By Otsile Kadiege

The current generation Mazda BT-50 made its local debut back in 2021. Since then, the imported BT-50 has been struggling, sales-wise, to keep up with the the likes of the locally manufactured Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max its based on. In early March this year, Mazda South Africa decided to stop the importation of the BT-50 due to poor sales and an extremely challenging landscape for imported vehicles.

That said, other markets like Australia are still selling the BT-50. So, Mazda has unveiled the facelifted ‘UTE’ which receives updated exterior and interior, upgraded technology and safety systems, added functionality and new accessories.

Exterior updates

Outside, the Mazda BT-50 gets bold design and styling updates that ties the pickup with Mazda’s current model lineup. Up front, the BT-50 gets a fresh new face that’s inspired by the CX-5 thanks to similar looking LED headlamps. It also gets a massive grille with a large Mazda logo on the centre as well as a redesigned front bumper with integrated fog lights.

On its side profile, the BT-50 gets newly designed alloy wheels and the range-topping grade gets prominent contrasting wheel arches and a sports bar with ‘BT-50’ lettering. At the rear, the tailgate now integrates a distinctive ridged design along the bottom edge of the panel. It also gets new LED tail-lamps and a larger Mazda logo.

There are three new paint options, namely Red Earth Metallic hero paint – a colour unique to the Mazda BT-50, Geode White Pearl and Sailing Blue Metallic, bringing the total colour palette to seven at launch.

Interior updates

Inside, Mazda has added new accessories, upgraded tech and added functionality to the BT-50 facelift. A completely new infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is at the heart of the Human Machine Interface (HMI) and is presented within a central touchscreen interface that now integrates touch switches below the display. Physical volume and tuning dials are included either side of the screen, which is up to nine inches across. A new Multi-Information Display (MID) spanning up to seven inches across the instrument binnacle now has added content.

Other interior updates include USB-C ports, material updates for the door trims, console lid and mid-dashboard trim, including the move from brown to black leather trim (dependent on grade), and optional leather seat trim finished in black and terracotta Maztex with synthetic suede on flagship models.

Upgraded safety systems

The suite of advanced driver assistance systems has also been comprehensively upgraded, starting with new front stereo cameras that double the vehicle’s field of view. Traffic Jam Assist is a new feature, as is Rear Cross Traffic Brake (RCTB) and Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, which uses the enhanced Traffic Sign Recognition system to set the vehicle’s speed. The AEB system also now features motorcycle detection and pedestrian detection at intersections, while Emergency Lane Keeping is capable of detecting road edges without line markings.

The digital rear camera now has a hydrophobic coating to keep it cleaner, and dynamic guidelines have been added to the touchscreen display to assist with parking manoeuvres.

Availability

Mazda will share more specification details of the updated BT-50 ahead of its launch in the first quarter of 2025. It will be interesting to see how the facelifted model performs against its main rivals in markets like Australia and Thailand.