DUE SOUTH

The new Ford F150 Arctic truck goes for a shakedown run in Iceland

- Robb Pritchard

“What is the world’s ultimate 4x4?” is, of course, far too subjective a question. If there is a shortlist, though, then Arctic Trucks should be on it. They might not have won the King of the Hammers or the Dakar, but their modified creations are routinely driven in some of the harshest environments on earth, the vast, frozen wastes of Antarctica.

The design necessary for such unbelievably harsh conditions, where temperatures can drop to -76°, and the wind can whip up to 100 mph, obviously needs to include ultimate reliability. Beginning nearly 30 years ago, Arctic Trucks have worked almost exclusively with Toyota. One of the vital parts of the equation for the weeks’ long expeditions are fuel efficiency and comfort. AT founder Emil Grimsson spent the long Icelandic winter developing a brand new vehicle that will soon be heading to the frozen continent. And it’s almost ready. For one of the last tests, before the Ford F150 is released, 4Low Magazine was invited to Iceland to see how it performs on snowy slide slopes on its new 44 inch tires, something Emil was slightly less than confident about.