14 <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>July</strong> <strong>21</strong> 20<strong>21</strong> Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Now published six times a year, Classic Driver is giving you even more of the exotic and the unique, highlighting old favourites from motoring’s colourful past. Available in all good bookstores & supermarkets classicdriver.co.nz
2013 Volkswagen Tiguan TSi h tp: /kaywa.me/8aVDQ Download the Kaywa Qr Code reader (A p Store &Android market) and scan your code! my Kaywa Qr-Code w.valuecarswarehouse.co.nz CELLULAR See page 5 for more info! 2 h tp: /kaywa.me/8aVDQ Download the Kaywa QR Code Reader (a p Store &android Market) and scan your code! REVERSE CAMERAS My Kaywa QR-Code w.valuecarswarehouse.co.nz PARKING SENSORS 0800 <strong>21</strong>2 777 Ce l 0<strong>21</strong> 855 884 GPS/TRACKING motor vehicle purchase See our ad on page 2 Wednesday <strong>July</strong> <strong>21</strong> 20<strong>21</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News 15 Mazda BT-50 an SUV in disguise I READ recently that Mazda’s new BT-50 pick-up could well be marketed as an alternative sport utility vehicle. Compelled to test that theory, I asked Mazda New Zealand if I could take the double cab utility on a long South Island road trip, leaving the vehicle in secured parking at Bluff while my wife and I took in a couple of days on Stewart Island, one of our favourite holiday destinations. It was an unusual choice of vehicle to travel such a distance in but it was a good choice, it was comfortable on that journey and easily met our needs. The evaluation ute was the base model variant, although it must be said GSX specification is not bare, there are high comfort levels, plenty of specification and enough kit to satisfy. Certainly, during our road trip there was nothing we felt it needed. Sure, there’s just cloth trim, no keyless entry or ignition and no satellite navigation; however, I could easily live without those items, and elsewhere there are all of the ingredients a modern ute owner would be satisfied with. Safety hasn’t been compromised either, all BT-50s get a five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program rating, and for the those who would use the ute as a daily driver it is manageable and enjoyable to drive, I certainly felt at home in it during the 1200km return journey. Regular readers will recall my previous evaluations of the new BT-50, and it is all-new. The Mazda Motor Corporation joined forces with the giant Isuzu conglomerate to develop the latest generation model. It shares many components with the Isuzu D-Max, notably the driveline. The BT-50 here is available in both two and four-wheel-drive, and all have six-speed automatic transmissions. There are six BT- 50 variants starting at $47,490 for the base model (2WD) and ending at $60,990 for Limited specification. The base model four-wheel-drive I took south lists at $54,490, if you do want a few extra goodies but don’t want Limited specification, a mid-spec GTX lists at $58,490 ($51,490, 2WD). Under the bonnet sits Isuzu’s four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. It’s a 3-litre unit and is rated with 140kW and 450Nm. There are no surprises here, this engine has been around for a few years but it has been the subject of a long and steady refinement process. Today, it is smooth and sophisticated, and the areas where power and torque are developed are low in the rev band so it’s a happy low down hauler. During my journey the rev counter was constantly sitting at 1400rpm in CRUISER: High levels of comfort on a highway haul. MAZDA BT-50 GSX: According to the signwriting – five-year fixed price servicing, five-year warranty and five-year roadside assistance . at 100km/h, it is relaxed at that speed and is quiet. It also returns an 8l/100km instantaneous rating (converted from a km/l readout). I took the evaluation car back to the dealership with a 9l/100km combined average usage that fits well with Mazda’s claim of 8l/100km, proving relaxed long distance cruising is beneficial to economy. Our long trip wasn’t the only use I put the evaluation car to, it arrived at a very opportune time. The recent weather bomb that hit Canterbury took its toll on the Kiddie-home. It exposed three sheets of leaky corrugated roofing iron that necessitated a quick repair. Thankfully, a young builder who is familiar with the renovation process on our home came at short notice and he immediately replaced some rusty sections. I used the BT- 50 to dispose of the waste, also taking the opportunity to buy a new locally-manufactured ladder to replace an old one I had been using at home that had become dangerous. It’s these kinds of tasks that make today’s double-cab so versatile, you can throw anything on the deck and yet it still has the family-friendly in-cabin structure that works in the everyday role. While most of our road trip was on the fabulous undulating • Price – Mazda BT-50 GSX, $54,490 • Dimensions – Length, 5280mm; width, 1870mm; height, 1790mm • Configuration – Fourcylinder, four-wheel-drive, 2999cc, 140kW, 450Nm, six-speed automatic • Performance – 0-100km/h, 10.5sec • Fuel usage – 8l/100km roads the South Island has to offer, the few handling challenges were met with dignity and aplomb. The BT-50 has definite steering feel and composure in a corner. It’s fair to say the ladder chassis and rear live axle set-up aren’t conducive to handling prowess, but the BT-50 isn’t awkward, it feels balanced and controlled, which just serves to prove if you have a live rear axle and leaf springs located well then the ride and control in a corner is well organised. That is something the tyre manufactures have also kept in mind over the years, Dunlop has developed its Grandtrek compound to the extent where grip is high and travel is quiet, the big 255/65 x 17in tyres are informative and contribute to the balance and feel of the ute in all conditions. Our road trip was on a mix of wet and dry roads, and never at any point did I feel the BT-50 lacked ability, it feels well attached to the road. Route closures due to the big South Canterbury flooding events meant short distances on broken and unsealed roads, the spring and damper rates of the BT-50 have been chosen so that comfort levels aren’t jeopardised, yet they don’t compromise the load bearing ability of the ute. On that subject, the BT-50 is a genuine one-tonner and has a 3500kg tow rating. My time in the evaluation car was as far from its design role as you could get, however, I was exploring the claim that utes are manufactured for all purposes, and the BT-50 certainly ticked one of the boxes – it’s a genuine open-road traveller that will whisk the family to holiday destinations with ease. If you want a working ute that doubles as family transport for the weekend, don’t be put off with the base model BT-50, it still has the goods. Signwriting on the evaluation car pointed to the after-sale MazdaCare programme – fiveyear fixed price servicing, five-year warranty and five-year roadside assistance. All in all, that makes for a worry-free purchase. has motoring covered! 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