Mazda BT-50: 'Active Lifestyle' ute a real beaut

The BT-50 inherits the passenger cars' nose. Pictures / Phil Hanson

Mazda ventures beyond the pragmatic with its head-turning light commercial

Professor Higgins became accustomed to Eliza Doolittle's face in My Fair Lady, so maybe the marketplace will warm to the unusual styling of Mazda's new BT-50 ute. On a passenger car, the nose, sweeping sidelines and curvy oversized tail-lights are in character, but styling like this has never been seen on a Japanese light commercial.

Even Mazda staffers admitted to worries when the BT-50's lines were revealed a year ago. Post-shock, they reckon the lines suit the one-tonne truck and will be accepted, particularly in cities, where sales are expected to be strong.

Managing director Andrew Clearwater said commercial vehicles had been "pragmatic" and Mazda wanted to provide a different vehicle that "more than delivered" on expectations. Sometimes, as he said at the launch this week, you have to be bold to make the point.

Mazda sees utes morphing into passenger vehicles, with the ability to carry a big load, and 83 per cent of ute sales are of five-seat double cabs. Mazda's even calling the BT-50 an Active Lifestyle Vehicle, reminiscent of BMW's Sports Activity Vehicle name for its SUVs.

However, the launch comes at an awkward time. Flooding in Thailand stopped production at the Ford-Mazda factory. Clearwater, apologising for his pun, said the situation was "fluid" but that the company had enough stock for a couple of months. The problem was suppliers rather than the factory. "But if the effects of the flooding go on for months, things could get very tight."

Mazda has concentrated on passenger cars in recent years, but Clearwater says that the commercial side must be developed and that some rural dealers depend on the ute.

The 16-model range includes the five-seat double cab, the two-seat regular cab and the 2+2 freestyle with clamshell-type doors that provide excellent access. Seven are 2WDs. Prices for the 4WD double-cab wellsides start at $51,295, but a cab-chassis is $1700 less. The top automatic model costs $61,895, while Ford's top Ranger, the Wildtrak auto, costs $62,856.

Like its Ford sibling, the BT-50 is 200mm longer on a 220mm longer wheelbase, providing more space - and a better opportunity for stylists to let loose on its shape.

The BT-50 uses a 3.2-litre five-cylinder high-pressure common-rail turbodiesel - the first time a five-cylinder has appeared in a Mazda. It produces 147kW at 3000rpm and 470Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500rpm.

Transmissions are either a six-speed manual or a six-speed adaptive auto with sports mode and optional manual shifting. Shared with Ranger, these are among the best gearboxes available on a light commercial.

BT-50 picks up all the electronic safety and management systems introduced with Ranger, including a function to control trailer sway. It can pull 3350kg, braked. A locking rear differential on all 4WDs provides an extra level of off-road competence.

Back-roads driving in the central North Island confirmed Mazda's claim of passenger car comfort and excellent handling. The BT-50's suspension is tuned differently from Ranger's, emphasising a good ride when running light.

Early start:
Mazda utes arrived in New Zealand in 1966, six years after production began. In those days, the 48kW single-cab 2WD cost $2700 and became well-established when the Ministry of Works ordered 670. Steel Bros began local assembly in 1967 and the brand went on to become the country's leading light commercial - a title wrested away by the Hilux. The popular Bounty was launched in 1985 and became the BT-50 in 2006.

Hand in hand:
BT-50 was a joint project with Ford, whose Ranger was introduced last month. Mazda says it developed the new chassis, suspension, brakes and steering, while Ford did the powertrain. Each company was responsible for its own bodywork. Mazda had 50 engineers based in Australia for four years working on the project.

The bottom line:
Mazda has introduced a CommercialCare package for the BT-50 that includes three years or 100,000km of fixed-price servicing at no more than $200 a service. Intervals are six months or every 10,000km. Warranty is three years or 150,000km, compared with the more usual 1000,000km.