- Crikey, that looks… big. What is it?
- Wicked. What have they done to it?
- And the powertrain?
- So what’s it like to drive?
- Good point. How is it off-road?
- *Slow clap* Did you do anything difficult in it?
- So it’s a workhorse? The interior can’t be up to much…
- Blimey! Is it comfortable?
- Should I buy one?
Crikey, that looks… big. What is it?
There’s an understatement. This is the new Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 pick-up, and before you ask, that is indeed the same Icelandic firm that helped TG conquer the north pole (and an active volcano) in a heavily modified Toyota Hilux a decade and a half ago.
The last time we drove this car, sorry, woolly mammoth on wheels, was back in 2016 when the old AT35 was based on the previous-gen D-Max. The current Mk3 D-Max has been around since 2019 however, so an updated Arctic Trucks interpretation is long overdue.
Wicked. What have they done to it?
Everything possible to make it more imposing. The ride height has been raised by more than 50mm on each axle for 266mm of ground clearance at the front and 290mm at the rear. Meanwhile 17-inch alloys are fitted with 35-inch BFGoodrich All Terrain tyres that will look just at home on a quaint British farm as they will on desolate Arctic tundra.
Fox Performance dampers are no longer employed here though, instead you get Bilstein suspension to guard against potholes and glaciers. That adds up to a 35-degree approach and 29-degree departure angle, while the breakover angle reaches 34 degrees. Unlike the D-Max AT35 of yesteryears, you now get a locking rear diff and hill descent control too.
Elsewhere flared wheelarch extensions and side steps push the width beyond two metres, and that Bi-LED flood light bar means you can stand in for your local football team if there’s a power cut before the evening kick-off. A liberal smattering of AT35 branding throughout completes the look.
And the powertrain?
The powertrain has been left alone, actually. Under the bonnet you get the same 1.9-litre, in-line 4cyl diesel engine as found in the standard D-Max, capable of churning out 162bhp at 3,600rpm and 266lb ft at 2,000-2,500rpm. Useful figures, but it’s just as rattly and willing to shout ‘I AM A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE’ at innocent bystanders as the donor car. Sorry, woolly mammoth on wheels.
You’ve got a choice of a six-speed manual or auto transmissions (we’re testing the latter), with acceleration amounting to 0-62mph in 12.7 and 13.0 seconds respectively. The top speed is given as 112mph but let’s face it, that will never, ever be relevant.
If you recall, the old AT35 featured a 2.5-litre diesel, but you needn’t feel short-changed: this unit is precisely 1bhp more powerful and just as unrefined as before. CO2 emissions land at 220g/km for the manual and 240g/km for the auto, while combined fuel economy is given as 33.6mpg and 30.7mpg. We weren’t far off that figure in our real-world test.
So what’s it like to drive?
Intimidating. Initially for you, then for traffic coming the other way. You see, the sheer size of the thing takes some getting used to as few other pick-ups put you in command of such a large footprint from such a lofty driving position. Your early miles will be spent trying to thread it through town without leaving behind a hefty bill for the council, and physically ducking every time you close in on an overhead gantry.
But after a while you’ll grow to appreciate the AT35’s ability to lord over everything within its postcode, like a school bully with a moral compass. And you’ll quickly forget about being inch-perfect with kerbs given the alloys are virtually impossible to damage.
It’s the BFG of the country lanes, this, and it’s all the better for being driven like you’ve got all the time in the world. Unlike the Ford Ranger Raptor, which goes all-in on a performance USP and misses. Keep this in its comfort zone and you won’t care one jot about the urgency of the gearbox or the fact that it’s downright slow. And honestly, who’s going to take you to task over being late when you turn up in orange-mageddon?
Good point. How is it off-road?
Er, well, that’s a good question. And one we’re not fully equipped to answer because the closest we came to an impassable icefield in our week with the AT35 was… a grassy car park in Chelmsford. But it coped with that admirably, so if you extrapolate from there…
*Slow clap* Did you do anything difficult in it?
Yes! The next hardest thing to punching through a blizzard at minus 40… driving literally anywhere with a baby on board.
*Gasp!*
We know, right? The D-Max is fitted with Isofix points so loading a car seat is no problem (as long as you’re quite tall), and as a parent there’s so much peace of mind to be drawn from the knowledge that any collision will barely register high up in the cabin. The load bed will easily swallow a pushchair and infant clobber too, although you do need to be ready to worm your way down it to retrieve such items. Farmers and mountain rangers probably won’t encounter this issue.
On which note, we should add that the AT35 retains the D-Max’s status as a commercial vehicle thanks to its ability to take a payload of 1,075kg (drop that by 30kilos for the auto) and a braked trailer weight of 3,500kg. As we’ll explore shortly, that’s Good News for business buyers. That load bed is 1,495mm long, 1,530mm wide and 490mm deep, FYI.
So it’s a workhorse? The interior can’t be up to much…
Not so, inside it’s surprisingly decent. The leather interior feels like a big improvement on the old one, and there’s a nine-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash equipped with a DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As standard you also get a 4.2in multi-info display, heated front seats, an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, an eight-speaker sound system, a wireless phone charger, front and rear USB ports, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights with beam assistance, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, speed-sensitive power steering, plus more active driver aids than is sensible to mention.
Oh, and there’s a CD player in the upper glovebox. Gotta have at least one anachronism, right?
Blimey! Is it comfortable?
Ish. You might think that those 35in tyres would amount to a pillowy, undisturbed ride, but you’d be wrong. Bumps and jolts don’t exactly shatter through the cabin but you’re always aware of them, so this isn’t something you’d buy to cover long distances. Which is fine, because you won’t.
The D-Max AT35 is a double cab, which means it seats five. TG also used the pick-up as a train station shuttle service over the bank holiday weekend and reports from the rear suggest space back there is decent, but not mind blowing. And one middle passenger – who, side note, happens to work for a charity – complained of having a poor view of the road ahead. Not very charitable.
Should I buy one?
That’s the £47,999 question. Or £49,999 question if you go for the auto. And those are CV on-the-road prices by the way, so if you’re purchasing for private use it’s £57,529.80 and £59,329.80 accordingly. But at least you get to keep Isuzu’s five-year, 125,000-mile guarantee. Got an eye on fuel bills? It’s equipped with a 76-litre tank, so you’re looking at around 500 miles of range from a fill-up.
The pick-up market in the UK is shrinking, with the Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara and Mercedes X-Class all being discontinued in recent years. That leaves you with the Hilux, Ford Ranger and SsangYong Musso to choose from.
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For that rare blend of practicality and bewildering exaggeration, the D-Max AT35 has little for company. The Ranger Raptor is quicker and more comfortable, but its meagre payload makes it less useful (and more expensive) for those who might contemplate buying it.
Fundamentally the Hilux is a better proposition than the D-Max, and it just so happens that there’s an Arctic Trucks AT35 version of that as well. Certainly worth investigating before you choose this as your car. Sorry, woolly mammoth on wheels.
Keyword: Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 review: latest gargantuan pick-up tested