MORE POWER
How can you make Canada's most popular imported pick up truck better? By replacing its 160 horsepower 4.0-liter V-6 by a similar engine that develops 210 horsepower. Indeed, that is the powermill that can be found under the hood of the 2001 B4000.
What's more, the front end has been redesigned to underline the event. I had the opportunity to drive such a vehicle lately and I found myself behind the wheel of an extended cab four-wheel driven version. It could seem useless to repeat that Mazda is now part of Ford's international family but then, it should explain the fact that the B Series trucks built and sold in America are based on a Ford Ranger. However, let's point out that almost no body part from one truck will fit on the other. Therefore, the 4.0-liter V-6 that powers the Mazda B is a Ford engine and, naturally, it is the same found in the bay of a most recent Ranger Edge. Incidentally, the only other engine available in a Mazda B is the 3.0-liter Ford V6, the four-cylinder mill not being shown in any local brochure. My black B4000 also had a five-speed (yes, five-speed) automatic transmission that worked very sharply. Accelerations were smooth and fast while the engine sound barely changed at full throttle. Passing was also sure quick and sure. Nevertheless, I always thought that this V-6 had a rough sound but it does not alter its capacities. But what really suffers is fuel consumption, which is not exemplary in winter.