Mazda BT-50 2007 Review

Smarter than ever, with more comfort and convenience, the new mob of dual cabs are finding ground as family wagon and family four-wheel drive substitutes. Today's four-door utes are just as handy for camping trips as for day-to-day load carrying and highway hauls.

And without the garish 4 x 4 decal down the tail of this top-of-the-tree Mazda BT-50 SDX, not many would understand this handsome little bloke has decent four-wheel drive ability — along with that load carrying ability and passenger-carrying comforts.

This latest crop, at least in the higher specs, look like a fancy (albeit practical) ute without attracting the attention of the anti-4WD brigade.

This 2007 Mazda range is not all-new, unlike HiLux, Navara and Triton rivals. Rather the BT-50 is a big revamp of the B-Series range, using the same chassis and reworked body.

All new this time around are engines, transmissions and styling which is good and not-so-good.

The good includes the 3-litre turbo diesel engine, producing 115kW and 380Nm of torque from a low 1800rpm. Steering, ride and handling are better. Payloads are up. And the reworked cabin is brighter.

But where the rivals have all-new, bigger and wider bodies, Mazda's revamp leaves a smaller, more confined cabin.

There is not the shoulder room across the front, there is not the shoulder nor leg room in rear for five adults; compared with the HiLux, Triton or Navara. And the attempt to give the styleside tray a little more styling bulk looks a little tacked-on.

Yet the Mazda is not out of the game. It has one of the biggest of dual cab styleside trays, the pricing is right, the build is good and the BT-50 a more refined machine than its predecessor. This Mazda is again an honest machine, this time with fresh appeal.

The restyle cannot disguise the old cabin size but there is a fair job of making the BT-50 look bigger and bolder. There is some extra chrome touches for door handles, mirrors and across the bigger grille.

The best of the rework is inside. Here the Mazda folk have given the ute a car-like interior, bright and usable, with a two-tone colour scheme and silver-finish accents the highlights.

A modular audio unit, with all the bells and whistles on the SDX model, sits pretty in the centre of the dashboard. It adds to the more modern airs of the BT-50. There are dual airbags, more storage spots plus electrics for mirrors and windows.

Front seats are comfortable, if perhaps a little high for some drivers.

It is a quiet cabin, much more refined and, while there remains a deal of sensible plastic, much more car-like.

But there remains that under-dash handbrake lever, awkward for many in town or country. Centre-mounted handbrake levers are that much easier to use when halfway up, or down, a steep slope — especially on a dirt track.

The rest of it works very well, easy and firm controls, all very sensible. The new instrumentation panel is pretty flash.

The new diesel is a charmer from the get-go, sounds straight up as if it wants to work until the cows come home.

It is quiet and, once off the line, quite quick. Best of all is this motor's flexibility, whether heading up the highway or across the paddock.

Slotted into fifth, it cruises at 100km/h for a lazy 2000rpm.

From here the Mazda is happy to drop back to 80km/h without stress and then accelerate past the 110 km/h mark without a complaint or gear change.

All this town and highway work, over 500km, for 8.5 litres per 100km which bettered the factory figures of 9.2 litres per 100km.

And later, across the creeks and the paddocks, the BT-50 shows it is a fair farm truck. Here it crawls with the best of them and has decent clearance and visibility for four-wheel drive work.

First-low is OK for the slow work; this manual version has the traditional stick for shifting from two to four-wheel drive.

The Mazda handles the big off-road holes and bumps with comfort although dirt road ride can be a bit lumpy — and there's a little forward-aft pitch — when there's no load out back.

While out back, there are just the four tie-down hooks in the tray and a decent load area coming in at 1530mm long and 1456mm wide.

The Mazda dual cab handles, steers and brakes pretty well for a ute although those all-new rivals (HiLux, Triton and Navara) with wider tracks and long wheelbases may offer a touch more in driving dynamics.

And others may offer more in bits and pieces — such as Nissan's six-speed manual or rear power window on the Triton.

But the Mazda stands up for itself with keen pricing across the range.

The Mazda BT-50 is an honest worker with enough charm and capability to suit family or farmer.