2011 Mazda BT-50 pickup truck: High hopes?

Sharing its underpinnings with the all-new 2011 Ford Ranger, the 2011 Mazda BT-50 pickup truck looks like a love child of a Mazda CX-9, Mitsubishi L200 and Dr. Frankenstein.

The truck is designed by a certain Ryo Yanagisawa, who is not particularly well-known in the business. Although speaking the same Nagare design tongue as the rest of the family and pretending to be a trend setter, the truck nevertheless looks like… Well, like just another Japanese truck. The competitor that first comes to mind is the Mitsubishi L200 pickup.

Both vehicles sport the same prominent wheel arches, huge hood and an energetically sloping front windshield. Even the C-pillars look almost identical to each other. The main difference between the two is that the L200 can in fact be used for serious off-roading and/or as a real-life work horse, while the 2011 Mazda BT-50 is more of a city vehicle that will rarely see real mud or do the heavy lifting.

There is still virtually no info as to the vehicle’s specs but the truck is expected to sport the same pair of diesel engines that are available for its sibling — the 2011 Ford Ranger.

The entry level 2×4 model will probably be equipped with a relatively small 147 hp / 375 Nm 2.2 four-cylinder TDCi powerplant, while the 4×4 versions will receive a 3.2-liter Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel with an intercooler, which is capable of producing 200 hp and 470 Nm of torque.

The truck will reportedly go to the assembly line in June, 2011. It will be built at the same manufacturing facility in Thailand, which is going to also build the 2011 Ford Ranger.

Photos: Mazda

See also: 2006 Mazda BT-50 pickup truck