Mazda BT-50 gets angry

A mild mid-life facelift for Mazda’s BT-50 one-tonner brings a fresh face and more standard equipment but falls short of offering ute-first active safety aids like those introduced by its twin-under-the-skin Ford Ranger.

A key change for the MY16 BT-50 is the redesigned front-end designed to give it a more masculine look and address criticisms of the polarising ‘grinning’ grille design introduced in 2011.

The front-end redesign squares up the 'smiley' back-swept headlights by adding a new chromed grille surround and deleting the yellow repeater lenses in the top corners. There's also a fresh grille sans honeycomb mesh insert and minor tweaks to the tail-lights at the rear.

With price increases of $810 or less, higher-grade XTR and GT variants also receive new standard equipment including a 7.8-inch touch-screen display, chromed tubular side steps and a reversing camera.

An $820 option on other variants, the rear-view camera has its small colour display in the left side of the interior mirror.

While safety remains a strongpoint of the five-star ANCAP safety-rated BT-50, it misses out on the passenger car-like active safety aids offered with the latest Ranger such as lane keep assist, forward collision alert and tyre pressure monitoring. It also misses out on the Ford ute's electric steering upgrade.

Front and rear parking sensors remain an option on the BT-50 but a lockable tailgate is now standard on all utility variants.

The bigger 7.8-inch touch-screen fitted to higher grades is part of a new centre console infotainment display and includes satellite-navigation (with optional off-road Hema maps), AM-FM radio, CD player, USB/AUX/Bluetooth connectivity and voice control.

Also new is a lockable glovebox on the entry-level XT with bench seat, and increased seat adjustability including lumbar support on XT variants with bucket seats.

Externally, the XT dual-cab utility gets new 16-inch dark-finish alloy wheels, while tubular side steps, auto dimming mirrors, auto on/off headlights and new two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels are standard on XTR.

The range-topping BT-50 dual-cab 4x4 GT gains folding, heated side mirrors with repeater lenses and privacy glass as standard equipment.

Other interior tweaks include darker, grey highlights around the dash and doors, and new cloth stitching on XTR/GT grades.

The BT-50's 2.2-litre four-cylinder and 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engines and six-speed manual and automatic transmissions are unchanged, though Mazda says both the gear shift knob and one-two gearshift action on manual transmission variants are enhanced.

The BT-50’s ladder frame chassis has also benefitted from “a number of rigidity improvements for greater nimbleness and ride comfort”.

The latest BT-50 is available in 23 variants including three body styles (single-cab, extended Freestyle cab and dual-cab), three grades (XT, XTR and GT) and 4x2 or 4x4 drivelines.

As well as the new Hema maps option costing $295, Mazda has added a dash integrated Redarc electric brake controller for towing ($515) to the BT-50's already extensive list of factory accessories.

Mazda Australia expects BT-50 sales to remain at their current levels of around 1100 a month following the arrival of the new model in late September.

However, the revised BT-50 faces stiff competition from other new utes this year, including the redesigned Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton, next month's new Toyota HiLux and the facelifted Ranger.??

BT-50 4x4 sales are 8.6 per cent up to August this year, but account for just 6.8 per cent of the large, lucrative 4x4 ute market – much less than the HiLux, Triton, Ranger, Colorado, Navara and D-MAX.??

The BT-50 4x2 has fared better – up 10 per cent year-to-date and behind only the HiLux and Ranger with a 13 per cent share of the smaller 4x2 ute market.

2015 Mazda BT-50 pricing (old v new, plus ORCs):??
Single Cab Chassis XT 4x2 2.2 manual -- $25,570, $25,570?
Single Cab Chassis XT 4x2 2.2 auto -- $28,740, $28,815?
Single Cab Chassis XT 4x2 3.2 manual -- $28,740, $28,815?
Freestyle Cab Chassis XT 4x2 3.2 manual – $32,670, $32,745?
Freestyle Cab Chassis XT 4x2 3.2 auto -- $34,670, $34,745?
Dual Cab Chassis XT 4x2 3.2 manual -- $34,670, $34,745?
Dual Cab Ute XT 4x2 3.2 manual -- $36,170, $36,545?
Dual Cab Ute XT 4x2 3.2 auto -- $38,170, $38,545?
Dual Cab Ute XTR 4x2 3.2 manual -- $40,820, $41,630?
Dual Cab Ute XTR 4x2 3.2 auto -- $42,820, $43,630?
Single Cab Chassis XT 4x4 3.2 manual -- $36,810, $36,850?
Single Cab Chassis XT 4x4 3.2 auto -- $38,810, $38,910?
Freestyle Cab Chassis XT 4x4 3.2 manual -- $40,740, $40,815?
Freestyle Cab Chassis XT 4x4 3.2 auto -- $42,740, $42,815?
Freestyle Cab Ute XTR 4x4 3.2 manual -- $46,890, $47,675?
Freestyle Cab Ute XTR 4x4 3.2 auto -- $48,890, $49,675?
Dual Cab Chassis XT 4x4 3.2 manual -- $42,740, $42,815?
Dual Cab Ute XT 4x4 3.2 manual -- $44,240, $44,615?
Dual Cab Ute XT 4x4 3.2 auto -- $46,240, $46,615?
Dual Cab Ute XTR 4x4 3.2 manual -- $48,890, $49,700?
Dual Cab Ute XTR 4x4 3.2 auto -- $50,890, $51,700?
Dual Cab Ute GT 4x4 3.2 manual -- $51,140, $51,790?
Dual Cab Ute GT 4x4 3.2 auto -- $53,140, $53,790