2025 Mazda BT-50 first drive

Ask most people and they'd consider the Aussie ute market a duopoly, the majority of sales carved up between the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux.

That's not the case though. If you look at the sales figures for 2024, most of the dual-cab utes sold Down Under weren't built by either Toyota or Ford. Mazda is looking to increase its five percent share of this market with the latest BT-50, which has been extensively refreshed for 2025.

For those of you not fully up to speed on BT-50, it's been with us since 2006, and the second generation, on sale between 2011 and 2020, was built on Ford Ranger bones. This boosted the vehicle's domestic sales success, lifting sales from the previous model's average of 3500 a year to 8500 registrations.

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Greater success was to come with the launch of the third-generation BT-50 in 2020, which shared its underpinnings with the Isuzu D-MAX. This averaged around 14,000 sales per year. That model has now been given an update, and it's clear that Mazda now thinks it has a sales winner on its books, targeting 18,000 registrations per year Down Under.

We're by far the biggest global market for BT-50 with the next biggest selling 200 units per year. That being the case, Australia gets the prime seat at the table when it comes to discussing what owners expect from any new BT-50 and what accessories they require.

The range in full is pretty extensive, with fifteen different models across various body styles and drivelines, so we're going to look solely at the 4x4 dual-cab models here, of which there are four. All are powered by the same 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant that's become a tried and trusted fixture.

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It's not the most powerful or the most refined engine you'll come across in this sector, but if you had to nominate one drivetrain that's never going to let you down when you need it most, this is where my money would go.

To simplify things still further, Mazda has, for the time being at least, released the new BT-50 with Australia-wide drive-away pricing. The range kicks off with the XT at $54,990, steps up to the XTR at $62,490 and then the GT at $65,990 before topping out with the flagship SP variant at $67,990. Model for model, those prices are a little under what you'd pay for the ancient Hilux and quite a lot less than you'd pay for the more modern Ford Ranger.

Nevertheless, prices have crept up by around $550 at the very base of the range to $3500 at the top end.

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Mazda claims that BT-50 buyers typically spec their vehicles with, on average, $3800 of genuine accessories at the time of purchase, which are all covered by the same five-year warranty that applies to the vehicle. Mazda has a range of over 100 for this BT-50 including new designs of alloy wheel, spotlights, bull bars, snorkels, roof platforms, awnings, LED lighting bars, toppers, drawer fit outs and so on.

The company assigned one its most respected designers, Eiji Kimoto, to work on the updated look and feel of the BT-50. His stock within the company is high at present, his prior CX-50 work having been extremely well received. Translating Mazda's elegant Kodo design language to a bluff-fronted ute can't have been the easiest task.

“It was very difficult,” admitted Kimoto. “If I just applied the Kodo design language in the same way as we do for other cars, we may just end up having that sleek-looking pickup. So what I did was I made sure that I retained this Mazda look somehow while designing this pickup. In order to do so, I expanded the interpretation of the Kodo design.”

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He's done a pretty good job, to this eye at least. The expanded interpretation of the design language is called 'Protected Solid' within Mazda and the front end gets new LED headlights, protruding front fog lamps, while the front grille and bumper are bluffer and flatter, reinforcing that impression of toughness and strength.

Move to the back and there's a new tailgate design with a reinforcing ridge at the bottom, plus a bigger and bolder Mazda wing badge. The tail lamps are a good deal more sophisticated, with LED light guides to create specific patterns in the cluster. There's also been a conscious effort to reduce the amount of exterior chrome on the BT-50.

If you haven't looked at a BT-50 since the somewhat beaky-looking second-generation version, you might well be surprised at how butch and cohesive it now looks.

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There's even an Aussie-inspired paint finish – the hero Red Earth Metallic hue, inspired by the tones of the Red Centre. This joins another box-fresh colour, Sailing Blue Metallic, in a palette of seven colours including Concrete Grey Mica, Geode White Pearl, True Black Mica, Ingot Silver Metallic and Ice White.

The cabin has come in for some budget too, with the easily-scratched piano black finish around the centre console being replaced by a far tougher and more practical matte black finish. The instrument panel has been redesigned,while the vents, centre cluster and door trims, along with switches and armrest shave all been revised. The effect has been to toughen the exterior but make the cabin feel more civilised and modern.

The biggest update inside is a new infotainment system with an eight-inch screen on the XT grade and 9 inches on XTR, GT and SP trims. There's now a far smarter mix of screen functions and physical buttons, including a rotary volume dial.

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There's also a more powerful processor which can better communicate ADAS functions, vehicle angles, tyre pressure information, transfer case status and electrical settings. In the instrument binnacle, a new multi-configurable driver instrument cluster integrates with the central touchscreen. It's a 4.2-inch screen on XT, but wall-to-wall 7 inches on XTR, GT and SP grades.

A new rear camera, a rear parking aid, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an uprated stereo and DAB radio also feature. Don't worry, country folk, there's still an AM band on the radio unit. Meanwhile, the XTR, GT and SP models also benefit from a native satellite navigation system if you'd rather not mirror your phone. Build quality from this Thai-built ute seems strong. No, it's not the last word in chi-chi interior design, but it feels reassuringly bombproof.

Our drive route encompassed Victorian country roads, a lot of gravel tracks in state forest and some fairly short but technical descents designed to demonstrate the BT-50's hill descent functionality and clearance angles. Most of the driving was conducted in an SP, but we did also sample the GT and XTR models.

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One thing you won't find in this update of the Mazda BT-50 is a manual gearbox. Mazda's local arm reckoned that manual take-up was standing at around two percent in pre-facelift cars, so the entire 4x4 dual-cab range is fitted instead with a six-speed automatic transmission, which features sequential manual shifting and a brake shift lock.

All BT-50s also feature shift-on-the-fly (at up to 100km/h) functionality between rear-wheel drive (2H) and four-wheel drive (4H) modes. In order to select 4x4 low range (4L), the vehicle must be stationary and in Neutral, which changes the transfer case's effective gearing from 1.00:1 in 4H to 2.482:1 in 4L.

While we're considering getting down and dirty off road, it's worth knowing that the unladen ground clearance is 240mm and the maximum wading depth is 800mm without a snorkel. The approach angle is 30.0 degrees on the XT, 30.4 on the XTR and GT and a mere 27 degrees on the SP.

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Departure angle measures 23.9 degrees on the XT, and 17.9 degrees on the other versions. Breakover angle is 23.3 degrees for XT, 23.8 for the XTR and GT and 24.3 degrees on the SP.

Towing? Braked capacity is 3500kg across the board, which means a maximum 350kg towball download. Payload is rated at 1085kg for XT, 1002kg in XTR, 998kg in GT and 924kg in the fatty SP, these figures being the difference between the kerb weight of the BT-50 and its 3100kg Gross Vehicle Mass. Gross Combination Mass, which includes the weight of vehicle, trailer, cargo, fuel and so on is 6000kg.

The BT-50 doesn't hold any great surprises on the road. The engine generates enough torque such that you rarely feel that you need to seriously extend it. Peak torque arrives at 1600rpm and extends to 2600rpm, and the six-speed auto does a decent job of plugging you into that 1000rpm band every time.

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Should you want to change gear yourself, bear in mind that the shift lever is the wrong way round, pushing forward to change up. I still can't believe how many manufacturers get this basic requirement wrong.

Ride quality is acceptable, with only larger surface imperfections jolting the passenger cell. Our road driving was conducted in the SP, and that's fitted with 18-inch alloys shod in 265/60 R18 rubber. Opt for the XT and you get a little more sidewall cushioning from its 17-inch wheel and tyre combo, wearing a set of 255/65 R17 hoops.

Suspension is double wishbones up front with an anti-roll bar, while the rear's equipped with leaf springs. The electrically-assisted power steering initially feels a bit over-zealous, as there's not a great deal of feedback through the wheel, but it's accurate and after a long day at the wheel, you'll probably enjoy its lack of effort.

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The 12.5 metre turning circle isn't so great though. The brakes are 320mm discs up front with 295mm drums at the back.

Handling is safe and assured, with tyre squeal usually clueing you in that you're approaching the front end's limits long before anything untoward starts happening. There is some wind rustle around the door mirrors, which are in car-style landscape orientation rather than the more usual dual-cab trope of portrait orientation.

You get a fairly decent range between refills too. You should easily average 8.0L/100km while touring, and the 76-litre fuel tank means that 1000km between stops ought to be your target.

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It's respectably capable off-road too, with a rough terrain mode to dampen the throttle a bit and make the vehicle easier to control. A rear diff lock helps in really tricky conditions, but it was instructive to see just what the BT-50 could haul itself through in 4H with just some careful line selection and judicious use of the right-hand pedal. It's impressive.

Some more aggressive tyres, lower tyre pressures and a better off-road driver than yours truly could certainly conquer some of Australia's more remote points of the compass.

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There's a lot to like about this updated BT-50. The revised infotainment helps drag the vehicle into the here and now, and the updated styling really lifts the aesthetic. The oily bits were good from the get-go, but whereas before it all felt a little crude, there's now just enough polish about the Mazda to shine. In short, it offers a no-nonsense mechanical package topped off with a newfound sophistication and civility.

Is it as good as a Ford Ranger? Probably not. Is it tougher than a Ranger? Highly likely. For those that value something that can do a job without constantly reminding you that you're on the clock, it's well worth a look. If you can get in quickly while the introductory drive-away pricing deal applies, so much the better.