Tuesday, Dec 01, 2020 at 22:57
H Scratcher,
I have a 2014 Mazda BT50 - mechanically the same as a PX1 3.2
Ranger. It is modified for touring with a tradie canopy and storage system designed for independent camping without the van as
well as pulling the van. It is heavy, unfortunately. To address that it has a GVM upgrade to keep it legal.
Our van is a touch under 2500kg fully loaded. All up, with the independent stuff for side trips the combination weighs in at about 5500kg. Placarded GCM is 6000kg
It is an auto. I cannot think of a good reason to choose a manual other than die-hard personal preference. The auto is magic, though I did need to put an after-market transmission cooler on it. Other than that it is 100% a-ok. A manual transmission would dodge that, but personally, apart from the money, I cannot see the point.
We have done a number of 10-15k plus trips with the van at that 5500kg all-up weight. We prefer the road less travelled, so lots of dirt and rough roads. All good.
We like the High Country and the Snowies. It feels the hills - what would you expect? - but it keeps on keeping on.
The BT50 has 10k service intervals - I believe the
Ranger has 15k for the same mechanicals. I do a 5k intermediate engine oil change if on a long towing trek.
Transmission is "sealed for life", requiring no servicing. Bullshit except if it just does shopping trolley duty, and that's arguable. I do a 40% trans fluid and filter change every 40k to keep the transmission reasonably fresh.
Every make has faults and you'll read about some horror stories. I had one, common to both the BT50 and
Ranger (injector problem) and fixed under warranty (ex-warranty actually, but no cost to me), but generally the vehicle is sound and comfortable. An excellent tourer.
As with all leaf-sprung dual cab utes, if you're going to load it then upgrade your
suspension with springs, not airbags and distribute your load. Don't overload the rear with stuff in
the tub - your towball weight will add almost double its figure to the rear axle (and springs) so you need to keep loads forward as much as possible and canopy/tub load as light as you can.
Do that and it's a delight to drive. The 3.2, though getting a bit old now, is a willing worker.
People get chips, remaps and performance upgrades. IMO you don't need them, you're just adding stress and reducing reliability.
And again, I'd recommend an auto over a manual.
As a heavy vehicle with 2.5 tonnes hanging off the back it's a delight.
And without the van, on the High Country tracks and trails it magic, especially the auto. Keep the weight down and it would be even better.
Cheers
AnswerID:
634322
Follow Up By: Gbc.. - Wednesday, Dec 02, 2020 at 07:07
Wednesday, Dec 02, 2020 at 07:07
I have a 2013 3.2 auto. I echo everything frankp said above. It has 180km on it now and has done heavy on road and hard (deep sand etc) off-road towing. It still drives like a new car.
FollowupID:
911469