2017 Ford Ranger vs Mazda BT-50

What's the difference?

To be honest, we're not big on 'special editions' in which the only thing special or unique about them is purely aesthetic. If the FX4 was true to Ford's US traditions and included some special equipment for improved off-road performance, then we'd probably be more excited about it. Fact is, it's just an XLT in a different costume. If that's worth an extra $3500, only you can decide.

The BT-50 is a smooth-driving, versatile workhorse with great off-road ability and it offers real passenger-car levels of comfort. Faced with a wide variety of terrain, including a few brief but punishing sections of potholes, it was never troubled during this trip.

We saw more than a few BT-50s in Birdsville for the races, so it’s obvious this ute is making inroads into a bush market traditionally dominated by the HiLux.

Under that fancy dress is the same highly competent ute Australia has grown to love. That's no surprise as it was designed and developed here by a team of Aussies that manage to make a Thai-built ute look, feel and drive 'Australian' in that unique and intangible way a Falcon (RIP) or Territory (RIP) did.

Its sturdy ladder-frame chassis rides high on a relatively long 3220mm wheelbase. With an overall length of 5426mm and 1860mm width, the Ranger has an imposing size and stance tailor-made for hard work or adventure. The cargo tub floor is 1549mm long with 1139mm between the wheel arches.

Impressive off-road credentials include 237mm of ground clearance, an approach angle of 29 degrees, departure angle of 21 degrees, a 25 degree ramp-over angle and a class-benchmark wading depth of 800mm.

The BT-50 is a great looking ute, one of the best of the modern mob. With simple, clean lines on the outside and a neat, tidy interior which maximises space, it manages to mix a tough truck presence with understated style – but it doesn’t try too hard or look too pretentious about it.

The FX4 shares the Ranger XLT's hefty 2202kg kerb weight which provides a very solid and sure-footed anchorage for heavy towing. Its GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3200kg results in a 995kg payload and its rated to tow a maximum 3500kg of braked trailer.

However, with a GCM (gross combined mass) of 6000kg, the maximum payload has to be reduced by a substantial 700kg to legally tow a 3500kg trailer. Keep that in mind if you plan to regularly tow heavyweight stuff.

Storage options available within the FX4's smart and functional cabin include bottle holders and storage pockets in the base of both front doors, an inset storage tray in the centre dash-pad, a single glovebox and a centre console with front storage cubby, two cupholders and a lidded storage box.

Rear seat occupants get bottle holders and smaller storage pockets in the doors, plus two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest. There are also storage pockets on the rear of each front seat.

All controls are easy to use, even those on the new media unit – and its bigger screen is a welcome addition.

The cabin is spacious; there is ample head- and leg-room in the front and back row. The front seats are very supportive and well-cushioned, making long stints on the road or a bush track easy to bear. The cabin offers similar levels of comfort to the Ranger; rear-seat passengers get more of the usual straight-back sitting position.

Cabin storage includes glove box (lockable and illuminated), cupholders, door bottle holders (front and rear), door pockets (front), overhead sunglass storage box and more.

There are three auxiliary 12V power outlets and a USB port at the front; there is no USB for rear-seat passengers, which was a mild annoyance when the in-car GoPro was plugged into the upfront USB port.

The tray is 1549mm long, 1560mm wide (1139mm between wheel arches), 513mm deep and has six tie-down points. Load height is 841mm.

It is rated to tow 3500kg (maximum, braked).

The GT, priced at $53,790 (plus on-road costs), is the top-spec BT-50. It sits above XTR, XT and XT cab chassis.

Our vehicle had a few Mazda genuine accessories, including bullbar, snorkel and black sports bar, but otherwise it was showroom standard.

Features include steering-wheel-mounted controls, dual-zone aircon, and reversing camera. Among the more notable GT features were leather seats, nice leather and chrome touches all over the place, that aforementioned media unit (with sat nav, Bluetooth, plus six speakers), and more.

The venerable 3.2 litre in-line five-cylinder turbo-diesel is one of the great ute engines of its time. With common rail injection and variable vane turbocharger, it's an effortless heavy-duty load lugger with 147kW at 3000rpm and a generous 470Nm serving of torque from 1750-2500rpm.

The six-speed automatic transmission is also well suited to this role, with ratios and shift calibrations tailored to get the best performance from this engine. It also has a sequential manual-shift function with the ability to hold a chosen gear, which can be most handy in some situations like towing a sizeable load through hilly country.

The part-time dual-range 4x4 transmission has on-the-fly engagement and the back-up of an electronically-controlled rear diff locker, worth its weight in gold in tricky off-road conditions or when extracting a heavy boat trailer from a slimy launching ramp. The 4.17:1 first gear, low-range reduction and 3.73:1 final drive results in a hands-and knees 42.3:1 crawler gear.

The BT-50 has a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – 147kW at 3000rpm and 470Nm at 1750-2500rpm – mated to a six-speed auto, and, we’ve said it before, that’s a bloody good combination that’s worked so well for this ute. There is a six-speed manual option.

Ford claims a combined figure of 8.7L/100km and the dashboard display was showing 10.0L/100km at the end of our test. That reading was remarkably accurate given our 'real world' numbers, based on actual trip meter and fuel bowser readings, came in at 10.3L/100km.

Based on those consumption figures and its 80-litre tank, expect a driving range of around 780km.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 10L/100km; the dash was showing 14.4L/100km during up and downs on Big Red; Mazda said, after the trip, “about 14L/100km”; and we reckon a figure tickling the vicinity of 16L/100km or more is more realistic.

There were one or two tank top-ups along the way to take into account extra side trips for photo and video purposes. It has a 80-litre fuel tank. 

One of the Ranger's strengths has always been its effortless load-lugging ability. For our test we loaded 830kg into the FX4's cargo tub which with a full tank of diesel and a 92kg driver was a payload of 922kg, or about 70kg short of the maximum. Under this weight the nose rose 12mm and the rear leaf springs compressed 63mm, resulting in a near level ride height due to the long rear wheel travel.

The 3.2-litre engine and six-speed auto made such light work of this load-hauling requirement it was easy to forget it was even there at times, the big five-cylinder loping along at barely 2000rpm at 110km/h. On long highway gradients where we'd expect it to kick down to fifth, it held on to top gear with the revs dropping as low as 1600rpm but still pulling like a train.

It also conquered our set climb with ease, holding fourth gear at 1800rpm up a long winding 13 per cent gradient at the posted 60km/h speed limit. Engine braking on the way down was just as impressive, using the sequential manual shift mode.

With second gear selected the FX4 confidently restrained its big payload all the way down, with the engine spinning as high as 3800rpm on over-run to maintain the 60km/h speed limit without once needing to brush the brakes. Such powerful engine braking under near-maximum payload is unmatched in this segment and one of the Ranger's greatest attributes.

Ride quality and sure-footed handling are excellent, particularly under heavy loads. The Ranger maintains its composure over a variety of sealed and unsealed roads, with responsive variable rate steering and reassuringly strong braking. These attributes combine with a refined sprung-to-unsprung weight balance that inspires confidence at all times.

At highway speeds its minimal tyre and engine noise creates a comfortable cabin environment that allows conversations to take place at normal levels, with the only minor wind noise coming from the large door mirrors. Overall, given its primary role as a load hauler, the Ranger's dynamics are hard to fault.

From Marree to Birdsville is more than 500km along the Birdsville Track, a track which can range in quality from “yeah, good” to “pretty bloody ordinary”, depending on the time of year you visit and how recently the track has been graded. The track is stony and rough with a variety of corrugations, ruts and surprise patches of potholes to keep drivers on their toes.

There are kangaroos, emus and flies to dodge – the challenge of driving the track is part of its appeal – but there’s also an abundance of stunning scenery to gawk in wonder at, as well as a welcome stop at Mungerannie Pub to savour.

Ride, handling and driver feel are right up there with the best of the new generation of dual-cabs, if not better than them. The BT-50 really is so car-like, even in the sometimes very tricky conditions on this track, you could be forgiven for letting it slip your mind that you’re actually steering a 5365mm long, 1850mm wide, 1821mm high, 2095kg ute.

For most of the trip we were unladen, except for a few small bags in the rear seat, and some cameramen and their gear at different times, and yet the GT – coil springs at the front, leaf springs at the rear – always felt strong and settled on any surface; no rear-end skipping, no dirty dancing.

We were on Dunlop AT22 Grandtreks on 17-inch alloys, running 28 psi along the Birdsville Track, and that seemed almost perfect for the conditions at the time as the track was in pretty good nick when we tackled it.

You can’t visit Birdsville without giving Big Red a nudge. A few of the tracks up and down the crimson behemoth have been chewed up and left very corrugated by drivers running too-high tyre pressures and banging on too much speed. (A sound principle for dune driving – or driving on any sand for that matter – is steady, constant throttle to maintain even momentum; there’s no need for Fast and the Furious speed, or a pedal-to-the-metal attitude.) 

We dropped our tyre pressures to between 15 and 18 psi when we had a play on Big Red late one afternoon and early the next day. In 4L, we were able to rumble up and down the monstrous dune, but, forgive us, we did get carried away by the cameras and the crowd on a few runs and decided to go a little harder than necessary.

The BT-50 has a five-star ANCAP rating; there are two top-tether child-restraint anchor points – not ISOFIX – in the second row.

The GT dual-cab’s suite of standard safety gear includes six airbags, reversing camera, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, Dynamic Stability Control, Emergency Brake Assist, Emergency Stop Signal, high mount stop lamp, Hill Descent Control, Hill Launch Assist, Intrusion-minimising brake pedal, Load Adaptive Control, Locking Rear Differential, Roll Stability Control, Traction Control System, and Trailer Sway Control.

Ford Australia offers a three year/100,000km warranty, with an optional extension available for an extra three years/200,000km, whichever comes first.

Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km with capped price servicing costs ranging from $400 to $640.

If the vehicle is serviced at participating Ford dealers, 24/7 roadside assistance is available for up to seven years/105,000km.

Mazda offers a two-year unlimited-kilometre warranty on the BT-50, or up to three years limited to 100,000km if the owner does not reach 100,000km in the first two years. Service intervals are set at six months/10,000km with prices set at $395 or $532 for each service up to 160,000km.