2013 Mazda BT-50 GT (4×4) Review
Needed a ute to replace the 2005 Toyota Prado, so chose the BT50/Ford. Handles like a truck. Great if you are going forward, but no visibility backing up. Even after fitting a backing camera. Heavy in the steering & doesn't hold the road as good as the old Prado. As I said it feels and handles like a truck twice its size.
- Radio, Heater, good adjustment selection, Reasonable amount of power
- Handling, especially backing, Feels & handles like a truck twice its size, Lack of adjustment in the steering wheel
Has plenty of power, but the mapping in the computer is slow for acceleration. Ride is hard and like most cars these days the seats lack comfort. This model has the leather electric seats & still have to stop often to straighten back. The problem could be due to lack of telescopic extension on the steering wheel.
Regularly get between 10-11l/100km and I note the speed out by 5km across the board. Worse than advertised figures, this was worked out not using the computer figures.
Has plenty of space on the inside for storage. Mine is a double cab. Didn't like the half cab as it was too difficult to get to rear seats to put anything in.
They have appeared to have fixed the oil pressure problem when changing the oil on this engine.
One of the reasons I chose the 3.2 litre is that I hope it isn't under the same strain as the smaller engines developing similar power.
GPS lacks certain features and am thankful I don't have to use it too often as it uses very poor software and knows how to take the scenic route. The Tom Tom is a far better GPS.
Compared this truck to other manufactures prior to buying. Other than the reasons already stated, it was the better of the bunch. Holden had trouble working out what to do in a corner & visibility was shocking. Isuzu has no rear diff lock. Sorry a ute is a working tool and you need to be able to rely on it to get you out of difficult work situations.
The BT50 off road doesn't feel too bad, imagine it may be better with a load on. But still didn't compare to the old Prado. You ask why didn't I go for the HiLux. Basically they have dropped the ball in reliability and performance and are trying to trade on a name long gone. Just ask any mechanic what engines they are rebuilding and why. That is a good clue.