Winter. Depressing days of horizontal rain. Even in Auckland, temperatures hover around zero in the mornings. But what can shake off the gloom? An extreme all-terrain 4WD, that’s what.
Lots of 4WDs can lay claim to being very capable. That’s why people buy them.
But ‘the most capable’? That’s a big call. Step forward, the Atlas.
Made in the Ukraine, this extreme 4WD vehicle has it all.
Climbing ability? Portal axles and internal drop-gearing maximise torque at more than 1,355Nm.
Sloppy ground, a river or lake? The Atlas uses its bar-tread tyres for propulsion. It will do up to 7km/h on water, 60km/h on land.
Those tyres are as tall as some humans. That’s 66 inches. And they support the 2.2-tonne vehicle at 2.0psi.
Payload? Many 4WDs boast of a one tonne carrying capacity; Atlas will carry 1.5 tonnes.
Other 4WDs have up to a 600mm fording depth; Atlas has 600mm ground clearance.
Tilt gauge, yaw gauge, what? A tilt gauge, sure, for sidling across hills. A yaw gauge though? Essential when using one of the non-frontal drive modes. The Atlas can use four-wheel steering to tighten its turning circle down to 5.8 metres, just slightly more than the overall length of a Ford Ranger or VW Amarok, both of which have turning circles of around 12 metres.
But it can also run in yaw mode, where each wheel finds a different path in a crabbing motion. That lets the vehicle find four separate paths across boggy ground or sand.
Mirror cameras each side give wide views of the wheels, the terrain and the vehicle sides. Great for crawling through narrow spaces or down tricky logging tracks. Useful, also, if the side windows are plastered with filth.
Lots of modern 4WDs have tyre pressure monitors. The Atlas trumps that with a system that lets the driver dump pressure from the recommended 2.0psi (yep) and then re-inflate on firmer ground all with the flick of a switch in the cabin. All four tyres interact, too, so when one side rides up an obstacle, the other side takes some of its air in order to even out the ride height. In other words, the wheels and tyres are also an massive air tank.
Need to take the soccer team to a game in the wop-wops? Atlas fits 12 people. Is a hill in the way? The Atlas will climb anything up to a 45-degree slope.
They are popular with rescue services too, and can be rigged to carry stretchers.
A Youtube review of the Atlas carries the line: “I don’t know what situation I would need this for, but the Atlas would be perfect for that situation.” That really sums up this high-dollar but immensely capable 4WD. Oh, and the price? USD$200,000.
