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During our six-month test, we’re adding a few accessories along the way to personalise the BT-50 to make it better suited to our family’s requirements. And the most convenient way to do that is to go online and check out the huge range of Mazda Genuine Accessories (MGA) on the company’s website.
These MGAs have been developed in parallel with the BT-50 from the outset and meet the testing and certification requirements of Mazda Australia’s in-house engineering team.
And if installed by a Mazda dealer before a customer takes delivery of their new BT-50, they’re backed by the same five years/unlimited km warranty that applies to the vehicle.
So, you only need one warranty, rather than juggling separate warranties for any number of accessories sourced from aftermarket suppliers. That’s not only appealing for the first owner; it can also make the vehicle a more attractive sales proposition if they sell it during the warranty period, because the second owner continues to enjoy the same convenience.
If installed after new vehicle delivery, the MGA warranty period is reduced to two years, so there’s clearly an incentive there to order and install accessories as part of a new vehicle purchase.
So, if you’d like to keep your new BT-50 ‘100 per cent Mazda’ then check out the first batch of GMAs fitted to our test vehicle. Ours were installed by the efficient service team at Melbourne’s Ringwood Mazda, but obviously they can be ordered and installed by any Mazda dealer.
First up we wanted to install a canopy, because experience has shown us that they substantially increase the versatility of dual cab utes.
A canopy effectively doubles the covered volume of the load tub, which is a huge bonus that a hinged hard-cover or roller-cover can’t match. A canopy can also provide weather protection when attending outdoor sporting events or social functions, creates a great space for the family pooch (or pooches) to ride in regardless of weather and can even provide emergency overnight accommodation (yep, been there, done that too)!
The MGA canopy’s styling provides a near-seamless integration with that of the BT-50. The front of the canopy’s roof slopes slightly to meet the rear of the Mazda’s cabin roofline and the canopy’s leading edge has a recess to allow clearance for the BT-50’s high-mounted brake light. And because it’s not much higher than the ute’s roofline, accessing underground and multi-storey shopping centre carparks is not an issue.
It’s manufactured from light but strong ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) which is the only plastic approved for use by many OE car manufacturers. Combined with its high-gloss finish, which is colour-matched with our test vehicle’s Gun Blue paintwork, we reckon it enhances the overall look of the vehicle, rather than detracts from it like inferior quality canopies can do.
The tinted and key-lockable swing-up rear window with gas struts is easy to operate and provides a new position for the BT-50’s high-mounted stop light. There’s also a choice of three tinted side-window configurations consisting of sliding windows on both sides, lift windows on both sides, or our choice of LH lift window and RH sliding window.
We reckon this combination is the best of both worlds. The sliding window can be left open while driving, which is great for our pet Boxer in ventilating the load area and allowing her to get a face-full of cool air whenever she wants it. The opposing lift window, which has two key-lockable turning handles, is also supported by gas struts and provides ample access to the load area from the kerbside.
The canopy’s front window, which is not tinted, is hinged at its base so that it can swing down to provide easy cleaning of both its glass and the BT-50’s rear window glass. There’s also a bright LED internal light strip mounted at the rear of the canopy.
The only thing potential buyers need to be aware of, which we discovered during the installation process, is that the canopy’s base mounts are not compatible with the MGA tub-liner. So, if you’re ordering a new BT-50 with an MGA canopy, you can't use the MGA tub-liner, but a good alternative would be a spray-in liner.
RRP $4638.00
A common problem in utes fitted with canopies is dust (and water) leaking into the load area through sizeable gaps in the base and sides of the vehicle’s tailgate. Plenty of owners have been caught out by this, after discovering that their weather-proof canopy is only as weather-proof as the vehicle’s tailgate gaps allow it to be!
So, to address this problem, we also fitted Mazda’s tailgate dust-sealing kit which is designed to significantly reduce dust penetration into the rear tub area. It’s a neat-looking installation that mirrors the appearance of the thick rubber weather seals fitted to the BT-50’s cabin doors. With the tailgate closed, you can see the rubber seal firmly compressed between the body and tailgate, so it's an effective design.
RRP $651.00
Tailgates on modern utes are mostly made from steel, which is great for strength and durability but not so flash in terms of weight. This is particularly noticeable when opening, because you cop the full weight of them in your arms as they pivot on their hinges from vertical to horizontal.
Not surprisingly, due to the increasing popularity of dual cab utes as family cars, there’s been a similar increase in the popularity of tailgate-assist mechanisms. They effectively apply a brake when opening, to lower the tailgate smoothly to its horizontal position. They also assist in lifting when closing it.
Given that the tailgate on our BT-50 is opened and closed probably dozens of times each week, it made sense to also install MGA’s tailgate assist kit, which consists of two gas struts (one assists lowering, the other assists raising) and limiting straps on each side to make use of the tailgate as easy and safe as possible.
RRP $426.00
Some premium-grade utes include the tailgate in their central-locking systems, which is a handy feature to have when combined with a hinged hard-cover, motorised roller-cover or canopy in providing the ultimate load tub security for your belongings.
However, when installing hard covers or canopies on a sub-prime model like our XTR, owners wanting the same convenience and security can do what we did and install an MGA tailgate central-locking kit. So now, each time we leave the vehicle the tailgate automatically locks with the cabin doors, which provides an extra level of security.
RRP $392.00
Experience has taught us that a flat and grippy surface on the load tub’s floor is invaluable, not only for reducing movement of cargo, shopping etc but also for our dog who now regularly travels in the comfort of her own canopy.
We have previously observed that she struggled to maintain a solid foothold in load tubs with either glossy painted floors or the deeply-ribbed floors typically found in tub-liners, when subjected to normal vehicle movements.
We found the best solution was a thick rubber-type mat, so we had no hesitation in adding MGA’s version to our shopping list. It’s 8mm thick and tailor-made for a snug fit in dual cab BT-50s without tub-liners.
The load surface is finished in a subtle ‘rivet-head’ pattern for extra grip and another nice touch is the BT-50 name embossed in large fonts. The mat can be easily removed and replaced as required (there are no fixings needed to hold it in place) and is easy to scrub clean with a broom and soapy water.
RRP $700.00
We’ve been out and about in the BT-50 during October, doing several day trips to popular locations outside Melbourne including the Yarra Valley (where our daughter celebrated her 18th birthday with her first skydive!) and more recently Phillip Island.
The latter, which is a leisurely 140km drive from Melbourne’s CBD, is a superb place to spend a day either exploring its unique beauty or enjoying a slow lunch at one of many eateries, or a bit of both. It’s particularly nice on a sunny day with a light sea breeze, just like we had, with Bass Strait and surrounding waters glowing brilliant blue.
The BT-50 is proving to be a comfortable highway cruiser, given that the cabin is not only well insulated from engine, tyre and wind noise but its spacious dimensions and supportive seating ensures that all four of our family’s adult-sized occupants are comfortable.
I’ve been impressed with the rear seat comfort, given that my 20-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter are tall like their dad and are usually the first to 'red flag' passenger discomfort, particularly in the rear seats of dual cab utes where seat adjustment and space for passengers of their height are often limited.
However, they had no complaints about knee, head or shoulder room during these trips and liked the twin cup-holders in the fold-down centre armrest and twin a/c vents in the rear of the centre console. The only criticism, given that there’s two of everything else, was a single USB port rather than a matching pair.
It’s also comfortable and quite leisurely behind the wheel. With overdrive on fifth and sixth gears, the torquey 3.0-litre turbo-diesel only needs about 1500rpm to maintain 100km/h and 1600rpm at 110km/h using the adaptive cruise control, which ensures low engine stress and good economy during highway hauling.
We added another 1186km to the odometer in September which comprised the usual mix of city, suburban and highway driving. The engine has shown remarkable consistency in terms of its consumption, averaging a thrifty 10L/100km. This figure is based on both the dash display and our own figures calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, which were virtually identical.
On that point, we must say that the fuel gauge is also consistently accurate in displaying both the amount of diesel remaining in the 76-litre tank and the calculated driving range. It's nice to know you can trust these readouts on long trips, in being able to accurately calculate if you have enough fuel to reach the next town.
We’ve got more Mazda Genuine Accessories to install on our BT-50, in preparation for towing and off-road testing, along with other activities so stay tuned.
Acquired: August 2022
Distance travelled this month: 1186km
Odometer: 4036km
Average fuel consumption (at pump): 10.0L/100km
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