Compact Pickup

Mazda · 1994-2009

B-Series (5th Gen)

The North American Mazda B-Series (1994-2009) was Mazda's compact pickup, built by Ford in Minnesota and New Jersey on the Ranger platform. It came as the B2300, B2500, B3000 and B4000, offered the first import-brand four-door pickup (Cab Plus 4, 1998) and became the Mazda Truck in 2002. The last was built on December 11, 2009.

Years
1994-2009
Drivetrain
RWD (4x2) · 4WD (4x4; shift-on-the-fly up to 45 mph, dual-range transfer case)
Engines
2.3 L Lima (B2300) · 2.5 L (B2500) · 2.3 L DOHC Duratec (B2300)
Sold in
US (1994-2009) · Canada (to 2010)

Spec sheet

Generation
5th Gen (North America)
Nameplate
Mazda B-Series (1994-2001) / Mazda Truck (2002-2009)
Production
1994–2009
Assembly
  • St. Paul, MN (Twin Cities)
  • Edison, NJ
Sold in
  • US (1994-2009)
  • Canada (to 2010)
Body styles
  • Regular cab
  • Cab Plus (extended cab)
  • Cab Plus 4 (4-door extended cab, from 1998)
Bed lengths
  • 6 ft (71.8 in; Regular Cab and Cab Plus)
  • 7 ft (long-wheelbase Regular Cab, 114.0 in; listed for 1995)
Drivetrains
  • RWD (4x2)
  • 4WD (4x4; shift-on-the-fly up to 45 mph, dual-range transfer case)
Transmissions
  • 5-speed manual
  • 4-speed automatic (1994-2001)
  • 5-speed automatic (1997-2009; 4.0 first, all engines by 2002)
Trims
  • SE (1994-1996)
  • LE (1994-1996)
  • SE-5 / SE-5+ (1997)
  • SX (1998-2009; base)
  • SE (1998-2009)
  • Dual Sport (2001-2009; 2WD with 4x4 ride height and torsion-bar front suspension)
Wheelbase
111.6 / 125.7 / 125.9 in
Length
187.5 / 187.7 / 201.7 / 202.9 in
Width
69.4 / 70.3 in
Height
64.8 / 64.9 / 67.5 / 67.6 in
Curb weight
2,999-3,676 lb (2002-2009 brochures and 2004 spec sheet; base 2WD Regular Cab to 4x4 Cab Plus 4)
Payload
Up to 1,660 lb (2004 B3000 Cab Plus 4x2)
Towing
Up to 5,760 lb (2004 B4000 Cab Plus 4x2 automatic)

Engines

EngineDisp.ConfigHPTorqueYearsNotes
2.3 L Lima (B2300)2.3 LI498133 lb-ft1994-1997112 hp / 135 lb-ft from 1995; same engine as the Ranger
2.5 L (B2500)2.5 LI41191998-2001EPA lists the B2500 for MY1998, 1999 and 2001
2.3 L DOHC Duratec (B2300)2.3 LI4 DOHC 16-valve143154 lb-ft2001-2009140 hp at its 2001 launch; 143 hp / 154 lb-ft in the 2004 spec
3.0 L Vulcan (B3000)3.0 LV6 OHV154180 lb-ft1994-2008140-150 hp in earlier years, 154 hp in the 2004 spec; EPA lists a 3.0 L B-Series in every model year 1994-2008, including MY1997
4.0 L Cologne OHV (B4000)4.0 LV6 OHV1601994-2000
4.0 L Cologne SOHC (B4000)4.0 LV6 SOHC207238 lb-ft2001-2009Leftover trucks sold in Canada for 2010

Related

Predecessor

Siblings

Overview

The Mazda B-Series was Mazda's compact pickup for the US and Canada from partway through the 1994 model year to 2009. Ford built it for Mazda at Twin Cities Assembly in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at Edison Assembly in New Jersey. It shared the Ford Ranger's platform, engines and transmissions, but Mazda gave it its own front fascia, pickup bed and wheels, and Cab Plus extended cabs got chrome window trim and blacked-out B-pillars. Building the truck in the US let Mazda avoid the 25% "chicken tax" on imported pickups.

Model names followed engine size: B2300 (2.3-liter four), B3000 (3.0-liter V6) and B4000 (4.0-liter V6). Launch trims were SE and LE, renamed SE-5 and SE-5+ for 1997, the year Mazda briefly dropped the B3000. The 1998 redesign brought a new fascia and bed, a 119-hp 2.5-liter four (B2500) and the Cab Plus 4 with two rear-hinged doors, which made Mazda the first import brand to sell a four-door pickup. SX and SE trims ran from then on.

For 2001 a 140-hp 2.3-liter DOHC four brought back the B2300 name, the B4000 got a 207-hp SOHC V6, and the raised-ride-height 2WD Dual Sport arrived. Mazda renamed the line the Mazda Truck for 2002, with a final facelift that centered the Mazda badge in the grille. The EPA lists the B3000 through the 2008 model year and US sales after the 2009 model year, with leftover trucks sold in Canada for 2010. The last one was built at Twin Cities on December 11, 2009, ending 37 years of Mazda pickup sales in North America.

Trims, Bodies and Drivetrains

Trims

  • SE (1994-1996)
  • LE (1994-1996)
  • SE-5 / SE-5+ (1997)
  • SX (1998-2009; base)
  • SE (1998-2009)
  • Dual Sport (2001-2009; 2WD with 4x4 ride height and torsion-bar front suspension)

Cab and bed

  • Body styles: Regular cab, Cab Plus (extended cab), Cab Plus 4 (4-door extended cab, from 1998)
  • Beds: 6 ft (71.8 in; Regular Cab and Cab Plus), 7 ft (long-wheelbase Regular Cab, 114.0 in; listed for 1995)

Drivetrain and transmissions

  • Drivetrains: RWD (4x2), 4WD (4x4; shift-on-the-fly up to 45 mph, dual-range transfer case)
  • 5-speed manual
  • 4-speed automatic (1994-2001)
  • 5-speed automatic (1997-2009; 4.0 first, all engines by 2002)

Highlights

  • Built by Ford in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Edison, New Jersey, on the Ranger platform, with a Mazda-specific front fascia, bed and wheels
  • Badges follow engine size: B2300, B2500 (1998-2000), B3000 and B4000
  • Cab Plus 4 (1998): the first four-door pickup from an import brand
  • Dual Sport (from 2001): 2WD with the 4x4 ride height and torsion-bar front suspension
  • Renamed Mazda Truck for 2002, with a Mazda-only final facelift
  • Final truck built December 11, 2009 at Twin Cities Assembly

Sources