Image: Isuzu
Image: Isuzu
Image: Isuzu
NewsBy: Ryan De Villiers
It’s the most high-strung D-Max model the brand offers and it will be coming to our shores! So, let’s look at what makes the AT35 the most rugged and ready off-roader the brand has to offer.
Image: Isuzu
The AT35 is the love child between Arctic Trucks and Isuzu, which was bred to withstand the harshest conditions and conquer the toughest terrain. Built locally at the Strundale production plant in Gqerberha, the plant is the only plant in the world that is officially accredited by Arctic Trucks to produce the AT35 model.
At its core is a 3,0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine affording the all-terrain traveller with a power output of 140 kW @ 3600r/min and 450 N.m @1800 r/min to 2800 r/min, which is on par with the D-Max 3,0TD Double Cab V6 offered in SA. The turbodiesel power plant is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Arctic AT35 affords drivers a max payload of 1 075 kg and a max towing capacity of 3 250 kg.
Designed to give off a more aggressive and domineering demeanour, the AT35 is much taller, wider and more rugged than the rest of the range. The AT35’s shoulders and hips are made broader by 170 mm than the standard D-Max, which are a result of the added fender flares, however, its wheelbase remains the same. Additionally, the AT35 is supported by Arctic Trucks Bilstein suspension system raising the double cab’s height from 1 810 mm to 1875 mm, as well as its ground clearance to 266 mm in the front and 290 mm in the rear, which is 31 mm more than stock.
Image: Isuzu
The exterior is characterized by an array of fog lights, Bi-LED headlights, Arctic Trucks badging, a gunmetal-coloured radiator grille, roof rails, Arctic Trucks side step and flared wheel arches. Additionally, features included Arctic mud flaps and an integrated tailgate step. The car makes contact with the ground through 17-inch AT black alloy wheels wrapped in 35-inch 315/70 R17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres. The interior, aside from the addition of Arctic Trucks branded floor mats and headrests, is not a far cry from the cabin of the range-topping V6 dominating the firm’s local range.
Limited units of the AT35 will be sold in South Africa and accompanied by ISUZU’s 5-year/90 000 km service plan, 5-year/120 000 km warranty and roadside assistance, and 5-year/unlimited distance anti-corrosion warranty.
Keyword: Isuzu introduces range-topping Arctic AT35 model into SA fleet