Australian versions of the Isuzu D-Max, MU-X and Mazda BT-50 are expected to receive a new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel within months, replacing the current 1.9-litre.
A new four-cylinder diesel engine for the 2026 Isuzu D-Max ute, 2026 Isuzu MU-X off-road SUV and 2026 Mazda BT-50 ute has moved one step closer to Australia.
Government documents seen by Drive confirm Mazda Australia has received approval to sell its BT-50 ute – a twin to the Isuzu D-Max – with a 2.2-litre single turbocharged four-cylinder diesel, which is derived from the current 1.9-litre.
While Isuzu Ute Australia has not formally announced if the new engine will be added to the D-Max and MU-X, it would be unusual for only Mazda to receive it, with local customer deliveries for the three vehicles possible by the end of the year.
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A Mazda Australia spokesperson told Drive the brand has no news to “share around BT-50 for the moment”.
“We don’t have anything new to share around BT-50 for the moment. Future product plans will be announced at the appropriate time.”
The 2.2-litre single-turbocharged diesel – tipped to replace current 1.9-litre Isuzu and Mazda variants – develops 120kW and 400Nm, up 10kW and 50Nm, but 20kW and 50Nm less than the 3.0-litre.
The 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel is expected to remain unchanged, but Isuzu and Mazda could increase the number of variants with the more-efficient entry-level diesel due to the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
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Currently, the 1.9-litre diesel is available in single- and dual-cab D-Max SX grades with a six-speed manual or automatic, in the MU-X LS-M 4×2, LS-M 4×4 and LS-U 4×4 with an automatic, and in the automatic-only BT-50 XS single-cab-chassis two-wheel-drive.
Codenamed ‘R4ZF’, the 2.2-litre is matched to a newly-developed eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, while the Mazda is listed in its approval documents with two- and four-wheel-drive.
Compared to the ‘RZ4E’ 1.9-litre engine it has been developed from, improvements include a new cylinder head, cylinder block, connecting rods, crankshaft, and low-friction pistons.
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Isuzu claims the new automatic transmission “brings significant improvements” in start-up capability, acceleration and fuel efficiency, with 56 per cent more “start up torque” and a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption over the 1.9-litre.
A single-turbo Ford Ranger 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel develops 125kW and 405Nm, while a 2.4-litre Toyota HiLux has 110kW/400Nm, both with six-speed automatic transmissions.
The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel was added to the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X in Thailand in November 2024, followed by the facelifted Mazda BT-50 in December – but the latter stuck with its existing 1.9-litre in Australia when it launched at the start of 2025.
The post 2026 Isuzu D-Max, MU-X and Mazda BT-50 2.2-litre diesel one step closer to Australia appeared first on Drive.
