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Isuzu D-Max Arctic Truck AT35 Review

For this week’s review – I have decided to do a bit of Arctic Exploring – because the car I am testing is the Isuzu D-Max Arctic pick-up truck which is a vehicle festooned with large wheels, Botox bodywork and an engine that would if required, move the Polar Ice-Caps.

So, to keep things simple, I will refrain from going to the North or South Pole and instead drive a truck that was designed to work in an extreme environment around the county of Staffordshire while blocking all the roads and causing total havoc as I try to park something the size of a 747 in a little town called Uttoxeter.

Power and Efficiency 

The D-Max is powered by a 2.5 litre twin turbo diesel engine that has 160PS and 400Nm of torque. I won’t go into too much detail regarding performance – as the D-Max is not about performance – it’s about being a workhorse. But for those of you who want to know; Max speed comes in around 111mph and on the combined cycle – I was able to achieve 38mpg.

On the Road

Here, I think we should focus mainly on the D-Max’s off-road abilities – so I shall start with that. I have a friend who owns a farm – and he had kindly let me use some of its muddy paths to see how it would fair compared to his Land Rover. Well, I have to say – the D-Max was pretty faultless really. But then again, that’s mainly thanks to those large wheels which help improve the ride height massively. That raised ride height also means it will pretty much clamber over anything in its path.

Also, I always take a pre set route that can sometimes take me up to 200miles away from my starting point which is a good test to find out how the vehicle faired on normal roads as well as motorways. Well, I am happy to say it did a great job, apart from those massive tyres’ which do seem to make a lot of road noise. But, to be fair, the D-Max was actually a decent ride on normal roads. Although, the suspension was quite firm – but then I suppose it has to be because of what the D-Max was originally designed to do.

Design and Technology

Inside was also kitted out very well, and here are some of the features you can expect to get as standard on the ‘Arctic version’ including; ABS + ESC, front, side & curtain airbags, height-adjustable front seatbelts, security-etched glass, Insurance-approved immobiliser, remote central locking, rear parking distance sensors, RDS radio/single CD with iPod®/USB/Bluetooth® connectivity, Six speakers which include 2 ‘Exciter’ roof mounted speakers. Along with heated front screen, seats, steering wheel audio controls, cruise control and a Premium Black Leather Interior.

To Sum Up

I really was impressed by the D-Max, yes it may look like a pick-up on Botox –but I’m telling you now – the D-Max is a decent buy.

Price from: £34,999

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