Australia’s Beloved Ute: The Legacy of the Mazda BT-50
The Mazda BT-50 made its debut in 2006 during the Bangkok Motor Show in Thailand sporting a Duratorq / MZR-CD 2.5L and the more powerful 3.0L inline-four engines (diesel powered). Within months Mazda released the 5-speed auto-transmission variant sporting a Borg Warner transfer case which was received well by the markets that Mazda plied in. A minor modification was added in 2008 with a more stylish interior and additional optional engines which included a 2.6L straight four 4X4, a 2.5L engine 4X2 and as well as a 2.5L version (diesel powered). These models were made available in Mexico and Latin America mainly.
Mazda completely revamped the BT-50 and released at the beginning of the last quarter of 2010 during the Australian International Motor Show. The entire revamp was almost entirely based on the T6 Ford Ranger platform. Although the BT-50 version was in fact designed by the Mazda team in Australia’s ‘Ford’ design center and both the Mazda team and Ford team worked independently there were some elements in common between the two models (roof, windscreen and rear screen).
The 3rd generation of the BT-50 made its debut in Australia in 2020 and it was something totally new to say the least comparatively to its predecessors. The platform that was used to develop the 3rd Gen BT-50 was based on the 3rd generation of the Isuzu D-Max that already secured a solid market position. This decision was arrived at after a ‘win-win’ merger between Mazda and Isuzu Motors which transpired around mid-2016.
The deal revolved around Isuzu supplying pickups to Mazda and given the fact that and Australian spokesperson indicated to Australian media entities such as Cars Guide that Mazda was not involved in the design and development of the D-Max attests to the fact. The other fact is that the 3rd Gen TF BT-50 is in fact manufactured at Thai based Isuzu plant, confirms this fact that the 3rd Gen BT-50 is indeed the Isuzu D-Max sporting elements of Mazda. The repair manual for the Mazda BT50 can be downloaded here.
For instance, Mazda’s BT-50 version features Mazda’s Kodo design language and the only Isuzu D-Max elements is the body shell, wheel base and wing mirrors. Mazda managed to reconfigure the body panels quite uniquely to give it the ‘Mazda Feel’, but upon driving the machine, the Isuzu 3.0-litre Inline-4 Turbo Diesel 4JJ3-TCX engine could still be felt and was much more robust and powerful than the previous 3.2-L Duratorq MZ-CD inline-five Ford engine.
The 3rd Gen was also made available with an adaptive cruise control system assisted by twin cameras that were located in the windscreen as opposed to the previous radar sensor on the vehicles grille. This was seen as a practical change as it allowed drivers to install off-road accessories at the front without hassle. Other newly introduced features included blind zone warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, additional airbags at the centre and lane-keeping assistance.
The collaboration strategy taken by Mazda (Mazda – Ford, Mazda – Isuzu) has thus far been fruitful for the most part, nevertheless, this still leaves Mazda enthusiasts to wonder if ever a truly unique Mazda vehicle will ever hit the road.