The first instalment of our latest long-term vehicle gets straight into the action with the top-spec Mazda BT-50.
We picked up the next entrant into our Drive long-term garage: a 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder.
Perhaps it’s because we’ve come out of a long period of reduced travel and harder lockdowns, but the Christmas break worked out to be an endless string of family visits. You know, those ones you hadn’t seen for nearly two years.
As such, we managed to pile thousands of kilometres onto the BT-50 Thunder before 2022 even kicked off.
| Key details | 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder |
| Price | $70,990 drive-away |
| Colour of test car | Concrete grey mica |
| Options | None |
| Price as tested | $70,990 drive-away |
| Rivals | Isuzu D-Max | Toyota HiLux | Ford Ranger |
And on those fine-weather days we had without any work to worry about, we did stuff. Days on the beaches of Port Stephens in low-range, cruising the pine forests of the Southern Highlands looking for mushrooms, and doing location recces for upcoming Drive Car of the Year testing.
No inner-city gridlock and congested carparks for testing a 5.5m turbo-diesel four-wheel drive, then. Perfect.
Thunder specification represents the pinnacle of the BT-50 range priced at $70,990 drive-away. Based upon a top-specification BT-50 GT, we score black 18-inch alloy wheels, a hoopless bullbar with Lightforce light bar, fender flares and an integrated bash plate underneath.
The sports bar gets snazzed up, along with an electric roller cover over the tub. And there’s also a set of plastic side steps.
This comes atop a usual array of top-spec delights like electric leather seats (heated up front). Mazda has rolled out changes for the 2022 BT-50, adding new XS and SP base and top models, but the Thunder carries on unchanged, apart from the addition of single-button easy access to switch off the lane assist.
| At a glance | 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder |
| Warranty | Five-year/unlimited-kilometre |
| Service intervals | 12 months/15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1493 (3yrs) | $2307 (5yrs) |
Our introductory taste of the BT-50 felt quite all-encompassing over the Christmas break. And so, here are some first impressions.
The electric roller cover is a great addition to a ute that errs on the side of lifestyle usage. It keeps your gear out of the weather and away from prying eyes, turning it essentially into a massive boot.
However, it’s not without its problems. I don’t mind the space that the roller cover cassette takes up against the headboard. You’ve still got all of the floor space and you can (generally) pack around it.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.0L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.6L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 76L |
Our stuff did stay nice and dry inside the tub after rain, but opening the cover with standing water does induce a small waterfall as the water collects and overflows.
The biggest annoyance for me with the tub is the lack of central locking on the tailgate. It’s frustrating to lock the entire car with one button – including the roller cover – but having to eject the key from the key fob and manually lock the back as if it’s 1992 isn’t great.
A central-locking tailgate is available as an option at $390, but I reckon it should be standard. Imagine if this were an SUV?
There is also something to be said about the hoopless bullbar up front. It looks a bit odd as it misses integration with the fender flares; something made worse by Mazda not adjusting wheel size or offset to suit. I reckon some slightly taller tyres, with around 30mm of additional negative offset, would do wonders.
And we’d love it to have winch compatibility for those keen to load up with more serious off-road kit. Considering one can already feel the weight of the bullbar on the front of the BT-50, we reckon you’d need to factor in a bit of suspension work to include a winch.
The BT-50 handled the sometimes soft sand of our day on the beach nicely, with the tyres aired down appropriately and loaded up with gear for the day. I didn’t need to call on the locking rear differential – it just putted along happily in low-range without a drama.
| Key details | 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder |
| Engine | 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel |
| Power | 140kW @ 3600rpm |
| Torque | 450Nm @ 1600-2600rpm |
| Drive type | Part-time 4×4, low-range transfer case |
| Transmission | Six-speed torque convertor automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 63.3kW/t |
| Weight | 2213kg |
| Tow rating | 3500kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 12.5m |
And we did some light-duty off-roading through the bush in a vain attempt to find some Lactarius deliciosus amongst the swathes of state-owned pine trees after a good dose of rain. Too early in the season, unfortunately.
On the longer highway runs, the BT-50 was both comfortable and efficient. We saw an average of around 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres after a few hours of highway driving. The air-conditioning was powerful enough to knock out the heat on those hot days, and general refinement and ride comfort felt quite good for a four-wheel-drive ute.
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Baby seats fit into the second row well, although the top-tether points feel a little bit fiddly -
The BT-50 Thunder loaded up with Christmas gifts -
We drove from the Lower Blue Mountains (home) to the Southern Highlands, up to the Hunter Valley and back home over a course of a week without any complaint.
The 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine doesn’t win on-paper bragging rights with 140kW and 450Nm, but has plenty enough punch for daily driver usage. And it’s well-matched by the smooth and predictable six-speed automatic gearbox.
It’s not perfect, however, and I noticed the blind-spot collision mitigation technology getting a bit heavy-handed when it didn’t need to. Sometimes it mistook concrete barriers for cars in my blind spot, and got cranky when – I thought, at least – there was plenty of space.
Some other elements for the buyer to consider: service intervals are set at every 12 months or 15,000km, with five years of dealership maintenance set at $2315. That’s joined by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
We’ve gotten through a few tanks of fuel already in the BT-50, but it’s just a first taste. Having a four-wheel-drive ute is handy, and the ability to head into the bush at a whim is often too enticing to pass up. We’ll get the Mazda into the hands of some of the others in the office as well.
As always is the case, let us know any specific questions while we have the car, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Hopefully those mushrooms come back in early …
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