On the road, the new B4000 is fast out of the box and has great passing power. It has good roadhandling as long as the driver can respect the fact it is a 4 x 4. Actually, it surely is not a sports car with a low centre of gravity and that has to be remembered. Curves can be taken at a safe speed but one must not expect the attitude of a gran turismo exoticar. Braking had ABS for sure and good stopping but nothing out of the ordinary. The big winter tires did growl a little but not annoyingly. As for maximum traction, the rotary switch comes in handy to turn rapidly to four-wheel drive the moment the driver hits snow or ice. The Nokian tires helped very much the B4000 because with an empty bed, it is easy to get it to spin or skid.
Finally, I really enjoyed the B4000 even if there were some little concessions I had to make with such a vehicle. However, the driver who knows about small trucks and likes to use them knowingly will surely appreciate this Mazda.
THE TIRES...
Just a few words on the Nokian Hakkapeliita 10 LT tires that Mazda had installed on my tester B4000. I really appreciated their grip on snow and their traction on ice. Nokian is an important winter tire manufacturer that knows its business. If there were some negative points to talk about, there would be a noticeable growling sound coming from the tires. Though it may be more audible than some competitive products, it is also very bearable. On the other hand, the height of the sidewalls can increase lateral movement, something I noticed in some thight curve situations. But if one wants to take advantage of its great efficiency on the snow or on ice, there are some little concessions to be made and slowing into curves with such a vehicle is one of them. It is also a notion of safety. So, I can once again recommend a tire like this specific Nokian. It has a lot of safety and confidence to offer in winter.
