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TributeFeb 2001

Tribute

MAZDA and Ford co-developed the Tribute, a compact 4WD aimed straight at the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.Australian-bound versions came from Japan where they were built alongside the Mazda’s Ford Escape fraternal twin. However they differed visually from one another.The Tribute was a transverse engine front-wheel drive four-door compact wagon with unitary body construction, five seats and some interior versatility.Mazda also brought in a four-cylinder manual-only model as the Tribute’s opening gambit. Dubbed Limited, it featured a 97kW/183Nm version of the 626’s evergreen 2.0-litre twin-cam 16-valve unit. But it had its work cut out hauling this heavy wagon around.All other Tributes were 150kW/266Nm 3.0-litre DOHC 24-valve V6s married to a four-speed automatic gearbox.The model range read: Limited, Classic and Luxury, with Traveller arriving in 2002.Every Tribute featured dual front airbags, air-conditioning, power windows, power steering, remote central locking and roof racks.

BA/ZA EscapeFeb 2001

BA/ZA Escape

THIS was Ford’s response to the growing compact 4WD/SUV market personified by the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.Ford-controlled Mazda developed it, although the Escape was primarily designed for the SUV-crazy North American market.The Mazda Tribute is the Escape’s fraternal twin, and is built alongside it by Mazda in Japan. However the Ford differed visually from its cousin, and was a V6-only vehicle at a time when the Tribute was also offered in a 2.0-litre four-cylinder manual model.It was essentially a transverse engine front-wheel drive four-door compact wagon with unitary body construction, five seats and some interior versatility.Three models were offered initially – base XLS, mid-range XLT and luxury Limited – and all were powered by a 3.0-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 mated solely to a column-shift four-speed electronically controlled automatic gearbox.Every Escape featured dual front airbags, air-conditioning, power windows, power steering, remote central locking and roof racks.From early ’03 the BA Escape was changed to ZA Escape – presumably to avoid confusion with the then-new BA Falcon – while the base XLS gained anti-lock brakes, power mirrors, improved seats, 16-inch wheels and new colours, as well as a host of minor trim alterations.The XLS now boasts power mirrors, full cloth trim, driver's seat lumbar support, driver's seat height adjustment, 16-inch wheels and H-rated 235/70 R16 tyres.The ZA upgrade sees the addition of ABS anti-lock braking as standard on the XLS and the introduction of two new colours – Mediterranean Blue and Island White.

FTE Mustang CobraFeb 2001

FTE Mustang Cobra

FORD’S reintroduction of the Mustang brand 35 years after the original was last sold in Australia misfired badly.In 1964 and 1965 Ford Australia the American ‘pony’ car as an image-lifting exercise for the company that was attempting to sell the XM (and then XP) Falcon against the all-mighty EH Holden. The 161 resulting Mustangs were also employed to publicise the second-generation XR Falcon from 1966, which was promoted as the “Mustang-bred Falcon.”A generation later the floundering AU Falcon needed the same type of help (as did its FTE performance brand) against the VT Commodore/HSV onslaught, so Ford imported and reengineered several hundred Mustangs for right-hand drive.But while the ’64 original was breathtaking in its iconic design, the 2001-2003 edition was a pale imitation, branded with an unsophisticated drivetrain, dreadfully poor packaging and limp styling resulting from its 1978-era Fox platform limitations.Two two-door shapes were offered – a coupe and a convertible, both with four-seater capability.Driving the rear wheels was a 240kW/430Nm 4.6-litre DOHC 32-valve Romeo V8 – far and away the best thing about the Mustang – mated to a long and heavy five-speed manual gearbox.Anti-lock brakes, traction control, alloy wheels, dual airbags, leather seats (power adjusted at the front), air-conditioning, CD stacker, cruise control and remote central locking are standard.The convertible roof raises or lowers electrically and incorporates a glass rear window. Coupes are fitted with a standard spoiler.Sales were painfully slow, with around half of the intended 250 annual sales rate recorded in ’01 and ’02.Ridiculously high pricing ($85,000-plus) and a lack of automatic for the ageing Baby Boomers targeted didn’t help either – particularly as Holden’s reborn Monaro from late ’01 did virtually everything better for almost half the ask.But at least the Mustang Cobra did sound great, and carried that evocative badge.

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