The Mazda Truck You Forgot About Has a Huge Badge Now

Despite the size of that logo, this isn't really a Mazda.

2025 Mazda BT-50

Photo by: Mazda

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 18, 2024 at 4:09am ET

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You're likely to associate Mazda with the MX-5 Miata and rotary engines but the Japanese company has a long tradition with trucks. As a matter of fact, the first Mazda-badged model, launched in 1931, was a three-wheeled open truck called the Mazda-Go. The firm's first passenger car, the R360, also got a truck version when the K360 came out in the 1960s. Many other pickups followed, and in 2024, the BT-50 continues the lineage.

A successor to the B series of trucks sold between 1961 and 2006, the BT-50 was based on the Ford Ranger during the first two generations. When the third-gen model arrived in 2020, Mazda switched platforms by using the Isuzu D-Max's underpinnings. Now, the midsize pickup is getting a facelift about a year after the donor vehicle received its own nip and tuck. It's a handsome workhorse, albeit we reckon the large winged logo is a bit too much.

The 2025 Mazda BT-50 gets updated headlights with an LED daytime running light signature reminding us of the CX-5. The enormous logo isn't the only change applied to the grille since there's a different pattern now with octagons interlinked with larger hexagons. In addition, there's a colored trim piece on the grille, a recurring theme among Mazdas. The grille's bezel seems even larger on this facelift model.

The front bumper has been tweaked to integrate an air curtain for better aero efficiency to reduce fuel consumption. Moving at the back, Mazda supersized its logo once again. There are fresh taillight graphics and a redesigned bumper with a ridged bottom section. Rounding off the tweaks on the outside are newly designed alloy wheels and a bunch of colors, including this Red Earth Metallic.

Stepping inside, there's a new 9-inch infotainment with a few touch-sensitive shortcut keys flanking the tune and volume knobs. The row of physical switches positioned below has been carried over, much like the separate small display for the HVAC info. Elsewhere, the digital driver’s display grows to 7 inches and can now show off-road info previously available only on the center screen: drive mode/diff lock status, steering and tilt angles, tire pressure monitoring system, and the Rough Terrain Mode.

2025 Mazda BT-50

Source: Mazda

Wireless Android Auto is new for 2025, joining the existing wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity. Next to the rearview mirror, there's now a USB port to hook up a dashcam. Other tweaks include Traffic Jam Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Brake, adaptive cruise control with traffic sign recognition, and new front stereo cameras doubling the field of view. For the rear camera, Mazda now puts hydrophobic coating to keep it cleaner.

When we say Mazda, we actually mean Isuzu. Both the BT-50 and D-Max are built together in Thailand at Isuzu's factory. In Australia, the BT-50 comes in single, extended, and dual cab flavors. Both rear- and four-wheel-drive configurations.

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Power comes from a four-cylinder, 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine. It makes 188 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton-meters) of torque. In certain markets, there's also a smaller 1.9-liter diesel with 148 hp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm). Depending on region and engine, six-speed manual and automatic transmissions are offered.

We've also attached a gallery of the 2024 Isuzu D-Max upon which Mazda's new-ish BT-50 is based. This isn't the only pickup currently offered by Mazda since Japan gets a bunch of cabover trucks like the Bongo and Scrum, plus the larger Titan.

2024 Isuzu D-Max

Source: Isuzu