Mazda’s BT-50 range has been updated with more safety gear, new wheels and exterior lighting, an upgraded multimedia system and digital driver’s display, as well as styling tweaks across the board, including to the interior trim.
Prices have, of course, gone up across the range and the previous top-shelf Thunder has been dropped from the line-up for now with the SP replacing it.
It has a manufacturer’s list price of $71,500 (a $2810 price increase over the previous SP, correct at time of writing), but our test vehicle had a raft of accessories onboard including slimline weather shields ($303), premium bull bar - hoops ($4340), Lightforce LED dual row lightbar ($761), tub lighting ($431), side steps - dual cab ($974), electric brake controller and breakaway ($864) for a total of $7673 – plus Red Earth Metallic paint ($695), pushing the test vehicle’s price to $79,868 (excluding on-road costs).
The BT-50 SP is available in a range of exterior colours including Ice White Solid (no extra cost) or Geode White Pearl, Ingot Silver Metallic, Concrete Grey Mica, Sailing Blue Metallic, Red Earth Metallic, or True Black Mica' – all at a cost of $695 each.
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
Ever since the last phase of development, this ute has maintained an understated, urban-friendly appearance.
And, as the top-shelf variant, the SP seems better suited to stylish outings with the family than it is to driving through the scrub.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
The SP package boils down to 18-inch black alloy wheels and Gloss Black everything: sail plane sports bar, side steps, fender flares, roof rails, exterior mirrors, door and tailgate handles.
Other variant-specific standard gear includes a roller tonneau cover (manual operation), and black and terracotta Maztex (faux leather) interior trim, which adds another layer of premium feel to this cabin.
In terms of dimensions, the BT-50 is 5280mm long (with a 3125mm wheelbase), it is 2160mm wide (mirrors out), 1810mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2176kg.
Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 7/10
There’s a nice blend of form and functionality in the SP cabin and it all feels comfortably familiar because, even though Mazda has firmly stamped its own style on the interior, it still feels like a D-Max X-Terrain cabin.
There’s an abundance of red-stitched faux leather and synthetic suede in black and terracotta, which works well in this space, as well as chrome-look edging (around the multimedia screen the vents, the shifter etc), and plenty of durable plastic.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
Controls are easy to locate and operate, and the multimedia screen is simple enough to use but the 9.0-inch screen still tends to catch and reflect glare, which can be distracting.
There are ample storage spaces in the cabin, including cupholders in the centre console, bottle holders in the doors, as well as all the usual spaces in which to place your wallet, keys etc.
There’s a 12-volt socket and a USB port up front.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
The front seats are comfortable and heated. The rear seats are suitably comfortable (for a ute), with room enough for three adults, though perhaps it’s best if at least one of them is a jockey.
Both seat-backs have a map pocket and there is a fold-out shopping-bag hook on the back of the front passenger seat.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
Back-seat passengers have two cupholders in the fold-down centre arm-rest, directional air events, and a USB socket in the back of the centre console.
The back row has two ISOFIX anchor points and two top-tether points.
The tray is 1571mm long at floor height, 1530mm wide (1120mm between the wheel-arches), and 490mm deep. Its load height from the ground is 833mm. The SP’s tray has two tie-down points and a manually-operated roller tonneau cover, which also has to be manually locked.
It has a six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time four-wheel drive system (with high- and low-range gearing), and a lockable rear diff.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
The engine and auto generally work pretty well together, although the whole combination feels a bit underdone. The engine would benefit from more grunt and the transmission is not quite as smooth as it should be.
Driving – What's it like to drive? 7/10
On-road, the updated BT-50 is a smooth drive, and it’s refined inside – though diesel engine clatter still creeps into the cabin, especially when you accelerate hard, but that’s the Isuzu connection – and I don’t mind a bit of noise anyway.
Overall, noise, vibration and harshness levels have been appropriately subdued.
Steering has a consistent weight to it and one which feels right for this ute. Turning circle is a listed 12.5m, so not insubstantial, but this BT-50 never feels too cumbersome to manoeuvre along busy suburban streets or bush tracks.
There’s adequate power and torque on tap, and acceleration is crisp, as long as you’re pushing it hard because this ute is more truck-like than dynamic, but that helps to make it an even-handed, considered driving experience overall.
Front suspension is independent (double wishbones and coil springs), and a live axle and leaf springs at the rear. Ride is firm but generally well sorted, even over chopped-up back-country bitumen.
When it comes to high- and low-range 4WDing, the BT-50 did well, mostly courtesy of the Isuzu mechanicals under the metal.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
The engine became noisy when pushed hard, but otherwise the BT-50 did a good job of bush tracks at speed.
It yielded a comfortable and settled drive along the gravel and dirt tracks that lead to our unofficial 4WD proving ground for this test.
The Mazda’s suspension soaked up most of the shallow ruts, potholes and bumps along the track, but the rear end skipped a little here and there as we traversed harsher lumps and ditches.
It also once again proved quite capable at the low-range 4WDing.
The BT-50 has a listed 240mm of ground clearance, a wading depth of 800mm and approach, departure and ramp-over angles of 27 degrees, 17.9 degrees and 24.3 degrees, respectively. These are not rock-crawling off-road measurements and angles but they check out for a 4WD ute that will spend much of its time on city and suburban streets.
And, even though its power and torque figures are down on what it had when it was based on the five-cylinder Ranger, the D-Max-based BT-50 does fine.
2025 Mazda BT-50 SP
In low-range 4WD and with the rear diff locked, the BT-50 could tackle most challenges, even a steep rocky hill, but it needed plenty of encouragement (i.e. heavy throttle).
Off-road traction control is effective, hill descent control works well, restricting downhill speed to a controlled three to four km/h, and the BT-50 has reasonable wheel travel.
Driver-assist tech (such as rough terrain mode) aimed squarely at improving the off-roading experience is a neat fit in this package. This mode operates like a boosted off-road traction control, and is claimed to kick into action at a point of less wheel-spin than a standard off-road traction control system, transferring torque to the wheels that have the most traction, sooner rather than later.
Like many modern 4WDs straight out of the showroom, the BT-50’s standard tyres – Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684 II (265/60 R18) – are fine for the blacktop and some light-duty off-roading, but you need a decent set of all-terrains. If you plan to anything tougher than those surfaces.
Otherwise, the BT-50 is impressive off-road without being exceptional. It has a tractable engine, good low-range gearing, and a well-calibrated off-road traction control system, now bolstered with rough terrain mode.
Maximum payload is listed as 924kg, Gross Vehicle Mass is 3100kg, and Gross Combined Mass is 6000kg.
For those looking to tow with their ute, the BT-50 has an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg and a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.
Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
On this test I recorded fuel consumption of 9.1L/100km.
The BT-50 has a 76-litre fuel tank, so going by my on-test fuel-use figure you could reasonably expect a theoretical driving range of about 835km.
Your fuel consumption will likely be higher than that, and consequently your driving range will be lower, because all we had onboard were a set of four Maxtrax in a carry bag, a vehicle-recovery kit, a tyre-puncture repair kit, a first-aid kit, an air compressor, and some tools – and my massive ego.
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 7/10
The BT-50 has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, from testing in 2022.
The Mazda BT-50 was already a decent ute with a lot to like about it, but this third-generation variant doesn’t feel as cohesive a package as it does in Isuzu D-Max form.
However, it’s still comfortable, capable and, with a few styling tweaks, Mazda has managed to up the BT-50’s prestige factor without overdoing it.
For me though, it’s the D-Max’s rough charm – underneath the BT-50’s metal – that is this Mazda ute’s most appealing quality.
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