At first glance you might think this is a Toyota Prado you’re looking at, but you’d be wrong. This is the Toyota Prado on steroids (metaphorically speaking, of course).
This Prado has been given a major upgrade by the team at Arctic Trucks, the Icelandic off-road specialists that are famous for their North Pole-capable HiLux. While this Prado isn’t designed specifically for visiting Santa’s home, it does have a raft of enhancements to make it capable of “off-grid adventures.”
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This new version of Toyota’s latest LandCruiser 250 Series has been dubbed the ‘Prado AT37’, which stands for Arctic Trucks and 37-inches – which is the size of the tyre. The AT37 will be fitted with BFGoodrich’s All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 tyres, depending on the market and buyer, which will be fitted to the company’s new “retro-inspired ‘Heritage’ forged alloy wheels.”
The tyres are just part of the story, obviously. There have been some major modifications to even fit the taller, wider rubber, with the track widened and the wheelbase extended, but that wasn’t where the Arctic Truck team stopped. The whole frame, body and bodywork was reprofiled for the optimum balance between the new wheel and tyre profile, ground clearance and centre of gravity.
They also worked with R53 Suspension, a company with Dakar Rally-winning knowledge to develop new large diameter monotube dampers with high tensile hard chrome steel shafts, enhanced sealing and paired with specific springs with hydraulic bump stops. The company claims this new suspension set-up increases travel, provides a 40mm lift and makes for even more capability off-road.
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There are other changes across the Prado AT37 including extended aluminium side steps, a two-inch multifunction receiver hitch, Arctic Truc carpets, unique badging and more.
Unfortunately, despite being a multi-country development, with Arctic Truck operations in Iceland, the United Kingdom and Toyota’s African distributor, there is no word on whether the AT37 will be available to Australian customers. Instead, they’ll just have to be happy with the factory-standard Prado.
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