Ford F-150 AT44 By Arctic Trucks Is Ready For Snow Duty

Icelandic 4WD specialist Arctic Trucks has worked its magic on the Ford F Series. It's called the F-150 AT44, and it's the first American pickup to be modified by Arctic Trucks for extreme snow duty. The company was established in Iceland in 1988 and started life by refitting 4WD vehicles with humongous tires. As it turns out, there's quite a demand for rugged vehicles that are purposely designed to conquer the Icelandic snowscape.

The company gained prominence in 1990 when Toyota Iceland included modified versions of the Land Cruiser and Hilux in its lineup, all of which were reengineered by Arctic Trucks. The vehicles gained a huge following and cemented Toyota's legendary status in the 4x4 realm. The company also has an F-350 in its lineup and has shifted its efforts to Ford's bestselling light-duty truck.

It starts with a current Ford F-150 in midlevel Lariat trim. According to Arctic Trucks CEO Emil Grimsson, the truck has a 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6 engine with 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. Interestingly enough, Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost is offered in two versions, but the most powerful variant is reserved only for the F-150 Limited and Raptor with 450-horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. Both variants are connected to a 10-speed automatic gearbox and AWD.

The F-150 AT44 is designed in partnership with Nokian, which gave the truck a set of gargantuan 475/70 R17 HAKKAPELIITTA 44 tires. With each tire weighing 154 pounds and measuring 43 x 18.7-inches, it literally dwarfs other all-terrain and mud tires with its imposing size. Because if you're building an off-road vehicle to conquer the Icelandic countryside, you'll need the biggest and most durable set of tires you can find.

The truck also came with a modest suspension upgrade, which we reckon consists of a lift kit along with off-road dampers to provide the necessary clearance for its giant tires. Helping the cause are modified wheel arches with large mud flaps to complete the snow-ready look. And with those tires, you can easily drive over rough roads, deep sand, snow, and river crossings.

At first, Arctic Trucks had concerns about weight. Specifically, the F-150 might be too big or too heavy to 'float' on snow with 44-inch tires. But with the new F-150's aluminum-intensive construction, it turned out to be as pleasant as a Toyota over soft snow. With enough power, a long wheelbase, and a lower center of gravity, it seems this won't be the last modified F-150 to roll out of Artic Truck's garage.

Is too much to ask for an electric F-150 in Arctic trim? Just asking.