Mazda Australia has given its BT-50 a mid-life makeover for 2025, and we liked it so much on the launch drive, we’ve now added one to the 4×4 shed.

JUMP AHEAD

Part 1: BT-50 GT joins our long-term garage

The BT-50 we have is actually one of the cars used for the launch, where we were impressed by the range of quality accessories now offered by Mazda – so we opted for one that has been suitably accessorised for our uses.

Our car is the GT-spec BT-50 that has a RRP of $66,170. The team at Mazda has then added almost $16K worth of factory-backed accessories, some of which are from known and respected 4×4 aftermarket brands. 

While the single-hoop steel front bumper is a product developed in Australia for Mazda, the driving lights mounted on it come from well-known brand, Lightforce. In fact, they are Lightforce’s premium ‘Beast’ LED lights that offer multiple beam patterns and exceptional performance.

MORE 4x4s we’d buy, and how we’d modify them: Mazda BT-50
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Similarly, the colour-matched canopy is unbranded for Mazda; the slide-out drawer system comes from US-brand Decked; and the seal-kit to keep dust out of the tray and drawers was developed locally. 

The BT-50 GT comes very well-equipped with standard equipment including but not limited to black leather seats; eight-way power adjustment on the driver’s seat; heating on both front seats; a blacked-out interior; nine-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wireless and USB); rear seat air-con; remote engine start; front parking sensors; reversing camera and sensors; adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go; Emergency Lane Keeping with road edge detection; Rear Cross Traffic Brake; LED headlights, sat-nav; TPMS; and 18-inch alloys. It’s a fully loaded package befitting the model that sits second on the model line-up.

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The powertrain is the familiar Isuzu 3.0-litre diesel backed by a Aisin six-speed auto and part-time/dual-range 4×4 with a rear diff lock and Rough Terrain mode button. It’s well proven and, while it might not be at the pointy end of performance, it gets the job done without messing around.

Initial impressions tell us we’ll appreciate the luxury features and spec of the GT model, as well as the added functionality and security that the accessories add to the car. We’re hitting the highway for an interstate road trip with the Mazda over the Easter and Anzac Day break, so there are a few adventures planned to break up the day-to-day workload the BT will be helping us out with. 

  • Total kilometres: 2211km
  • As-tested price: $66,170

Factory-backed accessories

  • Paint: $695
  • Accessories: $15,864
  • Tub drawers: $4597
  • Canopy (lift windows): $4688
  • Bull bar (Premium single hoop): $3940
  • Lightforce LED Beast driving lights: $1811
  • Dust seal kit: $828

Part 2: Quick camping getaway

With an unusually long dry Victorian summer, It was an opportunity, making the quick decision to grab a night away in the Mazda before life returns to more indoors activities.

Searching for a location a few hours from Melbourne that’s dog friendly and scenic I found a campground that looked the perfect fit, in Loch Valley, Gippsland. Whilst solo camping is okay, having a buddy for Cleo and I would be more fun. Karen, who often minds Cleo enthusiastically accepted, bringing Piper, for furry buddy adventures. 

Camping regardless of the amount of time away requires “Stuff”, and with the BT-50’s  Canopy and large Decked draw, it’s a throw it all in affair. Tent, sleeping mats, chairs, water, tables, large esky and dog paraphernalia. With all this the canopy was fairly full but not Tetris level and the draws still empty.  If the Mazda was a permanent car I’d kit out the draw set up with all my standard camping requirements, pantry, kitchen utensils, jet boil and the like. I love the side lockable windows, being able to access things towards the back of the canopy without having to repack has huge benefits. 

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Of course, the weather decided to turn for the worse belting down rain overnight prompting some additional gear to be packed, Morning rises and still drizzling I duck around the corner collecting the fellow travellers. With dogs on board the DOOG Car seat cover was essential for keeping the rear clean of dogs wet feet and hair.  Immediately after climbing in Karen notes I can’t charge my phone, it’s the wrong plug type. There’s no standard USB fitted nor a charge pad, its plug in Carplay only in the BT-50. The technology is changing quicker than the weather, resulting in turning back home to collect usb-c cords. 

Finally heading down the M1 towards Druin, hitting the adaptive cruise, it sets easily with a touch of a couple buttons. The lane assist is active, it’s noticeable in the Mazda’s but not annoying and with a simple one touch, it can be deactivated. 

With pooches in the rear seat who love hanging out sniffing the air, one definitely needs a front window open to avoid the thumping noise that most new cars create. 

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After an easy run we turn off heading into the hills towards Noojee, the BT-50 handles well on the twisting roads, it feels confident with all the terrains gripping the wet black top, unfortunately there’ll be no real off-roading on this trip. The leather steering wheel feels nice to grip and the seats are really comfortable, which I’m sure will be great on longer trips. 

We roll into Noojee village hoping to grab some firewood, but there’s no servo, opps should’ve planned a bit better, we’ll have to hustle to find dry wood, but we’re starving so head straight to the recommended lunch stop, Toolshed Bar & Bistro. 

Chowing down on a towering Steak Sanga and huge country sized Parma we get chatting to local farmer Baz and his pooch Tex, conveniently he happens to be the local wood chopper/collector. Minutes later he kindly offers us free DRY firewood, even drops it at the BT-50 on his way out. Loading it in the only remaining space,  the draw, the large logs fit easily in its deep well. The only thing I wonder is how do you keep the draw from sliding closed?  Must work that out at somestage. 

It’s late arvo and we head to camp. The Poplars campground has tall towering gums, a meandering creek, large grassy camp areas, fire pits and drop toilets makes for a great quick weekend away.  I set up tents while Karen, a self proclaimed fire manic,collects kindling and cranks an awesome fire. 

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The drizzle has stopped but both pooches are suitably wet and we huddle in close for a quiet night around the flames, snacks and a glass of red or two.

The morning brings fog, lifting late as we’re in the valley this  means a slow start, fending off the pooches while cooking the bacon is a laughing affair.  Finally packed up we head for some sight seeing at the speccy Toorrongo Falls, after the loop walk we decide to head home, stopping off at a winery for a tapas lunch as the sun shines all afternoon.

Whilst this was a short stint behind the wheel, thus far the BT-50’s so user friendly and certainly comfortable to drive and live with, bar one gripe. I like auto locking systems as I mentioned with the previous long termer I tend to carry too much at once and the auto lock/unlock helps but in this case with the key in hand it autolocks way too soon.. Getting out, walking away you’re not even a metre away from the vehicle. Just walking round the back the Mazda auto-locks and before my passenger or pooches can get out. 

This aside, enjoying the ride the BT-50 is heading north for a long road trip stay tuned. 

  • Kilometres since last update: 1342km
  • Average fuel use: 9.2L/100km

Part 3: Road trippin’

There’s nothing like a longer-than-usual road trip to break the routine, so we did just that. We decided to chase the sun with a road trip to Northern New South Wales.

This was never going to be an off-road adventure, but with the canopy fitted to our BT-50 we deemed it to be the perfect vehicle in which to load up and hit the highway, and like any good east coast road trip, we stopped at all the ‘Big’ roadside icons along the way. With my stuff and photographer Ellen Dewar’s gear securely loaded into the back of the BT – making good use of the Decked drawer fitted in the tray – we hit the Hume and headed north. 

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Our BT-50 GT is only one step down from the top of the range and is very nicely equipped for comfortable long-distance touring. Heated leather seats, a thick leather-wrapped steering wheel and a decent head unit with Apple CarPlay meant the hours behind the wheel went by in comfort, with fresh tunes all the way. We were headed for the Bluesfest music festival in Byron Bay and were able to find many of the artists that would be performing at the event and check out their music on the road trip. This was a great way to while away the hours and plan which acts we wanted to see at the festival. 

The BT-50’s Isuzu-sourced 4JJ 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine made light work of highway travel and was fairly economical over the return journey, logging just less than 11L/100km for the trip. It has adequate power but can be a bit harsh and noisy when you put your foot down to overtake, or when you want to maintain speed on long hills, but it gets the job done with minimal fuss.

I’ve said before when driving the Mazda and Isuzu utes equipped with the Aisin six-speed automatic transmission that the calibration is too aggressive, resulting in iot downshifting too early when decelerating. I resorted to tapping the gear shifter across to the manual gate every time it did this and tapping it back up a cog or two, but really, you shouldn’t need to do this. This is a working 4×4 ute, not a sports car where you might want such an aggressive shift protocol.

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The only other complaint we have with the Mazda is the sensitivity of the parking and proximity sensors, which again prompted us to disable them to shut them up. While driving in the left lane the rear sensors go off whenever a car approaches to overtake on the right, and the front sensors go off randomly when stopped at traffic signals, even when there is no movement of the BT-50 or other vehicles around it. At one point we drove through a heavy rain shower and the front sensors went off constantly. I think this might have something to do with the calibration of the sensors in the steel bumper and we will get them checked at the next scheduled service. 

There aren’t many places on Highway 1 where you can use driving lights but when driving on the unlit backroads of the Byron Hinterland at night, the Lightforce BEAST LED spotties were a godsend, lighting up the otherwise dark and winding back roads ahead of us. 

Having the Mazda-backed accessories like the driving lights, steel bumper, canopy and storage drawer made using the BT-50 for an extended road trip much more practical and safer on both the highway and back roads.

We did get the Mazda off road for a quick beach run in Coffs Harbour where we found that using the Rugged Terrain button sharpens up the ETC nicely for better performance in the soft sand, but this was the only time we got it into 4×4 on this trip. We’ll have to rectify that for next month’s update.

  • Kilometres since last update: 4424km
  • Average fuel use: 10.9L/100km

Part 4: Woods Point

When one thinks of an average work day, many brace for the inevitable peak-hour traffic, hoping it’s not bumper to bumper and that we make it to the office on time. But the 4X4 Australia office can be anywhere, with some day commutes best described as epic adventures. 

A couple of months in and the BT-50 had really put on the kays. On this particular day the work commute started at 6.30am for a short 1.5 hour jaunt to meet Wheels feature writer Andy Enright at Warburton at 8am.

We grabbed a quick coffee and headed east following the Yarra up the endless wriggly blacktop of Reefton Spur, slowly twisting upwards with the rattle of the diesel cutting into the music from the sound system. Engine noise was not excessive, just noticeable when slowing then accelerating from bend to bend that seemed to go on and on.

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We stopped along the way to capture some action imagery, with mist hovering amongst the trees. The BT-50’s side panels proved flat enough to accommodate the suction cups required to mount the camera to capture rolling imagery solo.

When we arrived at Cumberland Junction, the road turned to dirt, and darkened into wilderness before we hit Matlock. Having off-road capability allowed us to duck up a little dirt side track to look for visually pleasing options. Here the track was quite overgrown and the front parking sensors beeped furiously and activated the AEB – note to self: “I really need to figure out how to deactivate that through the settings menu”. 

As we continued, so did the gloomy vibe, with fog rolling in and the gravel road issuing more and more potholes and gnarly corrugations, likely caused by the timber jinkers that come through here in place of the gold-mining carts of days gone by. Even with 30psi in the rtyres the BT-50 handled the conditions well, with the stability control kicking in nicely when necessary. Not only was dodging potholes along here, but also the lyrebirds darting in and out of the scrub.

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The rear left side of the canopy door didn’t latch fully when I was loading up earlier that morning and it let a fair amount of dust into the tub, something to note if you’re planning a lap of Oz. The latch is easily adjustable and if I had more time I would have sorted it properly before setting off. 

The day was quickly disappearing as we rolled into Woods Point, just as the local copper was grabbing a quick snack from the General Store before shutting shop. With sunset earlier this time of year, I grabbed my last few photos. “Just one more…” as the saying goes.

We started our descent with a dark run home ahead of us. We were eight hours into a long day but the BT-50 led the way with its spotties at the ready. Driving and photographing on the way up I didn’t pay much attention to the number of bends in the road – there are literally hundreds of them. On the descent I noticed the BT-50 likes to downshift gears early on, which normally I find a little unnecessary, but in this instance meant less braking was required ensuring smoother approaches to the dizzying bends. 

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I had the headlights set to Auto at first and they would dip, turn on and off, off and on, causing a lot of confusion and loss of vision. After going a little stir crazy, I switched the lights to full beam rather than Auto, which quickly sorted that out. On this twisty dark road the spotties came into their own; very bright with a good throw and spread of light.

Also bright, however, was the reflection of the infotainment screen on the rear glass of the canopy, shining back at me in the rear view mirror. You need to tone down the brightness as much as possible or it feels like someone is hovering over your shoulder. 

I was grateful for the comfy heated seats on the long drive home and finally rolled into the driveway at about 8.30pm. I unload the BT-50 feeling both pleased and relieved; it performed its duties superbly in challenging conditions.

  • Kilometres since last update: 1342km
  • Average fuel use: 9.2L/100km

Park 5: Tough Mudder

When winter hits Victoria, many of the mountain tracks stay wet for months on end.

That’s why much of the High Country shuts down for the season – but not all of it. A handful of tracks remain open, offering the chance to explore the backcountry and maybe even score some snow driving while you’re at it.

The standard tyres on the BT-50 have handled highway and formed-road duties without issue, but winter brings a different challenge. With muddy conditions and the risk of getting bogged increasing once you’re off the beaten track, it was time to step up to a more aggressive tread pattern better suited to the season.

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We asked the team at Mazda if they had a suitable tyre option for tackling the tougher stuff, and they came back with a set of Cooper Rugged Trek all-terrains – fitted up on a neat-looking set of 17-inch black alloy wheels as a bonus. The LT265/65R17s offer a taller sidewall than the standard 18s, and their Light Truck (LT) construction makes them tougher and more durable than the factory highway rubber.

Cooper reckons the Rugged Trek is the best 4×4 tyre it’s ever made – a bold claim given the brand’s long history and extensive off-road range. It’s an aggressive all-terrain that sits between a traditional A/T and a mud-terrain, promising the off-road grip of an M/T without the usual downsides like road noise and higher fuel use.

As with any move from highway tyres to something more off-road focused, there are always trade-offs – so it’s worth weighing up your needs. In the case of the BT-50, there’s a slight increase in road noise with the Rugged Treks, but it’s only noticeable at highway speeds and barely worth complaining about.

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The chunkier tread and heavier construction will likely have some impact on fuel consumption, so we’ll be keeping an eye on that over time. But for us, the main thing is having confidence in the tyres when we get off track in muddy conditions.

We put the new rubber to the test on a recent trip into the hills for some gear testing. Fresh snowfalls and school holiday traffic had turned the tracks into a soggy mess, but even at road pressures the Coopers felt planted in the slop – delivering the kind of surefootedness you want when heading off the blacktop.

When the BT-50 went back to Mazda to have the wheels and tyres fitted, we also asked them to check the front parking and ADAS sensors. They seem to be overly sensitive – often beeping while stopped in traffic with nothing in front of the vehicle. I’ve had more AEB warnings in this ute than any other I’ve driven, and it can be alarming. I figured the optional front bumper might have been interfering with the sensors, but Mazda assured us everything is within spec and operating as it should.

The current BT-50 shares much of its underpinnings with the Isuzu D-MAX – and unfortunately, that includes the overly sensitive ADAS setup. It’s long been a gripe with the Isuzu, and it’s clearly carried over to the Mazda as well.

  • Kilometres since last update: 2260km
  • Average fuel use: 9.8L/100km

Park 6: End of the Line

We specced our BT-50 GT to handle both work and play, and it arrived fitted with a stack of Mazda Genuine accessories.

These included a tub canopy to secure the cargo area, a set of Decked composite roller drawers in the tub, a loopless front bull bar, tow bar and trailer brake controller, plus a set of award-winning Lightforce Beast driving lights.

With this kit on board, the BT has served us well – spending time as Ellen Dewar’s rig for photographic shoots across the state, as a support vehicle on road tests, on weekend camping trips with friends, off-road day trips, holiday travel and long stretches of highway touring.

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The 3.0-litre Isuzu diesel has proved both economical and strong enough for everything we’ve thrown at it – from towing a vintage car to hauling loads of firewood. Inside, the well-appointed cabin has been much appreciated, with its high level of equipment and touches of luxury. I particularly enjoyed the leather-wrapped steering wheel every time I drove the Mazda, and the heated seats were fantastic throughout winter.

It’s great to see Mazda using well-known, high-quality brands for its factory accessories, and the Lightforce lights were a real standout. On several occasions we had to drive interstate overnight in the Mazda, and the Beast lights quickly became my favourite setup to drive behind – and that was even before they won our LED light test.

In the tub, we carried a few different items in the Decked drawers and storage boxes. One drawer was dedicated to recovery gear – which proved handy when the BT had to pull a test vehicle out of a sticky situation on one occasion.

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The only problem we had with the accessories – or the ute itself – was that the rear window/door on the canopy wouldn’t lock securely and kept coming out of adjustment. This limited what we were prepared to leave in the back of the Mazda when in town. The only other annoyance was the constant beeping from the parking sensors and ADAS system, which always seemed a little over-active.

For our last month with the BT we fitted a set of Cooper Discoverer Rugged Terrain tyres to cope with the wet and boggy winter conditions, mounted on a set of optional black alloy wheels. The tyres produced a bit of hum on the highway – as you’d expect from a more aggressive tread pattern – but they came into their own when we headed into the hills and struck snow and mud. The right tyres give a driver the confidence to take a 4×4 like the BT-50 places you’d never attempt on highway rubber.

Overall, we’ve grown to love the BT-50 and we’re sorry to see it go – it’s been good to us in so many ways.

  • Total kilometres: 122,898km
  • Average fuel use: 10.2L/100km
MORE 2025 Mazda BT-50: Midlife makeover put to the test