3/1/2023 0 Comments Ariel atomThe 2.0-litre engine revs at such a furious rate, the gearchange lights on the rev counter seem to blink constantly. With the intoxicating sound of the engine – and the wind howling past your body – the Ariel assaults all of your senses. As soon as the screech of the supercharger heralds the arrival of full power, acceleration is ferocious. With two people and a full tank of fuel, we achieved a 0-60mph time of 3.7 seconds – the quickest Auto Express has ever recorded.įrom behind the wheel you don’t need to see the performance figures to know the Atom is fast. Ariel claims it can sprint from 0-62mph in only 2.7 seconds. This low kerbweight means the Atom’s performance is explosive. Fill the John Deere’s cavernous 681-litre fuel tank, and the diesel alone weighs 62kg more than the Ariel! The Atom weighs only 550kg, though, which is 1,097kg less than the RS. It produces a modest 219Nm of torque, which doesn’t sound like much when compared to the Ford’s 440Nm. Power is from the same engine you’ll find under the bonnet of the current Honda Civic Type R, but the addition of a supercharger adds some serious punch to the high-revving i-VTEC unit. With its skeletal chassis and exposed mechanicals, the Atom is designed to deliver pace, handling, thrills and nothing else. However, wet weather stopped us from fully exploiting its potential, so we jumped at the chance to line it up against the Focus RS for another attempt. We’re already big fans of the beautifully engineered Atom, after it matched the Porsche 911 Turbo in our 0-60mph road test special in Issue 1,050. No other roadgoing 300bhp vehicle has the performance to match this supercharged sports car. If the Focus RS is a hot-hatch heavyweight, the Ariel Atom is a featherweight with a knockout punch.
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