Pickup Lovers Rejoice: Isuzu Has Confirmed A New Slice Of 'Murica With The Arctic Trucks AT35

Isuzu has some good news for British drivers who like their pickups with an extra splash of ‘Murica. The Japanese company’s UK wing has confirmed that we’ll get a new version of the beefed-up and not-so-secretly awesome D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35, which was first revealed about 12 months ago but wasn’t confirmed for the new-generation range until now.

Apart from looking absolutely fantastic with ridiculously flared wheel arches, lifted ride height and huge dual-purpose tyres, the AT35 will pull the UK legal limit of 3.5 tonnes, will carry a tonne in its load bay and, for the record, it meets Euro 6 emissions regs without needing regular, annoying AdBlue top-ups.

This is where it gets pretty damn un-American, though, because as tough as the AT35 looks, it’s only actually packing a 1.9 diesel engine. It’s a reasonably poky one, with 161bhp and 266lb ft, but however you slice it, it’s not going to be fast.

It’s sold as a double-cab truck with a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. You get keyless entry and start, a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, DAB radio, and compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There’s even sat-nav, which might be priceless if you get carried away with the AT35’s off-road ability and end up somewhere upsettingly remote.

Black wheels are standard to tick the aesthetics box, but silver alloys are an option. The tailgate is damped, the windows are tinted, the seats are a bit special and there’s a smattering of Arctic Trucks badges around the place.

We’re glad Isuzu is carrying on with this slightly unnecessary but brilliant truck, when it could so easily have canned the whole thing. The AT35 will be sold from Isuzu’s 32 specialist Arctic Trucks dealers, in a choice of seven body colours. The price is the same for manual and automatic versions: £37,995 plus VAT. It’s not cheap, but we like it…