When it comes to conquering Dubai’s shopping centre parking lots, the imposing Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (sold as the Land Cruiser 250 in other markets) ranks only below its bigger sibling, the full-fat Land Cruiser. While most Prado buyers are looking for a status symbol to flaunt at their next family reunion, they overlook the fact that these are SUVs with full-time 4WD, chugging gasoline like there’s no tomorrow. They’re built for rock crawling, not mall-crawling.
However, when it comes to conquering harsh landscapes, few command as much respect as Arctic Trucks. Best known for the Toyota Hilux that Top Gear took to the North Pole, the Icelandic off-road experts have revealed their latest creation: the Arctic Trucks Land Cruiser 250 AT37.
Now, that’s a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll call it the AT37 from here on out. Let’s take a closer look.
Arctic Trucks has a long, storied history for converting Toyota SUVs into off road machines capable of trekking to hell and back. In fact, the company started out in 1990 as a special accessories division of Toyota Iceland, before being renamed to Arctic Trucks in 1996 and branching out to become their own thing in 2005. The new AT37, much like the AT37 that came before it, is no ordinary Prado – in fact, Arctic Trucks sought help from the UK’s Motorsport Valley (home of many prominent British race teams and engineering firms) to comprehensively rework the new Prado from the ground up.
The most obvious upgrade aside from the chunky fender flares and 10-piece widebody kit is the massive 37 inch tires that give the AT37 its name, shod with BFGoodrich tyres (All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Mud-Terrain T/A KM3, depending on the market and spec) and sitting on bespoke 17-inch rims from Arctic Trucks and new 2-way adjustable springs and dampers, giving it a respectable lift of 1.5 inches.
Less obvious are the extensive mods to the frame and chassis, with the rear axle being moved back and the rear track widened to aid with stability and ride comfort. For those of you worried about speedometer calibration with these drastic changes, Arctic trucks has already done that, so there’s no need to worry about speeding tickets. Especially since nothing has been done to the stock powertrain, a 2.4 litre turbo-4 (T24A-FTS) making 278 hp and 430 Nm of torque in a heavy SUV.
But obviously, nobody buys an AT37 for straight line performance. Arctic Trucks have instead added important touches to cater to the overlanding geek that buys one of these: custom mud flaps, rubberised side steps, a central tire inflation system with a tire pressure guide incorporated into the fender flares.
So, how does it compare to the “regular” retro-inspired Prado we’ve been seeing on the roads lately? Both are go-anywhere vehicles, but given Arctic Trucks’ reputation, it stands to reason that the AT37 can take whatever Mother Nature throws at it. It’s surprisingly subtle for an Arctic Trucks build, but the original design shines through beautifully. If anything, it looks like the kind of SUV a movie henchman would drive—and we mean that in the best way possible.
If you’re looking for the ultimate Prado that can handle desert dunes and mountain trails with ease, the new Arctic Trucks AT37 is a top contender. It certainly won’t come cheap though, as you’ll have to pay approximately $25k USD (92k AED) on top of the MSRP of the Prado for the upgrades.
So, where would you take one if you had the chance?
