There are few corners of the world that you can’t find the venerable and reliable Toyota Hilux, with the exception of the United States. One particular part of the world where the Hilux demonstrates its robust toughness is beyond the Arctic Circle. Operating in Iceland, Norway, United Kingdom, and with partnerships in the Middle East, Arctic Trucks has been up-fitting trucks to withstand the harshest conditions in the world since the 1980’s. One of their toughest and most capable trucks is the AT35, built on the Toyota Hilux Invincible X Double Cab chassis.
The most notable feature of the AT35 Hilux and nearly every Arctic Truck up-fit is the iconic reworking of the frame, inner fender, and body work to fit the massive tires needed to traverse the toughest environments on earth. Accompanied by body-color matched fender flares, the AT35 comes from Arctic Trucks with 315/70/17 (35-inch diameter) tires mounted on 17×10 Arctic Trucks alloy wheels with room for bigger tires. Improved approach and departure angle is achieved thanks to a front spring and rear shackle upgrade providing 40 millimeter of lift in the front and 20 millimeter in the rear. Dampening on the AT35 is courtesy of Bilstein shocks uniquely designed for Arctic Trucks.
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Arctic Trucks has designed and integrated a rear height bar with a two-inch receiver to allow for effortless recoveries in tough conditions. To get better traction and to handle the increased tire size, Arctic Trucks outfits the AT35 with upgraded and re-geared front and rear differentials. The stock mud guards are replaced with bigger and stronger Arctic Trucks mud guards for increased tire coverage and body protection as well as compliance with government regulations.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of owning an Arctic Trucks AT35 Hilux is that because the AT facilities meet or exceed the standards set forth by Toyota, your manufacturer’s five year or 100,000 mile warranty applies to your up-fitted Hilux. Better yet, the AT35 package can be purchased at European Toyota dealerships for £18,780 plus VAT. Learn more about Arctic Trucks and the AT35 Hilux at https://arctictrucks.co.uk/.
Photos by: Arctic Trucks
Overlanding Industry News by Zach Elseman. Follow Zach @okienomads.
