50 Shades of Getaway

FROM DAILY DUTIES TO REMOTE TOURING, THIS GREY BT 50 IS BUILT TO TAKE IT ALL

- DEX FULTON

YOU have to hand it to the BT-50. It's a bit of an unsung hero on the 4x4 scene, handling everything Y the more popular (and more expensive) dual cabs can, while somehow not drawing a heap of attention to itself. A bit like the bloke in the back of the pub who could go toe-to-toe with a prime Mike Tyson but will never instigate anything or brag about his ability; a quiet achiever, just gets on with the job, does it superbly, then goes quietly back to his beer without fanfare.

That's what Royce and Gabby's Mazda does day in and day out. At first glance it may look like just another well-sorted tradie's ute, but once you start peeling back a few layers you begin to realise that this thing has been built to handle the long trips to the remotest parts of the continent for weeks at a time; the vehicle version of that quiet bloke in the pub. Unassuming and not in your face at all, but once the going gets tough, it's the fourby you want in your corner.

Royce and Gabby are no strangers to the Mazda workhorse, having previously owned a 2012 BT that was well and truly worked. Putting out around 220 horses with all the fruit, the last one was a beast, and opened a lot of people's eyes to what BT-50s are capable of out on the tracks. Now, this one has been taken to an even higher level over the last couple of years, and with a few massive trips on the horizon, we thought we'd better hop in and take a look before it heads off into the bush for the foreseeable future.

THE BOLT-ON BITS

STARTING up front, the BT copped a PSR Ambush front bar with LED fog lights and bash plates to keep the engine and steering gear away from rock damage. Keeping the LED lighting theme going are no fewer than 10 Stedi Cube lights mounted to the leading edge of the rack. In fact, Stedi LEDs are dotted all over the joint, providing camp lighting out the back and sides for when Royce and Gabby pull up after dark.