Both pickup trucks are related in more ways than you would imagine.
You probably would have seen this new Mazda BT-50 pickup truck on social media in the last few weeks and thought to yourself, my word, it looks so much like a Mazda SUV.
Sharing the ‘Kodo’ design language with the CX-5, CX-8 and also the CX-9 luxury SUV’s with an open rear deck, Mazda has decided to bring a premium lifestyle pickup truck to the global market and Malaysia is one of the many country’s to get this new BT-50.
However, we must share some vital information with you in case you did not know this, this BT-50 shares all its engineering and drivetrain with the very popular and award winning Isuzu D-Max pickup truck.
Yes, surprised? Well, do not be. Mazda designers infused their ‘Kodo Design’ language on the sheet metal and cabin look and feel and left the rest of this truck to the one of the worlds best diesel engine manufacturers and also one of the worlds best pickup truck designers.
Isuzu has been a leading truck manufacturer for years and they have a long proven track record. So, the BT-50 gets the best of both worlds when you want to target a lifestyle truck buyer.
Well, what is a lifestyle truck buyer? Simple. A person who does trekking, outdoor camping, white water rafting, motocross, cycling, lake and river fishing and all the outdoor ‘stuff’ that we do not do and needs to have a premium vehicle driving experience with the ability to just ‘chuck’ all the dirty, muddy stuff in the back and then wash it all out later.
This is a where a premium lifestyle truck is needed. The buyer might also want this as their one and only vehicle (for budget reasons or others) and so this all new BT-50 fits the bill perfectly.
This all-new Mazda BT-50 is priced in Malaysia at RM124,179.20 for the 1.9L diesel model and RM143,218.40 for the high specification 3.0L diesel model. It is only available as a twin cab with an automatic transmission, which clearly means that this new BT-50 is leaning more towards the ‘lifestyle’ pickup market.
The current segment favorite, Isuzu D-Max is priced in Malaysia from RM88,599.20 for the base single cab manual gearbox diesel version right up to RM141,938.40 for the 3.0L double cab automatic gearbox X-Terrain diesel model.
So, if you look closely at the BT-50’s 3.0L price, it is just RM1,300 plus more and carries that Mazda SUV cabin that many Malaysians love.
