[1] The Tribute made its debut at the 2000 Los Angeles Auto Show as a compact crossover SUV, a segment pioneered by the Toyota RAV4 in 1994.

LX models were also available with a "G package": this included aluminum wheels, side airbags, and tinted glass amongst other extras.

In October 2001 the "Field Break" special edition was introduced; this leisure oriented model had seats with water-repellant fabric, a front pushbar, and other amenities aimed people with "active" lifestyles.

Engine options: A significantly facelifted version of the Tribute was released in the second half of 2006 for Asia Pacific markets.

The updated Tribute featured a larger, bolder grille, with an enlarged Mazda emblem, as well as restyled front bumper and headlights.

This arrangement continued until early 2010, when the Tribute for the Asia-Pacific markets ceased production, being fully replaced by the CX-7 imported from Japan.

In 2007 for the 2008 model year, the Tribute was significantly revamped, like its Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner siblings.

The changes were significant, but fell short of a "clean sheet" redesign, as the vehicles remained on the CD2 platform, and kept the existing 2.3 L L5-VE inline-four and 3.0 L AJ V6 engines.

As well, new front and 18.5 mm (0.73 in) rear stabilizer bars were added for 2009 to improve ride handling after complaints about diminished performance following the 2008 changes.

Others changes included redesigned seats, daytime running lamps, optional steering-mounted audio controls, and other additional features.

Within Australia, the Tribute was initially a popular choice of SUV, where it only trailed the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail, and the Subaru Forester.

Whilst other territories around the world saw the Ford variant stand dominant, it was Mazda's Tribute that was victorious in Australia by a factor of nearly 2 to 1.