Photo: Mazda
The BT-50 is a mixed bag when you think about it. Twinned with the Ford Motor Company’s Ranger T6 since 2010, the second-generation model has been facelifted in 2015 from a visual standpoint. May 2018 will see the second refresh go official, but no improvements are expected for the oily bits of the mid-size workhorse.
Here’s how Mazda describes the re-redesigned BT-50: “Lowering the car's visual center of gravity, the outer edges of the bumper have been squared off, bolder contrasting fog light surrounds have been added, along with a large trapezoidal lower air intake with a skid plate.” You have read that right, the BT-50 is a car.
What Mazda is trying to say, in essence, is that the curving lines of yesterday are no longer in with the In crowd. “The grille has adopted strong horizontal lines to straighten out the front of the car, giving the ute a wider and more solid bearing." Dearest Mazda, what’s car doing in the same statement with ute?
Designed and engineered in cooperation with the EGR Group, the BT-50 is going to add new features and standard equipment across the trim range, but don’t expect anything too out of the norm. After all, the underpinnings are past their prime.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? No. Wireless charging for your smartphone? No. Some sort of clever storage system for the bed? Not going to happen. As for the running gear, the 3.2-liter five-cylinder turbo diesel will soldier on. Branded as MZ-CD in this application, the engine is also used by the Ford Motor Company in light commercial vehicles such as the Transit. The U.S.-spec Transit, for example, offers 185 horsepower and 350 pound-feet from the 3.2-liter Power Stroke.
Now that’s a bit underwhelming for this displacement and five cylinders. Adding insult to injury, the high-output version of the 2.0-liter EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel in the Australia-spec Ranger Raptor churns out 210 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
After this second facelift goes out of production, the third-generation BT-50 will go official on an Isuzu D-Max-based platform.
What Mazda is trying to say, in essence, is that the curving lines of yesterday are no longer in with the In crowd. “The grille has adopted strong horizontal lines to straighten out the front of the car, giving the ute a wider and more solid bearing." Dearest Mazda, what’s car doing in the same statement with ute?
Designed and engineered in cooperation with the EGR Group, the BT-50 is going to add new features and standard equipment across the trim range, but don’t expect anything too out of the norm. After all, the underpinnings are past their prime.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? No. Wireless charging for your smartphone? No. Some sort of clever storage system for the bed? Not going to happen. As for the running gear, the 3.2-liter five-cylinder turbo diesel will soldier on. Branded as MZ-CD in this application, the engine is also used by the Ford Motor Company in light commercial vehicles such as the Transit. The U.S.-spec Transit, for example, offers 185 horsepower and 350 pound-feet from the 3.2-liter Power Stroke.
Now that’s a bit underwhelming for this displacement and five cylinders. Adding insult to injury, the high-output version of the 2.0-liter EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel in the Australia-spec Ranger Raptor churns out 210 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
After this second facelift goes out of production, the third-generation BT-50 will go official on an Isuzu D-Max-based platform.
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