is no room for the second cup unless you lift the lid of the center console. Not good. The second is how fast the brake discs get worn. Not even 7,000 miles and they have deep groves in them. Otherwise, love the car.

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  Tribute - Gorgeous SUV, bad fuel economy - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By philsphan23 - April 3 - 10:26 pm

  We got the s-model with the AWD, 6- cylinder and automatic transmission. It is a really good looking SUV (red with a silver bottom) and very fun to drive, however, if I had realized that the around town gas mileage was so poor, I dont know if I would have purchased this car. I dont do a whole lot of highway driving. I am getting just 16 miles per gallon! When you pay over $2 a gallon, it feels like I was ripped off! The sticker said 21 mpg and the salesman confirmed the number, but obviously was looking for a sale, not my interests. Id love to hear what the 4-cylinder drivers are getting for gas mileage. You couldnt beat the incentives, though ($4000 cash back, or 0% financing).

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  Should get better gas mileage for a 4 cylinder - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By dennis - March 2 - 5:00 pm

  Traded my Camry for this and wish I had kept it mainly for gas mileage. Thought a 4 cylinder would do good but I get only 23 on trips even with just myself in the car. I added a power roof which I like. Passenger door does not accept key so the only way in is the drivers door if you dont have remote. This is sometimes a pain as I try to keep my keychain from being too bulky esp. if carrying remotes for other cars too. There was a recall for the back hatch door lock which was minor. I have about 17000 miles and no real problems so far other than it is sluggish on the highway, esp. hills and has to downshift to climb. It does that a lot on trips. It does ride smooth and is sporty. It is just OK.

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  Good Deal, but needs some minor help - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By Heather - February 11 - 11:43 pm

  Overall, my 2005 Tribute S has plenty of room, handles decent & good pickup. I’ve always driven high-end luxury sedans & SUV’s and while this isn’t in their class with style, comfort, drive and some of the interior options, bells and whistles, it is a great deal. I get alot of compliments and would recommend this SUV for someone restricted to that price bracket. I transport alot of sporting equipment on the roof. This is the one reason I will not be a repeat Tribute owner. Mazda made a huge mistake making the rook rack extremely short.Unless you replace the entire rack with a custom rack, then this is not the SUV for outdoor enthusiasts needing to carry sport equiptment on the roof.

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  Not a 6 - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By Wayne Ferguson - October 23 - 6:56 am

  Purchased a Mazda 6 11/04. Not a thing gone wrong to date. Tribute had lock problems from factory, engine failure (plugs and computer) at 9K. You can see the Ford connection in this truck. Also no where near the advertised fuel mileage. First and last Mazda SUV.

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  So far so good! - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By lmvp17 - April 25 - 3:20 am

  I bought my gently used 05 fully loaded Tribute (3.0, 4WD w/ towing package) couple months ago and so far so good. Had some trouble with the engine light but that was fixed by replacing the gas cap. I tow my 16ft fishing boat with ease and felt confident when the 4x4 kicked in to pull the loaded trailer out of the lake. Left the moon roof open one night through a rainstorm and had my interior and dash completely soaked! Surprised to say absolutely no electrical problems and leather still looks brand new. Only thing I wish it had was ability to play MP3s!

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  Dont buy it for the fuel Economy - 2005 Mazda Tribute
  By No gas savings here! - March 30 - 3:26 am

  If most of your driving is in local traffic this is not the car for you. The sticker promised 18 mpg city driving, Im getting 12.5!!! When I called both the dealership and Mazda home office they said I had a heavy foot (not true) or it needed more time to break in. Well its been 7 months and no improvement is found, however the highway mileage was much better then stated. The sticker stated 21 mpg Im getting 26 mpg.