Mazda BT-50: FAQs
With underpinnings and mechanicals shared with the Ford Ranger and, most recently, the Isuzu D-MAX, the Mazda BT-50 is a quiet achiever in the dual-cab 4x4 world. Here are the Mazda BT-50 FAQs you asked onlineDoes the Mazda BT-50 have a timing belt?
The Mazda BT-50 is the Japanese marque’s one-tonne pick-up that’s been sold through three generations. The first two were developed jointly with the Ford Courier and Ranger and the just-launched third generation is a technical close relation of the Isuzu D-MAX.
Currently, just one engine is offered with the Mazda BT-50 in Australia: a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit developed by Isuzu coded 4J33-TCX. This engine uses a steel timing chain.
The primary engine used in the previous Mazda BT-50 was the 3.2-litre Ford Duratorq inline five-cylinder and it also employed a timing chain.
How much can a Mazda BT-50 tow?
The newly-released Mazda BT-50 co-developed with Isuzu continues with a 3500kg braked towing capacity.
Its predecessor developed with the Ford Ranger also offered a 3500kg braked towing capacity for all models bar the entry-level single cab-chassis Mazda BT-50 XT paired with a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine. It could haul 2500kg.
What engine is in the Mazda BT-50?
The new Mazda BT-50 is co-developed with the Isuzu D-MAX and features the same 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine codenamed 4J33-TCX as that vehicle.
The engine produces 140kW/450Nm and features common rail direct injection, a Variable Geometry System turbocharger, double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder.
There were two Ford-sourced Duratorq turbo-diesel engines used by the previous-generation Mazda BT-50: a 110kW/375Nm 2.2-litre inline-four in entry-level models and a 147kW/470Nm inline-five in the rest.
Is the Mazda BT-50 the same as Ford Ranger?
Not anymore. The freshly-launched third-generation Mazda BT-50 is a co-development with the new Isuzu D-MAX.
However, the first two Mazda BT-50 generations were co-developed with the Ford Ranger. In fact, important second-gen Mazda BT-50 development work was conducted in Melbourne by Mazda personnel alongside Ford engineers working on the Ranger.
But while the two launched together in 2011 they diverged in terms of equipment over the years. The Ranger added a 2.0-litre biturbo diesel engine, important safety gear and the mega Raptor off-roader.
The BT-50 struggled to gain as much acceptance, with repeated attempts to gets its oft-criticised styling right.
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