Ray replied:

Craig.
I have a 98 Mazda B2500 duel cab (no turbo) diesel and have recently done a trip from Nth Qld to Birdsville,then the Birdsville track,Oodnatta track,Simpson desert,Then to Innamincka and home via Emerald. I have Kumho tyres fitted and struggled in the sand for traction in the desert. I fitted a 130lt tank in the back giving me a total of 200lt. On the trip fully laden I averaged 8.4km to Lt. It is a bit under powered in sand, but you don't cross the Simpson every day. Regards Ray

steve replied:

craig, i would have no hesitation in recomending the mazda ute, i have the ford equivalent and it spends 80% of the time on a minesite in the goldfields here in WA, it has now covered 50000kms and hasnt missed a beat, it has a steel bullbar and spotlights with a few antennas on it which makes the front suspension work a bit harder.
it is a bit thirsty mind you all the blokes drive it manage to wear lead boots.

Cairns Offroad Training & Tours replied:

When these cars were first introduced we took 12 mazda dealer principals and their wives to the Tip in six dual cabs and 1 cab chassis that carried all the cooking and recovery gear etc. Each d\cab was heavily loaded with 4 adults, personal gear and lots of liquid refreshment.
We took the OTL and did everything except gunshot ( these were demos after all ;-) Although these cars would not be my personal first choice, they were ultra reliable, economical and had adequate power. If the price is rightyou could not go wrong. Interestingly most of the japanese dual cabs use the same body with different engine transmissions and only minor appearance differences.
Cheers Rob