Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Mazda Tribute has been heavily revised with significant changes made to the exterior styling and a more stylish, functional and better constructed interior. Like the closely related Ford Escape, the Tribute's engines and chassis carry over virtually untouched. A hybrid-powered Tribute is also expected for this year.

• Comfortable interior, impressive list of standard safety features.

• Mediocre braking, disappointing fuel-efficiency, folding down second seat a multistep process.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 58.00

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  I LOVE my Tribute!! - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By Mary McCarthy - May 21 - 2:35 pm

  I've had my 2008 Tribute for 12 yrs and cannot say enough good things about it. If they still made them I'd buy another. I don't like the body style of the SUV's that are built today, and don't believe the storage capacity could stand up against the Tribute. My Tribute has 155,000 miles and still going strong. Its the 4cyl I model. People that see it cannot believe its 14 yrs old. Inside and out, it has stood the test of time... even in the Florida sun and humidity.

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  Great at first, now problems - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By Disappointed - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Buyer beware. There is a problem with this vehicle and gas pedal getting stuck. If you go to the NHTSA website, you will find 9 complaints on gas pedal getting stuck. I submitted mine today, making it 10. It gets stuck in deceleration position, but going 60+mph, this is very dangerous. Once gas pedal gives, the SUV jerks forward. I drive this car a lot for business. I bought it in Nov. 2007. I have driven 68,000 miles on it. Radio stopped working, a short circuit. Had to buy aftermarket since Mazda charges $800 plus installation for stock. Battery had changed at 65,000 miles. I find it very comfortable for my 6/7 hour trips, but the gas pedal getting stuck has scared me.

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  Swap the Continentals !!! - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By pennypincher - August 24 - 1:22 pm

  Do yourself a favor and swap the crappy Continentals for Michelin Latitude (as Ford did for model year 2009 and on) or, for less $$, Khumo AST, or anything else that is more of a highway tire (less agressive treads) The noise reduction will be AMAZING !!! My wife thought we had a new ride. Always rotate the tires (front/rear, no X pattern) at EACH OIL CHANGE. The Tribute (Escape) rear suspension is soft (to avoid the jerkiness in turns) so the tires tend to chip off on the edges. So, diligent rotation will save the day. All in all the greatest value of my driving experience !!!

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  Tribute 5-speed 4-cyl Initial report - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By 5speed - April 3 - 7:36 am

  Purchased the Tribute i sport with 5-speed manual transmission,fwd, and 4-cyl engine because I wanted a vehicle with cargo capacity and respectable fuel economy. The dealer where I made the purchase had to locate the vehicle with this combination, because they had never had a Tribute on their lot with a manual transmission. There is not a photo available of the manual shift lever and console combination available in the Mazda brochure. But Mazda did a good job with the 5-speed package, the shift lever is well finished and attractive with a good relationship to the steering wheel. The clutch pressure is very light and makes shifting gears easy. Now have 1709 miles and my average MPG is 30.97

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  I like it so far - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By spk151 - November 25 - 3:03 am

  Ive put almost 1,000 miles on my 2008 Mazda Tribute. The Good: I love the looks white with black trim and tinted rear windows. It has performed adequately so far with no problems. It has decent acceleration at 200HP, while handling like a car and gets almost as good fuel economy as my 1999 Chevy Malibu (V6). The interior is roomy in both front and back seats. The complaints: Mazda claims to have a college graduate incentive program, but they do not in the USA. Im not thrilled with the speedometer as it only displays in multiples of 20MPH, I guess writing in multiples of 10 would be too hard??? I do get a lot of reflection from the white hood. All-in-all I would buy it again.

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  So far so good... - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By Pat1usmc - March 19 - 5:23 pm

  So far I am very happy with my purchase and enjoy driving my Tribute very much. A lot of expert reviews complain about the engine and handling but I find the 6 cylinder to be very peppy when you step on the gas. Its no musclecar, but its more than satisfactory. Handling seems very solid, as it stays very flat through turns. Steering feel is also excellent. I bought it for the space, comfort and ability to handle offroad situations once in a while. Most SUVs that reviewers say are better than the Tribute can not go offroad. The price can definitely not be beat either. AWD Grand Touring edition at more than $2700 off MSRP! I feel like I got a lot of car for the money.

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  My 2008 Tribute Mazda - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By Hosam Dajani - January 20 - 7:40 am

  All options were basic and standard. I am missing many nice features when I compared my Mazda to the Ford Escape. The car can out perform a Honda on the highway. The car felt solid on the ground when making sharp turns. The engine felt smoother with synthetic Mobile One 0W-20. The transmission is slow and heavy. The power of the engine is felt best on the highway. Solid when driven on sand or rocks. It needs many changes in my opinion.

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  Great price, good entry-level SUV. - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By MAA - May 28 - 6:16 am

  Driving is great especially considering the choices if you want an entry level SUV from a foreign car maker. As expected pick-up is slow. Even thought its Japanese, it reminded me of my 1995 Ford Taurus, design seemed very similar to Ford. And as expected instruments in the car are not as sturdy and are more of Ford quality. But its too soon to say anything, its only been driven 350 kms!

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  2008 Mazda Tribute i Touring - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By Robert - January 9 - 4:06 pm

  Nice SUV. Lots of room and very comfortable. AC blows very cold. Good exterior design. Rear seats should recline and fold down easier without removing head rests. Grab handles should not have been left out. Exterior temp would have been nice. Stereo sounds very good. Gauge cluster doesnt look Mazda at all, very Ford. Sportier steerig wheel with audio controls. Lots of standard safety features for the money. Rear brakes should have been disc not drum. Having noises from rear breaks that has been looked at by the dealer twice. Carpet in front foot wells pulling away from the door frame plastic. Very nice Mazda that feels like a Ford. Excellent value for what you get.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Mazda Tribute
  By lunacharsky - November 1 - 5:33 pm

  Love this SUV. Great handling, esp mountainous curves. Plenty of zip. For me (6) perfect seating and ergonomics. After 50.000 miles, only changed cabin filters and brakes. A little noisy on rough roads - key is getting the right tires (BF Goodrich Long Trails are the best). I plan to keep it forever.