Isuzu D-MAX v Mazda BT-50 2020 Comparison

It is not breaking news that the all-new Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50 were both primarily developed by Isuzu, are built by Isuzu and, on paper, are identical in every important measure.

It’s also no secret that in the car industry brand loyalty counts for a lot.

So if you love Isuzu, you are not likely to sign up for the new BT-50, and if you have always owned Mazdas, the new D-MAX is far less likely to sit in your drive-way.

But if you want a new dual-cab ute and have no allegiance to either Isuzu or Mazda, which of these two dual-cabs is the better vehicle – and the better buy?

It’s worth noting here that the Mazda range is restricted to three dual-cab models – for now – while the Isuzu presently has a much wider 20-variant line-up spanning single, extended-cab and dual-cab body styles.

The D-MAX LS-U and BT-50 XTR are very closely matched on price. For the six-speed manual versions, the Mazda is slightly cheaper – $54,710 versus $54,990, both plus on-road costs – but with each optioned with the six-speed auto as tested here, you’ll pay a little more for the Mazda.

The D-MAX’s auto adds $2000 to its price, for a total of $56,900 plus ORCs. For the BT-50, the $2500 auto option bumps the price to $57,210 plus ORCs, $220 more than the Isuzu.

As tested, the Mazda came as a standard XTR auto while the Isuzu had $6188 worth of options fitted: a hard-lid tonneau cover ($2990), tow bar ($950), seven-pin tow bar wiring kit ($249), electric brake controller ($820), tub liner ($670), metallic paint ($500) and rubber tray mat ($199), making for a total of $63,287 plus ORCs.

The BT-50 also had metallic paint, but Mazda – unlike Isuzu Ute – does not charge for any of the seven available exterior colour options.

While they’re not the flagship variants, both the LS-U and XTR are still well-equipped utes. Standard features on both vehicles here includes dual-zone climate control, LED headlights and fog lights, active cruise control, rear parking sensors and reversing camera, electric adjustable lumbar support, leather-clad steering wheel, a rear diff lock, auto-on headlights, auto high beam, rain-sensing wipers, side steps and power-folding side mirrors.

There are very few differences in features between the two. The Mazda gets keyless entry and start and an auto-dimming rear vision mirror – these are missing on the D-MAX – while unique D-MAX features include privacy glass, LED tail-lights and two extra (dash) cup-holders.

What separates these two utes most are cosmetic details. The most obvious difference is in front sheet-metal, and to a lesser degree different alloy wheel designs (although their diameter and tyre sizes are identical).

The Isuzu presents a more aggressive nose than the softer Mazda front-end, which at first glance could be mistaken for one of the brand’s SUVs.

From the A-pillars back, the roof and turrets are the same. The doors, tub, tail-lights and rear bumpers are different, although you really have to be looking hard to notice. The Mazda is 15mm longer and 10mm wider than the Isuzu, but both share their height measurement.

Inside, there are slightly different dash designs, a different steering wheel hub and different materials used on the centre cubby lid and door armrests.

Payload specs are similar: the Isuzu can carry up to 1055kg while the Mazda can accommodate 15kg more at 1070kg. Both can tow up to 3500kg (braked) with up to 350kg on the tow ball.

Sharing the same 3100kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) and 5950kg gross combined mass (GCM), in each case these utes would have to reduce payload and/or trailer mass from maximum allowed figures by 650kg to remain within the GCM maximum.

As for servicing costs, both brands offer seven years of capped-price servicing. For a total seven capped-price services (at the time of writing – prices can and will change over time), for the Isuzu you’ll pay a total of $3373 and the Mazda $3478. Both share identical scheduled time/distance service intervals of 12 months/15,000km.

Warranty terms are a little different. Isuzu has a six-year/150,000km factory warranty, including 13 months of roadside assistance (extended for 12 months each time you get a scheduled service done by an Isuzu dealer), but no specific mention of body perforation cover.

The Mazda’s warranty is for five years/unlimited kilometres with roadside assist included (and six years’ warranty for body sheet-metal corrosion perforation). Mazda has 141 dealers nationally (with no service-only sites), while Isuzu has a total of 157 locations including service-only sites.

The Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50 share a comprehensive standard safety equipment list.

Standard across both ranges is autonomous emergency braking (AEB), attention assist, automatic high beam, an adjustable speed limiter, roll over protection, speed sign recognition and trailer sway control.

There’s also blind spot monitoring, emergency lane keeping, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, rear cross traffic alert, secondary collision reduction, ‘misacceleration mitigation’, post-collision braking and turn assist.

Eight airbags are fitted in both vehicles, with the front, side and side curtain airbags you’d expect augmented with a driver’s knee airbag and centre curtain airbag.

ANCAP has handed down a maximum five-star safety rating for the D-MAX under its stringent 2020 testing regime, and given the similarities between the two models, we would expect the BT-50 to also rate highly.

The D-MAX and BT-50 similarly both have a generous amount of tech features on board. They share the same 9.0-inch colour infotainment touch-screen with native sat-nav, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity plus DAB+ digital radio, a reversing camera, and two USB ports.

While not as user-friendly as some systems, the infotainment set-up on each is fairly easy to use once you become familiar with the menus.

The 4.2-inch centre driver information display (which is identical in both vehicles) must have been upgraded since we first saw it in a D-MAX X-Terrain just a month ago. The display and some menus appear the same but navigating through others seems much less mystifying and frustrating. For example, disabling the speed alert warning chime is now a much simpler job.

Even so, there is a lot of info packed onto that 4.2-inch piece of real estate, and some of it, such as the odo figure, is hard to read as it is so small.

The on-paper specs for the Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50 are identical, starting with a 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that develops 140kW and 450Nm.

The six-speed auto transmission and all ratios in the transmission, transfer case and diffs are the same too. Both are part-time 4WD systems with electronic on-the-fly shifting between two- and four-wheel drive high range.

There has been no specific engineering of either vehicle that aims to deliver a different driving experience. This is essentially Isuzu engineering all over, with the only obvious change being the identical engine cover having either an Isuzu or Mazda badge.

The Isuzu weighs slightly more at 2045kg, against the Mazda’s 2030kg. As tested the Isuzu would have been slightly heavier again, perhaps as much as 100kg, with accessories such as the tow bar and hard tonneau lid fitted.

It’s no great surprise that there was no performance difference on test. Both utes get up and get going with minimal turbo lag and deliver strong mid-range response offered though a transmission that provides smooth shifts.

This powerplant, like its Isuzu predecessor, feels like an old-school diesel truck engine in that it is not happy to rev much beyond 3500rpm. It quickly resorts to making a racket and not going much quicker, so it’s no surprise that, with the transmission in ‘D’, the upshift point is at about 3700rpm.

There is no dedicated sport driving mode or towing mode for the transmission in these vehicles.

Fuel consumption in a mix of highway running with a small amount of urban work netted 9.5L/100km in both vehicles. You’d see low eights in easy highway running and up to around 10L/100km in the city.

With identical hardpoints, the interior space in the Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-MAX utes is only separated by cosmetic details already noted.

The seats are comfortable and supportive, the controls and instruments easy to use, and while the Mazda is a little easier to just get in and drive with its keyless operation, neither has any frustrating quirks.

The Isuzu’s integrated dash cup-holders will be appreciated by those who spend a lot of time on the road, although there is plenty of storage for cups and bits and pieces in otherwise identical storage areas in both.

In terms of handling, the Isuzu and Mazda feel much the same; they have fairly direct steering and get through corners without drama, but neither could be described as athletic dynamically, even for the ute class.

For most, this will not matter; what does matter is that they are both safe and predictable to drive.

Mazda Australia has said that the suspension tune is the same in both the BT-50 and D-MAX. However, we noticed that the Mazda seemed slightly firmer in its initial suspension compression. Perhaps the weight of the Isuzu’s extra equipment helped settle its ride more.

If there ever was a case of splitting hairs, it is right here in this comparison between the Mazda BT-50 and the vehicle upon which it’s based, the Isuzu D-MAX.

Both are good utes, with ample performance, interior space and features, and are loaded with safety tech.

However, with its slightly stronger aftersales support – a longer warranty and larger dealer/service network – the Isuzu D-MAX LS-U just edges out in front to win this comparison.

How much does the 2020 Isuzu D-MAX LS-U cost?
Price: $56,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 207g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)

How much does the 2020 Mazda BT-50 XTR cost?
Price: $57,210 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 207g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested