Yes, Mazda’s promoting a van. No, in North America. But in other parts of the world, the Mazda BT-50 has long worked to offer a more sublime edition of the faithful, because our friends like to call the vans.
Now, the Japanese logo with expanding premium ambitions has revealed the new BT-50 and is making big changes. To be clear, Mazda never designed or built the BT-50. Instead, it has been a vast badge engineering game, which Mazda has played with Ford for decades. Years ago, Mazda made the decision to compose tactics with Ford for the next BT-50, shown here, and instead chose Isuzu as its new component.
In the end, it’s an Isuzu D-Max van, which isn’t sold in the United States either. However, Mazda has given the van a great taste with its distinctive Kodo design language at the front and center. The front clip is almost equal to a CX-5, while its Isuzu roots look a little further back.
Inside too, there is a lot of Isuzu, with an information and entertainment configuration that is unlike any other Mazda vehicle. But the automaker has worked to appropriate the interior, and there are some subtleties that Isuzu buyers might not find: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Wireless are the main ones. Some thinner fabrics for the interior are also washed on the panels, and there is a guide wheel with Mazda specifications that makes things more zoom-zoom than the D-Max.
Under the look of Mazda, it’s all Isuzu, all the time. A 3.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged four-cylinder diesel delivers 188 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. The numbers are lower than outgoing Ford pickup, but Mazda said drivers would get a greater fuel economy. A six-speed manual or automatic transmission is available, as is all-wheel drive. The diesel engine will allow owners to place 2,348 pounds of payload in bed and tow up to 7,716 pounds.
We don’t have local costs yet, however, the BT-50 will arrive at Australia’s showrooms until the end of this year. And Mazda surely gave no indication that this would happen in our component of the world, the Japanese manufacturer told Roadshow that he was looking to hear what we thought.
“We are delighted that those regions are receiving the new BT-50, which showcases Mazda’s rugged design, remarkable driving dynamics and application function,” Mazda said in a statement. “While we haven’t announced the long-term availability of the BT-50 pickup truck in the United States, we’d like to hear what our enthusiasts think here. We’re listening.”
This was originally published in Roadshow.
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