2018 Mazda BT-50 facelift revealed

The Mazda BT-50 has gained a locally designed grille and front bumper as part of running changes to keep it looking fresh in the eyes of buyers.

It’s the most significant change to the Mazda-badged workhorse since this generation of the trade ute was introduced to the Australian market in 2011, and the first model tweak since minor changes were made to the headlights and grille late in 2015.

Mazda said the outer edges of the sharper bumper “have been squared off to give the ute a lower visual centre of gravity and a more solid bearing on the road”.

“Strong, straight lines are carried through to new fog light surrounds and a large trapezoid lower air intake with skid plate, accented with mesh texture and a three-dimensional insert for greater contrast,” it said. “Further impressing a wide stance, the grille has also adopted horizontal lines, punctuated by a prominent Mazda badge. XTR and GT grades will have premium chrome grille fins, paired with a dark grey lower bumper insert, while XT will have satin black grille fins and black bumper insert.”

Mazda’s flagship BT-50 GT adds a tub-mounted chrome sports bar with integrated high-mount LED stop light, a heavy-duty tub liner that extends to the tailgate, tailgate central locking to safely secure gear in the tray – a feature believed to be in store for the upcoming Ranger facelift – and a 12 volt power socket and light for the tub.

The entry-level XT grade adds a reversing camera as standard and a 7.0-inch multimedia screen as part of the smartphone connectivity roll-out.

The refreshed Mazda BT-50 goes on sale in May.

2018 Mazda BT-50 pricing