You can't wipe the smile off Mazda's BT-50 ute.

People either love or hate the looks of Mazda’s turbodiesel light truck.

But it provides a light-hearted look in a segment which is almost all beefy and masculine.

Instead, the Mazda corporate smiley face eschews the tough look of rivals for something softer and happy.

It’s more car-like in looks, and also in its manners, something that also drifts into the interior.

No rough and tumble in here, just more of the Mazda style which has made the Mazda3 the top selling vehicle in Australia.

If you must, and I recommend that you do, the happy face can be hidden with a well-designed and engineered integrated bull bar. The reason is not to cover up the grin but to offer more protection because the plastic bumper bar is extremely vulnerable on deeply rutted tracks and steep creek crossings.

The BT-50 is the twin to Ford’s Ranger, a vehicle which was designed and engineered in Australia.

It was developed as a global vehicle with the aim of being a new class-leader in the utility segment with development shared between Mazda in Japan and Ford in Australia and carried out across Asia, Australia, South America and Europe.

Mazda led the development of the rolling chassis in addition to producing all prototype vehicles with more than 50 full-time engineers based in Australia for up to four years.

The BT-50 was launched in Australia in November 2006 and there have been about 50,000 sold here.

Australia is the second-largest market in the world for BT-50 and is expected to become the largest market in the world for the current version launched in October.

Sales of the BT-50 were mixed last year. The rear-drive version is up by 12.4 per cent with total sales of 4556 for the year, fifth in the segment of 52,179 behind Toyota HiLux, the Holden Ute, Ford Falcon Ute and Mitsubishi Triton while the 4WD is down 3 per cent with 4665 sales, seventh in a segment of nearly 100,000 units, dominated by HiLux and Nissan Navara.

THE DETAIL

All models in the range include airconditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control, MP3-compatible CD player with USB input, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, trip computer and power windows and mirrors.

Every model features Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control (TCS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Roll Stability Control (RSC).

Freestyle and dual-cab models are equipped with dual front, side and curtain SRS airbags to ensure the highest level of occupant protection.

The XTR dual cab, as tested, is $50,000 on the road. It is the middle of the range with the GT the flagship.

The XTR has 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, dual-zone climate control, leather gear shift knob and steering wheel, satellite navigation and chrome trim.

Other goodies include tilt-adjustable steering wheel, trip computer, engine immobiliser, Hill Descent Control (HDC), Hill Launch Assist (HLA), Load Adaptive Control (LAC), Locking Rear Differential (LRD), remote central locking, chrome rear step bumper, aluminium side steps, ambient temperature gauge and carpets.

While some might not like the outside, inside is a treat. Mazda’s talk of being car-like is true.

Apart from the plastic surfaces being hard, the interior is what you would expect from a mid-level passenger car.

The layout of the gauges, the controls and read-outs are all simple but stylish and, importantly, easy to use.

The XTR has a high level of standard equipment including an integrated satellite-navigation system.

The cabin is a relatively quiet place so you can have a conversation with a back seat passenger without having to raise your voice, which is impressive for a vehicle like this.

There are a lot of hidey-holes around the cabin, including under the seats, the big glove box can fit a laptop and there’s even a clip on the dashboard to hold business cards or fuel dockets.

Headroom and legroom in the dual-cab is excellent and access to the rear seats, with big, wide-opening doors, is a highlight.

The BT-50 can tow up to 3350kg and carry up to 1271kg in the back.

The new five-cylinder turbodiesel has variable turbo nozzle control for fuel economy with the engine generating 147kW/470Nm from 3.2 litres.

Switch on the fly 4WD is handy and it offers low range as well as high. The front double wishbone/coil spring suspension is a big improvement on torsion bars.

The BT-50 gets rack and pinion steering but rear drum brakes.

THE DRIVE

It is an impressive drive.

The five-cylinder diesel is gutsy and gets along well.

I’m not a fan of the six-speed manual gearbox. Its shift is rubbery and I was forever shifting into third instead of first and fourth instead of sixth. The six-speed auto is the pick.

It’s easy to drive around town and park. The turning circle is largish but not cumbersome.

It zipped up the Kuranda Range and the unladen ute certainly did well over some rocky climbs on the trails around the Kuranda State Forest, even without the electronic rear differential lock. The hill descent control made the downhill runs rather easy.

A wading depth of 800mm will be appreciated by the more adventurous and meant there were no concerns when it came to crossing most creeks.

There was one tricky crossing I chickened out on and reversed out of. At one stage I got well and truly stuck on a particularly nasty section of the road which resulted in the BT-50 spinning its driver side wheels on the loose gravel while the passenger side was trapped in a deep rut.

It took a snap strap and a Nissan Navara to give the vehicle a quick tug and I was back on the way again.

While the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel is not the gruntiest in the class it is among the best with a decent amount of torque spread over a wider range than before.

The engine was relatively quiet, though there was a niggling high-pitch clatter in some circumstances between 1100rpm and 1800rpm.

It was annoying more than anything.

Handling may not be a priority for workhorse buyers, but Mazda aimed for the BT-50 to have car-like handling.

It handles better than most other one-tonne utes and the rack-and-pinion steering is excellent.

However, the set-up means the ride quality is a bit fidgety over bumps on country roads. Chassis rigidity is great and the back end doesn’t wobble around as it does with other utes.

The traction control and stability control function worked well on slippery dirt roads.

Fuel consumption was good at 10.6 litres/100km overall. Mazda says it should return 8.9.

THE DECISION

The new BT-50 is an impressive ute.

This is a vehicle that should be on the shortlist for anyone looking for a one-tonne worker or family hauler capable of the odd tough job.

It’s a surprisingly smooth and quiet engine, especially on the highway.

There’s plenty of punch once underway. Ride quality is firm with an empty tray and should be good when loaded. Handling is OK but the thing is long so care has to be taken when turning or parking.

I would opt for the integrated bull bar to give more front end clearance because the standard plastic bumper is vulnerable on rocky roads.

The overall impression is more of an SUV rather than a workhorse.

>> TEST VEHICLE COURTESY OF WESTCO MAZDA, MULGRAVE RD, WESTCOURT, PH: 4044 4111. 

 

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