2026 Arctic Truck D-Max AT35 | UK Review
The pothole crisis is reaching epidemic levels; perfect time to test the latest AT-grade Isuzu...
It’s not often that we get truly single-minded cars anymore. Supercars must have some zero-miles running baked in; 4x4s must be able to lap a track; luxury saloons must consider the wellness of the planet as well as their occupants. The compromises are certainly tricky to navigate, as some have already experienced to their cost - but times change. Our expectations of what a car is now capable of have evolved, as have manufacturers’ ability to make truly multifaceted machines. Plus few of us can afford a fun car and a family car, so bundling them into one is a good idea in principle.
What does that have to do with the Arctic Trucks D-Max? Well, in its own way, this truck is as single-minded in its execution as anything from Caterham or the like, designed explicitly with fun away from the public road in mind. For a Seven, that’s the racetrack; for an AT35, thanks to its bespoke Bilstein suspension (told you they were similar), Rough Terrain mode and wild wheel and tyre combo, it’s wherever is muddiest, craggiest and wettest. Typically that would be a quarry or similar; given the current state of our road network, it might soon be your local high street. This is not a truck concerned with refinement, or connectivity, or efficiency - it’s about playing Stadium Supertrucks at any given opportunity, crashing through puddles like they’re special stage water splashes and whack-a-moling speed bumps. And who wouldn’t fancy a try at that?
Much like a Seven, driving a D-Max on normal roads feels a tad inappropriate - and guarantees attention. It fills up every inch of a lane, towers above ordinary pickups and has steering (thanks to those preposterous tyres) that always needs some attention. But there’s also the joy of driving something that feels like a real-life toy truck, occupying a scenic viewpoint as much as a driver’s seat and seeing arch extensions fit for a Liberty Walk build in the mirrors. Amaroks look like little old Caddys from up here; even a Ranger Raptor don’t feel this gloriously silly
Ranger Raptors don’t feel this low-rent inside, either. Sure, it’s hardly the point of such a machine, but scratchy and shiny interiors were a lot easier to brush aside at £40k; the pickup you’re looking at here is very nearly £60k (plus VAT for non-business users). While improved on previous iterations of D-Max, and with some reassuringly chunky buttons for important stuff, it isn’t really good enough.
Because the Isuzu looks like something from the Mad Max franchise, you approach it hoping to drive considerately. Not everyone is going to appreciate a 40mm boost in ride height, especially if it’s 40 millimetres from their bumper. Fortunately for those willing to drive slowly and steadily, the AT35 is happy to oblige, because its 164hp and 265lb ft have to shift 2,225kg. Again, a Raptor, this is not: 0-62mph in 13 seconds must be some kind of PH record. The 1.9-litre four-cylinder is a gruff old workhorse under the bonnet, too, rumbling and grumbling in a fashion modern diesels don’t really. Stop-start is like striking up and shutting down a cement mixer. Still, driving one of these is good practice for conserving momentum; any lost speed takes a while to win back.
But credit where it’s due, despite being a bit slow, the AT35 isn’t enormously compromised on road. The fear with those tyres was of ludicrous surface noise, wayward steering and just a general reluctance to get down a road. It gets the job done acceptably, though, certainly acceptably enough for how brilliantly silly it looks jacked up on its all terrains.
And certainly well enough for what it can do off-road. While our dalliances in the dirt were nowhere near as extreme as in these pictures, that ruggedness and durability you’d want to feel coursing through an off-road truck are in abundance here. It’s actually those small tremors on the road that upset the separate chassis more; thump those mighty BF Goodrichs into a proper crater and it takes the hit like a punchbag, unperturbed and ready for the next. Which you’re only too keen to seek out, emboldened by such an impressive performance and somehow convinced you had anything to do with it.
Those moments are the ones that make the compromises seem worthwhile; when just scraping the surface of what an Arctic Trucks machine can do makes you feel like a Dakar veteran, nothing else really seems to matter. Traction wasn’t troubled, the approach and breakover angles not pushed and the terrain not even rough enough for the Rough Terrain mode, but it felt great. Just as when you get a downshift or apex just right in a Seven (or similar), there’s something hugely satisfying about experiencing such a relatively extreme machine doing exactly what it was meant to do.
There was so much left to explore, of course. But it seems safe to say that whatever off-road adventure is planned, the D-Max will complete the challenge comfortably. Perhaps the biggest inhibitor to progress might be the fairly long rear overhang (certainly compared to an SUV), with the Arctic Trucks Rear Bar (plus receiver hitch) tacked on the end as well. That and the sheer size: 5,280mm is a lot closer to Defender 130 size than 110.
Nevertheless, it’s hard not to be charmed by the AT35. Partly it’s from that confidence it engenders by being so tough off-road, but also the entertainment value of just being around it. The D-Max looks like something you’d have drawn as a kid, clambering in so high always feels inappropriate, and the way it shrugs off any and every obstacle is very impressive.
Clearly, it’s a bit daft - yet the world feels like it could do with a bit more daft right now. And desperate pothole times do call for desperate pothole measures. Those who love the idea of an Arctic Trucks Isuzu, a pickup for exploring as far off the beaten track as possible, will love the execution even more. And don’t worry if not everybody else feels the same way - you’ll be enjoying it too much to care.
SPECIFICATION | 2026 ISUZU D-MAX AT35
Engine: 1,898cc, four-cyl diesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 164@3,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 265@2,000-2,500rpm
0-62mph: 13.0 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Weight: 2,225kg
MPG: 31.3
CO2: 235g/km
Price: £58,095 (CVOTR)
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
The PV5 is more practical in some ways - not in others (although still can't fit a sheet of ply in it), and it's funky enough in looks that I can 'get away with it' in terms of image.
Crucial bit, I want the fun of the D Max, I'll accept the PV5. D Max would be the better fit though - 'fun' can be a good business purchasing criteria for some companies. Surf companies don't get dull promotional vehicles, as an example.
Deej, I'm shocked you don't know what the PV5 is, I've been banging on about it with you for ages!
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
Still looks a lot of fun
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
ITS A D MAX!!!
It’s not a Ranger. It’s not a Wildtrack. It’s not American. It’s not part of overengined pick up culture. It’s. A. D-Max.
Given that I’ve been running a pick up myself for the last few years, but one with a vastly wider user base, and a cult fan base in addition to it being famously the single most reliable thing in the world, I know a little of what I speak. So I can thoroughly assure you that nobody in little old UK has ever considered or bought a D Max for any image whatsoever, other than: I didn’t want to pay for a Hilux.
So not only have I not been living under a rock for 20yrs, but I’m part of its buying demographic and both live and have a lifestyle that it’s designed for.
Pickup = V8.
Definitely a big V8 needed
Pickup = V8.
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
ITS A D MAX!!!
It s not a Ranger. It s not a Wildtrack. It s not American. It s not part of overengined pick up culture. It s. A. D-Max.
Given that I ve been running a pick up myself for the last few years, but one with a vastly wider user base, and a cult fan base in addition to it being famously the single most reliable thing in the world, I know a little of what I speak. So I can thoroughly assure you that nobody in little old UK has ever considered or bought a D Max for any image whatsoever, other than: I didn t want to pay for a Hilux.
So not only have I not been living under a rock for 20yrs, but I m part of its buying demographic and both live and have a lifestyle that it s designed for.
Instead, it's going to be a PV5 Cargo now they do three seats up front.
Joy.
The PV5 is more practical in some ways - not in others (although still can't fit a sheet of ply in it), and it's funky enough in looks that I can 'get away with it' in terms of image.
Crucial bit, I want the fun of the D Max, I'll accept the PV5. D Max would be the better fit though - 'fun' can be a good business purchasing criteria for some companies. Surf companies don't get dull promotional vehicles, as an example.
Deej, I'm shocked you don't know what the PV5 is, I've been banging on about it with you for ages!
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