Mazda BT-50 TF Single Cab Automatic (2020-2026)

A mind if it's own – I bought this car, extra cab in May 2022, I put extra suspension 2' lift kit. Hoping to travel around Australia. My first trip was from Parkenham Vic to bundy Qld. It drove like crap, it had a mind of its own, warning lights coming on all the time. It keep telling me my seat belt wasn't on. It has a flat spot when you take off, also not good when… Read more

towing a caravan. (but Mazda know about the flat spot in these vehicles, as they told me when I asked about it.) It would brake for me which is not the best when towing a caravan. It just doesn't have the power to tow a 2.5t caravan going up a hill, (not a very steep hill at that) sitting under 75kph, a 3lt diesel you have to be kidding me. Being an auto you have to Manuel shift as it revs it's tits off. When I got back after 4450klms I used 1 liter of oil. This is a brand new car off the show room floor 1 lt of oil in the first 4000 k's . The service Centre has no idea why it would use oil.? They changed the oil new filter, measured what was taken out and put in. It's now at 10000ks and I've used half a liter, no smoke, no leaks. I called my car Christine, as it has a mind of its own. Not going to lie, it's not the best car I have every own. If I could give it back I would in a heart beat.

Not so impressed – Technology is overwhelming in city driving Turns itself off when required such as extreme weather or loads in tray , 20 bags of concrete will disable Other than that its not a bad workhorse Show details

Mazda had the chance of being a clear leader in the light 4WD market, but blew it with the 2021 BT50 – After 10,000kms of on and off-road driving the 2021 Mazda BT50 crew cab 4WD in the last 7 months, my opinions regarding the vehicle's 'pros' in my first review have largely remained. However, in regard to the 'cons'; my opinion has significantly shifted more to the negative side in 2 areas: The tech: Is an absolute pain when 4W driving in the… Read more

offload (fire trail) environment; especially when the vehicle is stopped and started as regularly as I do in the bush. The tech continually and annoyingly 'sees' and warns 'breaking' when it detects small bushes, logs, rollover drains, rising ground and splashed water during shallow creek crossings. On narrow, vegetation lined 4WD trails, the tech 'goes-off' incessantly. Most, not all of the tech can be turned off but to do this it will require a time consuming reset every time the vehicle is restarted. Obviously, Mazda have not thought this through at all and have just installed on-road tech into an off-road 4WD vehicle without thinking about its operating environment. On-road, with the sensitive lane assist tech on, the light, electric powered steering is continually and unervingly assisting the driver to 'lane-keep', even when 'apexing' corners and merging across white lines. It is bearable on expressways, but not so great on our narrower back roads. The 76l fuel tank: May be OK for the Tradie working around town or the family doing the occasional weekend camp, but for long-distance, remote touring the BT50s 76l fuel tank is totally inadequate, requiring a couple of jerry cans (at least) to be carried or another $1,500-$1,700 spent on a long range, after market fuel tank, which is what I will probably do. As stated in my previous review, The 2021 BT50 crew cab 4WD is love/hate type vehicle that has some great attributes and could be a market leader in that 4WD sector, especially now it is powered with the strong 3l Isuzu engine.

The 2021 BT50 - A capable 4WD somewhat compromised by its own tech – After 5,000kms with 30% of this on fire trails, I have generally found the 2021 4WD BT50 equipped with the new 3L Izuzu turbo diesel to be a capable and comfortable vehicle on and off road; a summary based on 40 years of professional 4W Driving heavy and light 4 and multi-wheel drive vehicles. Unfortunately, the BT50s own radar tech (front and… Read more

back) compromises one of its purposes (off-road 4WD use). The auto brake warning/system activates when it sees rising ground such as roll-over drains, bushes hanging partly across the track, water splashing off the wheels during shallow water crossings and/or, logs encroaching the radar's line of sight on the trail. On road, the auto headlight low beam activates from high beam when the stereo cameras detect the reflection of street signs. This function is very active when the vehicle is fitted with driving lights. The lane departure prevention warning tech is very unnerving as it physically corrects and forces the electric steering. The latter is particularly unnerving as it will not allow the 'apexing' of corners on-road when the stereo cameras detect the white lines. I understand all (most) of these functions can be deactivated but will reset when the BT50 is stopped and restarted, except for the auto headlight dipping function, which is very annoying as it involves going through the vehicle's menu default selection process before moving off. For BT50 owners who do a lot of off-road work and stop and start a lot, the existing tech on this vehicle will prove to be a pain in the backside unless it is re-configured for off-road 4WD use. The Isuzu 3L diesel is one of the best aspects of the vehicle. It gets between 9.3 and 10.2 l/100km, performs well on and off the road, has a huge amount of torque down low and appears to be well matched to the Isuzu 6 speed auto gearbox. In summary; The 2021 BT50 4WD is a good vehicle and the tech in question does not present serious vehicle performance or safety issues. However, the BT50 has the potential off being a great on and off road vehicle if it was not compromised, in part by its own, on-road biased tech.