The Mazda Tribute debuted in the 2001 model year, along with its corporate cousin, the Ford Escape. The Tribute delivers solid gas mileage ratings for a mid-sized SUV, with excellent ratings coming from the Tribute Hybrid variant. For 2008, the Tribute Hybrid will be released only in Southern California, with a limited run of just 350 vehicles. If you’re in SoCal and looking for an exclusive hybrid sans the hype, the Tribute Hybrid just might be the ticket.The standard 2008 Mazda Tribute can be fitted with either a 2.3 liter DOHC four-cylinder engine that delivers 153 HP and 152 foot pounds of torque or a 3.0 liter DOHC V-6 that produces 200 HP and 193 foot pounds of torque. While a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission is standard for either the four or the six cylinder Tributes, the four-banger can also be fitted with a five-speed manual transmission.
