Eyes forward for new-look Mazda BT-50
A fresh nose, more features and price increases mark the arrival of the 2018 Mazda BT-50 rangeMazda Australia has launched an upgraded BT-50 ute and the big news is a new grille and front bumper designed in Australia just for our market.
The Japanese brand says its ‘New Look Mazda BT-50’, which brings a tougher frontal appearance, was designed to “widen and strengthen the ute’s road stance”.
Unofficially, it was to reduce the polarising effect of the existing BT-50’s ‘smiley’ grille.
If you take a few minutes looking at the photos (the changes can be better seen on lighter-colour vehicles), you’ll eventually see that the lower bumper area has changed the most.
It has lost its curved corners for a more angular, squared-off look. The squarer foglight recesses are bigger and more upright, and there’s a new (and rather busy-looking) trapezoidal lower centre section.
The new frontal treatment differs slightly across the range. GT and XTR grades will have chrome grille slats, paired with a dark grey bumper insert, while you’ll pick the new XT straight away by its satin-black grille slats and black-grained bumper insert.
The bumper and grille were designed and developed by Victorian company EGR, which specialises in automotive and commercial design and engineering projects such as this grille and bumper rework.
Features across the BT-50 range have also come in for a freshen-up, although not as much as you might hope.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard across all new BT-50 models, while new features for the GT include polished alloy wheels, chrome sports bar, tub liner, remote tailgate locking and a 12-volt smart auxiliary socket and tub lighting.
XT models now feature a 7.0-inch Alpine Infotainment System including a reversing camera.
Significant new safety features that have been introduced on the mechanically identical Ford Ranger, such as radar cruise control and lane keeping assist, are not part of the latest Mazda BT-50 upgrade.
Prices are up by up to a few thousand dollars depending on the model, while warranty remains at two years/unlimited kilometres.
However, servicing intervals have been lengthened. Previously 12 months/10,000km, the new intervals are 12 months/15,000km, which makes servicing cheaper. For example, Mazda's capped-price service plan now costs $1522 over three years -- a saving of $530.
Mazda says that more accessories are sold for BT-50 than any other Mazda. Even more are now on offer, with a black nudge bar, polished nudge bar, black retractable tonneau cover, 12V single smart socket and trailer brake-away harness now on offer in the accessories catalogue.
The rest of the 2018 Mazda BT-50 is exactly as before; it comes with the choice of either a 2.2-litre four-cylinder or a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel, matched with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
There are three different body styles: Single Cab, Freestyle Cab and Dual Cab, and three different model grades: XT, XTR and GT.
The BT-50 is comes in 23 different variants including 10 4x2 and 13 4x4 versions. There are 13 models across both 4x2 and 4x4 that come with the six-speed manual transmission, the remaining 10 with the six-speed automatic.
Mazda says the majority of new BT-50s (59 per cent) sold will be dual-cabs. The entry-level XT will be the most popular grade (60 per cent), followed by XTR (32 per cent) and then GT (eight per cent).
Mazda believes it’ll sell 1250 examples of the new BT-50 a month, which is about 115 utes more than it has averaged per month for the first three months of this year.
Even if it succeeds, at current market sales rates the BT-50 won’t move further up the sales ladder. It would simply be solidifying its position as the seventh most popular ute in the market.
Mazda has already announced its intention to break from Ford with its next-generation BT-50, instead partnering with Isuzu with its new D-MAX.
That all-new BT-50 is not due to arrive until 2021 -- by which time the current generation would have been on sale in Australia for 10 years.
How much does the 2018 Mazda BT-50 cost?
4X2
XT 2.2 Single Cab/chassis $28,990 (man)
XT 2.2 Single Cab/chassis $32,205 (auto)
XT 3.2 Single Cab/chassis $32,205 (man)
XT 3.2 Freestyle Cab/chassis $34,490 (man)
XT 3.2 Freestyle Cab/chassis $36,490 (auto)
XT 3.2 Dual Cab/chassis $36,198 (man)
XT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $35,990 (man)
XT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $37,990 (auto)
XTR 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $39,990 (man)
XTR 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $41,990 (auto)
4X4
XT 3.2 Single Cab/chassis $37,990 (man
XT 3.2 Single Cab/chassis $39,990 (auto)
XT 3.2 Freestyle Cab/chassis $40,490 (man)
XT 3.2 Freestyle Cab/chassis $43,490 (auto)
XTR 3.2 Freestyle Cab Utility $45,990 (man)
XTR 3.2 Freestyle Cab Utility $47,990 (auto)
XT Dual Cab/chassis $41,198 (man)
XT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $40,990 (man)
XT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $42,990 (auto
XTR 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $46,990 (man)
XTR 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $48,990 (auto)
GT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $49,990 (man)
GT 3.2 Dual Cab Utility $51,990 (auto)
* All prices are drive-away (including on-road costs)
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