Mazda officially unveiled the third-gen of the BT-50 pickup truck. It comes with a whole lot of changes in and out. The truck follows a whole new design philosophy and feels new on the inside as well. It rides on a new platform and is powered by a whole new engine. The only thing that is carried over from the previous iteration is the name. Will this help Mazda boost sales?

What’s New On The Outside?

This is what Isuzu’s representative said at the Tokyo Auto Show held earlier this year, “This was developed solely by Isuzu, and we have decided to supply or provide this vehicle to Mazda as an OEM. But it was developed purely by us."

Mazda Australia revealed the BT-50 pickup truck via a live stream event. The automaker said that the BT-50 will follow the Kodo design language, which makes it look very similar to the Mazda CX-9.

Up front, the truck now has the simple, elegant face that we see on the other Mazda vehicles as well. There is a chrome applique on the horizontal slats inside the grille as well as the surrounds, which merge into the headlamp clusters. The headlights, as well as the fog lamps, are all LEDs.

There’s nothing to write home about the side profile. There is no mention of the wheel or the tire size, but they look be 18-inchers with high profile tires. The wheel arches are bare and don’t receive black plastic cladding, surprisingly. The wing mirrors and door handles are finished in chrome as well. The derriere actually looks more Isuzu than Mazda. The winged taillights are almost a straight lift-off from the Isuzu D-Max. Overall, it’s a funny mix; Mazda from the front and Isuzu from the back.

2021 Mazda BT-50 exterior dimensions

Are There Any Changes On The Inside?

The seats are well-bolstered and will be in line with the other Mazda cars in terms of comfort and feel. Not a lot is revealed so far, but in the top-trim, the truck will come with a nine-inch touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Mazda has upped the game in the safety department as well. Features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are now offered as standard on all the trims.

What’s New Under The Hood

The new BT-50 now rides on the same platform that also underpins the Isuzu D-Max. Previously, the truck was powered by a Ford-sourced 2.2-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that made 148 horses and 277 pound-feet of torque. You could have it with a manual, as well as an automatic gearbox.

This time around, they’ve plonked in a bigger 3.0-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel mill. It churns out 188 horses and 332 pound-feet of torque. It can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. You can also choose to have it in either a two-wheel-drive layout or an all-wheel-drive configuration. Mazda will also offer a smaller engine in the future for the lower trims.

When compared to the outgoing model, the payload rating sees a drop of 524 pounds (2,872 pounds previously), but the towing capacity is increased by 2,209 pounds (5,511 pounds previously). Depending on your requirement, this could be a hit or a miss.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this truck is a big improvement over the outgoing model. It got better in almost all aspects, except for the payload capacity. The fuel economy ratings are not out, but there could be a slight dip because of the bigger, more powerful mill. The prices are not revealed yet. Given that this is essentially a brand-new truck, we’d expect a significant increase. But, the fact that it is co-developed with Isuzu and the costs are contained, we’re speculating a slight premium over the outgoing model. The BT-50 will be built alongside the Isuzu D-Max at the automaker’s Thailand facility and is expected to go on sale in Australia by the end of the year.

What are your thoughts on the third-gen Mazda BT-50? Share them with us in the comments section below.