Test Drive Mazda Tribute 2001 - 2007 SUV

For all cases of the citizen

More recently, such cars, it seems to be no longer six years ago, we looked at a different size of parquets that fi! No comparison was not included with these SUVs, and at the appearance in October 95th, it was completely unclear what Honda CR-V did not pay attention at all. However, by typing this hybrid of the parcipher, a car and compact minivan, the audience suddenly found that it was just such a universal vehicle for all occasions. Now the sector of universal cars of increased passability is one of the most rapidly developing: many leading manufacturers rushed here, and the new items appear one after another. The growth of popularity of such machines and a variety of customer requirements logically led to the appearance of dynamic modifications with powerful motors. Today we have on the dough just such such Hyundai Santa Fe V6 2.7, Mazda Tribute V6 3.0, Land Rover Freelander V6 2.5.
For three days of the dough, it turned into a certain daily ritual: a roadside cafe, a smoking cup on the table, behind a huge window, on the parking lot of a new car with a fresh lacquer.
   

Thoughts for the cup
All three cars are built according to the classic for such machines recipe: with off-road image carrying body, passenger independent suspension, passenger cross arrangement of the power unit. And the same, not requiring driver interventions, a full drive scheme: Santa Fe is permanent with an inter-axis differential (60% / 40%), partially blocked by the Vussochette, the rest of the rear wheels when slipping the front through the Viscuft (Land Rover) or automatic multi-disc clutch (Mazda). Although the ideology of a universal vehicle for a citizen and a resident of the suburbs by itself compromise (the worst adaptation to difficult conditions in exchange for capacity, comfort, dynamics and efficiency) is still implied that the movement will occur not only on the roads with a coating, but also outside their. In addition, the state of our roads and the roasolines sometimes is not very different from off-road, especially in winter and in the offseason.
To such all three cars, somehow prepared: plastic body kit on wings and thresholds, large ground clearance, the aggregates are selected under the bottom and to one degree or another are protected. Santa Fe is ahead of protection in the form of a fairly powerful sheet of plastic, and the power unit is stubcined for the massive crossbar of the front subframe. Under the tribute engine crankcase protective steel ski. Well, the Freelander branded training can envy some real SUVs of the generation experience, you know. So three days, three hot cups, three cars.
COFFEE WITH MILK. Hyundai Santa Fe.
 
Big original. Apparently, designers, seeking to awaken sports associations from buyers, decided to turn to their genetic memory and carefully passed the American catalogs of the early 60s. But, God, who invented to paint this car in black? However, is it Korean? Minimal gaps between panels, smooth joints, clear fixation of open doors and solid sound when closing ... No, yet Korean: The maximum allowable growth of the driver of centimeters 180. True, the gastronomic preferences of the residents of the new world Korean seems to be aware: the so-called side Support is clearly designed for persons abusing hamburgers, fried potatoes and coca-cola. But there is a way out for fans of tight coverage, they can sit behind the threesome, and then the extreme will be the lower back of the seat bending corresponding to the wheeled arch. You are comfortable together and in reality, and if a particularly long-legged will strove that they are sitting on the paddle, switch their attention to the adjustment of the backing tilt process this is elegant and very instructive.
The interior is no less original than the appearance, but soft upholstery plastics and the exact fit of the panels produce a very worthy impression. Excellent ventilation systems are large, strongly protruding, and at the same time injuries safe: when pressed, the elastic is taken to half the height panel. The Santa FE trunk will force all the neighbors in the parking lot, especially if you raise the floor panel: a similar abundance of tanks under the trifle acts disarmingly even on the most accurate snobs. However, if you are after yesterday's, then you should not demonstrate in action a retractable curtain The success of getting into the appropriate grooves is really depends on the hardness of the hand and the accuracy of aiming. Although the entire Trinity of Santa Fe has not the most powerful and tracked motor, the lack of thrust with interest is compensated by a completely crazy character of the machine: in response to albeit a minor, but the fast pressing of the accelerator he jumps over one step, and if it came to Kick-Down That immediately two. Such a bustiness is not always justified: an unexpected increase in the moment in a slippery turn can lead to sad consequences. However, information about the actions of the automaton comes here in the best of the best, and the H-Tronic mode of sequental control is perfectly coping with the role role. And on the movement of the lever, the machine, not as an example, reacts quite quickly.
When driving around the city and a smooth highway Santa Fe behaves quite in a passenger: lively clear reactions, small rolls, sound reactive effect. But very fast movement along a winding country highway requires voltage, despite almost perfect stability: with an increase in the velocity of the car's reaction, the reactive action also, and the roll grows with large angular accelerations. As a result, there is a sense of uncertainty, although in fact the stock is not so small. But, perhaps, it is still not a sports car for the better, and the timely cooling of hot heads will be clearly not superfluous here, because the Santa FE's energy-intensive suspension allows you to decently discern even on a rather dangerous broken road. Outside the Santa Fe road is very pleasant and reliable in management, and in general behaves better than all. But as long as the case did not reach weaking soils. In a more or less deep sand, the car began to rip out (there is a lack of full blocking of the mid-scene differential, and the Hankook tires, clogging with sand, instantly turned into yellow slicks), and we stopped experiment. For experiments on pulling out one new car to another in the program of our test did not enter.

Coffee black. Mazda Tribute.
 
In fact, the same Ford Maverick, although it has certain external differences and much less defined internal. What greatly simplifies our task: since no further as a month ago, we already melted a part of the unconditional advantages of the said car, now we still have to add a few more spoons of honey and a fly, which make up the difference between the car and the dough. Actually, the fact that the interior did not do the Japanese noticeably: a typical American variety of rationalism. A huge box between the front seats is able to accommodate the beer stock for a round-the-world trip, and the coaster molded in the upholstery is apparently imply that this stock will be destroyed continuously. The central armrest of the rear seat seems to be a victim of the fight against excessive luxury, and in the cutouts of the leather upholstery along the edges of the back, the parts of the frame and the folding mechanism are visible. However, they do not interfere at all, and in the back without any problems can accommodate three.
On the average driver's height of Americans higher opinion than Koreans, however, until it stops down and backward the seat, it will be pointless to stretch to the steering wheel. And still the seat is quite comfortable, and the lumbar side is just above all silence. The turning 3-liter DURATEC provides excellent traction in a rather wide range, and the automatic here is no less clowning than the Santa Fe, so that the owner of the Tribute does not have to complain. However, the nests of this transmission also sometimes should be packed, and forced modes allow it to do, although not with the effect as H-Tronic Santa Fe.
In the rest, you can refer to our previous car number, but with one small amendment. Tribute has no dubbing when driving irregularities (although you can still catch a breakdown during compression), but when moving with high speeds, a little worse and feedback, and reactions to the rotation of the steering wheel. If we assume that shock absorbers and springs in the suspensions are identical, it will remain to write off the distinction on the tires: That Ford Maverick was wound in Firestone Wilderness HT, and Mazda Tribute in Continental Contitrac SUV. In the off-road program for Tribute solid second place. Even on the machine, the Mazda's full drive quite successfully overcomes the shallow sandy areas and rather deep ground puddles, but in difficult conditions it is better to enable the coupling lock mode in advance. But in any case, it is advisable to avoid places where diagonal unloading is possible.

HOT CHOCOLATE. Land Rover Freelander.
 
Real Land Rover, although it does not copy any of the older models of the brand, and off-road charisma is enough for a couple of serious passing. The most suitable words to describe the interior taste, nobility and even sophistication. Dashboard architectural work, although in fact is a constructor that allows you to collect the option and for the right and left steering wheel. Hard plastic, but how the details are fitted! Freelander is the closest of the Trinity. The driver's places are no more here than in Santa Fe, and the front seats are clearly not enough adjustment in height: with the growth above the average you risks on the big bar, repeat the first feat of Pushkin Prince Guidon, and the inner mirror will overlap. The seats themselves could be recognized as the best if not a short pillow. Adults in the backseat threesome will not survive for a long time, but at least they will not be wallowed about the wheel arches scattered in the Boc, despite the threatening appearance, they are not felt at all.
The trunk is small, and its functionality is sacrificed to the design: Let's say, you can remove the curtain, only folding the rear seat. But there is a locking rhundum locking on the castle, and the number of different shelves, mosets and boxes in the cabin pushing numbers. And rubber mats and bodies on the shelves! And the universal holders for bottles on the doors! Class! Freelander conquers the Spacese space, slightly swaying. Although his passport characteristics are impressive, but the dynamics in real conditions is not so inspirated: a high-speed car is not very compliant with a reasonable automatic machine, not in a hurrying step, without a rush reacting to Kick-Down and the movement of the lever in Steptronic mode and almost not noticeing the inclusion of Sport mode .
Also thoughtfully freelander reacts to the rotation of the steering wheel, so that there is better to refuse to give up from the sink in the transport stream. But bribes stability, and the main thing is a magnificent reactive action that provides such a sense of car and the road that even the rapid movement along the winding highway turns into pleasure. Despite unpleasant shaking on separate large irregularities. In difficult conditions, Freelander unconditional champion. It confidently moves even in deep viscous sand, and with the arising diagonal unloading to the aid, the electronic distribution system of traction efforts is in time. And actually the only factor limiting the permeability is ground clearance. Especially note the descent system from the mountain, which, although publishes the frightening initially grinding, but it allows even a newcomer without much risk to neatly slide off the steep slope.

If I were Sultan ...
... and chose a car for your beloved wife, without having restrictions in the means, it would probably prefer to the Freelander. For design, interior functionality, honesty steering. And the dynamics ... Actually, she is very good, and Loses Freelander only in comparison with two competitors. But the small Land Rover roads and not particularly spacious. So the choice of realist is most likely to be different. Moreover, if we are talking about a car for the family. And if you learn national stereotypes, you should recognize that Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda Tribute almost equal rivals. Everyone is stronger in something, but, again, not much. Tribute is more dynamic, more good, and, let's say, it looks familiar. On the side of Santa Fe, the best quality finishes, great functionality and a smaller price. However, we chased happily, counted ones. It is pretty to eat all three. And therefore, those who are not used to fling money into the fuel tank may pay attention to the turbo diesel modifications that are offered by Hyundai and Land Rover. But this is the topic for a separate test.
 
Dmitry Filonov photo Alexandra Nozdrin
How do they look:
Nikita Rozanov
 
Outside:
The whole top of the classic representatives of the modern and dynamically developing class of cars of high passability for outdoor activities. These are not terrible SUVs, and therefore, according to the laws of the genre, their appearance should be bright, cheerful and relaxing to themselves. For example, sportswear looks like that, as it whatever invites the gym or to the stadium, where the stock of the vitality is replenished, well, the car, in addition, also injected adrenaline into the blood.
A more serious view of Freelander, whose image created by the unshaven appearance of Indiana Jones and desperate safaris and is supported by direct relationship with true Land Rover SUVs. His design is actually deprived of the subtressive, brutalen, but at the same time funny: what is at least those visible from the bumper bumper Carter protection, a hunchback silhouette of the back of the body and businesswito sticking out a spare wheel. Hyundai and Mazda are less eccentric and more resemble ordinary asphalt universals, everything is fine and calmly, and to complete this similarity, they are not enough only painted in the color of the bumper body. If you remove the front emblems from cars, it will be very difficult to determine the brand according to the degree of family similarity. And Freelander, and even more so, Santa Fe practically does not have common features with their direct relatives and predecessors. The exception will be, perhaps, TRIBUTE with a diamond-shaped radiator facing characteristic of many Mazda 2000 and pentagonal elongated headlights. Hyundai's face will not affect the corporate constancy. Nevertheless, the appearance of Santa Fe is original and easily remembered due to the characteristic of the wave-like hood and the utilitarian plastic pad along the perimeter of the radiator cladding. The combat coloring is not called successful. For example, Freelander looks much more attractive when the body is lighter by tone than plastic body kit, and everything else, such a contrast would only gain a drop of extreme.
Results:
Hyundai Santa Fe is a rather distinctive design, much loses due to the complete absence of Hyundai's branded handwriting, whose style traditions are still produced. However, it can be conscious tactics.
Land Rover Freelander Design of this cute and very harmonious SUV four years. For a modern car, this is a whole life, but in the family Rover has many long-livers, the memory of which is working on popularity today.
Mazda Tribute high-quality and competent design, correctly reflecting today. However, the lack of a pronounced flight in the style of a pronounced flight in tomorrow can very soon make designers think about the successor.
Inside:
The design of the inhabited space corresponds to the outdoor appearance. The most functional style of Freelander, in which the architecture and construction of the instrument panel provides for the possibility of relatively bloodless use both the left and right steering wheel, which is very important for the specifics of the English automotive design. The TRIBUTE panel is the most American, and Santa Fe plastic frills on the panel fully reflect the eastern mentality of the outer plastic. Between the seats, everyone, except for the English aristocrat, is so favorite in the new light of the plain armrest-box. Doors also fully match the chosen tactic and national mentality. Freelander they are flat, but comfortable ergonomically: for which they are enough and for what to open it immediately. Santa Fe is the complete opposite, and the doors for complexity and controversial relief can argue with the exterior, and with the panel itself. To the rear passengers, everyone belongs in different ways, but the most obvious care for their comfort is manifested by Hyundai and Land Rover, granted the central armrest, and a set of three head restraints. Since all three vehicles have a body type body, then the design of the internal space of the baggage compartment is made with no less thoroughness than the passenger part of the cabin. Access to the trunk is traditional through the fifth door rising upwards, but Tribute also shows its commitment to the American lifestyle, allowing you to open both the glass and the entire door.

Results:
Hyundai Santa Fe The peculiar manners of the plastic is on the dangerous face of the enumeration and loss of visual integrity.
Land Rover Freelander Some style stiffness is compensated by the functionality of the whole composition, but even it does not save from moral aging.
Mazda Tribute Traditional For Big American Tracks The Decision Panel Solution Reduces the living space. But everything is stylish and qualitatively executed.
 
 

A source: Cars