Something is amiss
Mark Smyth is scratching his head as to why the Mazda BT-50 is so different to its Ford stablemate
IT SEEMS we have been waiting an absolute age for the latest generation of the Mazda BT-50, although perhaps still not as long as one of its key rivals, the Isuzu KB. Apart from it being on display at motor shows, the first time I saw it was last year in Parys when the Mazda Wildlife Fund already had them.
Since then Ford has launched the new Ranger, which shares the same architecture and many of the components and which many of my colleagues have hailed as the best bakkie on the market. I had only a very limited time with it when it was on test with us, but given the praise being heaped on the blue oval version, I found the new BT-50 to be nothing short of disappointing.
I obviously had to check and found that the chassis, gearbox and engine are all identical, so why then does the BT-50 drive so badly? It has what should be a sweet 3.2l turbo diesel, but instead it is just lethargic. The six-speed auto box too is rather lacklustre, something which may be improved by opting for the manual instead.
However it is the way that it bounces and vibrates like an old Massey Ferguson tractor that I found most alarming. This was most pronounced at idle when I found myself feeling almost seasick, but on the road it felt as though the handbrake was still on, which it wasn’t. There was this feeling through the vehicle that something kept trying to pull it back, or at least to temper its progress somewhat.
This may be completely normal, but given my well documented love of the TDCi drivetrain of the previous Ranger and BT-50, the new model is simply no comparison. In days gone by I would have said that it would probably be improved by adding a load on the back, but in this day and age this should not be necessary. What makes it worse is that the Mazda is supposed to be the more lifestyle-oriented model of the two, so this uncomfortable drive is even more surprising.
Could it be that I was driving a dud? Well, I spoke with a few colleagues in the industry and they said the same so something is amiss.
All of this is something of a letdown, because the latest BT-50 has a great deal to offer. Its styling may not be to everyone’s taste, and personally I prefer the design of the Ranger, but it is different in the same vein as the Mitsubishi Triton. It also has plenty of presence, due in no small part to its size. The interior is comfortable and extremely well equipped, particularly in the range topper that we had on test. It boasts leather seats, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, electric windows and a whole lot more. You also have the ability to shift from two- to four-wheel drive on the fly and it has low range as well as a rear differential lock, so it should have all that the average adventurer will need to get out there on the weekends.
Unfortunately though, it is just not nice to drive, making all the nice luxuries and car-like interior something of a moot point. In the end I parked it and jumped in a little hatchback, which while I could not get a load of adventure gear in the back of, had me feeling far more relaxed.