Mazda New Zealand has moved the 2WD versions of its BT-50 to a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine, which the company claims make it the lowest-CO2 diesel ute on sale in the country.
The new powerplant is fitted to the GSX and GTX 2WD models and makes 110kW/350Nm - 30kW/100Nm down on the 3.0-litre engine that powers the 4WD range (which includes GSX/GTX as well as high-end Limited and Takami models). But at 205g/km according to the government's 3P-WLTP Clean Car test, it's 33g less polluting.
The RightCar website lists the potential Clean Car Discount fee for the BT-50 as $1092.50, compared with $2530 for the equivalent 3.0 version.
Tow rating is down 500kg compared with the 3.0 to 3000kg, but payload for the 1.9 increases to 1150kg for the GSX and 1130kg for the GTX (1065-1085kg for the 3.0 models) thanks to the lighter engine.
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The entry-level GSX grade (both 1.9 2WD and 3.0 4WD) has had a suspension tweak to improve ride quality, "particularly when unladen" says Mazda. Other BT-50 changes include a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, (TPMS) now fitted to GTX and above.
The new 1.9-litre GSX and GTX BT-50s are $48,740 and $52,740 respectively. There's an $8820 price difference between the 2WD and 4WD versions of each - not taking into account the different Clean Car fees, which widen the "real word" gap to over $10k.