Mazda BT-50 2021 review: XTR 4x4 auto

I got the most comments from women this week: “How’s your truck going?”, “What are you driving?”, “How is it to drive?” 

So there was a tiny bit of interest but mostly it was, “what are you doing in a ute?” And that’s probably thanks to the fact my husband is not a tradie, and also that the car looks like a small truck. 

The Mazda BT-50 still doesn’t look as truck-like as other utes.

But the Mazda BT-50 still doesn’t look as truck-like as other utes. There is the same Mazda grille as on all Mazdas and it basically looks like a blown-up, oversized Mazda. Which essentially, it is.

This is the middle of the range and there aren't as many fancy features as you’ll get with the top-of-the-range interior. To me, it looks a bit the way some vans are designed. With little fanfare, it’s not about style, it’s about what the car can do. 

So, there’s less focus on design and more about how high the seats are off the road, which feels fantastic when you’re in the car. You really do feel like you can drive anywhere and there’s something completely confidence building about that.

This is the middle of the range and there aren't as many fancy features as you’ll get with the top-of-the-range interior.

There are fabric seats that feel fine and a leather steering wheel. The dash in front of the steering wheel looks a bit dated and the multimedia screen feels like that, too, but compared with some other utes this is quite classy. It’s not as flash as an SUV, though.  

If you’re looking for a bit more luxury you’ll have to go to the top grade GT model which is a few grand more and adds brown leather seats and front seat heating.

There are two cupholders in the front that are very deep and not exactly practical for those who don’t like a giant Starbucks. I have a tiny coffee and I couldn’t put it in there for fear of not being able to get it out while driving. There’s a large spot for keys and a phone and a big centre storage bin plus bottle holders in the doors. 

There are two cupholders in the front that are very deep and not exactly practical for those who don’t like a giant Starbucks.

The seats are easy to climb into even though it’s high off the ground thanks to the step and my small children loved getting up and into it. 

The tray at the back is easy to open and close, but the tray itself does not have a liner which a lot of the competition does. This test model did not come with a cover either, which meant that I couldn’t use the tray in the rain for groceries.

The seats are easy to climb into even though it’s high off the ground.

And then we were going to the park and I couldn’t throw the girls rollerskates in the boot, they had to fit on the floor of the passenger seat. 

So, you definitely need a cover if this is going to work as a family car and Mazda offers a few different accessory options which will solve this problem.

Space wise it is huge and that’s the advantage of having a ute. There’s so much space in the front I could fit two of me in the passenger seat and it’s great for taller people, too, with loads of leg and head room.

There’s so much space in the front I could fit two of me in the passenger seat.

The back is super-spacious with enough room for three actual adults in the rear seat and while you can fit three kids car seats in there, there are only two ISOFIX points and two top tether points, so you can only safely fit in two kids car seats. 

The back is super-spacious with enough room for three actual adults in the rear seat.

That means if you’ve got three kids, one of them needs to be grown out of a child car seat for this BT-50 to work for you. 

Having a ute means you have this giant tray in the back instead of a boot and that is a good thing sometimes, and then other times it's not as convenient as having an enclosed boot. It does give you double the space of an SUV.

Having a ute means you have this giant tray in the back instead of a boot.

I had to transport some boxes this week, so the space certainly came in handy. But then it rained for most of the week and the space became unusable because this test model doesn’t have a cover. If it had a cover I’m sure my experience would have been very different but the tray became unusable in the rain. 

If you do have a cover, you can easily get a pram in here, suitcases will fit so easily and sporting equipment will, too. Things might roll around though, so get used to tying things up. Using boxes for your groceries will help and you should be doing that now anyway. Ditch the bags.

Driving is easy enough in a ute, it’s just a lot higher off the ground, which is great. It feels a bit truck-like, which is no big deal if you’re trading off for tray space. 

The engine is loud because it’s a 3.0L, four-cylinder diesel engine, and while it’s not the most refined car to drive, it does get up hills well enough. 

It’s not super quick off the mark, nor is it agile, but it shines bright when on highways and in wide streets with lots of room to drive.

The engine is loud because it’s a 3.0L, four-cylinder diesel engine.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 8.0L/100km and I did an average 9.6/100km

Parking is as you’d expect in a car this size. Not exactly easy. I found myself taking our other car if I was just popping to the shops when I know there’s limited parking space and narrow streets. 

The BT-50 does have a reverse parking camera but it's quite grainy on the screen. If you have wide streets and loads of room where you live it won't be an issue, but I found it tricky to park on the busy streets where my school drop off is.