Reviews - Mazda

Overall Rating

Mazda's upgrade based on the original B series, the BT-50 has been designed to be more than just a pick-up. Increased payload capacity, better performance, improved economy and a refreshed interior are putting Mazda back as a serious contender in this competitive market.

• More modern exterior
• Improved engine spec
• Greater interior spec

• Not as well knows as competitors
• Doesn't hold value well for re-sale

Gone are the square looks of the old B2500, this B Series upgrade is rounder, curvier incorporating the familiar Mazda grille, bumper and headlights. The 4x4 models also add front and rear wheel arch flares. The dashboard has been re-designed to mimic its passenger cars' as in the rounded outer vents, silver-look trim inserts, audio system interface, and tri-dialled instrumentation binnacle. Seats are taller in their backrests and have thicker sides and new internals for greater comfort, while the rear seat in the Dual Cab has a more angled backrest. Dual front airbags are standard and pre-tensioner seatbelts, an immobiliser, a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, remote central locking, a slide-out drawer above the glove box, various other storage facilities, a radio/CD/MP3 player, a 12V DC outlet, and variable intermittent wipers. ABS brakes are available on all 3.0-litre models and are standard on the SDX. There are three body types: a two-door Single Cab with two or three seats; a 'Freestyle' Cab (offering back-hinged, B-pillar-less rear doors) offering four (2+2) seats; and a conventional four-door, five-seater Dual Cab style. The Single Cab model has an above-average 2400mm accessory alloy tray capacity, while the 1410kg load limit is a 30kg improvement. The engines are common-rail twin-cam 16-valve turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, dubbed MZR-CD. Compliant with the Euro IV emissions standard, both engines feature a variable geometry turbocharger and a large intercooler for increased engine efficiency in a choice of 2.5 and 3.0 litre. Mazda claim improvements have been made to the BT-50's cooling system. In the base Single Cab Chassis 4x2, a 2.5-litre 2499cc engine while the 2.5L's braked towing capacity rises from 1800kg to 2250kg. In all other BT-50s, a 3.0-litre 2953cc diesel engine, with no petrol engines available. Both diesels send torque to the rear or four wheels via a five-speed manual floor-shift gearbox, which has been significantly upgraded for use in the BT-50, or a five-speed automatic option on top-end 3.0-litre models. Equipped with remote freewheeling hub-lock mechanisms, the manuals come with a manual 4WD transfer case shift lever, for 2L 2WD to 4H 4WD High, 4L 4WD Low and Neutral drive modes. It is all done electronically.

Improvements to engine making greater efficiency. Updated external looks and interior refinements make the BT-50 worth a look.