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.
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).
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 4x2, LS-M 4x4 and LS-U 4x4 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.
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.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
