In addition to being practical, pickup trucks have an inherent ability to go farther off the beaten path than other vehicles, including most SUVs. To this effect, Nissan of Europe decided to put the Arctic Trucks-upgraded Navara Off-Roader AT32 in the hands of community heroes tackling European beach plastic pollution.
According to a report published by UN Environment in February, “more than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans” every year. This condition translates to a turn for the worse for marine wildlife, fisheries, and tourism. Adding insult to injury, almost 80 percent of all man-made litter in our oceans is made of plastic.
Inspired by a plea for support from Beach Guardian, Nissan offered community group founder Emily Stevenson and her father Rob an AT32 to clear plastic from the beaches close to their home. The pickup truck’s purpose is “to reach remote locations or take on tough tasks” their family car wouldn’t be capable of doing.
The pair, aged 21 and 50, have been collecting waste from beaches in Cornwall for 10 years now. The Beach Guardian community came to be after Emily and Rob realized the problem was getting worse, needing an army of volunteers to keep up with the increasing amount of waste washing up onto the shore by the Celtic Sea.
“The beaches people visit – where they enjoy ice-creams and watch their kids build sandcastles – are just one view of the issue,” declared Rob. “There are many more remote and unseen parts of the coastline that volunteers either struggle to reach, or need something to move larger items.” And this is where 243 millimeters (9.5) of ground clearance come into play, complemented by 32-inch rubber and a snorkel.
Estimated to retail in the neighborhood of £30,000, the Navara Off-Roader AT32 by Arctic Trucks comes with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel with either 158 or 187 brake horsepower. Torque-wise, the twin-turbo version churns out 332 pound-feet.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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