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Mazda Tribute Hybrid
dmbflorida
Member Posts: 38
The Mazda Hybrid Tribute is available for sale in California in limited production (350). I bought the Grand Touring FWD with Navigation and shipped it by car carrier to Florida at a reasonable price from an experienced (in shipping) dealer near Los Angeles. MSRP is less than hybrid Escape or Mariner.
The mpg is better than the EPA rating of 30/34 in my first week of driving. Personally, I think the hybrid Tribute, mostly in the interior, has better quality than Escape or Mariner hybrids. Anyone else buy one?
The mpg is better than the EPA rating of 30/34 in my first week of driving. Personally, I think the hybrid Tribute, mostly in the interior, has better quality than Escape or Mariner hybrids. Anyone else buy one?
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What mileage have you been getting and in what driving conditions? I have checked some peoples suggestions for getting better mileage on the escape hybrid and they seem to all recommend slower speeds above all else. They also say mileage will improve after the first 1,000 miles and again after 8-10,000. What have you found?
In using the Prius and Lexus, the key to better fuel economy is not stomping on the accelerator and judging stops ahead of time plus, of course, other approaches. I got about mid to high forties mpg on the average for the Prius (much higher at times than that). The Lexus 400h averages 26 - 28 mpg in the city and higher on the highways. I live in a hot Florida area so running the A/C decreases good fuel economy. I also put the shift lever into park many times if I am in a waiting line with stop and start times. If I leave the car even for a very short time, I turn off the ignition to save gas even if the interior gets hot.
I will check on the Tribute's mpg after several weeks. The Tribute is a full hybrid and you can save gas by using the battery by driving slowly in certain circumstances...up to 25 mph.
Do you live in CA?
dmb
I own the FEH, which is the same mechanically. There is no point in putting the vehicle in park when waiting in line. The engine should turn off on it's own, provided the ECON button is pressed.
The same is true if you leave the vehicle; the engine won't run unless the battery needs charging, which should be several minutes under most circumstances.
I have had my FEH in full electric (EV) mode up to 38 MPH, though the ICE usually kicks in at 12-15 MPH.
I am on my 2nd tank, a 2008 AWD, and am getting 30.6 MPG.
Just picked up the Tribute Hybrid out here in California last month. Runs like a jewel. Got rid of my Jeep Grand Cherokee (gas was KILLING me). As advertised so far, it gets 32 mpg in the city and around 30 mpg on the hwy. Your are right about the ECON button. So far, I've had it on the setting and the engine cuts out as you noted. Averaging around 31 mpg combined. It's been great. I have a Mazda 6 also, and this SUV has a MUCH quieter interior.
Supply in California is tight, but you can get one if you look a bit. The dealers are still discounting a little bit, but with gas prices hovering around $4.55 this weekend, I think the discounts are coming to an end.
Looked at the Ford Escape too, but none available....waiting lists!!! All this and the $3000 available tax credit this year made this decision a no brainer.
Nice car for the money and good for the environment as well.
You can ask a dealer for the hybrid Escape and hybrid Mariner this question since it is basically the same car by Ford. Dealers not in California have not seen the hybrid Tribute unless by a Car Show or similar advance info. I say this only because the hybrid Tribute is only available in CA and the dealers in my state of Florida are not familiar with the hybrid Tribute (I car-shipped my Tribute to FL).
One thing that is not advisable for some hybrids in "Lo Jack" since it can impair the navigation functions (I got this info from some Prius Forums).
btw, I just saw in the news that Ford is making changes in production of hybrid Escapes and Mariners. I don't know if production will be increased or decreased or there will be model changes. Anyone know about this?
She runs the gas engine constantly to run the A/C in our hot SW Florida heat so this accounts greatly for the poor fuel consumption...Previously, the mpg was over 30. She stops and starts too, I think, without turning off the engine when going through fast food lanes or similar shopping.
I saw a picture of the ECON button on a different Ford car. thanks, DMB
Mariner hybrid is about 30.
Tribute will be very close to the middle
I looked at all these in the 2008 model and it is my opinion that the only difference is in the interior and the Escape has the cheapest interior, the Mariner has a better interior and the Tribute has the best interior, particularly in the upgraded interiors in all of these models. I found a graphic of the ECON button on the dashboard and a .pdf file of the manual so I understand now what the ECON button looks like.
No, this is incorrect. Ford developed their eCVT independently, but both Toyota and Ford arrived at similar designs. However, Ford owns about 200 unique patents for hybrid technology, so Ford and Toyota swapped patent rights, simply to avoid legal confusion.
The eCVT is a unique product. Ford is on Gen 2, Toyota is just about to go to Gen 3.