Mazda goes after ute flagships with BT-50 Thunder

MAZDA Australia has wasted no time in revealing its new HiLux Rugged X-rivalling BT-50 Thunder flagship which is able to arrive in native showrooms subsequent month priced from $65,990 plus on-road prices.

In comparison with the now penultimate GT, the Thunder variant provides a heap of rugged styling cues and equipment to remodel the BT-50 from a smart-looking workhouse/day by day driver right into a rougher and extra succesful weekend warrior.

For the additional $9000 over the equal GT, the Thunder’s upgrades include a single hoop metal bull bar fitted with a Lightforce dual-row LED lightbar, distinctive black 18-inch alloy wheels housed below wheelarch extensions, aspect steps, premium sportsbar, electrical curler tonneau and ‘Thunder’ tube decals.

In contrast to different flagship pick-ups nonetheless, Mazda has not made any mechanical upgrades below the bonnet or below the pores and skin of the Thunder, which means its off-roading talents will basically mirror that of the GT – each the Ford Ranger FX4 Max and Toyota HiLux Rugged X function upgraded entrance suspension – with even the Bridgestone H/T tyres going unchanged.

However, the GT is an already succesful 4×4 with 240mm of floor clearance, a low-range switch case, 800mm of wading depth, hill descent management and a locking rear differential, all of which carry over to the Thunder.

Mazda says the domestically designed and developed equipment add greater than $13,000 of worth to the package deal with managing director Vinesh Bhindi describing the Thunder as making a “robust assertion with a daring and assertive aesthetic”.

With no vital modifications made save for the aforementioned beauty enhancements, the Thunder’s customary gear listing reads nearly phrase for phrase the identical because the GT’s with the inside even that includes the identical brown leather-based upholstery.

Different key options embrace a 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen that includes sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity and DAB+ digital radio, a reversing digicam, dual-zone local weather management, heated entrance seats, keyless entry, auto-dimming rearview mirror, LED head-, fog- and daytime working lights, energy adjustable driver’s seat, carpeted flooring, heated and energy adjustable wing mirrors and entrance parking sensors.

As with each different BT-50, energy comes courtesy of an Isuzu-sourced 3.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine creating 140kW of energy and 450Nm of torque, which on this case is shipped to all 4 wheels by a part-time 4×4 system.

The acquainted choice of both a six-speed handbook or six-speed computerized ($68,990) transmission is out there.

By way of gasoline economic system, Mazda says the Thunder will match the remainder of the BT-50 steady with the handbook claimed to return a mixed gasoline consumption determine of seven.7 litres per 100km whereas the automated ups issues to 8L/100km.

As for security, the Thunder once more comes with all of the options as discovered on the GT, these being eight airbags, anti-lock brakes, consideration help, computerized excessive beam, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, dynamic stability management, emergency lane maintaining, emergency cease sign, hill launch help, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, lane-keep help system (auto solely), rear cross-traffic alert, rollover safety, secondary collision discount, velocity help system, traction management and switch help.

With the flagship BT-50 now out within the open, all eyes will likely be on Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) to see if a equally labored D-Max emerges, with the model nonetheless remaining tight-lipped as to any potentialities.

“We can not touch upon future mannequin plans, however we are able to say we’ll proceed to watch the calls for of the Australian market – and the place potential, meet its necessities, and exceed its expectations,” a spokesperson advised GoAuto.

If such a car was to come back to fruition, we’d count on it to go one step additional than the BT-50 Thunder in flaunting some real mechanical upgrades to spice up the D-Max’s off-road credentials given the present X-Terrain already brandishes a spate of visible enhancements over the remainder of the vary.

As beforehand reported, IAU just lately filed a Class 12 trademark utility for the ‘V-Cross’ nameplate – a D-Max variant supplied in Thailand with comparable specification ranges to the native X-Terrain – suggesting a brand new extremely specified providing may very well be on the way in which.

IUA has bought 2696 new D-Max 4x4s to date this yr ending February whereas Mazda has shifted 1906 BT-50s, incomes the platform twins a 9.8 and 6.9 per cent share of the 4×4 pick-up phase respectively.

2021 Mazda BT-50 4×4 pricing*

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