The Ariel Nomad 2 is a comprehensive upgrade with up to 305 horsepower and 382 lb-ft of torque
Simon Saunders, director of Ariel, speak Car that when the company was only making the road-focused Atom, an American called the company asking for an Atom with “about three feet of suspension travel.” Ariel wasn’t ready to do that at the time, but the idea lingered until Ariel turned it into the Nomad, which debuted in 2015. Having learned a lot while building hundreds of Nomads over the past 10 years and watching the off-road segment explode, Ariel was ready with the second-generation Nomad 2. Only the Nomad’s handlebars, pedal boxes, and gas cap were carried over to the Nomad 2. Starting with the frame, engineers used larger 2- and 2.5-inch-diameter tubing to increase stiffness by 65 percent. That figure was achieved even as the Nomad 2 expanded its footprint, with a 1 7/8-inch longer wheelbase and 2-inch wider tracks. This also provides more space in the cockpit, a reshaped aperture for easier entry and exit that early Nomad buyers requested.
There is a shock behind the cockpit, which is a Ford cars engine. Ariel said Honda’s motobike K24 Engine used in the first Nomadstarting with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine and then a 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which is getting harder to find. So while the Atom 4 still uses today’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder Honda Civic Type RThe Nomad 2 has been swapped out for a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine from Ford Focus ST. The Nomad’s 2.4-liter Honda engine is tuned to produce 235 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. Standard ST Focus produces 276 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The base Nomad 2 comes with a tuned version of the Ford engine that makes 260 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque. An optional upgrade installs a ECU with three engine maps starting at that base level, then rising to 302 hp and 333 lb-ft or 305 hp and 382 lb-ft. Transmissions are handled through the Focus ST’s six-speed manual or an optional Quaife six-speed sequential gearbox.
The extra power is propelled by a car that weighs just 1,550 pounds. Zero to 60 mph is estimated to take 3.4 seconds, and 100 mph is an additional 4.1 seconds. Larger rotors with a 40 percent larger sweep area and ABS help the car stop in reasonable time. The engine also breathes easier thanks to a radiator that’s 2.5 times larger than before and multiple filtration stages for the intake air.
In the corners, new suspension geometry with fully sealed bushings and ball joints not only gives the arms 50 percent more travel, but the corners also cut the first Nomad’s pitch, pitch, and lean. K-tec dampers with Eibach dual-rate springs are standard; the options list starts with three-way adjustable Ohlins TTX dampers with remote reservoirs and springs and tops out with Bilstein two-stage dampers with remote reservoirs. Wheels are standard 16-inch alloys, 16-inch beadlocks or lightweight 18-inch forged units, tyre choices spanning road to extreme off-road. Regardless of how buyers mix and match, an optional rally-style hydraulic handbrake makes J-turns and Scandinavian-style swoops that much sharper.
The body panels are made from the same plastic used to make helmets. Along with the larger inlets, livability is improved in many small ways. A wing-shaped rail above the windshield directs air to a two-tiered air intake behind the cockpit, which also acts as a sunshade and blocks light from the auxiliary Lazer LED headlights from getting into the occupants’ eyes. The lightweight seats are available in two widths or carbon fiber can accommodate four-point seat belts. The Atom 4’s switchgear is easier to use, surrounded by a full-colour TFT display that includes gear position and shift indicators, data logging and images from the rear camera.
An options list with over 100 items enhances customization, adding everything from crank into the cockpit brake Ariel hasn’t revealed pricing for North America yet, but based on the previous Nomad model starting at $80,000, expect this one to start in the $90,000 range.
