Mazda BT-50

Models like the Mazda BT-50 pick-up present buyers with a compromise between a tough working vehicle and a big family 4x4. They may be a little unsophisticated but they have a definite road presence, come well-equipped and are family hatchback affordable - particularly when you factor in their commercial vehicle taxation status.

So has the BT-50 got what it takes to grab a slice of the hard fought pick-up sector? Mazda certainly seem to be confident in their charge, claiming “more style, more power, more torque, more car-like comfort and even more practicality” than the old B-Series that this model replaced. Unfortunately, the B-Series was pretty woeful in its own way and the pick-up sector moved on considerably during its dotage making noteworthy improvement in these areas a minimum requirement for a competitive BT-50. This is especially true when you realise that the BT-50 is a heavily revised version of the B-Series rather than an all-new model in its own right.

The range is split between the workmanlike singlecab derivatives and the plusher, more family-orientated double cabs with their 5-seater capacity. Single cab buyers get a 2,280mm load length and the option of two or four-wheel drive transmissions. The double cab’s four-door body eats into its load length, reducing it to 1,530mm. All double cab models are four-wheel drive but there is the option of TS or TS2 trim and the maximum payload achieved by the BT-50 4x4 derivatives is a sizable 1,212kg.

The BT-50 has arisen from the same design blueprints as its Ford Ranger sister vehicle and there’s little to separate the two products, the obvious branding differences aside. Don’t let this put you off as both models are handsome customers, with the requisite menacing front end very much in evidence. In the best pick-up traditions, the successive BT-50 models pile on the styling addenda as you ascend the range. By the time you’ve invested in a TS2 doublecab (front fog lights, 16” alloys, chrome grille, chrome mirror housings and a side step bar), you’ll have a fairly mean looking vehicle on your hands.

Vibrations and road roar are noticeably well-suppressed in the cabin, with the suspension proving resistant to the bouncy ride you got with the B-Series. If you’re used to a modern family 4x4, you’ll probably find the cornering body roll excessive and may be disconcerted by the BT-50’s willingness to break traction in 2WD mode - especially in the wet with no load on the back. All four-wheel-drive models get a rear limited slip differential and can operate in 2WD, 4WD or low range 4WD modes. Safety provision runs to front airbags with all seatbelts getting pretensioners but only the double cabs get ABS braking which seems a serious omission.

The MZR-CD 2.5-litre common-rail diesel engine that powers the BT-50 is as good as anything you’ll find in the pick-up sector and can take at least part of the credit for the vehicle’s impressive refinement. It’s a very capable and smooth pulling unit with 141bhp making itself available at 3,500rpm and a muscular 330Nm at 1,800rpm. Even serious loads on the back don’t seem to phase it too much with acceleration remaining strong and motorway work doesn’t present a problem or create too much of a racket.