Mazda BT-50 vs Mitsubishi Triton

What's the difference?

Traditionally, offering a smaller engine in a particular make or model has been a manufacturer’s way of stripping a few dollars out of the price-tag. In the case of the ute market, that’s more often than not an attempt to rope price-sensitive fleet customers into the family. Not to mention responding to the cut-throat pricing of some of the Chinese newcomers.

A handful of years ago, we saw Mazda do just that with a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel variant for its BT-50 range to give us the XS, entry-level trim specification. But it seems Mazda has had a bit of a rethink about that strategy (in line with Isuzu’s plans, given the BT-50 and D-Max share their major structures and drivelines) and has now upgraded the small-engine variant of the BT-50 with a new engine and the return of the 4X4 option (which was dropped after about 12 months in the previous XS model due to lack of demand).

But perhaps most importantly, the engine in this base-spec BT-50 has now grown from the original 1.9 litres to 2.2 litres. As a result, there’s more torque, more power and an extra couple of gears in the transmission. And with the option of four-wheel drive again, the new XS BT-50 might just get a look in where the previous XS didn’t.

In the end, of course, the XS closes the gap to the other BT-50s in the line-up, perhaps muddying further the question of whether you need to stump up for the full 3.0 litres in the other BT-50s, or take an enough-is-enough stance and save some coin.

There was a time when utes were bought purely for work but some these days look more like high-riding prestige cars with their sparkling pearlescent paint, sumptuous leather seats that heat, cool and massage, high-tech hybrid drivetrains, independent rear suspensions and 0-100km/h times that were once the sole domain of supercars.

However, traditional ute buyers like tradies, farmers and fleets are still well catered for by some brands when seeking a utilitarian turbo-diesel workhorse designed primarily for hard yakka.

Mitsubishi has recently added 4x2 and 4x4 cab-chassis variants to its local Triton line-up comprising single-cab, club-cab and dual-cab body style across most model grades to broaden the Triton’s appeal for either working roles or adventuring.

We recently spent a week aboard one of these new cab-chassis variants in base GLX specification, to see from a tradie’s perspective if it has what it takes to cut it in the rough-and-tough world of working utes.