 I tried both the Escape and Tribute.  I liked handling and style of Mazda. Mine is an ES with V6, AWD.  This is a very good small SUV. I have had this vehicle for 1 year. It has 22k on it; 11k are mine. I maintain meticulous records of not just the mpg but rate the tank on how much city and highway driving I did and even on how hard I drove it. I averaged 16 mpg across 11k miles where I drove 85% suburban/15% highway. My worst mpg was 14 mpg all city driving and my best mpg was 22 mpg on all highway driving.  [It is rated 18/24; I have yet to own a car that got its rated values and probably never will.]  If you want a small 6 cylinder SUV, this is the one.