1982 Mazda B2200 Test Drive

According to Mazda ads in the early 1980s, the B-series pickup was the lowest priced truck sold in America.  It was about $2,500 less than the new 1982 Chevrolet S-10.  But it wasn’t as well appointed either.  The lesson was age-old: if you want a fancy truck with a high profile, you had to pay for it.  If all you wanted to do was haul a load, the no frills Mazda was plenty good enough.  Mazda invented the “sport truck” a decade earlier, with the fiercely fast, Wankel-engined pickup. But the Wankel was long gone, replaced by a two-liter four that was noisy with more vibration and drumming comparatively. It was the only contemporary vehicle in the Mazda line that hadn’t been totally modernized and it showed.

1986 Compact Pickup Comparison Test Drive