MAZDATribute 2007 - 2008

　　Built together with Ford, which offered the same car under the Escape name, the second generation of the Mazda Tribute was introduced at the 2007 Montreal International Auto Show.

　　The marriage between Mazda and Ford was already gone, but they didn't know that when the car was developed. The world economic crisis was not started yet, but the financial advisors already had their red-flags up. But the car had to be launched and win some market before it was too late.

　　The Tribute featured a truck-like appearance even if it was not a body-on-frame construction as the Mazda Navajo/Ford Explorer duo. But it still resembled some of the design cues from that. The wide, V-shaped, grille with a chromed bar on top and the almost flat hood were part of the off-road design school. The raked C-pillar, behind the rear doors, resembled those found on regular sedans.

　　The interior featured high-quality materials and a car-like instrument cluster with two round dials. With the floor-mounted gear-stick and the center stack that hosted the CD-radio and the climate control unit, the Tribute was addressed to both sedan users an SUV-users. The rear bench was folding completely flat, with the headrests removed.

　　For the engine compartment, Mazda introduced some of its already known engine of 2- or 2.3-liter. A 3.0-liter V6 was available. The most fuel-efficient version announced was a hybrid with a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine mated to an electric motor.

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