Description of Mazda cars: 121, Bongo, BT-50

Mazda 121 ↓ • Mazda Bongo ↓ • Mazda BT-50 ↓

Mazda 121

Name Mazda 121 was used for various Mazda Motor Company vehicles produced since 1975 by 2003 years under different names:

• 1975-1981 - the second generation of the sports car "Mazda Cosmo" with a 1.8-liter piston engine with 100 hp (aka "Mazda RX-5", but with a rotary engine).
• 1988-1991 - first generation of small car "Ford Festiva" with a 3-door hatchback body.
• 1991-1998 - subcompact four-door sedan "Autozam Revue", which was later renamed to "Mazda Revue" The car was equipped with engines with a capacity of 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 liters.
• 1996-2002 - first generation of compact car "Mazda Demio" (in the countries where it was supplied "Ford Fiesta" this car was not sold). The body was in the form of a 5-door hatchback, the engines were 1.3 and 1.5 liters.
• 1996−2002 — auto-rebadging version of the fourth generation of the subcompact car "Ford Fiesta", sold in some European markets. The body was in the form of a 3- or 5-door hatchback.

In 2001, the car was completely replaced by the Mazda2 model.

Mazda Cosmo CD 1975-1981

Ford Festiva WA 1988-1991

Autozam Revue 1991-1998

Mazda Demio DW 1996-2002

Ford Fiesta Mk4, 3-door

Ford Fiesta Mk4, 5-door

Mazda Bongo

Mazda Bongo — is a light commercial vehicle with a van or pickup truck body, produced since 1966 year and by present time japanese automaker Mazda Motor. Also known as Mazda E-Series, Mazda Access, Mazda Marathon, Ford Econovan, Ford Freda, Ford Spectron, Nissan Vanette Van/Truck (Bongo III and IV generation) and Mitsubishi Delica (Bongo IV generation)The car was assembled in Japan (hiroshima city), Malaysia (shah Alam city), Taiwan (taoyuan City) and Zimbabwe. In total, the car went through four generations.

First generation (1966−1975)

In May 1966, Mazda introduced its small van called "Bongo". The engine was a four-cylinder, four-stroke, OHV valve timing system with a volume of 0.8 liters (782 cm³), located at the rear with rear-wheel drive. Since 1968, two versions of the car were produced - F800 and F1000. The second had a more powerful engine with a volume of 1.0 liters (987 cm³) and a power of 47 hp. These engines were also installed on cars "Mazda Familia" first generation. There were prototypes with electric drive with a range of 60 km.

Production ended in 1975 due to Mazda's serious economic problems and new, stricter emissions standards that came into effect in 1976. Over its 10-year production run, the Bongo retained its appearance.

The car turned out to be very powerful due to the gearbox with a reduced transmission ratio and could easily carry 1.5 tons. Due to the body's susceptibility to rust and poor maintenance, it is extremely unlikely to find a whole Bongo today.

Second generation (1977−1983)

In September 1977, Mazda resumed production of the Bongo, introducing the second generation of this van. It had a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive. Depending on the engine size, its modifications were called "E1300", "E1400" and "E1600". Ford sold this car under the name "Econovan". In 1980, the "E2200" modification with a 2.2-liter engine appeared. The Korean company Kia also produced this van under the names "Kia Bongo" and "Kia Ceres". Kia produced this van until 1999 with minor improvements.

The engine range has the following characteristics:

• 1.3 liters (1272 cm³, TC, 60 hp) from 1977 to 1979.
• 1.4 liters (1415 cm³, UC, 70 hp) from 1979 to 1980.
• 1.6 liters (1586 cm³, NA, 80 hp) from 1978 to 1982.
• 2.2 liters (2209 cm³, S2, diesel, 65 hp) from 1980 to 1983.

The initial exterior design featured round headlights and a grille, while the 1981 facelift saw rectangular headlights and a more traditional grille.

Third generation (1983−1999)

In 1983, the third generation of Bongo was released, which received updated engines and was also called "Mazda E-series". Ford sold this car under the name "Spectron" (passenger) or "Econovan" and "J80" (truck). Since 1994, Nissan has also sold this car under the name "Vanette". In South Korea, the car was sold under the name as "Kia Wide Bongo".



There were three modifications of petrol engines with the following characteristics: 1.4 liters (1415 cm³, UC), 1.8 liters (1789 cm³, F8) and 2.0 liters (2000 cm³, FE)There were two modifications of 2.0 liter diesel engines (1998 cm³, RF-T) and 2.2 liters (2209 cm³, R2). The gearbox was a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.

There was also a model with an extended base called "Bongo Brawny". Ford sold it under the name "Econovan Maxi". In Korea the car was called "Kia Wide Bongo" (truck) and "Kia Besta" (passenger).

Fourth generation (1999−2018)

In 1999, the fourth and final generation of the Bongo van and truck was released. In different countries, the car was called as "Mazda E-series", "Ford Econovan", "Mitsubishi Delica" and "Nissan Vanette". It was assembled on the "SK" platform, which is based on the previous generation "SS/SE" platform. In 2018, Mazda stopped producing these cars, focusing on the production of light passenger vehicles. Two engines were available - a 1.8-liter gasoline (1798 cm³, 95 and 102 hp) and diesel 2.0 liters (1998 cm³, 86 hp).

From 1999 to 2010, an extended version of the car was produced under the name "Bongo Brawny".

Mazda Bongo 2004 back view

Mazda Bongo 2004 interior

Bongo Brawny 2006

Mazda BT-50

Mazda VT-50 — a mid-size pickup truck produced since 2006 year by present time by Japanese automaker Mazda Motor. Not produced or sold in Japan. Replaced the "B-Series" pickup trucks. Until 2011, Ford also sold a version of the first-generation BT-50 as "Ford Ranger" and as an SUV "Ford Everest". The engine is located in front longitudinally, the drive is carried out on all wheels or only on the rear wheels. The body can be 2- or 4-door. In total, two generations of these pickups were released.

First generation (J97M, 2006−2011)

In March 2006, the pickup was presented to the public at the Bangkok Motor Show. The body was produced in three versions - a single-row cabin with two seats and two doors, a four-seater short cabin with two doors and a four-seater long cabin with four doors. The length of the body was 5170 mm, the width was 1804 mm and the height was 1762 mm. The curb weight was 1763-1878 kg. The car was assembled in Thailand, Columbia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Vietnam and China.

Engines were installed only diesel "MZR-CD" with a volume of 2.5 liters (2499 cm³, I4 Duratorq TDCi, 143 l. With.) and 3.0 liters (2953 cm³, I4 Duratorq TDCi, 156 hp). Gearboxes are 5-speed manual or automatic. Cars with petrol engines of 2.2 and 2.6 liters were supplied to the countries of Central and South America.

In the first quarter of 2008, the VT-50 received a minor restyling.

Second generation (UP, UR, 2011−present)

The second generation was shown at the Australian International Motor Show in October 2010. The car is based on the platform "Ford Ranger (T6)". The body shapes are the same as in the first generation, but the dimensions of the car have increased significantly. The length is 5359 mm, the width is 1849 mm, the height is 1741-1856 mm. The curb weight is 1708-2051 kg. In 2015, a minor cosmetic restyling was carried out.

Engines were installed only with diesel Duratorq "MZ-CD" with a volume of 2.2 liters (2198 cc, four-cylinder I4, 153 hp) and 3.2 liters (3198 cc, five-cylinder I5, 185 hp). Gearboxes 6-cylinder automatic or manual.

Mazda BT-50 2012 2-door

Mazda BT-50 2012 back view

Mazda BT-50 2012 interior