First look: 2021 Mazda BT-50 & Isuzu D-Max factory off-road kit & more power!

CarExpert

We can exclusively reveal information about more power and torque for the 2021 Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-Max, along with a factory off-road package for the BT-50 and D-Max. Paul Maric runs you through information from our inside source, along with renders of what we believe the new off-road Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 will look like.  Full story: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/2021-mazda-bt-50-and-isuzu-d-max-to-get-off-road-pack-and-more-power/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=hub-content&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=news-story  Skip Ahead: Intro: 00:00 BT-50 & D-Max: Background info: 00:40 BT-50 & D-Max: Off-road package: 01:30 BT-50 & D-Max: Power upgrade: 04:22 My thoughts: 06:45  Outro: 07:43  We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.  Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.  Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1  You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.  Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!  Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!  CarExpert: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au  Paul Maric: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric  #dmax #bt50 #isuzu #mazda

Transcript

00:00 G'day, I'm Paul. Got some exciting news about the Mazda BT50 and also the Isuzu D-MAX.

00:05 The D-MAX has kind of become one of my new favourite utes.

00:08 It really brings a whole lot of safety features and a whole lot of technology to a segment that's kind of a little bit dated.

00:14 Both of these utes are going to pick up more power, more torque, plus a factory off-road kit.

00:19 And all this comes from a reliable source that we've used previously.

00:23 It's the same source that gave us information on the Bronco getting an EcoBoost V6, which we now know is true.

00:29 So I trust him or her. You're never going to know.

00:33 Now if you haven't done so already, make sure you hit subscribe and also press the bell icon

00:36 that's going to tell you every single time we publish a new video. But let's get started.

00:40 Now a little bit of a history lesson here. Both the BT50 and the D-MAX share a platform.

00:45 So instead of the BT50 now being related to the Ranger, it is very much related to the D-MAX.

00:51 And that means that the BT50 loses its previous generation five-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine

00:56 and now shares that engine with the D-MAX, which is a new version of the 4JJ.

01:00 It's a bit of an iconic motor because it goes on forever and ever. They're very hard to kill.

01:05 And Isuzu has simply refined it a little bit.

01:07 It now makes 140 kilowatts of power and 450 newton meters of torque,

01:12 which is 10 kilowatts and 20 newton meters more than its predecessor.

01:16 I've tested the D-MAX before. I'm really impressed with it.

01:19 I've also been up close and personal with the BT50.

01:22 So based on the D-MAX being good, I assume the BT50 is going to be good as well.

01:26 They're both a huge leap forward.

01:28 OK, let's move on to the first bit of exclusive information.

01:30 And it's my understanding that both of these utes are going to come with a factory off-road kit.

01:35 What does that mean?

01:36 Well, it's a kit that's going to be endorsed by the factory and fitted by the factory.

01:40 So when it gets delivered to you, it's fully warranted and covered and ready for you to do

01:44 some off-road driving. At the moment, the BT50 range in Australia caps off with the GT.

01:48 That's the top specification model.

01:50 And the D-MAX range finishes up with the X-Terrain.

01:53 Now, both of those look like they're good off-road,

01:55 but they're very much the same as lower models in the range,

01:58 just with a little bit more styling and accessories.

02:00 My understanding is that this off-road kit will actually make them better off-road as well.

02:05 And if you want a picture in your head, think of something like a Ford Ranger Raptor,

02:08 a Nissan Navara Warrior. We've tested those cars, and they're very much standard utes in that sense,

02:15 but then have a lot more off-road equipment, such as better tyres,

02:18 different suspension that increases the ride height and gives you more clearance underneath,

02:22 and potentially a snorkel as well, which will make driving through water

02:26 and those types of conditions a little bit easier.

02:28 I've got some pictures here of what it'll look like as well.

02:31 What you're looking at on screen there right now is the BT50 off-road version.

02:35 I think this looks fantastic. So you can see the big chunky tyres there.

02:39 They kind of look like the BFGoodrich tyres fitted to the Ford Ranger Raptor.

02:43 Big looking alloy wheels as well. And then the big tow hooks on the front.

02:47 And then if you look at the back, you can see those flared wheel arches with the plastic bolt-ons.

02:52 And you and I both know that that means this ute is very serious off-road.

02:56 If I was to take a guess at it, the standard 240mm

02:58 ground clearance of both of these is probably going to be a little higher.

03:02 If you look at something like the Ranger Raptor or the Nissan Navara Warrior,

03:05 they're all up at about the 270mm mark. That just affords you a little bit of extra room.

03:10 They both also come with extra protection at the front to stop rocks and things like that

03:15 hitting your engine. And overall, that's going to be better for the off-road experience.

03:18 While the BT50 looks cool, I reckon the D-MAX looks sensational.

03:22 So these are just artist renders of what we think these will look like.

03:26 But same story again, a big set of chunky tyres for the D-MAX.

03:29 D-MAX of course now comes with a standard rear differential lock.

03:33 Finally, the previous one didn't. So you've also got low range there and

03:36 also a hill descent control as well. So this will also come with that added ride height.

03:41 You can see those tow hooks at the front for recovery.

03:44 It all round looks like a far more impressive vehicle off-road.

03:48 And I think the rear sums it up as well with that decal on the back.

03:51 It really makes it stand out and a little less focus on those sailplanes.

03:55 I know a lot of people aren't huge fans of them. Same with the wheels on the X-Terrain.

03:59 I think this design really lends itself to this being capable off-road.

04:03 We know, especially with the D-MAX, that a lot of people buy these vehicles to go

04:06 around Australia, for example. So they need something that is super capable off-road.

04:10 And it's our understanding that Isuzu is putting a lot of effort into things like

04:13 dust sealing and also underbody protection to make sure that if you do find yourself

04:17 on something like the old Telegraph track, this is not going to stop halfway through.

04:21 Let's move on to the next part, which is extra power and torque.

04:25 So when this engine was revealed, we kind of were a little disappointed because the

04:29 standard in the dual-cab ute segment at the moment is around the 500Nm mark from the

04:34 four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engines. So when Isuzu announced that they had released

04:38 a new version of the 4JJ engine with just 450Nm of torque, we were all a bit like,

04:44 "It could do with a little bit more." Obviously, having driven it now, it's more than

04:48 adequate and it actually feels a little punchier than 450Nm. We know that when we tested the

04:53 D-MAX recently for our single-car review, it spun the wheels off the line when we punched

04:57 it and it felt way punchier than the rest of the utes that already have 500Nm.

05:02 So I reckon they're probably just telling a little porcupine there with the outputs

05:06 and it probably already does close to 500Nm anyways. But our source tells us that these

05:10 both are going to have a factory-fitted power upgrade and that will be 10% more power and

05:15 10% more torque and that should mean outputs of around 155kW of power and 500Nm of torque.

05:22 And that will match the segment leaders, which at the moment are things like the Ford Ranger

05:26 and also the Toyota Hilux. It's worth keeping in mind that we're not talking here about the

05:31 V6 diesel options, so your Volkswagen, Amarok and that type of thing. We're strictly talking

05:36 about the 4-cylinder diesel engines. Now, how do we know that this is going to happen?

05:40 Well, there is a little bit of a secret in the gearbox and it's possibly thanks to that

05:44 gearbox that Isuzu was able to extract a little bit more out of it. Now, stick with me here.

05:48 It's called the Aisin AWR6B45. It's the second generation of this six-speed automatic

05:55 transmission. It came in when Isuzu switched to Euro 5 diesel engines and they've retained

06:00 that with this latest generation of the D-MAX. Now, this gearbox is also used in the Toyota Hilux.

06:06 The reason you don't know that it's used in the Toyota Hilux is because Toyota gives it a

06:11 different name and this is presumably so people don't really know that it is an Aisin gearbox.

06:15 Aisin is, of course, owned 51% by Toyota, so they have a vested interest and this gearbox is used in

06:22 the current eighth generation Hilux that makes 500Nm of torque. So, the gearbox can handle that

06:27 torque output and this is what we understand is going to come to BT50 and D-MAX as a factory

06:34 option. So, you should be able to tick this box or perhaps they will roll it out with a model

06:38 upgrade, perhaps mid-life, but we do believe this is coming and that has me excited because

06:43 I think it's kind of a mental barrier for people. If you go to buy an Isuzu D-MAX or a BT50 and

06:49 certainly in the case of the BT50 where the last generation engine produced 470Nm of torque and

06:54 this one goes backwards, it's kind of this mental hurdle for people not wanting to have something

06:59 that isn't the best. So, they've probably kept this one in their pockets so that they can roll it out

07:04 or perhaps charge a little bit extra for it because I think people will pay if they know

07:08 that they can extract another 10% out of their engines and have it backed by the factory in

07:13 terms of warranty, they're going to jump at that opportunity. So, this will also set them up for

07:18 the next generation of the MU-X. So, it hasn't been announced yet but we know that the MU-X always

07:22 follows the D-MAX and that will also mean that they can slot that in at 500Nm and give that a

07:27 little bit more punch because that is significantly heavier than the D-MAX, so you really want to

07:31 strike that balance between drivability and also feeling that power behind the wheel. So, let's

07:37 see what happens. It shouldn't be too far away. I'm tipping the next 6-12 months that we'll hear

07:41 more about this. Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are on this. Has the 450Nm

07:47 held you back from buying the D-MAX or putting your name down for the BT50 or do you simply not

07:52 care? Let me know what you think in the comments section below. If you did enjoy this video,

07:55 I'd love it if you could hit the like button, follow it up with a subscribe and also press

07:59 the bell icon so you can find out every single time we give you some exclusive news and reviews.

08:04 But until next time, take it easy.

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