The Mazda BT-50 has never reached the sales heights of the ute market’s top end, but it’s still done pretty well for itself, quietly building an ever-growing legions of fans.
Over recent phases, it has been shifted from a Ford Ranger-based platform to an Isuzu D-Max-based platform – and the consensus is that move has yielded mostly positives.
I’ve driven many BT-50 variants numerous times and they’ve always impressed me with some aspect of their features or performance … but is it worthy of your consideration?
Price and features of the 2023 Mazda BT-50 GT
My test vehicle this time was the Mazda BT-50 GT 4x4 Dual Cab Pickup, which sits towards the high end of the BT-50 range. It has an MSRP of $62,510 (correct at time of writing), but this ute had a tub liner ($952), which pushed its price-tag to $63,462.
Standard features onboard include a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen (with sat nav, Apple CarPlay (wireless and USB) and Android Auto – USB), dual-zone climate control air-conditioning with rear vents, leather seats, heated front seats, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 18-inch alloy wheels, and more.
The BT-50 GT is available with your choice of exterior paint jobs including Red Volcano Mica, Rocky Grey Mica, Gun Blue Mica, Concrete Grey Mica, Ingot Silver Metallic (our test vehicle), True Black Mica – all at a cost of $695 each – and Ice White.
This ute has an understated, urban-friendly appearance, and measures 5280mm long (with a 3125mm wheelbase), 1870mm wide, 1790mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2035kg.
The BT-50 has a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 140kW at 3600rpm and 450Nm between 1600-2600rpm – and a six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time four-wheel drive system (with high- and low-range gearing), and a lockable rear diff.
The engine and auto work well together, although the combination feels a bit underdone. The engine would benefit from more grunt and the transmission is not quite as smooth as you’d expect.
The GT used to be the top grade in the BT-50 line-up, but it’s now number three in the current range. It hasn’t lost any premium-style, though. And it’s all familiar because, even though Mazda has thrown its own stamp on the interior, it feels like a D-Max X-Terrain cabin.
There’s plenty of leather and chrome-look surfaces around the interior, but there’s also ample durable plastic.
Controls are easy to locate and operate, and the multimedia screen is simple enough to use – and it does have Apple CarPlay (USB and wireless) and Android Auto (USB only) – but the 9.0-inch screen reflects glare, which is distracting.
There are numerous storage spaces in the cabin, including cupholders in the centre console, bottle holders in the doors, as well as all the usual nooks and crannies for the stuff that fills your pockets.
There’s a 12-volt socket and a USB port up front.
The front seats are comfortable and heated – although that’s a function I’ve never used.
The rear seats are not heated but comfortable, with room enough – just – for three adults, but that’s not encouraged.
Both seat-backs have a map pocket and there is a fold-out shopping-bag hook on the back of the front passenger seat.
Back-seat passengers have cupholders in the fold-down centre arm-rest, directional air events, and a USB socket in the rear of the centre console.
The back row will accommodate two child seats, as it has one ISOFIX anchor point on each outer seat and a central top-tether point.
Official fuel consumption for this ute is 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle.
On this test I recorded actual fuel use of 9.3L/100km, but I did a lot of low-range 4WDing, so that has to be taken into account.
The BT-50 has a 76-litre fuel tank, so going by those fuel-use figures I’d expect to get a touring range of about 787km – that includes a safe-distance buffer of 30km.
This Mazda ute has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, from testing in 2022. Safety gear includes eight airbags (dual front, driver’s knee, front centre, front side, full-length curtain), AEB, front parking sensors, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor, attention assist, lane keep assist, emergency lane keeping, lane departure prevention and warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.
It has two ISOFIX child restraint anchor points and top tethers.
It also has off-road friendly driver-assist tech such as traction control, hill descent control, hill launch assist and a rear diff lock.
A market standard five-year/unlimited warranty applies to the BT-50. Roadside assist is also valid for five years.
Servicing is recommended at 12-month/15,000km intervals and capped price servicing applies for seven years/105,000km. Annual service cost over seven years averages out to $496.
The first five services for the GT variant are capped at $443, $409, $699, $524, and $329 – for a total cost of $2404 over the five years.
Driving the 2023 Mazda BT-50 GT
Over recent years the BT-50 has been pleasant to drive, but newer versions are even more refined than their predecessors.
Having said that, a bit of diesel engine noise still creeps into the cabin, especially when you accelerate hard.
Steering retains a nice weight about it and it feels sharp. It feels right for this ute. Turning circle is a listed 12.5m, but this BT-50 never seems difficult to manoeuvre.
There’s adequate power and torque on tap, and acceleration is generally crisp, but keep in mind this ute is more truck-like than dynamic – making for an even-handed, no-fuss driving experience.
Front suspension is independent using double wishbones, and a live axle is supported by leaf springs at the rear. Ride is firm but mostly well sorted, even over rough back-country blacktop.
As always, a load in the back of a ute will help improve ride and handling even further.
Otherwise, the BT-50 is impressive around town, in the suburbs, on highways, and even heading into the bush.
Speaking of the bush, the BT-50 yielded a comfortable, no-stress drive along the gravel and dirt tracks which lead the way to one of my off-grid 4WD proving grounds in regional NSW.
The suspension soaked up most of the rocky imperfections on the track in, but the rear end did skip a little every now and again as we drive through harsher bumps and potholes.
It once again proved adept at the low-speed 4WDing, too.
The BT-50 has a listed 240mm of ground clearance, a wading depth of 800mm and approach, departure and ramp-over angles of 30.4 degrees, 24.2 degrees and 23.8 degrees, respectively. So, its off-road measurements and angles check out.
And, even though power and torque figures are down on what it used to have during its five-cylinder Ranger-based days, the D-Max-based BT-50 does fine.
In low-range 4WD and with the rear diff locked, the Mazda ute was able to tackle a short, steep rocky hill set-piece that never fails to test standard 4WDs.
The BT-50 climbed the hill but reaching the top unscathed required too much throttle for my liking because I consistently lost valuable traction on this very technical challenge.
The reason? Its showroom tyres. The BT-50’s standard tyres – Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684 II (265/60 R18) – are fine for on-road driving and light-duty off-roading, but if you’re planning to use your BT-50 as a weekend adventure vehicle then you’ll need to replace those standard tyres with more-aggressive all-terrains.
Off-road traction control is effective and non-intrusive; hill descent control works well, restricting downhill speed to a controlled 3-4km/h; and the BT-50 has reasonable wheel travel.
Overall, the BT-50 is rather impressive off-road for a standard ute. It has a tractable engine, good low-range gearing, and nicely recalibrated off-road traction control.
The tray is 1571mm long at floor height, 1530mm wide (1120mm between the wheel-arches), and 490mm deep. It has four tie-down points and that aforementioned optional tub liner.
The BT-50 has an unbraked trailer towing capacity of 750kg and a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.
Maximum payload is listed as 1065kg, but I never loaded it up anywhere near that. Gross Vehicle Mass is 3100kg, and Gross Combined Mass is 6000kg.
What we think of the 2023 Mazda BT-50 GT
There is a lot to like about the Mazda BT-50: it’s refined and comfortable, it benefits from being based on the D-Max platform, and it’s a capable off-roader.
This ute has a real premium feel about it but it’s still work- and family-friendly. If you’re searching for a smooth off-roader then the GT spec is worth checking out.
