CARS OF THE WORLD

Mazda BT-50 Thunder 2021.

Mazda Australia has unveiled a new flagship version of the BT-50 pickup truck, named the Thunder prefix.

The novelty is designed specifically for the Australian market, where it will compete with the Toyota Hilux Rugged X and Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior.

It is reported that the modification is based on the BT-50 GT Dual Cab 4 × 4 version.

The car differs from the donor by the presence of a steel bumper guard and an additional LED chandelier in the front.

The top-of-the-line pickup also features flared wheel arches and new side steps.

Plus, this car has 18-inch alloy wheels in black and a stylish arch for the cargo area.

The special edition can be ordered in one of several body colors, including Ice White, Gray Mica and Rock Gray Mica, Ingot Silver Metallic, Gun Blue Mica, True Black Mica and Red Volcano Mica.

Like other versions of the pickup, the Thunder modification is equipped with a 3.0-liter turbodiesel with 187 hp. and 450 Nm of torque, available in the range from 1,600 to 2,600 rpm.

You can order a truck with a six-speed manual or automatic.

In the first case, the fuel consumption is declared at 7.7 l / 100 km, and in the second — 8.0 l / 100 km.

The drive is already complete in the base — with a rear differential lock. Sales of such a pickup truck in Australia will begin in April 2021.

For a car with a mechanic in the local market, they ask from 65,990 Australian dollars (3.8 million rubles at the current exchange rate), and for a variant with a machine gun — $ 68,990 (almost 4.0 million rubles).

Thus, the modification turned out to be $ 13,000 (750,000 rubles) more expensive than the regular version.

The new version was called Thunder («thunder» in translation from English), such a pickup is available only with a double cab.

Exterior features are a steel front bumper (it is claimed that it was developed by the Australian branch of the brand), black 18-inch wheels, wheel arch extensions and footrests, an LED headlight in the front.

In addition, the BT-50 Thunder’s cargo area is covered with an aluminum cover that can be raised and lowered remotely.

Thanks to the new bumper, the length of the pickup has increased by 190 mm to 5470 mm, the ground clearance is the same 240 mm as that of the standard two-row BT-50.

The salon did not change. And the equipment is the same as that of the top pickup: there is a multimedia system with a 9-inch screen and satellite navigation, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a rear-view camera, automatic braking systems, keeping in the lane and monitoring «blind» zones , adaptive cruise control.

The engine also switched from a regular truck. In Australia, the Mazda BT-50 is offered exclusively with the Isuzu 3.0 turbodiesel (190 hp, 450 Nm), the Thunder is available with both a “mechanics” and a six-speed “automatic” from Aisin.

The suspension was not modified. The drive of the new version is only full, with a rigid connection of the front axle, there is a rear differential lock.