Mazda BT-50 test drive since 2006-
The same or different?
Exactly a year ago, the group of the wheel magazine took two pickups for the test: Mazda B-Series and Ford Ranger, in fact, the same car, even produced on the same conveyor. For 365 days, a lot of water has flowed, the Mazdovsky pickup is now called the BT-50, and Fords presented a new generation of a passenger truck
But in search of the perfect pickup Ford and Mazda, they are still largely solid: it should have all-wheel drive, a hard frame, a painful diesel engine, a rear spring suspension, a rigid connection of the front axle and a differential of increased friction in the rear bridge.
Auto -manufacturers came together even in how the salon should look and what should be made of. Nevertheless, there are differences between Ranger and BT-50. It became interesting to us: the difference in pickups is the imprint of the corporate identity of each of the companies or focus on different segments of the audience? ..
The cowboy will not appreciate
If you utter the name of the Pick Up body, then the picture involuntarily pops up in my head: a healthy American hunter, in a hat with wide fields and a gun at the ready, in one fell swoop throws a carcass of just shot boar into the body of his car
When looking at our heroes, however, the picture will fade somewhat a pickup body somewhat, only spacious sides are covered from bad weather and prying eyes. In our case, the Mazda BT-50, voluminous kung, has a Ford Ranger strain.
Such a lid deprives the American part of the practical functions, because in a closed form it will be possible to transport only the load, which will be located below the side line otherwise, otherwise the tent simply will not close. Mazda has no such problem completely. Moreover, the kung itself is slightly higher than the body itself, which, again, goes into the offset of the internal space. But each design has its own shortcomings. Forget about tightness: I apologize to the luggage! The cargo compartment BT-50 in the rear side area has hefty gaps (with a finger with thickness), through which you can successfully see what is happening on the street.
This was apparently done for reasons of ventilation improvement, because the compartment is isolated from the passenger part of the body, but the same box of tools will have to be kept in the cabin, which, frankly, is not densely.
Choose an extension
The presence of kung, as in our case, on the BT-50, slightly brings the pickup on consumer qualities to its double-bearing off-road brothers. Having installed such a hard roof, you will not achieve tightness in the compartment; In addition, it is also impossible to heat the resulting barn.
The process of installation-ditches is not too complicated, but a certain time will take: you have to tinker with bolts. Like an alternative, a cover for a cargo platform.
Mazda offers two for its pickup: a soft awning or an aluminum gate. On Ford, you can install the already mentioned lid-azeli lid. This option seems successful, because, on the one hand, the design has the necessary rigidity, and on the other, you get a convenient shifting opening system. True, the useful volume is lost
Cooler Comparing these cars, it is very easy to summarize that the same is obvious, and they can only be compared in small things. The way it is. Plastic in both machines is rude, but without crickets and other creaky troubles.
It was all the more amazing to hear on separate bumps a sonorous rattles of the internal panels of the doors. True, in fairness, we note that these were rather solid bumps. It seems that in everyday life the cars will face such more than once.
In the burdocks of lateral mirrors, it seems, you can see cars moving from behind through two stripes from you. But I liked not only that. When adjusting (of course, electrical) external mirrors, they can be lowered so much that the front wheel arch will be visible!
For someone, perhaps this is a dubious advantage, but to travel on a clumsy pickup from a dense parking, caused by all kinds of pillars-bogs, with such mirrors is very convenient. Checked!
If you want to take revenge on someone, invite the offender to sit on the passenger series of seats of any of our pickups. And the point is not that in this mother -in -law, a person of even medium complexion will rush into the critical, from the point of view of comfort, the number of elements of the door of the door handle, front seats, the back of the body (thanks, at least left space above their heads).
Let him first try to climb into the salon through a narrow passenger door of grace in his movements. Well, when the time comes to leave the corner, then one hundred to one that the passenger will slip his foot with a chrome footboard or hit his head on the angle of the door opening. And most likely, this and the other will do.
Perhaps, only only seats made of leather and alcantara in the top version of Ford can brighten up a stay in the back row. In addition, the skin is finished with the steering wheel with a gearbox lever. And only fabric upholstery is available in Mazda.
And how cool the salon warms up in the pickup! That is, quickly literally in a matter of seconds. Let this be a kind of comfort for passengers who were lucky enough to get into the second row of seats.
Ford Ranger Double Cab 4wd (manufacturer data):
Dimensions (length/width/height) 5 165/1 805/1 795 mm
Road clearance 205 mm
Engine volume and power 2.5 l /143 liters. With. (diesel)
The maximum speed of n. D.
Acceleration to 100 km/h 12.5 s
Average fuel consumption 8.5 l/100 km
Price
Basic: 660 000 rub.
In maximum configuration: 920,000 rubles.
Do not save on tires
With the tools that are hidden in the pendants and the transmission of pickups, we decided not to waste time in the city, but to climb along the snow -covered (and iconic) regional roads, and where they are not yet.
In urban driving mode, both pickups are rear -wheel drive. A rigidly connected four -wheel drive is not recommended to be connected on dry asphalt. With a drive to all wheels and with raising transmission, the variety of road surface coatings pleases with breadth, and the reducing series of gears reduces the chances of getting stuck to an absolute minimum. True, if only rubber is in order
The behavior on the road Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 turned out to be completely different. This is amazing, because in the technique of pickups they do not differ in a single bolt. It's all about tires!
Ford was shod in all -season, and Mazda in winter studded tires. As a result, the first experienced serious problems with braking in the snow and ice, constantly leaking and waging the rear axle, and the second was easily climbing up, perfectly stopped and easily fit into the winding turns of our test route.
But in Ranger there is a set of off -road devices: compass and rollomers. They showed that the ford ford lift on these tires will not master
Mazda BT-50 (manufacturer data):
Dimensions (length/width/height) 5 075/1 805/1 760 mm
Road clearance 205 mm
Engine volume and power 2.5 l /143 liters. With. (diesel)
Maximum speed 158 km/h
Acceleration to 100 km/h 12.5 s
Average fuel consumption 8.9 l/100 km
Price
Basic: 611 000 rub.
In maximum configuration: 788,000 rubles.
Eventually
The difference is only in the wrapper. You just need a good pickup, choose Mazda: there is a chance to save almost 30,000 rubles. If you do not need the initial, but an advanced level of equipment, see what Ranger offers.
Otherwise, both pickups guarantee equally magnificent cross -country ability and carrying capacity. The main thing is that the load fit
They will not steal us
Pickups are far from the most popular treat for hijackers. Specific machines are generally much more security than their mass counterparts. At least, statistics in Moscow testifies: over the past couple of years, only two pickups have been stolen in the capital (and both Mitsubishi L200). For comparison: popular Volkswagen Passat stolen in the same period as much as 1358 times.
Interestingly, in the USA, for example, a completely different picture is observed. There, starting in 1999, just a boom in the hijacks of pickups began. During this time, the most often complaints came from the owners of Dodge Ram and Ford F-250/350.
The theft of cars and SUVs increased slightly in 2003-2004, but decreased in 2005. Moreover: complaints from the owners of pickups against thefts and theft of certain components of their cars in 2005 were received twice as much as other vehicles.
Text: Alexander Korobchenko, Philip Berezen
Photo: Roman Ostanin
A source: Wheel magazine [December 2007]
