2015 Mazda BT-50 Review | XTR Freestyle Outback Test Pt 1- Just How Tough Is This Rig?
The skinny: MAZDA'S BT-50, THE ONE WE'RE TESTING HERE, COMES WITH A GUTSY 3.2 LITRE TURBO-DIESEL, SIX-SPEED MANUAL OR AUTO AND A PROVEN HEAVY DUTY DUAL-RANGE 4X4 SYSTEM DOWN BELOW. Add an immensely robust ladder-chassis, and, in any way you care to look at them, its specs read like a vehicle that's built for a life of hard graft.
Priced mid-pack in the 'commercial 4X4 ute' segment, it costs more than the new Mitsubishi Triton, loosely matches the new HiLux, but offers a reasonable saving against the equivalent Ford Ranger.
Mazda Australia has high hopes for its updated BT-50, now that the pixie eyes and snouty looks of the previous model are gone. It looks tougher, sure, but is it tough enough to take the special kind of hammering only the Australian outback can dish out? That’s what we set out to find out.