Selwyn_Times: September 13, 2023
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38 <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Wednesday <strong>September</strong> <strong>13</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
Does Mazda’s 1.9-litre diesel turbo deliver?<br />
MAZDA IS hoping for an uplift<br />
in buyer interest in two of the<br />
most affordable versions of its<br />
BT-50 Ute, as it feels the sales<br />
heat from a host fresh faced rivals<br />
including the latest Ford Ranger.<br />
Their response to this challenge<br />
is a new 1.9 litre turbo-diesel<br />
motor for its price leading 2WD<br />
GSX and GTX double cabs, the<br />
only body style offered here.<br />
Can this motor, with its modest<br />
engine capacity and power<br />
output, add more spring to the<br />
BT50’s sales step, which has been<br />
a bit flat footed of late?<br />
Let’s refresh your memory,<br />
after all the latest BT50 has been<br />
around since early 2021. Apart<br />
from cosmetic differences, it is a<br />
rebadged Isuzu D-Max. The two<br />
companies signed up to a model<br />
sharing arrangement, once<br />
they parted company with their<br />
previous model share partners<br />
Ford and Holden.<br />
Offering a 1.9 litre turbo diesel<br />
gives the BT50 a major point of<br />
difference over its rivals with<br />
its low CO2 output of 205g/km.<br />
Mazda claim it’s the lowest CO2<br />
figure of any diesel double cab<br />
Ute on our market. This means it<br />
attracts a lower government clean<br />
car fee than most of it rivals.<br />
Many of them are feeling the<br />
pain of higher fees that came into<br />
Motoring with Bob Nettleton<br />
force on 1 July, adding in many<br />
instances anywhere between $5-<br />
6k to the price of some models.<br />
That’s a real affordability body<br />
blow for several Utes compared<br />
to the fee they faced pre-1 July.<br />
There was the expected mad<br />
scramble, as people raced to<br />
register their new Ute to head-off<br />
the heftier fees now at play in<br />
our diesel Ute arena. This has<br />
distorted the market to some<br />
degree by dragging forward<br />
by months thousand of new<br />
Ute sales. These will lose some<br />
momentum between now and the<br />
end of the year as our economy<br />
continues to slow.<br />
When it comes to clean car<br />
fees the 1.9 litre motor saves a<br />
fair wad of your hard earned<br />
cash compared to the 3.0 litre<br />
turbo diesel in its AWD sibling.<br />
The smaller 1.9 litre power plant<br />
incurs a $1,868 fee, which is<br />
$3,767 less than what you will be<br />
hit with for the 3.0 litre engine<br />
found in the AWD BT50.<br />
This new smaller motor<br />
capacity is exclusive to the price<br />
leading GSX and mid-spec GTX<br />
2WD. The GSX supplied for this<br />
road test heads the BT50’s value<br />
for money charge at $48,740<br />
plus the clean car fee with the<br />
more generously appointed<br />
GTX retailing for $52,740. A<br />
decent deal sweetener is a 5<br />
year/150,000km new vehicle<br />
warranty and $250 fixed price<br />
servicing for the same period and<br />
distance. A freebie lobbed in for<br />
good measure, is unlimited km<br />
5-year Mazda On-Call Roadside<br />
Assistance.<br />
This frugal four-cylinder<br />
turbo diesel is feisty enough with<br />
110kW of power and 350Nm of<br />
torque. The latter is about 100nm<br />
down on the larger 3.0-litre put<br />
to work in AWD BT50’s. Despite<br />
less power and torque its towing<br />
capabilities are only marginally<br />
down on these models at 3,000kg<br />
braked or 750kg unbraked.<br />
Maximum payload increases to<br />
1150kg for the 2WD GSX and<br />
1,<strong>13</strong>0kg for the GTX.<br />
The Isuzu sourced 1.9-litre<br />
is widely used in BT50 and<br />
D-Max models sold in Southeast<br />
Asian markets, including<br />
Thailand where both models<br />
are produced. It’s a tough wee<br />
motor, yet unexpectedly smooth<br />
and refined. Acceleration from<br />
standing starts and in-gear is<br />
brisk, but you are always aware<br />
that with its modest engine<br />
“It’s a tough wee motor, yet unexpectedly<br />
smooth and refined.”<br />
capacity, it has to work harder<br />
for the same results delivered by<br />
the larger diesels powering in<br />
its competitors. Enabling it to<br />
punch above its weight is a smart<br />
six-speed automatic well versed<br />
in selecting the right gear at the<br />
right time.<br />
A generously proportioned<br />
cabin has plenty of front and<br />
rear legroom, while the seats<br />
are supportive and comfy. The<br />
instruments and controls for key<br />
functions such as lights, wipers<br />
and indicators are easy to operate<br />
and read.<br />
Visibility from the elevated<br />
seating position is hard to fault<br />
and for a long vehicle this one<br />
proved easier to park than I<br />
thought it would be. An excellent<br />
reversing camera and its parking<br />
guides make squeezing in and<br />
out of tight parks a drama free<br />
exercise. For a price-driven<br />
model the GSX lacks for little in<br />
the way of features and driver<br />
creature comforts. A touch<br />
screen infotainment system<br />
supports both Apple CarPlay<br />
and Android Auto, with a multiinformation<br />
display providing<br />
key driving information are<br />
standard.<br />
All BT-50’s have a 5-Star<br />
ANCAP Safety Rating under a<br />
more demanding testing regime<br />
introduced in 2022. This is the<br />
first BT50 fitted with a driver<br />
knee airbag and a driver’s farside<br />
air bag. Anti-whiplash front<br />
seats reduce the severity of neck<br />
injuries in a rear end impact.<br />
There’s greater pedestrian<br />
protection from a more human<br />
friendly bonnet designed to<br />
reduce injury in a crash.<br />
This model adds more pages to<br />
the BT50 safety success story led<br />
by a host of class-leading active<br />
safety technologies to help keep<br />
the driver out of trouble. These<br />
include Autonomous Emergency<br />
Braking with Pedestrian/Cyclist<br />
Detection, Adaptive Cruise<br />
Control, Blind Spot Monitoring,<br />
and Lane Departure Warning.<br />
The delicate balance between<br />
ride comfort and road holding is<br />
right on the mark and as good as<br />
you will find among the current<br />
crop of Utes. This has been<br />
achieved without compromising<br />
the vehicles durability and<br />
strength, with the GSX offering<br />
plenty of both. With the BT-50<br />
you get as standard class leading<br />
suspension refinement, although<br />
the firmer rear spring settings<br />
make its low-speed ride over<br />
uneven surfaces fidgety.<br />
The test Ute cornered<br />
confidently, with the experience<br />
made more enjoyable by well<br />
weighted and communicative<br />
steering.<br />
Rating out of 10: Performance 6; Handling 7;<br />
Build Quality 7; Comfort 7; Space 7; Styling 6; Test<br />
consumption 7.8L/100km; Value for money 6; Safety –<br />
5-star ANCAP crash rating.<br />
Overall points out of 10: 6.5<br />
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