- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.2DT, 5 cyl.
- Engine Power
147kW, 470Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 9.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
2 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Mazda BT-50 used car review
- Great off-road.
- Dual-cab layout works for some families.
- Strong engine performance.
- Rear-seat accommodation and comfort.
- Poor ride on rough roads.
- Short load area.
Ford and Mazda go way, way back.
In fact you can thank the rotary engine for the close relationship between the two car-makers, because it was the financial crush, allegedly caused by the initially unreliable rotary engine, that forced Mazda to take up Ford’s offer of a share buy-up, thus giving the blue oval a foot in the Mazda door.
Mind you, Ford had already been rebadging Mazda utilities to sell in the US before 1979, so even before there was a share transfer, there was knowledge of the product.
Meantime, back in 2011, Ford Australia had just developed the Ranger utility range and with plans for the vehicle to be built in Thailand, it seemed natural that a Mazda version would be a good idea, too. It was.
The end result was that Mazda got its own version of the Ranger to sell globally, but rather than just engineer a new badge as a means of differentiating the pair, Mazda went a bit further, opting for different bodywork, specific suspension settings and even details like a faster steering rack. The result was a car that was similar to the Ranger but different enough for buyers to be able to make a meaningful choice.
The BT-50 wasn’t exactly what you’d call a pretty vehicle, and the tapered head and tail-light treatment looked a bit odd to say the least. A bull-bar fixed the looks from the front and, in fact, a lot of BT-50s out there are heavily accessorised, so make sure you know the value of those accessories and what difference they should make to the asking price.
Available in cab-chassis, single-cab, extra-cab and two-wheel-drive variants, the BT-50 everybody wanted was the all-wheel-drive dual-cab ute. And just like the Ranger with the same layout, that became the big seller in the private-owner segment. It also means those are the plum BT-50s to buy second-hand, simply because private owners are a lot easier on their equipment than the average hard-working, fleet-owned utility.
When you start shopping second-hand BT-50s, the most common driveline variant to be offered is the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel.
In that form, the BT-50 was fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission and offered part-time four-wheel-drive in those sexy dual-cab ute variants. And it got better from there, because with a transfer-case providing low-ratio gears, the BT-50 was actually a very capable off-roader. So that’s probably the first question to ask of any second-hand BT-50: Has it been used for serious off-road work?
It’s not the end of the world if it has, but we’d be keen to check the condition of the floorpans and suspension to make sure nothing has had a big knock. Then again, when there are plenty of used BT-50s around that have never been off the bitumen, wouldn’t it make sense to buy one of those rather than a former bush-basher?
It’s also important to know the service history of any BT-50, not because they’re fragile, but because the engine has a very specific set of requirements for the otherwise simple act of changing the engine oil and filter.
Here’s why: The Mazda’s diesel engine has a variable displacement oil pump which is designed to improve fuel efficiency. That’s all well and good, but the problems start when somebody who doesn’t know their way around this particular engine gets hold of it for an oil change.
If the engine is left for too long (more than about 10 minutes, according to the trade) with no oil in the sump, the oil pump will bleed dry. And if that happens, the pump will not be able to re-prime itself and the engine will starve of oil when it’s started after the oil change. If that happens, the likely outcome is serious internal damage to the engine.
It’s made worse by the fact that some mechanics, on seeing the oil-pressure light flashing, elect to give the engine a bit of a rev to get the oil circulating. Which, of course, it doesn’t because the pump’s not pumping, and even more internal carnage is the result.
So it’s important to know the correct workshop procedure for changing the BT-50’s oil (which essentially involves changing the filter, draining the old oil and adding the new oil pronto). But more than that, you want to know who’s been servicing it up to that point, to make sure they knew what they were doing all along and didn’t use the vehicle you’re about to buy as their learning curve.
BT-50s have also had the odd problem with coolant leaks and, like many modern diesels, fuel-injectors can give trouble from as early as 70,000km or so. If the injectors start to leak, you can wind up with a misfire, hard starting, a poor idle and, in extreme cases, major damage to the engine’s pistons.
Mechanics we talked to reckon the injectors can be reconditioned, but they’re only good for about half the lifespan of a brand-new injector. Either way, it seems to be a 'normal' running cost these days and needs to be factored into the purchasing decision.
Our rating: 3.5/5
Nuts and bolts
Engine/s: 3.2-litre 5-cylinder turbo-diesel
Transmissions: six-speed auto
Fuel economy (combined): 8.9L/100km
Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 5 stars
Competitors:
Toyota HiLux – Brilliant reputation for reliability and durability. Equally good off-road and no worse on road in comfort terms. Beware hard-core bush-bashing previous owners. 3.5/5
Ford Ranger – The BT-50’s close cousin. Designed in Australia and built in Thailand, the Ranger has represented a proper alternative to the HiLux since it was launched. 3.5 /5
Nissan Navara – Latest-but-one model had coil-sprung rear end that wasn’t up to the job. Previous model was more conventional but had some issues in the longer term. 3/5
What to pay (courtesy of Glass’s Guide):
Model Year New Now
Dual-cab 4X4 2011 $50,890 $23,900
Dual-cab 4X4 2012 $50,890 $25,900
Dual-cab 4X4 2014 $50,890 $27,300
Dual-cab 4X4 2015 $50,890 $31,100
Dual-cab 4X4 2016 $51,700 $36,300
Dual-cab 4X4 2017 $52,490 $40,900
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