2023 Mazda BT-50

The BT-50 has a slightly different upper dash to the D-Max it’s based on, but these two vehicles’ interiors are otherwise essentially the same.

The rocker switches for the climate control look and feel solid and are satisfyingly damped, while the black headliner is nicer than the typical mouse-fur greys you’ll find in this segment.

But lesser BT-50s foibles remain, like a shelf at the base of the centre stack that isn’t rubberised, some mismatched plastics on the doors, and extensive use of piano black trim – including on the doors and centre console where it’s destined to get scratched.

Storage up front is good, with a fairly spacious centre console bin, dual glove boxes, and bottle holders that can fit 1L bottles. There are two cupholders in the centre console, one squared-off and one round – perfect for when you’re an Ice Break or Dare type of person and your partner or offsider prefers a carton of M.

It’s based on the Isuzu D-Max, but its frontend styling owes more to Mazda crossovers like the CX-9. While the likes of the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior and Toyota HiLux Rogue go for a more butch look, the BT-50 looks a little more, dare we say, elegant.

The 2023 BT-50 will also become the latest Mazda to gain a sporty-looking SP variant in 3.0-litre form. The new SP slots above the GT, and features a range of aesthetic tweaks.

These include a black grille and black 18-inch alloy wheels, as well as ‘Driftwood’ leather and black synthetic suede upholstery in the cabin.

Other black touches include the exterior mirrors, door handles, manual roller tonneau cover, sail-plane sport bar and wheel flares.

It’ll be available only as a 4×4 dual-cab pickup with the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, though like the GT it’ll offer a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.

The 2023 Mazda BT-50 XS comes with a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 110kW of power and 350Nm of torque, mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.

All other BT-50 models use a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 140kW and 450Nm, mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

While there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and a decently sized 9.0-inch screen, the BT-50’s infotainment is blown away by the Ford Ranger and its 10.1- or 12-inch touchscreens with their crisper graphics, quicker response times and more intuitive interface.

The BT-50 uses the same user interface as the D-Max, and like the Isuzu it features some physical shortcut buttons underneath the display including a dedicated Home button.

The Mazda’s analogue instruments are a bit more elegant than the Isuzu’s, but the identical information screen between them is too small. Also, unlike most cars, the fuel icon doesn’t point to the side of the vehicle that the filler door is on – a small detail, but an odd one to get wrong.

The BT-50 tray measures 1571mm long, 1530mm wide (1120mm between the arches) and 490mm deep.