Mazda BT-50: Fresh face in the family

Versatile: The Mzda BT-50 is impressive both on and off-road. Photo / Supplied

Mazda's BT-50 is more than just a Ford Ranger in a new suit. Mazda's barely acknowledged part in its development included 50 engineers spending four years with Ford Australia staff.

What's new
The BT-50's first full-model change since 1998 brings Mazda's family face, with strongly carved and almost futuristic lines, a long way from traditionally chunky Kiwi ute styling. Mazda NZ managing director Andrew Clearwater says commercial vehicles tend to focus on reliability and durability while design and comfort take a back seat. But with the bracket now our third most popular, and utes doubling as family cars, that's changing.

BT-50 is 200mm longer, with a wider track and the wheelbase extended 220mm, making for a generous load tray and spacious cabin, with a car-like design in a ute that can climb mountains and wade 80cm into rivers.

It uses the same, 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre five-cylinder common rail turbo-diesel engine as the Ranger, matched to the same six-speed manual or six-speed ZF auto and it gets the same 3.35-tonne tow rating.

Mazda says its unique front and rear suspension improves on-road feel without making off-road compromises, with different springs and shocks plus bigger brake discs.

Stability control is now standard on all New Zealand Mazdas. Also standard for BT-50 are Bluetooth, cruise control, air-con, keyless entry, power windows, six speakers and a diff lock (only an option for many Rangers). The top-spec Limited includes leather seats, rear park sensors, rain sensing wipers and dual-zone climate air-con.

The company line
The flood-mandated temporary closure of the Thailand plant building BT-50 may not affect launch sales with two months of supply already landed or on the water. But "it's a pretty fluid situation" puns Clearwater, who needs production lines to restart within a month, though "natural disasters are something we're having to learn to cope with".

Meanwhile, Mazda NZ hopes to offset your own natural disasters by setting a $200 fixed service cost.

What we say
Mazda has priced its ute to just undercut Ranger and delivered workaday stuff like the diff lock as standard. The more rugged-looking Ranger sticks it on the options list for several variants along with city frills like satnav and a reversing camera, which Mazda says can be better supplied by cost-effective after-market items.

On the road
It's hard to tell how effective Mazda's altered suspension tune is without having driven the Ranger on New Zealand roads. But this is a remarkably refined ride for a leaf-sprung ute and six speeds deliver fuel-frugal cruising.

Off road on rain-drenched hilly paddocks and farm tracks the suite of four-wheel-drive, hill descent, very effective traction electronics and a diff lock meant we went anywhere we wanted to.

Why you'll buy one
You want a ute that's effective both on and off road and like Mazda's on-road manners, standard diff-lock and futuristic design.

Why you won't
That face will frighten the horses and, anyway, the Ranger has cupholders in the load tray.