Popular ute could drop legendary engine: 2025 Mazda BT-50 facelift revealed in Thailand with new 2.2-litre diesel from Isuzu D-Max to target Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Kia Tasman

Mazda revealed a facelift BT-50 at the Thailand Motor Expo, but there’s a twist.

Like the Thai-market Isuzu D-Max, the BT-50 is now ailable with a new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder in its country of manufacture.

Based on the smaller 1.9-litre ‘R4ZE-TC’, the new ‘RZ4F’ is a way of upping punch compared to the base engine while lowering emissions. An Australian arrival of the new engine is yet to be confirmed, but CarsGuide understands it is likely in the D-Max relation.

The facelifted Mazda BT-50 picks up the 2.2-litre engine alongside the existing 1.9 and 3.0-litre as options. It sits in the middle for outputs, with 120kW and 400Nm putting it 10kW and 50Nm more than the smaller motor and 20kW/50Nm shy of the big-block.

Helping efficiency and performance is a new eight-speed automatic transmission for the 2.2-litre. It is not clear if the new engine is paired with a locking centre or a differential, as in certain trims of BT-50 powered by the legendary ‘4JJ3-TCX’ 3.0-litre.

The new engine is a response to emissions regulations in Thailand. It just so happens Australia is also about to cap emissions with the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) coming in next year.

In Australia, this limits the amount of carbon dioxide a manufacturer can produce across its fleet of models. Light commercial vehicles such as utes have higher targets, starting at 210g/km of carbon dioxide in 2025, dropping to 180g/km in 2026 with fines for exceeding.

In the Mazda’s BT-50’s case, the 3.0-litre engine paired with a 4x4 powertrain emits 207 grams of CO2 per kilometre, while the 1.9 manages 180g/km.

Mazda is yet to detail emissions figures for the new 2.2-litre motor but, combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission, it’s likely to be close to the 1.9-litre’s results, if not slightly better.

There’s also the possibility that the extra punch and more gears will see the 1.9’s 3000kg braked towing capacity increased, perhaps to the class standard 3500kg.

Mazda and Isuzu are not the first to consider downsizing diesel engines. The Kia Tasman will launch with a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, while the Ford Ranger’s 2.0-litre twin-turbo is expected to be dropped in future in favour of a development of the single turbo engine.

CarsGuide has contacted Mazda Australia for more information on the new 2.2-litre engine and will update this story if further news comes to light.