Urban redneck / Mazda test drives

The Russian representative office of Mazda chose the suburban resort in Pirogovo to introduce the new model to journalists. For the test, we were provided with improvised off-road obstacles and six BT-50 pickups – this was the first batch to arrive in the country.

You immediately notice the fresh exterior of the Double Cab, which comfortably accommodates five people (Regular and Freestyle Cab versions are not available for our market). The second obvious change is that the build quality has become noticeably better.

Compared to its predecessor, the body has been lengthened by 70 mm, the doors are 30 mm higher, and the sides of the cargo platform have grown by 60 mm. The front end is now solid: the radiator grille with massive slats and a large logo, bumper, headlights, and fog lights are combined into a single composition. Together with 16-inch alloy wheels, widened wheel arches, side steps, chrome handles and mirrors, as well as an external compartment with a folding side, this creates the image of a solid and fit vehicle. The gaps between body panels have become much smaller – almost like on passenger cars. Inside, there is also a visible effort to approach the level of Mazda sedans. Comfortable seats, a neat instrument panel with three dials, a silver central console with an audio system and three climate control knobs, air vents with trim, gearshift and transfer case levers – everything is in the spirit of Zoom-Zoom. You sit as in a passenger car. True, the steering wheel is not adjustable for reach, but the desired position is found without problems.

Under the hood of the BT-50 is a new 2.5-liter 16-valve MZR-CD turbodiesel with common rail system, two camshafts, intercooler, and variable geometry turbocharger. Output – 143 hp and 330 Nm of torque.

By making the BT-50 as similar as possible to passenger models in quality and comfort, Mazda has not sacrificed its off-road talents. It is still a true body-on-frame four-wheel drive. The 5-speed manual works with a reinforced transfer case, allowing driving in rear-wheel drive mode, with a plug-in front axle (including a hard lock of the center differential), or with a partial lock in the rear axle – a self-locking limited-slip differential. The serious arsenal is complemented by the suspension: torsion bars with A-arms at the front and a solid axle on leaf springs at the rear. On asphalt, such a chassis is unlikely to please, but for off-road it is optimal.

On hard surfaces, it was not possible to evaluate the car this time, but I got an idea of its off-road capability. The route near the Klyazma reservoir could hardly be called off-road. It is easy to understand the organizers – no one wants to drown fresh pickups in a swamp or drive them through ditches. But on sandy virgin soil, we had plenty of fun. With the low range engaged, the BT-50 confidently conquers sandy dunes, climbs uphill when only the sky is visible through the windshield, and calmly crosses log bridges and seesaws. All you have to do is turn the steering wheel – a full four turns from lock to lock!

One of the exercises turned out to be serious – a wooden ramp with a slope of about 30 degrees. On it, you could hang the car diagonally, stop, and try to start again. I managed, although not immediately. When the car is hanging on two wheels and you press the gas, the rear axle lock does not engage instantly – the wheel manages to make several revolutions. In my opinion, on less stable surfaces, this could be critical. Moreover, the lock is not full (up to 45%), this is a compromise: at 100%, understeer would become too pronounced, and the car would simply plow.

Despite this nuance, the BT-50 is an example of a true off-road vehicle. Such off-road charisma, combined with a high-quality and comfortable interior, a spacious body, low noise levels, and quite acceptable comfort for five in a diesel four-wheel drive, is priced from $24,000 to $30,000. The direct competitor is the Mitsubishi L200; there are no other full-fledged off-road vehicles not of Russian production that can drive normally in the city in this price segment.

PRICES AND TRIM LEVELS
All Mazda BT-50s are equipped with a 2.5-liter turbodiesel (143 hp) and a 5-speed manual with low range, hard center lock, and rear limited-slip differential. Trim levels – Direct (EBR), Touring (EBS and l01), and Active (l02). The price range is from $23,490 to $30,300.