2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid Preview
9/24/2007
Hybrid SUV Looks Like an Ogre-Achiever
Shrek. That ogre was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid. I think it was the car’s color — an unmistakable shade of green — that initially brought him to mind. Once I drove the Tribute, though, I was convinced that it and the animated character have more than just exterior color in common.
I got a glimpse of the 2008 Tribute Hybrid during a recent trip to visit the kind folks at Mazda in Irvine, Calif. After driving it for about an hour, the Shrek-Tribute analogy had taken shape: Shrek is an oafish, super-friendly green ogre that moviegoers everywhere grew to adore. He’s not fancy, he’s not pretentious, he simply does the right thing and produces good results without complaint. The Tribute embodies those same virtues: It feels a little oafish at first (let’s face it, this is not a high-end luxury vehicle), but it’s super (eco-)friendly, and I can see people really growing to adore it. It’s not fancy, it’s not pretentious, it simply does the right thing — deliver wonderful fuel economy and a comfortable ride without much ado — and I respect that. And, of course, there’s that green factor.
All right, so the Tribute is available in three colors besides Shrek, er, Kiwi Green, and they’re all lovely, but the green really plays up the environmental aspect. Because Ford owns about a third of Mazda, the technology used in the Ford Escape Hybrid was borrowed for the Tribute Hybrid. In short, this is essentially the same car as the Escape Hybrid, only styled like a Mazda. Mazda brands it “hybrid technology, the zoom-zoom way.”
Having been up close and personal with both the Escape Hybrid and the Tribute Hybrid, I can confirm that the Mazda is definitely packaged in a zoom-zoomier way. The Tribute’s dash and center console feature a nice black material that doesn’t seem to collect many of my greasy, just-wiped-little-Harry’s-mouth fingerprints. It’s a spacious and sporty car that could accommodate a family of four comfortably, with decent cargo space left over. It’s a hybrid, so it doesn’t pack the driving dynamism that a luxury SUV might, but it still packs a decent enough punch to get the job done. Moreover, it can achieve fuel economy up to 34/30 mpg city/highway, and it starts at just about $26,000 — a combination that almost makes you want to go to California to buy one.
Why California? Well, the Tribute Hybrid came to be because brand-loyal Mazda customers — most of them in California, natch — began asking the company for a hybrid SUV. In response, Mazda created the Tribute Hybrid and put it on the market in mid-August, but only in California. The company intends to sell about 350 over the course of the next year and, depending on demand, might eventually offer the Tribute Hybrid everywhere. And that brings me back to Shrek: Thanks to the animation geniuses at Dreamworks, Shrek — just like the Tribute Hybrid — originated in California. Initially introduced to smaller audiences, he eventually went on to win the hearts and minds of audiences throughout the world. He became a sensation in his own right. Maybe, just maybe, the Tribute could have a shot at doing the same.
Comments
Mazda makes the car, engine, body, etc. but the hybrid technology they use is essentially the same as the Ford technology. Because Ford owns about one-third of Mazda, Mazda was able to 'borrow' Ford's hbrid technology to build the Tribute thereby saving some financial and opportunity costs of developing their own hybrid SUV technology.
Posted by: Courtney A. E. Messenbaugh | Nov 9, 2007 10:16:13 AM
Oh 'cmon guys! The vehicle rolls of the same Kansas assembly line as the Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner. Haven't you guys ever heard of co-branding? It's done all the time in the auto industry. Mazda isn't going to start up an assembly line for the few Tributes they sell, they simply get their rebadged vehicles from Ford.
Posted by: Don | Dec 29, 2007 12:37:09 AM
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Can you tell me who makes the car? Does Mazda or Ford make the body and engine?
Thanks
Posted by: William Lawrence | Oct 28, 2007 6:32:31 PM