Ford and Mazda are 2 different companies and as of a couple of months ago, they have no ties to each other.
Regardless, either Mazda you are looking at is a good choice.
The Mazda 5 is more of a minivan and is the one I would recommend as long as you are happy with the way it looks.
The Mazda 5 is a little underpowered, but it does seat 6, has decent reliability and gets 25-27 mpg on the highway.
The Tribute will offer similar numbers but only seats 5.
