Bridgestone’s Dueler range of off-road tyres has been a mainstay of the segment ever since the Japanese company launched the original Desert Dueler in 1981.
Of course, tyre technology has evolved drastically in the four decades since then, as has the way we use our vehicles, and the latest addition to Bridgestone’s Dueler range very much takes that shift into account.
While the existing Dueler A/T 697 is a highly-regarded all-terrain tyre that is impressively capable off the road and has been available with a less aggressive passenger construction for more on-road oriented applications, Bridgestone has now launched the even more on-road focussed A/T 002 that replaces the passenger vehicle version of the A/T 697.
Essentially plugging the gap between a traditional all-terrain tyre (A/T) and a road-going highway tyre (H/T) much in the same way an A/T bridges the gap between an H/T and a full mud tyre (M/T), Bridgestone says the A/T 002 is suited for an 80/20 split between highway driving and off-roading.
In other words it is a tyre that offers all the grip and performance of a traditional H/T, but is capable of heading further off road when required. But perhaps more importantly, it also offers up the chunky, aggressively-treaded looks of a mud tyre for that all important style consideration.
The A/T 002 is aimed squarely at the average SUV and ute buyer who will be spending the majority of their time driving on the road, but wants a more off-road look, along with the ability to actually take better advantage of the capabilities of their 4X4 when they do venture off the tarmac.
We recently headed over to Noosa on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, where Bridgestone had fitted a fleet of Isuzu D-Max utes and MUX SUVs with A/T 002s to experience what the company says is the expected usage case for the new tyre.
The trip started out from Noosa with an hour or so of urban driving around the suburbs, before heading towards the coast for some beach driving and, finally, a run down the motorway on the return.
Around town the A/T 002s were not only no noisier than the MU-X’s OEM tyres, but even possibly somewhat quieter, although to be fair this could just have been the difference between roads in Queensland and New Zealand. Either way, they were impressively quiet for tyres with such an aggressive tread pattern and offered up exceptional dry grip at regular speeds.
Upon arrival at Noosa North Shore Beach we aired down to around 22psi, engaged 4X4 high and headed out onto the sand. We were again impressed by the A/T 002s, this time their traction in the soft sand, but also their impressively unflustered nature when crossing over existing tracks in that soft sand which can often unsettle normal A/Ts.
Moving down onto the firmer sand proved equally unchallenging for the A/T 002s and catching the odd patch of water from an errant wave didn’t phase them in the slightest either. But perhaps the best indication of the ease with which the Duelers handled sand was the fuel consumption of both the MU-X and the D-Max we swapped into half way along the beach.
Both vehicles sat happily on an average of around 9L/100km during our day on the beach which, considering that Isuzu claims between 7.4 and 8.3 for both (depending on the model), show just how effortless the tyres were making it for the vehicles.
After lunch - eaten sitting on the tailgate of a D-Max on one of the most stunning lagoons I have ever seen - we aired back up to road pressures and headed along more open roads towards the motorway for an hour-long run to the airport.
Again, the A/T 002s were impressively quiet, while also displaying remarkably good levels of grip at open road speeds. On the motorway the quietness continued, but this time the directional stability added to the feeling that the A/T 002s were simply an upgrade over the OEM tyres Isuzu fits to the D-Max in literally every regard.
While the Duelers were remarkably good in pretty much every situation we experienced during the day, it would be remiss to not touch on their looks. After all, this is a large part of why you see a number of utes and SUVs that never leave the tarmac sitting on chunky A/T (and even M/T) tyres that, frankly, ruin the ride and make them noisier for no reason if you aren’t making the most of the obvious off-road advantages they bring.
Put simply, the A/T 002s look like those tyres, but with none of the compromises for on-road use. Will they go as far off-road? No, but then they will be capable of going further than most owners would likely be comfortable with anyway.
The aggressive tread pattern and chunky wrap-around blocks on the shoulders will up the street cred (or should that be off-street cred?) of anything they are fitted to, but without making it unpleasantly noisy or less safe to drive - Bridgestone says the Nano Pro-Tech compound technology used in the A/T 002 is usually found in performance tyres, and has a high silica content for improved wet weather performance and braking.
We will have to take their word for that because we didn’t get a chance to test the A/T 002’s levels of grip in the wet - it was, after all, a gorgeous day on the Sunshine Coast, without a cloud in the sky - but we have no reason to believe that this won’t be impressive as well. After all, Bridgestone did develop a specific version of the A/T 002 for the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, meaning they have plenty of experience combining grip with off-tarmac prowess.
The Bridgestone Dueler A/T 002 is available in New Zealand in 14 sizes, with a further six to be added in 2025, which the company says will ensure fitment for "most dual cab utes, 4x4 and SUV models" on sale today.
