Next Mazda BT-50 is finally unveiled

azda has finally whipped the covers off its new BT-50, giving the bakkie its first full redesign in almost a decade.

While the outgoing BT-50 shares much with the Ford Ranger, this thirdgeneration model is based on Isuzu’s new D-Max (the latter is scheduled to start rolling off the Port Elizabeth assembly line only in the second half of 2021, although production in Thailand has already started).

Mazda officially says the ‘all-new BT50 is supplied by Isuzu Motor Limited on an OEM basis’.

Like the D-Max on which it’s based, the flagship double-cab variant of the new BT-50 is powered by Isuzu’s 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which delivers 140kW at 3 600rpm and 450Nm from 1 600 to 2 600rpm (that’s a little down on the outgoing 3.2-litre cylinder’s 147kW and 470Nm).

Fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission, this 4x4 range-topper boasts a maximum payload of 1 065kg and a braked towing capacity of 3 500kg.

It will be available with a locking rear differential, low-range gearing and an 800mm wading depth.

As for the new BT-50’s design, there are certainly shades of the CX-9 in the new bakkie’s front end, with Mazda describing it as expressing a combination of ‘power, toughness and utilitarian functionality’.

The tail lights, meanwhile, are of a more conventional design than those of its predecessor.

Inside, the new BT-50 predictably shares much with the latest D-Max, including its nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The new bakkie also offers a rake- and reach-adjustable steering column.