The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

The small pickup, like the small car, just seems to get fancier and fancier. In fact, it is difficult these days to find a stripped-down version of either. And, no doubt, for good reason – buyers may talk about basic vehicles but they don’t buy them.

At one time a pickup truck was a pickup truck. Now most pickups manufacturers, to be sure, have not let this pass unnoticed. Why else do you think small pickups are available with nearly every option a passenger car offers? In the past year or so many manufacturers have been offering sport trucks, a vehicle that, not surprisingly, looks sporty. The sport truck may not be quite as common as the sport sedan but give it a little time.

Today’s test vehicle, the Mazda B2000 SE-5, gets its sporty looks from just a couple of items more than Mazda’s standard B2000 Sundowner. From the outside the only real difference is stylized spoke wheels and somewhat bold body stripes but it looks like an entirely different vehicle. And, surprisingly, it doesn’t cost that much more than the standard pickup – a base price of $6,195 compared to $5,995.

Mazda claims the SE-5 was designed for the younger buyer ”whose inclinations point them to the extra exterior styling touches but whose budgets must also be satisfied.” For all I know, this could be true, regardless, the SE-5 is a neat-looking little truck that could appeal to a good many because it offers a reasonable value for the money.

While we are discussing money, we might as well finish it up right now. The test truck had a bottom line of $7,320. In addition to the base of $6,195 and an overland freight charge of $175, the test vehicle had options totaling $950 – air conditioning, $600; AM-FM stereo, $225, and pickup bed liner, $225. In addition, standard equipment included a five-speed manual transmission, power brakes, steel belted radials, full cut-pile carpeting, intermittent windshield wipers, trip odometer, sidevent windows and tinted glass. All-in- all, a nicely equipped vehicle for the money.

The test vehicle was a long-bed model and, as such, had a wheelbase of 113 inches, overall length of 191 inches, width of 63 inches, height of 61 inches and curb weight of 2,590 pounds. The pickup bed measures 86 inches in length, 57 inches in width and 16 inches in height. The B2000 is rated for a payload of 1,400 pounds, combination passenger and cargo weight, which is about average for a truck this size.

Although the SE-5 may look sporty, it is still nevertheless a truck and is sprung on the heavy side. However, the long wheelbase goes a long way to smooth things out. It almost rides as well as some small cars. It does, however, drive like a truck and not a small car and the long wheelbase needs more room for maneuvering. Example: The Mazda GLC has a turning circle, curb to curb, of 30.2 feet, while the SE-5 needs 40 feet to make the circle. The longer wheelbase is e ven more noticeable when parking. Since the vehicle does not have power steering, a little more steering wheel effort is needed.

The suspension system is typically truck – the front is independent and features double-wishbones with coil springs while the rear has a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. This is not an exciting suspension but is adequate for its intended use. The tires are relatively large P205/75R14. Like all front engine/rear drive pickups, the SE-5 is light in the rear which, among other things, means the rear tires can be spun quite easily with an over-zealous foot. But it is no worse than any other pickup.

The cab is decently sized and most persons should have no trouble fitting into it. A tall person will find his right knee directly in front of the parking brake, which is mounted beneath the dash and, no doubt, will bang it a couple of times before wising up. Interestingly, the test vehicle had a bench seat and three seatbelts.I ouldn’t say three big men could fit in but a couple and a child will have sufficient room. The seat also has 5.5 inches of track movement which means it should accommodate the large, the short and the tall.

The B-2000 SE-5 is powered by a 120.2-cubic-inch (two liter or 2,000 cc), four cylinder, overhead camshaft engine rated at 78 horsepower at 4,300 rpm and 111 foot pounds of torque at 2,400 rpm. Although 78 horsepower may not sound like a thriller for a vehicle weighing in at 2,500 pounds and, chances are, there won’t be any victory at the end of a racing tour but things aren’t all that bad. The lower truck gearing helps out with acceleration and passing.

The five-speed transmission has gear ratios of: First, 4.359; second, 2.519; third, 1.507; fourth, 1.000 and fifth, 0.875. As you can see, first is a real stump-puller but the other gears have a close ratio. In other words, once out of first, the transmission is very much like that of a passenger car.

The engine/transmission combination produced quite good fuel mileage. But this is the whole purpose of small pickups and should be expected. The test vehicle average 30 miles per gallon for highway driving and 19 mpg in city driving. The EPA estimates are 27 mpg city/37 mpg highway.

Mazda also offers a diesel version of the truck, the B2200, which has a 134.8-cubic-inch, four-cylinder engine rated at 59 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 90 foot pounds of torque at 2,500 rpm. EPA estimates for this engine are 32 mpg city/40 highway. Since the fuel mileage really isn’t that much more than the gasoline version, it doesn’t appear to have any advantage. In fact, with less horsepower, it will have less performance. So, once again in life, it is another case of paying your money and taking your choice.