The Mazda Tribute is a small crossover SUV based on the front-wheel drive Mazda 626 platform. It is the basis for the similar Ford Escape SUV. The Tribute and Escape debuted in 2001, offering front and all wheel drive and a choice of a 2.0 L Mazda 4-cylinder or Ford Duratec 3.0 L V6. It was also sold as the Ford Maverick in Europe with a Ford 2.0 L Zetec engine with manual transmission, or 3.0 L Duratec coupled to automatic transmission. As of March 31, 2005, 109,610 Tribute and Escape models had been sold worldwide since introduction.

One main difference between the Tribute and the Ford Escape/Maverick is that the Tribute's suspension is tuned for a firmer ride than the Escape/Maverick, in order to correspond with Mazda's sporty image. The American market Tribute and Escape are built at Ford's Kansas City assembly plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

Both the Escape and Tribute were refreshed for 2005. The base engine is now the Mazda 2.3 L MZR 4, and the top remains the 3.0 L Duratec V6. There will be a hybrid version of the Tribute introduced for the 2007 model year, similar to the already-released Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids.