There is much more to Arctic Trucks than Top Gear. While the Icelandic company received a welcome boost in 2007 after supplying Jeremy Clarkson with a bright red pickup with which to drive to the North Pole, its prowess in providing mobility solutions for extreme environments was already well-proven: polar scientists and explorers had long had them on speed dial, as had various military special forces, NGOs, and rescue services across the globe.
So, it was a bit of a surprise that it took almost ten years for a mainstream vehicle manufacturer to collaborate with them. No matter the reasons, Isuzu called first, resulting in the original D-Max AT35.
First launched in 2016, the new D-Max AT35 now features an efficient 1.9-litre diesel engine, a sleeker face, and a mildly titivated interior. But the underpinnings, the oily bits that turn a good pickup into one of the all-time greats, remain largely unaltered, which is a Very Good Thing.
It takes around 40 hours of workshop time to turn a Yukon-spec D-Max into something Arctic Trucks
is proud to stamp its name on. For a start, the standard wheels and tyres are removed, as is most of the suspension. The body is lifted, and the Fox Performance Series suspension further boosts the stance. The real drama, however, comes courtesy of a set of 17-inch wheels fitted with huge Nokian Rotiiva all-terrain tyres so wide the wheel arches need extending by several inches to cover them.
The result is a 125mm lift over the standard D-Max, which might not sound like much, but all but even the tallest drivers will need to use the side-step to clamber aboard. Once in, you tower above standard pickups and look bus drivers in the eye. It’s really quite ridiculous. And wonderful; it’s impossible to drive an AT35 without a smile on your face.
It’s true that city driving can be a bit of a strain; I bought an early example to use as my daily driver and found that urban journeys needed careful planning; older multi-storey car parks were not designed to accommodate vehicles like this, and width restrictions become something of a test of hand/eye coordination. On the other hand, speed bumps are downgraded to theoretical impediments, and almost no one is going to stare you down in a game of rat-run chicken.
But the joy of owning a vehicle like this reveals itself when you escape the smog. This might still be a competent working tool at heart, but it’s also a Tonka toy made real, freeing the inner child in even the most jaded motorist. Sure, the body might roll a bit more than the standard pickup but the wider stance and vastly increased footprint mean that the handling is surprisingly good.
Motorway speeds expose some rumble from the 35-inch tall tyres (from which the model gains its name), but it’s remarkably refined inside, which is, in part, thanks to the new engine, which is both quieter and about 20% more fuel efficient than the old 2.5-litre model. The automatic gearbox might have to slur its way around the six available ratios on a more frequent basis to compensate for the 40Nm deficit in torque, but it does so reasonably unobtrusively.
It is probably fair to say that the interior lacks showroom appeal, especially if you don’t splash out on the optional Arctic Trucks-branded, quilted leather seats. But doing so is a worthwhile investment and utterly in keeping with the AT35’s ethos of individualization; there is a wide range of accessories, including super-bright LED spot and work lights, front and rear tow bars, load space solutions, and heavy-duty under-body protection to safeguard your investment. It is, as I discovered, very easy to add a few thousand pounds to the £45,535 basic price, but it’s worth every penny as the result will draw more attention than almost anything this side of a Ferrari.
And when you venture off-road, the AT35 is all but unstoppable; those wide tyres float across soft surfaces in a way that no other showroom vehicle does, and its indomitable performance makes a hero of even novice explorers. Muddy fields become an irrelevance, and snow, deep mud, and even river crossings become a minor hindrance instead of a show-stopper.
Most of all, it is enormous fun, no matter what the environment; in a marketplace riddled with hybrid hatchbacks and faux crossovers, the D-Max AT35 is delightfully Old School — and we should thank Isuzu and Arctic Trucks for allowing us the opportunity to buy one.
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