Mazda BT-50 XT Hi-Rider 4x2 Cab-Chassis 2015 Review

Mazda BT-50 XT Hi-Rider 4x2 Cab-Chassis
Road Test

We spent a week in the bottom-of-the-range Mazda BT-50 and rather than whinge about it, we came away impressed. Since the launch of the current generation of the BT-50, Mazda has sold in excess of 50,000 of the popular utes, which says something of its standing in a very busy segment.

In September we were introduced to the latest incarnation of the BT-50 with minor upgrades to the front and rear panel work, interior redesign seat upgrades in the XT versions and availability of reversing cameras.

The utes and cab-chassis vehicles are available in three spec levels of XT, XTR and GT in Single Cab, Freestyle Cab and Dual Cab configurations. Our vehicle of choice here is the 4x2 Single Cab XT Cab-Chassis with the smaller of the two engines on offer, the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel mated to the six-speed automatic.

The Single Cab accounts for 25 per cent of all BT-50 sales while the Freestyle is 15 per cent of the total and Double Cab the other 60. In terms of trim levels, the entry-level XT is by far the biggest seller with 55 per cent of sales while the XTR and GT account for 35 and 10 per cent respectively.

So while the BT-50 we’re featuring here is indeed the low-spec workaday version, it’s also quite a popular model. And with a retail price of $28,815 plus tray and on-road costs, it’s fairly easy to see why.

The 4x2 XT auto gets Mazda’s ‘Hi-Rider’ suspension as well which not only lifts the vehicle up to the height of the 4x4 variants, but adds to its load-hauling and towing capacity.

The 4x2s are powered by the MZ-CD 2.2-litre turbo-diesel while the 4x4s get the bigger five-cylinder engine which not only adds an extra pot, but a litre of capacity as well.

But the 2.2 is entirely adequate for this ute. Power is quoted as 110kW at 3700rpm, which ain’t much on paper, but torque is quoted at 375Nm at a very handy 1500 to 2500rpm. The six-speed auto features Normal and Performance modes as well as Manual where you can shift it yourself.

On picking up the BT-50, I have to admit that I was bit underwhelmed. A basic ute with cloth seats, rubber mats, not much in the way of creature comforts, a slightly jiggly gait on the road and I couldn’t find the bloody trip computer! But as the days wore on and I got used to the controls and ergonomics of the Mazda, I certainly started to warm to it. As for the trip computer, a little lesson in RTFM (read the, err, manual) helped a lot and we soon had it up and running.

As mentioned, with nothing in the tray, the BT-50 is a lightweight, and as a genuine one-tonner the suspension is pretty stiff. It’s OK on the freeway but on chopped-up roads it gets annoying. Get a few kilograms aboard and it soon smooths out.

The BT-50 rides on 16-inch steel wheels shod with 255/70-series rubber which tends to sit it up even higher so you get a good view of the road ahead. In traffic, the six-speed auto gets a bit busy and at times I found it was better to swap over to manual and hold it in a gear.

On my daily 50km each-way commute, the ute was terrific. It was frugal getting in the around 8.5L/100km and offering plenty of performance to keep up with the traffic. It’s comfortable enough too, with Mazda including seat height and lumbar support.

Sure it’s light in the back and can get a bit taily, even with the traction control, but you soon get used to that and compensate accordingly.

Where the BT-50 did shine was when we loaded it up. I’ve got to admit that I was sceptical of the little 2.2-litre engine – even though I’d spent a fair bit of time in the 3.2-litre version during our recent 4x4 ute comparison.

I really did think the 2.2 would struggle but I was to be pleasantly surprised. As our photos will attest we loaded the tray with 650kgs for our laden assessment. This flattened out the leaf-spring pack quite a lot but a look underneath revealed that we still had 25-30mm of suspension travel before we hit the bump-stops.

With the load on, we took a quite hilly and circuitous route that we’ve travelled before and which gives the trucks a good work-out. What I found was that BT-50 didn’t hang onto gears up the hill as some auto utes do when laden, the gearbox seemed to stay in the maximum torque and make the most of the 375Nm on offer. It almost seemed that the transmission ‘trusted’ the engine to do its and job and they worked harmoniously together.

I tried our test loop… then I tried it again… and again. Each time the BT-50 impressed with load-hauling ability. Up the hills sitting on about 2250rpm at 60km/h in third it was a breeze. Out on the freeway we were sitting on 80km/h at 1490rpm, just off max torque and at 100km/h we were loping along at 1850.

Back at our loading bay, the boys there asked me how it went and were as surprised as I was about the results. Their scepticism was as healthy as mine. However, I had to admit that as a load hauler the BT-50 is not at all bad.

In the final analysis, I’ve got to say I almost enjoyed my time in the bare-bones BT-50. Sure it’s pretty Spartan inside, but in terms of achieving its intended purpose, it’s very good. It’s frugal, it’s comparatively cheap and it gets the job done with minimum of fuss.

Sure, you’d be flat-out trying to get anything more than your lunch behind the seats, but if you want more storage go for the Freestyle Cab. But don’t knock the little 2.2 as a workhorse engine until you’ve tried it.

2015 Mazda BT-50 XT Hi-Rider 4x2 Cab-Chassis pricing and specifications:
Price: $28,815 (plus tray and on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 110kW/375Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: N/A
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

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