Mazda BT-50 SP Pro 2025 Tow Test

Loaded up with factory and dealer-fit accessories, our test vehicle started off as a Mazda BT-50 4x4 dual cab with premium SP trim ($68,690 plus on-road costs), before adding the ‘SP Pro’ Nitrocharger suspension upgrade ($7997 fitted) – which includes stiffer springs and twin tube dampers and a lift in ride height of around 40mm – together with 18in black alloy wheels, a front-grille-integrated LED light bar, and ‘SP Pro’ graphics on the lower door stripes.

Then there’s the Premium Infotainment Upgrade ($4898), which swaps out the factory-fitted 9.0-inch interface and standard eight-speaker sound system for a bigger 11.0-inch WXGA touchscreen head unit and uprated speaker set.

Grey premium paint ($695) and towing accessories including a tow bar tongue, 12-pin plug, electric brake controller (EBC) and Anderson plug outlet ($3032 collectively), bring the as-tested price to a healthy $85,612 plus on-road costs.

That’s almost double the cheapest dual-cab BT-50 variant, and not far off what you’d spend on a go-anywhere Ford Raptor, or top-shelf Volkswagen V6 Amarok.

Like Mazda’s optional Thunder Pro high-lift kit, the SP Pro upgrades can be fitted retrospectively to the current-gen BT-50 and carry a two-year warranty from the manufacturer. However, if ordered with a new ute, the accessories are covered under Mazda’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty.

Looks are subjective but in our eyes the glossy black and gunmetal grey Mazda BT-50 SP Pro we cruised around in over the summer break is one of the smartest-looking utes in the caravan park. Long gone are the crook front-end styling oddities of earlier BT-50s, replaced by the latest version’s elegant ‘stealth’ design including sporty SUV-style front end. It’s a welcome departure from the testosterone-pumped, in-your-face looks of many of its rivals.

The classy, workhorse theme continues inside, with plenty of top-notch cabin materials including tan and black leather and Alcantara upholstery, stretching all the way to the stitched leather dash top. It also helps divert attention from more old-school, utilitarian touches from the D-MAX on which it’s based, like the analogue instruments, hard plastic surfaces and lift-up parking brake.

Aside from its stiffer, high-riding suspension (more about that later), the BT-50 SP Pro is a comfortable jigger over longer stints, thanks to well-cushioned front seats (the driver’s pew gets eight-way electric adjustment), a multi-adjustable steering wheel, and padded driver’s arm rests.

The rear bench gets a similar plush treatment. While legroom back there is limited and the upright seatback prevents lounging, there should be enough space for three kids, with a fold-down armrest, rear vents and electrical sockets also included.

Semi-decent storage spots up front include a twin glovebox and dual cup holders in the centre console, plus large bottle holders in the side doors. There are also USB-C and 12V sockets, with a nearby slot for your phone.

Initial driving impressions are good, at least when only lightly loaded and zipping around town. The trusty if somewhat vocal 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre donk (with six-speed auto from the D-MAX) is more about steady progress than traffic-light blasts, but it’s all quite refined and smooth at suburban speeds. It also settles down nicely once up to speed on the freeway, and is pretty easy to park thanks to a reverse camera and front sensors.

The SP Pro suspension upgrades also deliver a 12mm wider track to go with the increased (around 280mm) ground clearance, and while it can feel firm and fidgety on patchy bitumen, there’s no sense of floatiness when tackling speed humps with gusto. It also corners well for a jacked-up ute, thanks partly to its relatively quick and precise steering.

The SP Pro suspension ironed out the bumps confidently over lightly corrugated sections of some national park graded dirt roads. We didn’t go too deep into the bush but the standard off-road setup including dual-range, part-time 4x4 driveline with a rear diff lock, descent control, and Rough Terrain Mode, is more than up to the task.

The optional Alpine infotainment screen is not only bigger but easier to read than the standard screen, especially in harsh sunlight, while the bright rear camera view with grid guidelines makes it dead easy to hook up a trailer.

The Alpine system includes the Tidal streaming app and HEMA off-road navigation, among other features, but the native menu is over-complicated and we mostly just relied on wireless Apple CarPlay, which worked a treat. The system’s 300W speakers, A-pillar mounted tweeters and in-built amp delivers a decent sound, although it could be improved with a more thumping bass capability.

While the larger tablet-style touchscreen covers part of the vents, the dual-zone climate control still manages to cool the cabin quickly on hot summer days.

The BT-50 SP Pro also handles the towing basics well, with our aftermarket towing mirrors easily clipping to the powered side mirrors, and the dash-mounted EBC dial conveniently located on the right side of the steering wheel.

The factory towing connections under the rear bumper are also easily accessible, including the Anderson plug socket that allows power to be delivered to the caravan’s battery and fridge while driving.

Like the D-MAX, the BT-50 delivers excellent engine braking through the six-speed gearbox, usually by automatically dropping down a gear or two on steeper declines to hold a steady speed without relying on the brakes.

Boasting a full five-star ANCAP rating, the current-model BT-50 comes jam-packed with safety gear including eight airbags and high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB). Other electronic driving aids including adaptive cruise control, trailer sway control and lane-centring function, are generally well behaved with only the occasional over-zealous beep or flashing light.

The rear tub with spray in plastic liner and matte-black roll-out protective tonneau cover swallows plenty of larger items like camping and beach gear, and the discreetly hidden SP Pro light bar adds to the LED brilliance up front (just don’t expect anything like the far-reaching spread you often get with a good set of aftermarket 4WD spotties).

Having recently put a mechanically identical Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain through its paces with a similar weight caravan, we were expecting a similar, fuss-free performance from its Mazda BT-50 twin, during our 1000km-plus road trip that took us from Melbourne to Eden and back, over a variety of bitumen surfaces. But, alas, it wasn’t to be…

Undoubtedly caused at least partly by its off-road-oriented suspension changes, the BT-50 SP Pro with 21ft tandem-axle New Age Road Owl Expedition family van weighing around 3000kg behind, really struggled across most of the key towing criteria, including stability (read safety), comfort and performance.

That’s despite the van’s off-road coupling putting an estimated 250kg on the tow ball when hitched up, resulting in the BT-50’s rear end dropping down to level out the rig, which should encourage towing stability.

However, once on the road the Mazda’s underpinnings felt noticeably stiffer and less forgiving, adversely affecting ride quality on patchy bitumen to the point where almost every ripple and bump was felt in the cabin. The rigid ride also caused some stomach-churning pitching on heavy truck-affected highways.

It felt most unstable in high winds, with some alarming ‘tail wagging the dog’ yawing that forced us to reduce highway speeds as low as 70km/h. As I’ve never experienced this before in other big-van tow tests, I’m pointing the finger at the ARB-sourced spring and shock package, although we’d have to tow a standard BT-50 with the same van to be certain.

The BT-50 also struggled to pull the van in calmer conditions, with the six-speed transmission constantly dropping down to fourth gear even on flat sections, revving hard at up to 2500rm at around 90km/h for long periods. Hit even the mildest hill or incline and it was quickly back to third gear, revving even higher at 3000rpm just to maintain a speed of around 80km/h.

Not helping matters is the big gap between fifth (1800rpm) and fourth gears (2400rpm) when towing on the highway. It’s not something a more powerful Ranger/Amarok with 10-speed auto suffers from in our experience.

It’s in stark contact to the BT-50’s relaxed demeanour when not towing, revving just off idle and as low as 1200rom in higher gears around town, and cruising easily in sixth gear on the freeway.

As a result fuel consumption when towing was higher than expected, recording an average of 16.3L/100km, compared to 9.8L/100km solo. That’s around 450km of fuel range before the Mazda ute’s below-average 76-litre fuel tank runs dry.

The other downside of high RPM towing is the resulting diesel racket negating any audio benefits of the pricey Alpine system. It’s also a far cry from the almost silent treatment provided by a V6 Amarok when towing a large caravan.

With a kerb weight of around 2208kg and a GVM of 3100kg, the BT-50 SP Pro also offers a below-average quoted payload of 892kg. It’s 6000kg GCM also only allows for around 300kg of people and gear in the tow vehicle with the maximum 3500kg trailer, although this is par for the course.

While the rollertop does a good job of keeping items dry in the tray when raining, it doesn’t prevent a thick layer of dust after a few kilometres on a dry dirt road. Given the price tag, we’d also like some strut assistance for the heavy rear tailgate. The tailgate lock is also not incorporated into the vehicle’s central locking system so you have to remember to manually lock it to secure any valuables in the tray.

Speaking of annoyances, the door-open warning chime goes off repeatedly if you don’t give the front or passenger side doors a sufficiently firm shove to close them properly.

The SP Pro also misses out on other niceties fitted to much cheaper vehicles, like auto-folding side mirrors, a wireless phone charger, electronic hand brake and full digital dash (although some of these items should be included with the upcoming BT-50 mid-life update.

While nice to have, the SP Pro’s heated front seats are of little use during summer, while rubber footwell mats and all-terrain tyres instead of our test vehicle’s black carpet mats and highway rubber would make more sense given this ute’s off-road pretensions.

The BT-50’s warranty also falls a year short of Isuzu’s six-year backing of the D-MAX.

Based on our experience, the answer is definitely ‘no’ if you’re keen to use the SP Pro-enhanced BT-50 ute for big-van road trips.

We’d also think twice about towing any trailer above 2500kg with the same vehicle, for safety reasons, unless – as is the case with Mazda’s Thunder Pro pack – there’s the ability to fine-tune the SP Pro’s suspension setup for different conditions, such as when carrying light or heavy loads or towing.

Circa $90K on the road is also a lot to ask for any mid-size ute, even one fitted with a few big-ticket, aftermarket-style options but still missing (at least until the updated BT-50 arrives later this year) some of the desirable tech and safety features of its rivals.

2025 Mazda BT-50 SP Pro at a glance:?
Price as tested: $85,612 plus on-road costs
Available:?Now
Engine:?3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output:?140kW/450Nm
Transmission:?Six-speed automatic
Fuel:?8.0/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2:?207g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating:?Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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