Mazda BT-50 vs Mahindra Pik-Up

What's the difference?

The Mazda BT-50 was already a decent ute with a lot to like about it, but this third-generation variant doesn’t feel as cohesive a package as it does in Isuzu D-Max form. 

However, it’s still comfortable, capable and, with a few styling tweaks, Mazda has managed to up the BT-50’s prestige factor without overdoing it. 

For me though, it’s the D-Max’s rough charm – underneath the BT-50’s metal – that is this Mazda ute’s most appealing quality.

Its sub-$40K pricing undercuts the cheapest Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux 4x4 equivalents by $10-15K and it’s backed by a decent warranty and 60-strong dealer network (mostly regional). It’s also largely absent from the federal government’s vehicle-recall listings, which suggests solid build quality.

However, it’s also short on safety, has relatively high servicing costs and numerous design quirks. Fact is, such low pricing comes with compromises, so, if you can learn to live with those, this sturdy and willing auto-equipped workhorse could represent good value for those shopping on a budget.

Ever since the last phase of development, this ute has maintained an understated, urban-friendly appearance.

And, as the top-shelf variant, the SP seems better suited to stylish outings with the family than it is to driving through the scrub.

The SP package boils down to 18-inch black alloy wheels and Gloss Black everything: sail plane sports bar, side steps, fender flares, roof rails, exterior mirrors, door and tailgate handles.

Other variant-specific standard gear includes a roller tonneau cover (manual operation), and black and terracotta Maztex (faux leather) interior trim, which adds another layer of premium feel to this cabin.

In terms of dimensions, the BT-50 is 5280mm long (with a 3125mm wheelbase), it is 2160mm wide (mirrors out), 1810mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2176kg. 

The PikUp has a 3040mm wheelbase and 5175mm length, 1820mm width and 1915mm height.

So, compared to a Ford Ranger XL equivalent, it’s 230mm shorter in wheelbase, 195mm shorter overall and 98mm narrower, so it’s relatively compact for a dual cab ute.

Built on a traditional ladder-frame chassis, its twin-wishbone front suspension uses torsion bars instead of the more common coil springs, while under the tail is a leaf-spring live rear axle. Brakes are front discs and rear drums.

With 210mm of ground clearance, its steep 34-degree approach angle is excellent but its 15-degree departure angle is less than half that figure, so it's prone to tail-dragging in the rough stuff.

And its bafflingly large 13.4-metre turning circle (kerb-to-kerb) demands numerous three-point turns.

The interior appears to have a good standard of finish and provides a visually-pleasing mix of black and grey surfaces with satin chrome highlights throughout. Driver controls are easy to see and operate and the front bucket seats are comfortable.

The rear bench seat is quite firm with good lumbar support, but it’s a squeeze for three adults given its relatively narrow width.

Even so, there’s adequate kneeroom and heaps of headroom even for tall adults, which is no doubt appreciated by hat-wearing farmers and tradies.

There’s a nice blend of form and functionality in the SP cabin and it all feels comfortably familiar because, even though Mazda has firmly stamped its own style on the interior, it still feels like a D-Max X-Terrain cabin.

There’s an abundance of red-stitched faux leather and synthetic suede in black and terracotta, which works well in this space, as well as chrome-look edging (around the multimedia screen the vents, the shifter etc), and plenty of durable plastic. 

Controls are easy to locate and operate, and the multimedia screen is simple enough to use but the 9.0-inch screen still tends to catch and reflect glare, which can be distracting.

There are ample storage spaces in the cabin, including cupholders in the centre console, bottle holders in the doors, as well as all the usual spaces in which to place your wallet, keys etc. 

There’s a 12-volt socket and a USB port up front. 

The front seats are comfortable and heated. The rear seats are suitably comfortable (for a ute), with room enough for three adults, though perhaps it’s best if at least one of them is a jockey. 

Both seat-backs have a map pocket and there is a fold-out shopping-bag hook on the back of the front passenger seat.

Back-seat passengers have two cupholders in the fold-down centre arm-rest, directional air events, and a USB socket in the back of the centre console.

The back row has two ISOFIX anchor points and two top-tether points.

The tray is 1571mm long at floor height, 1530mm wide (1120mm between the wheel-arches), and 490mm deep. Its load height from the ground is 833mm. The SP’s tray has two tie-down points and a manually-operated roller tonneau cover, which also has to be manually locked.

With its 2115kg kerb weight and 3150kg GVM, the S11 PikUp offers a 1035kg payload rating so it’s a genuine one-tonner.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer but given Mahindra doesn't publish a GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) we don’t know if it can retain its maximum payload while towing that weight.

Strangely, the load tub does not have any internal load-anchorage points. The only option for securing ropes or straps are external hooks, which are located along both upper sides of the tub and across the tailgate.

However, these would be ineffective in securing loads that are lower than the tub sides.

Front cabin storage is limited, as there are only narrow bins and no bottle holders in the front doors and you won’t find any cup/bottle holders or storage for small items in the dash, either. However, there is a single glove box and an overhead glasses holder.

The centre console has an open storage tray at the front and single cup and bottle holders in the centre, which are fine for one occupant but not two.

In contrast to the front doors, there are no bins in the base of each rear door, but they do get a large-bottle holder and what looks like a phone holder at mid-height.

There are also pockets on each front seat backrest, but the fold-down centre armrest does not have any cup/bottle holders.

The rear bench seat’s base cushion is fixed, so it can’t swing up and be stored vertically (like many dual cabs) if more internal cargo space is required.

However, it does at least provide some open storage space underneath for soft items like jackets etc.

Our S11 PikUp test vehicle is available only with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and new Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic, for a list price of $38,500, drive-away.

Our example is also equipped with a Mahindra genuine accessory winch-compatible steel bull-bar which adds $3500 (fitted).

The S11 comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels and 245/75 R16 tyres with a matching spare.

There’s also LED daytime running lights and dusk-sensing halogen headlights with static bending (which automatically illuminates inside kerbs when cornering at night), front fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, side-steps, rear sports bar, load tub-liner, automatic rear diff-lock, reversing camera and more.

There’s fabric-trimmed seating for up to five occupants, with the front bucket seats equipped with unusual but welcome fold-down inboard armrests.

There’s also a USB port, two 12-volt outlets, centre console air-vents for rear passengers and a multimedia system controlled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen with multiple connectivity options, including links for Apple and Android devices.

Mahindra also offers a genuine accessories range, from towbars, nudge bars and bullbars to engine snorkels, wheel options and lots more.

The BT-50 has a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, producing 140kW at 3600rpm and 450Nm between 1600-2600rpm.

It has a six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time four-wheel drive system (with high- and low-range gearing), and a lockable rear diff.

The engine and auto generally work pretty well together, although the whole combination feels a bit underdone. The engine would benefit from more grunt and the transmission is not quite as smooth as it should be.

The latest version of the S11’s 'mHAWK' 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel meets tough Euro 6b emissions standards using AdBlue.

Armed with an intercooler and common-rail fuel injection, it produces a modest 103kW at 3750rpm. Its 320Nm, available across a 1300rpm-wide torque band between 1500-2800rpm, highlights good flexibility particularly under load.

It’s coupled with an equally refined Aisin-sourced six-speed torque converter automatic transmission, driving the rear wheels and offering the choice of sequential manual-shifting.

There’s also a Borg Warner part-time dual-range 4x4 transfer case and an Eaton automatic rear diff-lock.

Official fuel consumption is 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle.

On this test I recorded fuel consumption of 9.1L/100km.

The BT-50 has a 76-litre fuel tank, so going by my on-test fuel-use figure you could reasonably expect a theoretical driving range of about 835km. 

Your fuel consumption will likely be higher than that, and consequently your driving range will be lower, because all we had onboard were a set of four Maxtrax in a carry bag, a vehicle-recovery kit, a tyre-puncture repair kit, a first-aid kit, an air compressor, and some tools – and my massive ego.

Mahindra claims an official combined average of 9.3L/100km. At the conclusion of our 265km test, which was conducted without a load and in mostly city and suburban driving, our ‘real world’ figure based on fuel bowser and trip meter readings came in at 9.4 which is lineball.

So, it should deliver an excellent driving range of around 850km from its 80-litre tank.

On-road, the updated BT-50 is a smooth drive, and it’s refined inside – though diesel engine clatter still creeps into the cabin, especially when you accelerate hard, but that’s the Isuzu connection – and I don’t mind a bit of noise anyway.

Overall, noise, vibration and harshness levels have been appropriately subdued. 

Steering has a consistent weight to it and one which feels right for this ute. Turning circle is a listed 12.5m, so not insubstantial, but this BT-50 never feels too cumbersome to manoeuvre along busy suburban streets or bush tracks.

There’s adequate power and torque on tap, and acceleration is crisp, as long as you’re pushing it hard because this ute is more truck-like than dynamic, but that helps to make it an even-handed, considered driving experience overall.

Front suspension is independent (double wishbones and coil springs), and a live axle and leaf springs at the rear. Ride is firm but generally well sorted, even over chopped-up back-country bitumen.

When it comes to high- and low-range 4WDing, the BT-50 did well, mostly courtesy of the Isuzu mechanicals under the metal.

The engine became noisy when pushed hard, but otherwise the BT-50 did a good job of bush tracks at speed.

It yielded a comfortable and settled drive along the gravel and dirt tracks that lead to our unofficial 4WD proving ground for this test.

The Mazda’s suspension soaked up most of the shallow ruts, potholes and bumps along the track, but the rear end skipped a little here and there as we traversed harsher lumps and ditches. 

It also once again proved quite capable at the low-range 4WDing.

The BT-50 has a listed 240mm of ground clearance, a wading depth of 800mm and approach, departure and ramp-over angles of 27 degrees, 17.9 degrees and 24.3 degrees, respectively. These are not rock-crawling off-road measurements and angles but they check out for a 4WD ute that will spend much of its time on city and suburban streets.

And, even though its power and torque figures are down on what it had when it was based on the five-cylinder Ranger, the D-Max-based BT-50 does fine.

In low-range 4WD and with the rear diff locked, the BT-50 could tackle most challenges, even a steep rocky hill, but it needed plenty of encouragement (i.e. heavy throttle).

Off-road traction control is effective, hill descent control works well, restricting downhill speed to a controlled three to four km/h, and the BT-50 has reasonable wheel travel.

Driver-assist tech (such as rough terrain mode) aimed squarely at improving the off-roading experience is a neat fit in this package. This mode operates like a boosted off-road traction control, and is claimed to kick into action at a point of less wheel-spin than a standard off-road traction control system, transferring torque to the wheels that have the most traction, sooner rather than later.

Like many modern 4WDs straight out of the showroom, the BT-50’s standard tyres – Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684 II (265/60 R18) – are fine for the blacktop and some light-duty off-roading, but you need a decent set of all-terrains. If you plan to anything tougher than those surfaces.

Otherwise, the BT-50 is impressive off-road without being exceptional. It has a tractable engine, good low-range gearing, and a well-calibrated off-road traction control system, now bolstered with rough terrain mode.

Maximum payload is listed as 924kg, Gross Vehicle Mass is 3100kg, and Gross Combined Mass is 6000kg.

For those looking to tow with their ute, the BT-50 has an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg and a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.

The fold-down inboard armrest combined with the door’s armrest allows the driver to evenly rest both elbows, which reduces strain on shoulders and arms particularly during long highway hauls.

This set-up could work even better if the wheel had reach adjustment in addition to its adjustable height.

There’s no rake adjustment in the seat’s base cushion, either, but fortunately there’s a big left footrest to help the driver to maintain a comfortable posture.

The driving position is high relative to the bonnet and the tops of the doors, which is ideal for vehicle placement when off-road driving as it provides commanding views over the front and out the sides.

Unladen ride quality is quite firm, as you’d expect of a 4x4 designed to carry one tonne of payload, but is supple enough to provided acceptable comfort.

The steering weight is linear with easy turning effort; handling and braking response is satisfactory and engine and tyre noise are pleasantly low.

Our only major gripe is the huge turning circle, which is nudging that of a full-size American pick-up. The need to often do three-point turns, in situations that you really shouldn’t have to in a vehicle of this size, is annoying (and in some situations embarrassing).

Although its 2.2-litre diesel has modest outputs, it provides decent performance in city and suburban driving with its smooth-shifting auto.

It’s also a low-stressed highway cruiser, requiring less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h which is comfortably within its peak torque band.

We didn’t get to do our usual GVM test due to a hiccup with our weight supplies, but we have previously tested a cab-chassis PikUp with just under one tonne of payload (990kg) which it hauled with an all-round competence that belied its relatively small engine output.

ANCAP only awarded it three out of five stars - and that was back in 2012. There are dual front airbags for driver and passenger, electronic stability control and ABS plus a reversing camera and LED daytime running lights.

There are also ISOFIX child seat anchorages and top tethers on the two outer rear seating positions.

A five-year/unlimited warranty applies to the BT-50. Roadside assist is also valid for five years.

Servicing is recommended at 12 month/15,000km intervals and capped price servicing applies for seven years/105,000km.

Service costs are estimated at $1361 for three years, and $2498 over five years.

Warranty is five years/150,000km. 12 months roadside assist is renewable with each scheduled service at Mahindra dealers.

Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first.

Capped-price servicing for the first four years or 55,000km totals $2296, or a pricey average of $574 per service.