Don't want a Ford Ranger Consider this 4x4 ute! Mazda BT-50 2024 review
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00:00The Mazda BT-50 is one of the most underrated ute rangers in Australia in my opinion and this one
00:05here is the flagship version, well one of the most expensive takes on the theme that you can get,
00:09the SP Pro. So is it worth your money? Like and subscribe and you'll find out,
00:14or maybe just keep watching, but hey if you have liked and subscribed thanks a lot,
00:18it helps a lot, helps keep this channel going and look let's go take a look at this BT-50 shall we?
00:23There are something like 23 different variations of BT-50 that you can get in Australia and I'm
00:33not going to go through all of them in this review because it'd just take too long,
00:36but I'm going to talk about this particular model which is one of the high grade versions,
00:40it's the SP with the Pro Pack. Now the Pro Pack means that you get some extra features
00:45over the regular SP including these black 18 inch alloy wheels, you also get nitro charger
00:52lifted suspension, it's a 40mm lift kit which means it does have a bit more height to it,
00:58you've also got a light force LED bar behind the grille and you also get SP Pro stickers around
01:05the body of the car, don't love those but hey you might. Now the SP grade is already handsomely
01:12equipped, it's got LED lighting around the car, you get these lovely black finishes on the mirrors,
01:17you've got these guard extensions, you've also got dark finishes on the roof rails,
01:22dark door handles, you've got nice side steps and at the back you've got a sail plane,
01:27a roller cover for the tray and a tub liner as well and on the inside you get a really nice finish,
01:33it's a two-tone look in there and I reckon that that sells this grade of BT-50 more than anything
01:38else, that upscale look to the interior. There are some elements of the interior which I don't
01:43love, I'll tell you about those in a sec but just keep in mind that the SP grade is not that cheap,
01:50you're looking at a fair amount of cash and if you add the Pro Pack,
01:53well it makes it the most expensive BT-50 you can get at around $74,000.
02:00There are some really good alternatives for that kind of money, let me tell you about them.
02:06So you want a ute? Well there are some really good alternatives to this,
02:10my favourite ute in Australia is the Ford Ranger, I think that it's the best ute that you can buy,
02:15it has the best interior functionality, it also has the biggest model range available,
02:21there are so many variants of the Ford Ranger for you to choose from so there's going to be
02:25one that's right for you in pretty much every instance in my opinion. So long as you're okay
02:30with turbo diesel and V6 or four-cylinder options then it could be the best option for you but if
02:37you want a turbo petrol high spec ute then maybe check out the Volkswagen Amarok, yep there's a
02:43high grade version, it's very expensive but it's a very very impressive ute with a 2.3 litre
02:49four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, just the same one they use in the Ford Mustang, so it could be
02:54a really good choice for you but hey if that's not what you want then there's V6 diesel and
02:58four-cylinder diesel versions of the Amarok and all of them are really good too, just has a few
03:03quirks on the interior which makes it a little bit harder to live with than the Ford Ranger
03:07which it shares plenty with. And then the Mitsubishi Triton, on paper the value for
03:12money ratio there is exceptional, you are getting so much dual cab ute for your money
03:17if you're buying a Triton, a lot more than if you buy a Mazda that's for sure. Tell me which
03:22one you would pick in the comments or would you choose something different, I'd love to hear from you, have your say.
03:29This BT50 doesn't look like the other BT50s because it is the SP Pro Pack and in fact I
03:35reckon that those wheel arch extensions and those wheels in particular do make it look a little bit
03:41more substantial than some of the other models in this range. I'm not so sure about the sticker pack,
03:47I'd probably get rid of that if it was my money but I do like some of the other styling elements
03:52to this car, that sailplane at the back looks pretty good and look I reckon it's a pretty
03:57attractive truck and look it does have similar dimensions to the Isuzu D-MAX that it's based upon,
04:02plenty of interior bits that are shared as well but let's take a look at the tray and see what
04:08this SP Pro model brings to the table. Okay before we check out inside the tub we need to talk about
04:13the security on offer here because while there is a lock on the tailgate it doesn't connect to the
04:18central locking of the vehicle so if you hit the beeper, you walk away, just remember that your
04:23tailgate might be unlocked and you'll have to lock the top of the roller cover as well. Another thing
04:29I don't like about the BT50's tub, listen to this when I open the tailgate, it's going to be loud,
04:34prepare yourself, yeah that is quite a racket because it doesn't have assistance for the
04:41tailgate which means it just falls down very heavily and it's also quite heavy to lift as well,
04:47after a day on the tools that might be annoying. Hey another thing I don't know about these roller
04:52covers, I always find them hard to open and close but another loud one, ready?
05:00Now that does take up quite a bit of space at the headboard of the tub there
05:04and while it is a very handy thing to have if you are going for a camping adventure
05:09or you're just going for a long road trip, it does limit the height available to you and also
05:15in this SP grade you get this lay-in tub liner, it's not a spray-in one, it's one of those plastic
05:21slippery ones and it is a bit slippery so yeah, again not ideal, so it's more of a lifestyle truck
05:28than it is a tradie truck there's no doubt about that and that's sort of highlighted by the fact
05:33that there aren't many tie-down points in the tub here either and if you are thinking of using it as
05:37a dual-purpose ute just keep in mind that the wheel arch gap isn't big enough to fit a pallet in
05:42between and the fact that it's got higher suspension means that it is a little bit harder to
05:47reach in and grab things from the side of the ute as well.
05:51Thankfully though you do get a full-size spare wheel under the tray.
05:57Now if you're not aware this car shares a lot with the Isuzu D-MAX including a lot of interior
06:03elements including the screen, the controls, the shifter, the buttons, the cup holders, well some of
06:10the cup holders, you don't get the pop-out cup holders that you get in a D-MAX in a BT50 so
06:15that's a little bit annoying and these cup holders let me tell you they are a bit annoying,
06:19they're too deep and they're too big and if you get a takeaway coffee it's going to get lost in
06:23there so yeah not ideal, nor is this screen interface, I mean it was fine when this car
06:30came out a couple of years ago but it is feeling and looking a little bit dated now, you don't have
06:36dials for the controls, you do have buttons for your volume and stuff like that, home button,
06:42and look I will say that yes it does have wireless Apple CarPlay and it does have sat-nav
06:48but when you start the car and then you use your wireless Apple CarPlay connection it can take like
06:55a minute or two before it figures out that your phone's here and the car's running and you're
06:59going and you want to be talking to whoever you were talking to on the phone when you got in the
07:02car. It can be really frustrating especially if you are the sort of person who is constantly getting
07:07in and out of the car, making phone calls and taking phone calls, yeah it might be something
07:13you want to keep in mind. Now the display is one thing and you've also got another display,
07:20a part digital instrument cluster here, you've got analog dials and a small display which does
07:27have a bit of information available to you including a digital speedo so at least it's got
07:31that and look the controls for the air conditioning are good, they have toggle switches, it may look a
07:39little bit basic and if you've sat in any other Mazda you might think well it doesn't look or feel
07:43very Mazda either so it's a mixed bag when it comes to the usability and the controls in this
07:50car but at least you've got nice comfy seats. I've just spent something like 10 hours in this car
07:57over the past few days doing a fair bit of driving and I found it to be a really comfortable
08:02family cruiser. My daughter was in the back, my two dogs, my partner and it was a family-ute
08:07adventure and it did the job really nicely in terms of comfort. I'll tell you about the ride
08:12comfort shortly though. Now when it comes to the other practicality elements I've already mentioned
08:16the cup holders and the lack of pop-out ones, you've got a little storage tray here, no wireless phone
08:21charger which is a bit silly considering you've got wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as
08:26well. You've also got a small covered centre console bin, bottle holders in the doors and you've
08:30got a twin glove box as well. So the thing I like about this cabin is this two-tone trim and I think
08:37it does add some level of Mazdaness to this cabin if that's a word. Let's check out the back seat,
08:44I'll show you what it looks like with my daughter's seat fitted. She could just reach this seat in
08:49front with her little legs outstretched and she liked playing with the little flip down bag hook.
08:56Now like a lot of the other dual-cab utes out there, there is just one top tether point for the
09:01back seat and that means that, well, it doesn't feel as safe as it could if you are strapping a
09:07child seat in. Some other utes out there have two top tethers, this is one of the ones that has one.
09:12So to attach the top tether you hook it to this hook here and you've still got ISOFIX points in
09:19the window seats so you can fit, you know, three seats in here if you need to, well in theory at
09:27least, but I just never find that I can get enough tension on that top tether cable as I would like.
09:34So it might be something you want to keep in mind if you've got kids in child seats. If you don't,
09:38it doesn't matter. Now let me show you what it's like without a kid's seat in.
09:43Righto, so I've already gone through the kids stuff. Now if you just have adults in the back,
09:48this is a pretty spacious back seat experience. This seat is set for my driving position and like
09:54I've got more knee room in the back of this ute than I would in a Ford Ranger or Volkswagen Amarok.
10:00I know that because I've tested them all and the back seat space in this ute is actually pretty
10:05good. So it's also got some pretty good amenities. You've got mat pockets on the seat backs,
10:10that little flip down hook that I mentioned that my daughter liked to kick while she was
10:14in the back seat. You've got directional air vents as well, a USB port, a little storage
10:19tray there, bottle holders as well and you've got a flip down armrest with cup holders too.
10:25So if you're going to run this with two adults in the back, it is a pretty accommodating ute
10:30experience. Grab handles here so you can hold on, grab handles here so you can help yourself get in
10:36and out because it is quite tall. I want to show you one more thing. When it comes to under seat
10:42storage, there is some available to you. You just have to pull this lever, you can tie that back up
10:48and that means that, well, you've got a 60-40 split base and you can basically tailor this to be
10:55a three-seater or a four-seater and you can use the extra storage space here for your loose items
11:02or maybe some valuables you don't want in the tray because, like I mentioned, the tray doesn't
11:09have a locking system as part of the central locking. So you have to remember to lock the tray
11:14if you want to keep your things safe and secure in the back. This gives you an alternative to that.
11:20It's kind of nice.
11:25There are more affordable versions of the Mazda BT50 with a smaller engine, a 1.9 litre four
11:30cylinder turbo diesel which has pretty decent power and torque outputs and I've driven one of
11:34those but it does feel a bit more workman-like and a little bit more lethargic than this engine
11:40and this one here is the three litre version. Now, it has 140 kilowatts and 450 newton metres which
11:48seems good but it is falling behind the times compared to some of the rivals out there. Now,
11:53all versions are available with the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic
11:58and four by two or four by four. Now, it's a selectable four-wheel drive system so you've
12:04got low range, high range, two-wheel drive and high range four-wheel drive and there's a bunch
12:09of other off-roady elements as well if you need them like rear diff locks in some grades
12:14and you've got 750 kilo maximum towing capacity for an unbrake trailer and three and a half ton
12:21towing capacity for a brake trailer. So now, keep in mind you will need to do your calculations and
12:27figure out whether you are going over the limit when you've got your payload accounted for. The
12:32numbers are on your screen and also if you are going to be towing at the same time, you need
12:37to keep in mind your gross combination mass so that'll be your vehicle, your payload, your tow
12:44ball down weight and whatever you're towing. Don't get it wrong, it can be dangerous if you do.
12:50So, this SP Pro version of the BT50 has the raised suspension, the nitro charger suspension
12:57which does give it a slightly different driving characteristic to other versions of the BT50
13:02that I've driven. It's hard to say without doing a back-to-back test just how massive of an impact
13:08it is. It still drives pretty well for a dual cab ute with a pretty decent payload capacity
13:14and three and a half ton towing and four-wheel drive underpinnings. It still drives nicely,
13:18like it's pretty comfy for a big old dual cab thing. And look, I don't think it's as comfortable
13:23as a Ford Ranger when it comes to the ride, but for the most part I've done nearly a thousand
13:30k's in this ute and there haven't been any major complaints. It is just a little bit firm feeling
13:35at times. It's got that same sort of feel to the steering behavior as a dual cab ute.
13:43As a D-Max, so it's slightly light at speed but nice and light at lower speeds as well to help you
13:52basically turn more easily. But it has a decent amount of weight to it and it's pretty accurate
13:58as well. Look, this isn't a supercar, I don't expect it to be, but it is decent enough to drive
14:04for the most part. This three litre engine, well yep, just like the D-Max. It's adequate but I
14:11wouldn't say exemplary. It does have enough pulling power obviously to do the jobs that you
14:17ask of it, but it's hardly what you'd call athletic or inspiring to drive. It is just a job doer and
14:24it does the job pretty well I reckon. The six-speed auto is the same story. There's not too much fuss
14:31shown by it. It does hold gears pretty well and it will do downhill gradient braking,
14:39engine braking that is, so it'll hold a gear and allow you to coast downhill. So it will hopefully
14:45use a little bit less fuel and a little bit less brake pads. One thing that I like about this BT50
14:53is that even though it's got these different 18 inch wheels and you know the hardly amazing tyres,
15:01it does hold on pretty well in corners and if you do find yourself heading off-road,
15:06of course you've got high range four-wheel drive, low range as well and a rear differential lock if
15:12you need it. I'm not doing an off-road test in this ute but I did do a lot of driving in the wet
15:18and it felt pretty safe and secure on the freeway and at lower speeds as well. Also I find that the
15:23brake response is pretty good. It does pull up pretty quickly and it's got a nice feel to the
15:29pedal as well. I will say though that over a thousand k's of, well primarily highway driving,
15:37it is not a quiet ute. You get quite a lot of engine noise coming into the cabin when you are
15:44driving at lower speeds. At higher speeds it suffers from a whole lot of windscreen noise,
15:50like in the rain it's really hard to hear the stereo or what your kid's saying in the back. So
15:58yeah, it's not the most refined and I mean, I guess it is a dual cab work ute but it could do
16:04with a little bit more attention to detail to the quietness in the cabin. You can hear that yourself,
16:10it's pretty noisy.
16:14All right, let's talk about efficiency for the BT50 4x4 automatic models. You'll see the figure
16:20on your screen now, 8 litres per 100 k's. I think that is almost achievable. If you are doing a lot
16:26of highway driving and you aren't fully loaded or towing or off-roading, you will see pretty close
16:32to that. As I did over my week with this ute, you'll see my real world test figure on the screen
16:38now and I was impressed with that. I think that's pretty good compared to some of the other dual cab
16:44diesel utes that I've driven in the past, which tend to hover up around 10 litres per 100 k's
16:49across similar driving scenarios. So yep, at least it's ticking the box pretty well when it comes to
16:55the efficiency game. You get a five-star ANCAP safety rating if you buy a Mazda BT50 and it's
17:03from 2022, so it is a pretty recent rating and that means that it comes with heaps of standard
17:07technology and equipment when it comes to the safety gear. So you've got autonomous emergency
17:12braking, adaptive cruise control, there's also lane keeping assistance which you can turn off
17:17really easily, thankfully. There's blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, however
17:23you only get a reversing camera even though you do get front and rear parking sensors. There is no
17:28model in this model lineup with a surround view camera like you get in a Ranger and that means
17:33that it is a little bit harder to see around the car than it is in some other more advanced vehicles
17:40and modern looking and feeling vehicles. Even though this isn't that old, it is showing its age
17:44a little bit when it comes to that sort of tech. But it does come with a bunch of airbags fitted
17:50including dual front, front side, you've got a front centre airbag and curtain airbags for both rows as well.
17:59Buy a BT50 and you get a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty which is on par with the
18:04other utes in this segment and you've also got a five-year cap price servicing plan. Service
18:10intervals are every 12 months and 15,000km and you'll see the average service cost over that
18:15five-year 75,000km plan on your screen now. I think that's pretty good and you also get
18:20five years of roadside assistance included if you buy a new BT50. Stacks up pretty well.
18:30I like the BT50 range and I like the SP Pro model. I don't think that it's worth
18:34as much money as being asked here but I do think that there are some really compelling
18:39options in the lineup at a lower price point which is probably where I would be spending my
18:44money if I was you. If I wasn't going to buy a Ranger or an Amarok that is. And if you haven't
18:49already please like, subscribe and ring the bell to keep up to date with all of my reviews.
18:53It helps a lot and I can't wait to see you in my next one. See you then!
19:14you