February was, once again, trucking time, and this time the truck in question was a serious contender for off-road-ability.

Last year I reviewed the Isuzu D-Max and was impressed with it as a truck, but less so as a road-going vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, like the D-Max, the AT35 is easy to drive and didn’t struggle with anything I put it through, but given that the AT stands for ‘Arctic Trucks’ I think me challenging it in rural Gloucestershire was never going to happen.

The issue for me, again, is that the Isuzu doesn’t seem quite as refined as the Ranger from Ford. I know I’ve used that comparison before, but ultimately, they are the primary competitors in this market, and in my mind, the AT35 sits against the Raptor, so there’s a very high bar to reach.

Massively chunky tyres

Given its credentials and the aim of the AT35, it’s not a surprise that it sits high on massively chunky tyres – these things will set you back upwards of £300 a corner! On first thought, that seems very expensive, but given that the tread on these tyres is going to last much longer than the rubber you put on a family hatchback, they are actually pretty good value, assuming you don’t rip a hole in the sidewall while off-roading.

Fuel economy isn’t great, but again, you don’t buy a truck to save the planet; it has a very specific job to do, and it does it in a big and noisy manner. Could the engine be a bit more refined? The gearbox smoother? To be honest, yes. It really could, and I don’t think it would detract from the off-road abilities, so for me that’s another tick in the Ranger checklist.

A utility vehicle with a few extra seats

The AT35 feels properly agricultural – as if it is a utility vehicle with a few extra seats, and while those extra seats are comfortable, they are in effect a luxury in a vehicle like this. An arctic-capable truck, designed for some of the most rugged terrain this planet has to offer, in reality shouldn’t be able to do the school run and pick up a food shop from Tesco, but this truck can do that. Not as comfortable as some rivals, but it’s still achieved something that trucks of maybe 20 years ago couldn’t dream of doing.

One more note of comparison over the previous version of the D-Max base vehicle – this is better specced, with satnav and Bluetooth, so there are additional nods over its predecessor to modern life and it deserves credit for that.

Indescribably bright ‘Lazer’ lights

A final extra this truck had was something unnecessary for most driving experiences. The inclusion of two grille-mounted and a panel of six or so roof-mounted ‘Lazer’ lights. Switch them on and they link to the truck’s main beam head-lights and, in an instant, night is day, any eyeballs within a quarter of a mile have been blinded for a solid 15 minutes, and airliners are mistaking the country B road you’re driving down as a runway. These things are indescribably bright and I cannot for the life of me fathom what on earth you’d need them for.

So there you have it. A utilitarian truck with some creature comforts thrown in that can turn most roads into emergency runways should the need arise. Just don’t stare directly at it while they’re on!