TO AN OUTSIDER, the jumping in and out of bed between car companies must make it look like it’s the ’70s all over again, with swingers’ night in the suburbs in full flight, and house keys piled high in the bowl. Consider Mazda and Ford; they were hot in the cot together for the PK Ranger/BT-50. But that was last time; now Mazda and Isuzu have been getting all steamy for the third-gen D-Max and new BT-50.
It’s surely exhausting, but these are the tech- and development-sharing partnerships that are inescapable in the capital-intensive auto industry.
But rather than a co-development between Mazda and Isuzu, the new BT-50 is purely a reskin of the new D-Max, with zero Mazda input in terms of mechanicals or even suspension tune. So the core question is: has Mazda made the right call by dropping its Rangerbased ute in favour of Isuzu?
Well, if you start by comparing the basic engine specs, it appears the BT-50 has actually gone backwards. The Fordsupplied five-cylinder turbo-diesel from the outgoing model boasted an extra cylinder, 200cc more capacity, as well as 7kW and 20Nm higher outputs than the revamped Isuzu engine Mazda inherits with this new generation. Only the ADR consumption moves in a positive direction, dropping from 10L/100km for the outgoing five-pot to 7.7 for Mazda’s new (Isuzu) engine.
Out tester was a manual XT 4x4, priced at $49,360. First impressions suggest that spending the extra $2500 Mazda charges for the six-speed auto is probably money well spent. Around town, the clutch action is light and positive, but long, notchy throws of the manual start to wear thin.
PLUS MINUS
Safety; driver assistance; connectivity; robust vibe
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LOUNGE LIZARD
THE BOLD DS AERO SPORT LOUNGE IS THE SHAPE – AND WHAT A SHAPE! – OF DS CARS TO COME. BUT CAN IT COME SOON ENOUGH FOR THE SLOW-SELLING FRENCH BRAND?
Aussie Corvette names its price
FOR NOT MUCH MORE THAN CAYMAN S MONEY, AMERICA’S MID-ENGINED V8 HERO IS ON ITS WAY. AND IT’S JUST THE START, WITH MORE US METAL SET TO HEAD DOWN UNDER IN 2021
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
THE CAR COLLECTION OF McLAREN RACING CEO ZAK BROWN IS ABSOLUTELY JAW-DROPPING, AND IT’S KEPT IN THE SAME BASE AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-RISING RACE TEAMS
DREAM FACTORY
PORSCHE RELEASED 15 CONCEPTS OUT OF NOWHERE – DESIGN BOSS MICHAEL MAUER TELLS US WHY
Drives FIRST
THE NEW MENTAL THAT MATTERS, TRIALLED AND TESTED
Send in a hero
AS WE CLOSE THE DOOR ON SURELY THE WORST YEAR IN MEMORY, WE NEEDED A FAST, FOCUSED AND AFFORDABLE PERFORMANCE CAR TO HELP SAVE THE WORLD. TOYOTA HAS DELIVERED
HOLDEN VE Commodore SS/SS-V
THE WORLD WAS ITS OYSTER UNTIL THE GFC FOULED GM’S PLANS, BUT YOU CAN STILL OWN A BILLION-DOLLAR CLASSIC
A final advance from the rear
AS THE CLOCK TICKS DOWN ON AUDI’S HALO SUPERCAR, WE TAKE A BLAST IN THE HARDCORE REAR-DRIVER TO GIVE IT THE SEND OFF IT DESERVES, AND PROBE THE QUESTION: WHERE TO FROM HERE?
EV Tech Gives Old Classics New Lease On Life
Prepare for the rise of the ‘ecrate’ conversion, where an old clunker can be transformed into a zero-emissions, near-silent 800nm weapon
Australia Lacking EV Leadership, Says Car Industry
FCAI and car companies challenge federal and state governments to get serious about delivering cohesive national policy supporting electric vehicles
UNPRECEDENTED CONSTRUCTION
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing’s Huntsville, Ala. assembly plant overcomes multiple challenges to build safely and environmentally responsibly..
F-35B LIGHTNING II SEMPER FI
The JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) program is synonymous with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which ultimately won the competition against Boeing and its X-32. The JSF plan was to have a similar new fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy and U.S. allies: Build a bunch and keep the price tag down. It has been a success story since then.
MAZDA NO. 1 IN CONSUMER REPORTS 2020 AUTO RELIABILITY SURVEY
Mazda beat traditional winners Lexus and Toyota to win top honors as the most dependable auto brand in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey.
MT GARAGE
Updates on our long-term fleet
OttOmobile Honda S2000 Type S
Sharper Edged Club Racing Roadster
SPLIT DECISION
NOT EVERY AUTOMAKER CAN CREATE LUXURY ON A BUDGET
BACK FOR MORE
MAZDA DEFENDS ITS LUXURY-CHALLENGE CROWN AGAINST A NEW FOE
KILLER FOUR-CYLINDER
BROWN’S DIESEL’S CRAZY 740-HP 4BT ‘32 FORD
Craven Moorehead
MAY I SEND YOU A MESSAGE?
Craven Moorehead: MAY I SEND YOU A MESSAGE?
With all the recent activity in my life, it becomes unusually difficult for me to enjoy just hanging out or being my usual rotten self. I have been constantly reminded of my degenerate lifestyle and lack of reasonable income, plus the fact that no matter what I do, some kind of crap comes up that prevents my happiness and success. Well, not really. I mean, it could be worse - much worse.