First 2021 Mazda BT-50 examples land in Australia

The first examples of the much-anticipated 2021 Mazda BT-50 have physically landed in Australia, arriving at a port in Brisbane for preparations before they are sent off to various dealerships around the country ahead of the October on-sale date.

Mazda Australia will launch the new model in October with a choice of 4×2 and 4×4 running gear, and, initially, in dual-cab chassis and dual-cab pickup forms. These will launch in XT, XTR, and top GT trim lines. Additional variants and body styles will arrive later down the track.

All are based on the same new platform that underpins the 2021 Isuzu D-Max, and all feature the same 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, also from the D-Max. The engine produces 140kW and 450Nm, which is down compared with the outgoing BT-50’s 3.2-litre turbo-diesel five-cylinder Ford engine (147kW/470Nm).

A batch of 39 examples have just docked in Brisbane, in all three trim lines and in both of the initial body styles. These will be processed and approved before being transported off to various Mazda dealerships around the country. We suspect some might make up the official press fleet as well.

Mazda is still yet to confirm prices for the new BT-50, however, it has outlined the key features and specifications. All models (the initial ones mentioned) will offer a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, and a payload between 1055kg-1106kg, depending on the variant. All feature a water wading depth of 800mm, with most offering 240mm of ground clearance and some presenting 235mm.

The BT-50 hits the market at a perfect time, just as Toyota launches a significant update for its HiLux, and Isuzu launches its new D-Max. During the first eight months of this year (according to August VFACTS figures), Mazda Australia has sold 6881 examples of the BT-50 4×2 and 4×4. This makes it the seventh most popular new ute on the market, behind the Toyota HiLux (26,512), Ford Ranger (24,505), Mitsubishi Triton (12,616), Isuzu D-Max (7508), Holden Colorado (7273), and Nissan Navara (7216). See below for the key highlights for all three trim lines:

2021 Mazda BT-50 XT key highlights:

17-inch alloy wheels
LED Headlamps with manual levelling
Power-adjustable body-coloured exterior mirrors
Black cloth seat trim
Air-conditioning
Power windows
Carpeted floors
Cruise control (manual transmission)
Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go (automatic transmission)
7-inch full-colour infotainment touchscreen
Apple CarPlay (wireless and USB) and Android Auto (USB)
Bluetooth hands-free telephone and audio capability
DAB+ digital radio
Reverse camera
Rear-seat USB charging point (dual-cab chassis and pickup)
Airbags SRS (driver, front passenger, side, curtain, driver’s knee and driver’s far- side)
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Attention Assist
Automatic High Beam (AHB)
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) – Overtaking
Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)
Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
Lane-keep Assist System (LAS) (automatic transmission only)
Locking Rear Differential (LRD) – switchable on/off (4×4 models)
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Roll Over Protection (ROP)
Secondary Collision Reduction
Speed Assist System
Traction Control System (TCS)
Turn Assist