Mazda's engineers say the Miata inspired them when they tuned the Tribute's steering response. It feels direct and accurate without a big dead spot in the center. There's enough feeling in the steering to impart a sense of control. Though this is not a sports car, the tires provide respectable grip in paved corners. When pushed beyond their limits, the front tires start slipping before the rear tires just like nearly all SUVs and most front-wheel-drive sedans. Called understeer, this means the Tribute will describe a wider and wider arc through a corner as it is driven harder into a turn. So it's expected and predictable. Simply back off the throttle and it tightens its line. The Tribute provides surprisingly good transient response (in left-right-left lane-change maneuvers). The suspensions on front- and four-wheel-drive versions are identical.

About 90 percent of all Tributes will come with Ford's 3.0-liter V6. Similar in design to the Duratec V6 used in the Ford Taurus, this specially tuned 200-horsepower engine gives the Tribute a distinctive advantage in performance over the other small utilities, including the all-new 2001 Toyota RAV4 that's powered by a four-cylinder engine. It isn't the smoothest V6 on the market, nor is it the roughest. But it is smoother and more satisfying than the four-cylinder engines found on most small sport-utilities. (We have not yet had the opportunity to test drive the base Tribute DX with the four-cylinder engine.)

All V6 Tributes come with an automatic transmission. Engine and four-speed automatic communicate well. The transmission shifts smoothly up and down appropriately for the situation and the engine's broad power band never lugs or strains. Mazda tuned the suspension for slightly more aggressive shifting and mapped it for quicker acceleration than the Ford Escape. Properly equipped, the Tribute can tow trailers of up to 3500 pounds, which includes lightweight ski boats, ATVs or snowmobiles.

Head off the highway and the Tribute will take you places you may be reluctant to go in a sedan. While front-wheel-drive (2WD) Tributes may have trouble passing through silt and mud without getting stuck, the four-wheel-drive versions should get through most of the places most of us want to go. More important, the four-wheel-drive system improves driver control on wet pavement, ice and snow. Specifically developed for the Tribute, the four-wheel-drive system works full time, automatically transferring power between the front and rear wheels as needed through a gadget called a rotary blade coupling. This coupling (similar to a torque converter in an automatic transmission) will, for example, send more power to the rear wheels if the front wheels start to spin when you're sitting at a traffic light on a rainy day and stomp on the gas. A switch on some models allows the driver to lock the torque split 50/50, which is useful when driving off road or on snow-covered roads.

Though it performs well on primitive unpaved roads, the Tribute is not intended as a serious off-road vehicle. There is no traction control system nor is there a low-range set of gears. Neither its four-wheel-drive system nor its suspension is up to tackling the Rubicon Trail; a Jeep Wrangler will leave the Tribute way behind over truly rough terrain. But the Tribute is much better suited as a primary, everyday vehicle than the Wrangler.

Smooth and responsive, the brakes do a good job of slowing the Tribute down in a hurry and Mazda claims they are the best in the class. The optional anti-lock brakes (ABS) come into play just when expected and are detectable by the familiar pulsating sensation. We highly recommend opting for ABS; just remember to keep your foot hard on the brake pedal in an emergency stopping situation and don't forget to steer around any hazards. If that doesn't prevent an accident, the Tribute should offer good crash protection; Mazda is expecting it to earn top marks in government testing. Side airbags are optional.