The present-generation Mazda BT-50 has been on sale domestically for 3 years now; that’s lengthy sufficient to see the dual-cab ute phase transfer on.
Primarily based on the Isuzu D-Max, the BT-50 is pitched as a barely extra plush lifestyle-oriented ute. Regardless of this it doesn’t compromise on any key ute attributes comparable to towing and payload.
On check right here is the BT-50 SP, which is second from the prime quality. Our car got here with the lately launched SP Professional bundle.
This $7668 optionally available bundle provides particular 18-inch alloy wheels, Nitrocharger suspension with a 40mm carry, Lightforce LED gentle bar, and SP Professional decals.
Is that this the last word BT-50? Learn alongside to search out out.
How does the Mazda BT-50 fare vs its opponents?
View an in depth breakdown of the Mazda BT-50 in opposition to equally sized autos.
Mazda
BT-50
How a lot does the Mazda BT-50 price?
4×2
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XS single-cab chassis 1.9 auto: $35,370
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT single-cab chassis 3.0 auto: $38,370
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XS dual-cab pickup 1.9 auto: $44,310
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT Freestyle cab-chassis 3.0 auto: $41,870
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab chassis 3.0 auto: $45,910
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $47,310
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XTR dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $51,390
4×4
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT single-cab chassis 3.0 handbook: $43,370
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT single-cab chassis 3.0 auto: $45,870
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT Freestyle cab-chassis 3.0 handbook: $46,870
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT Freestyle cab-chassis 3.0 auto: $49,370
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab chassis 3.0 handbook: $51,180
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab pickup 3.0 handbook: $52,580
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XS dual-cab pickup 1.9 auto: $52,930
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab chassis 3.0 auto: $53,680)
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XT dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $55,080
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XTR dual-cab pickup 3.0 handbook: $56,630
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XTR dual-cab chassis 3.0 auto: $57,730
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 XTR dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $59,130
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 GT dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $62,510
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 LE dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $64,295
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 SP dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $68,510
- 2023 Mazda BT-50 Thunder dual-cab pickup 3.0 auto: $73,945
All costs are earlier than on-road prices
The SP Professional enhancement pack prices an extra $7668 and provides the next:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Nitrocharger suspension improve package (40mm carry)
- Lightforce LED gentle bar
- SP Professional decals
To see how the BT-50 compares to its rivals, line it up side-by-side with any automobile you need utilizing our comparison tool.
What’s the Mazda BT-50 like on the within?
Hopping into the Mazda BT-50 SP with the optionally available SP Professional bundle is a bit more tough than the common mannequin, principally as a result of 40mm carry its Nitrocharger suspension improve package brings.
There are fortunately aspect steps and seize handles to make getting out and in a bit simpler. Regardless, I discovered I wanted two scoots to be able to get snug within the driver’s seat.
Talking of the driving force’s seat, the BT-50 SP comes with actually cool-looking seats which might be completed in black and brown artificial leather-based. They appear much more flash than the everyday all-black seats in numerous its rivals.
The driving force’s seat has eight methods of electrical adjustability, in addition to adjustable lumbar help. My favorite a part of the driving force’s seat was its respectable degree of thigh help.
Forward of the driving force is a steering wheel that’s wrapped in buttery tender leather-based. It’s quite a lot of smoother than fairly quite a lot of its ute opponents. All of the buttons on the steering wheel have a tactile click on, including to the sensation of high quality.
Behind the steering wheel are a set of conventional analogue dials and a small 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster which tells you all you could know.
You will get misplaced fairly simply within the journey meter’s settings, because it appears like there’s an possibility for every thing. It’s good to have configurability however absolutely there’s solely a lot you are able to do with a 4.2-inch display screen.
The 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system is commonplace on virtually all BT-50 variants, and likewise options on the associated Isuzu D-Max and MU-X.
The display screen itself is sweet to have a look at with its matte end, however picks up fingerprints and reflections like nothing else. The native person interface can also be actually darkish for probably the most half, which amplifies these imperfections.
It doesn’t seem to have very a lot processing energy, which suggests it takes some time to activate upon startup and likewise when loading new pages.
One of the irritating waits is for smartphone mirroring to begin up. The BT-50 SP comes with wi-fi and wired Apple CarPlay. Android Auto then again is simply accessible in wired kind.
I skilled quite a lot of wi-fi Apple CarPlay dropouts. When this occurs it appears like an eternity passes earlier than it reconnects, relative to different methods. I spent nearly all of this time prodding the touchscreen to no avail.
There’s no wi-fi telephone charger, which suggests you could watch out (when related to wi-fi Apple CarPlay) that you just don’t run out of battery. There’s a beneficiant house to retailer you telephone forward of the gear selector although.
Just like the seats, the dashboard has a brown and black two-tone end. It’s largely lined in a tender, padded leather-looking materials. It’s fairly plush; though, you don’t need to look far to search out harder-wearing plastics.
On the centre console there’s a good bit of piano black, which will get scratched actually simply, and may get smudgy gross after only a week.
The cupholders within the centre console are two completely different shapes – and so deep a espresso cup will get swallowed utterly. There are not any ‘enamel’ in them to carry bottles securely.
Transferring to the second row, it’s not good for adults on lengthy journeys however youngsters might be effective. At a leggy 182cm, my knees rested firmly in opposition to the seat in entrance, and I had simply sufficient headroom. All the principle contact factors within the second row are nonetheless tender and spongey; although, it’s simpler to search out more durable plastics.
Second-row facilities embrace a useful hook on the backrest of the entrance passenger’s seat, air vents, and a USB port. There are a variety of seize handles to help in getting out and in.
The bathtub on the BT-50 SP measures in at 1571mm lengthy, 1530mm extensive, and 490mm tall. Between the arches is 1120mm. There’s a spray-in tubliner, a handbook tonneau cowl and gloss black sail aircraft sports activities bar as commonplace.
The tailgate itself is extraordinarily heavy because it’s not assisted by any type of strut or torsion bar as commonplace. It’s additionally not a part of central locking, which suggests if you lock the ute you could manually lock the tailgate.
In case you didn’t know the tailgate wasn’t included within the central locking and also you left one thing of worth within the tub, it may get stolen very simply. Because it seems, that is fairly frequent within the dual-cab phase.
What’s below the bonnet?
Mazda BT-50 SP | |
---|---|
Engine | 3.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel |
Energy | 140kW |
Torque | 450Nm |
Transmission | 6-speed automated |
Pushed Wheels | Half-time four-wheel drive |
Weight | 2208kg (kerb) |
Gas economic system (claimed) | 8.0 litres per 100km |
Gas economic system (as examined) | 9.2 litres per 100km |
Gas tank | 76 litres |
Braked towing capability | 3500kg |
Unbraked towing capability | 750kg |
Payload | 892kg |
Gross car mass (GVM) | 3100kg |
Gross mixture mass (GCM) | 6000kg |
To see how the BT-50 compares to its rivals, line it up side-by-side with any automobile you need utilizing our comparison tool.
How does the Mazda BT-50 drive?
Beginning up the BT-50 SP you’re greeted with a diesel engine clatter that’s immediately recognisable and teleports me again to being on the farm.
The idle may be loud and gruff earlier than the engine warms as much as its correct working temperature, which is frequent amongst work-oriented dual-cab utes.
When the ute is totally unladen the engine feels fairly robust. From 0-30km/h it’s fairly fast and also you’ll be sustain with nearly all of metropolis visitors from the lights.
This sense of velocity doesn’t final lengthy although, as from 30km/h and above the engine has to work loads more durable to choose up momentum. In case you actually push it the engine will get fairly loud and revs arduous, which may be grating however is frequent with a quantity four-cylinder turbo-diesel utes.
I discovered the Aisin-sourced six-speed automated within the BT-50 to be fairly slick below gentle hundreds. There’s no have to push the engine as peak torque comes on faucet from 1600rpm.
The steering within the BT-50 is gentle in low-speed situations and makes you are feeling such as you’re driving one thing loads smaller than it’s. Regardless of this you continue to need to twirl the steering wheel a good bit to get the ute to vary instructions.
There’s additionally no getting round how massive the BT-50 is, which might make it a little bit of a ache to park. There are entrance and rear parking sensors, in addition to a reversing digital camera which has satisfactory image high quality.
Round city the BT-50 SP’s ute roots shine via. It will get a little bit of a rock occurring when shifting from reverse to drive, or when going over sharp bumps.
Talking of harsh bumps, the Nitrocharger suspension improve that varieties a part of the optionally available SP Professional bundle outfitted to our tester, did in actual fact iron out a good bit of the harshness I’ve skilled in different BT-50s.
Regardless of this it’s nonetheless somewhat tough when going over velocity bumps, particularly on the rear. That’s one draw back of leaf suspension, which is geared extra in direction of load carrying than on-road consolation.
The Nitrocharger suspension package brings a 40mm suspension carry, in addition to a 12mm monitor improve.
Dialling up the velocity within the BT-50 SP takes a bit of labor. You’ll discover the revs have a tendency to hold between 2500 and 3000rpm throughout these occasions.
You are feeling quite a lot of the metropolitan highway bumps at larger speeds and it could actually get somewhat unsettled at factors. This is able to doubtless type itself out with a little bit of weight within the tub.
When you get out on the freeway or freeway the BT-50 SP with the SP Professional bundle comes into its component. The transmission clicks into prime gear and the engine finds a pleasant groove at round 1500rpm.
Regardless of having the ability to cruise alongside at 100-110km/h on the freeway it doesn’t actually really feel just like the ute has something extra to offer. This implies you’ll actually need to plan your overtakes so that you don’t get caught out.
On the security entrance, the BT-50’s adaptive cruise management system principally works as meant. It’s very straightforward to activate by way of the steering wheel controls and may be clearly seen on the small digital instrument cluster.
It reacts to different vehicles fairly naturally and appropriately; if one other automobile pulls in forward of you it doesn’t immediately slam on the brakes and as an alternative permits it to drag away progressively.
The lane-centring system generally is a little annoying because it bounces the ute across the lane and will get confused simply when the lane markings fade. It’s finest fitted to clearly marked highways and freeways.
You can too swap all the lane-keeping and lane-centring capabilities off very simply with buttons on the steering wheel.
The very last thing I’ll point out on this part is the LED headlights on this car are nice. That is helped by the Lightforce LED gentle bar that’s cleverly put in behind the grille.
The one factor that lets this ute down within the lighting division are that the entrance fog lights are halogen. This seems to be actually unusual when in comparison with all the opposite LED models.
What do you get?
BT-50 XS + XT highlights:
- 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired Android Auto
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
- DAB+ digital radio
- 4.2-inch instrument cluster display screen
- Fabric upholstery
- Carpeted flooring
- Air-conditioning
- Energy home windows
- Cruise management (handbook fashions) or adaptive cruise management with Cease & Go (automated fashions)
- Reversing digital camera
- LED headlights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Computerized headlights
- Computerized high-beam
- 17-inch wheels (alloy on XT)
BT-50 XTR features:
- 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Rear air vents
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
- Auto-dimming inside mirror
- Rear seat centre armrest
- Energy-folding exterior mirrors
- Keyless entry and begin
- Tyre stress monitoring (NEW)
- LED headlights with auto levelling
- LED entrance fog lights and daytime operating lights
- Facet steps
- 18-inch alloy wheels
BT-50 LE features:
- Single hooped polished alloy bull bar
- Polished sports activities bar with built-in brake gentle
- Heavy-duty tub liner
BT-50 GT features:
- Brown leather-based upholstery
- Eight-way energy driver’s seat
- Heated entrance seats
- Distant engine begin (automated solely)
- Entrance parking sensors
- Heated chrome exterior mirrors
BT-50 SP provides:
- Darkish gray roof rails
- Black grille
- Shiny black exterior mirrors
- Gloss black door handles
- Black 18-inch alloy wheels
- Darkish gray aspect steps
- ‘Driftwood’ leather-based and black artificial suede trim
- Manually-operated black curler tonneau cowl
- Tub liner
- Gloss black sail-plane sport bar
- Entrance bumper decrease ornament trim
- Gloss black wheel flares
The $7668 SP Professional enhancement pack provides:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Nitrocharger suspension improve package (40mm carry)
- Lightforce LED gentle bar
- SP Professional decals
Is the Mazda BT-50 protected?
The Mazda BT-50 wears a five-star ANCAP security score with a 2022 date stamp, primarily based on assessments carried out on the associated Isuzu D-Max. This score applies to all variants bar the BT-50 Thunder.
The utes were reassessed regardless of having already acquired five-star rankings in 2020, because the D-Max and BT-50 acquired a design change to the driving force’s knee airbag and instrument panel.
The BT-50 acquired scores of 86 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 89 per cent for little one occupant safety, 67 per cent for susceptible highway person safety and 84 per cent for security help.
It’s value noting the BT-50’s distinctive entrance finish, in comparison with its Isuzu twin, garnered a barely weaker pedestrian safety rating (from 69 per cent).
All Mazda BT-50 fashions come commonplace with the next security options:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane departure warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Flip help
- Driver consideration monitoring
- Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
- Driver’s knee airbag
- Entrance-centre airbag
- Visitors signal recognition
Computerized fashions additionally characteristic lane-keep help and adaptive cruise management.
How a lot does the Mazda BT-50 price to run?
The Mazda BT-50 is roofed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee with roadside help for a similar interval.
Logbook servicing is required each 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The primary 5 providers with the BT-50 SP are capped at $449, $416, $713, $531 and $334, respectively. This equals $2443 over a interval of 5 years.
If you buy the SP Professional accent pack as a part of the brand new BT-50 SP and have it put in previous to supply it’s lined by the identical five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee because the ute itself. If it’s fitted after supply it’s lined by a two-year guarantee.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Mazda BT-50
The present Mazda BT-50 is getting somewhat lengthy in tooth now, but it surely nonetheless varieties a robust various to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
In virtually top-spec BT-50 SP trim on check right here, the ute seems to be fairly SUV-like inside and outside, has some tender inside touches, and has the power for use as a piece ute or as a way of life car.
Regardless of this the ute remains to be relatively costly for what it affords. That is earlier than you add the near-$8000 SP Professional pack fitted to this car, which brings the entire asking worth to over $76,000 earlier than on-roads.
Positive, the worth tag for the SP Professional pack is the fitted worth and is roofed with the total five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee if included as a part of the ute buy, but it surely solely contains an upgraded suspension package, LED gentle bar, particular 18-inch alloy wheels and decals.
Additionally, should you don’t need a sure a part of the SP Professional pack you’d need to buy every accent individually.
I’d argue should you actually love the look of the Mazda BT-50 SP with the SP Professional pack and are keen to pay greater than the asking worth of a Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6, then go for it!
In case you don’t; nevertheless, and are nonetheless wanting a BT-50 I’d steer you in direction of the extra conservatively styled GT variant should you intend to make use of the ute as a way of life car, or the mid-spec XTR should you don’t need all of the bells and whistles.
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BUY: Mazda BT-50
MORE: Everything Mazda BT-50