Japanese auto-maker Mazda’s versatile BT-50 is now among the top five utes preferred by Aussie traders, joining Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton at the top of the tree.
Australia chief Vinesh Bhindi says the BT-50 forms an integral part of Mazda’s model range in Australia, “setting the tone as a trusty work companion or an enabler for life’s passions.” He adds: “For 2025, this impactful new design has matured our much-loved ute to be an even more compelling choice regardless of the task.”
The BT-50 is a compact/mid-size pickup truck produced by Mazda since 2006. It is a larger version of the predecessor B-Series pickup truck.
Perhaps the most significant upgrade to the Mazda BT-50 is a new button-operated rough terrain mode fitted to all 4×4 variants. This feature activates as the engine comes off idle and modulates throttle and brake inputs to maximise off-road traction. It works with the BT-50’s locking rear differential and hill-descent control system to increase its finesse in the bush.
The Mazda BT-50 is available in Australia at a starting price of $29,060 for the XT (4×2) manual variant. The top-end model, the Mazda BT-50 GT (4×4), is priced at $59,990 in automatic and is available in dual cab, extra cab, utility and single body types. Equipment fit-out may be standard fare, but the cabin furniture is comfortably designed.
The cloth-trimmed four-door cabin gets dual-zone climate control, a single 12-volt power outlet, all-power side windows, a centre storage bin/armrest between the front and rear seats, and a manual park brake. The 18-in. alloy wheels also come with a full-size, all-alloy spare.
All BT-50s are covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is scheduled every year or 15,000 km—whichever comes first—and the roadside assistance program covers the full five-year warranty period.
Over five years or 75,000 km, BT-50 XTR servicing costs total an ‘estimated’ $2443. The five-year warranty is really the only point where its D-MAX Isuzu counterpart has an apparent advantage, covered by a six-year warranty with a 150,000 km limit.
Safety is paramount. Eight-airbag contribute to BT-50’s five-star ANCAP rating and is equipped with comprehensive safety technology such as high and low-speed autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian avoidance, lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, post-collision braking, rear parking sensors, driver fatigue monitoring, road sign recognition, tyre-pressure monitoring and a single rear camera.
GPS is standard and employs a super-reflective nine-inch touch screen in the dash centre. In addition, the BT-50 XTR comes with a conventional 4.2-in. two-dial instrument display ahead of the driver, wireless Apple CarPlay with (wired) Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging (which is not always common at this level), eight-speaker audio and keyless entry/push-button start.
The LED headlights are self-dipping and two USB points are provided, one in the front and one in the rear of the cabin. The BT-50’s 3-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel produces just 140 kW at 3600 rpm but has a reasonably competitive torque figure of 450 Nm between 1600 and 2600 rpm.
Terrain Mode, fitted to all 4×4 variants, activates as the engine comes off idle and modulates throttle and brake inputs to maximise off-road traction. This works in with the BT-50’s locking rear differential and hill-descent control system to increase its finesse in the bush.
Fuel economy is a claimed 7.7 litre/100 km with up to 3.5 tonnes combined braked towing. BT-50 sales in Australia year-to-date are close to 14,000, making it Mazda’s number two vehicle behind the CX-5 medium SUV and ahead of the Mazda 3 small car, which was Australia’s number one vehicle overall just a few years ago.
Overall, Mazda remains number two overall in the market with 88,746 sales year-to-date, behind only Toyota. Interestingly, the Mazda BT-50 is neither sold nor built in Japan.
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Mazda Motor’s iconic rotary engine has found new life for the first time in 11 years as a generator for a new plug-in hybrid vehicle. This development comes as the Japanese automaker grapples to find its niche in the electric age.
“The rotary engine is not just an engine. It symbolises our spirit of challenge,” Mazda executive officer Eiji Nakai said.
Mazda became the first automaker to mass-produce rotary engines in 1967. These lightweight but powerful engines helped the company, which was then producing 300,000 vehicles a year, win fans across the world.
Production of rotary-powered cars in 2012 was suspended amid tougher European emissions restrictions. However, the engines, now with 25% better fuel efficiency, returned to Mazda’s production line in Hiroshima last month in the plug-in version of the MX-30 compact sport utility vehicle.
The new model’s battery driving range is 85 km, which can be extended to over 600 km by using the rotary engine to generate additional power. Fans responded enthusiastically when the concept was first unveiled in Europe in January, hoping that Mazda would explore more applications for the engines.
European orders opened in January, with prices starting at around US $40,000) in the UK, roughly on par with the electric MX-30 released in 2020. The plug-in version will eventually be made available in Japan as well. The rotary engine played a key role in building Mazda’s global brand by making the automaker the first Japanese winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Mazda has cumulatively sold more than 1.99 million rotary-engine vehicles.
