RE: Ariel Atom 4: Driven
Discussion
DaveGB said:
Sorry for late reply , only just seen this.
The Atom is the nearest visceral experience to a bike, due to its open nature, the fact you sit so low to the ground, can see the ground whizzing past as you look at the suspension working on the front wheels accentuates the feeling of speed. The fact you can do this on a summers day in shorts,and t shirt with no helmet is the ultimate buzz.
A bike will always be easier to flow through traffic, but on a twisty open road with some tight corners the car will be able to brake later and harder.
You can never replace the thrill of riding a fast bike, leaning over in the corners , balancing the front coming up vs spinning the rear wheel etc. However something like an Atom is close, has the luxury of not needing leathers and helmet plus you can chat to your passenger,
If you ever get chance to try one or even better own one, then do it .
In terms of the other cars, the XBOW is a bit more enclosed in the cockpit, although you need to remove padded seats to sit lower in the car. The caterham feels like luxury with a heater
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the informative reply Dave! I might need to rethink that Caterham decision (though I'm approx 99.9% sure about it, and perhaps will think about an Atom in a few years). The Atom is the nearest visceral experience to a bike, due to its open nature, the fact you sit so low to the ground, can see the ground whizzing past as you look at the suspension working on the front wheels accentuates the feeling of speed. The fact you can do this on a summers day in shorts,and t shirt with no helmet is the ultimate buzz.
A bike will always be easier to flow through traffic, but on a twisty open road with some tight corners the car will be able to brake later and harder.
You can never replace the thrill of riding a fast bike, leaning over in the corners , balancing the front coming up vs spinning the rear wheel etc. However something like an Atom is close, has the luxury of not needing leathers and helmet plus you can chat to your passenger,
If you ever get chance to try one or even better own one, then do it .
In terms of the other cars, the XBOW is a bit more enclosed in the cockpit, although you need to remove padded seats to sit lower in the car. The caterham feels like luxury with a heater
Hope that helps.
BlackPrince said:
DaveGB said:
Sorry for late reply , only just seen this.
The Atom is the nearest visceral experience to a bike, due to its open nature, the fact you sit so low to the ground, can see the ground whizzing past as you look at the suspension working on the front wheels accentuates the feeling of speed. The fact you can do this on a summers day in shorts,and t shirt with no helmet is the ultimate buzz.
A bike will always be easier to flow through traffic, but on a twisty open road with some tight corners the car will be able to brake later and harder.
You can never replace the thrill of riding a fast bike, leaning over in the corners , balancing the front coming up vs spinning the rear wheel etc. However something like an Atom is close, has the luxury of not needing leathers and helmet plus you can chat to your passenger,
If you ever get chance to try one or even better own one, then do it .
In terms of the other cars, the XBOW is a bit more enclosed in the cockpit, although you need to remove padded seats to sit lower in the car. The caterham feels like luxury with a heater
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the informative reply Dave! I might need to rethink that Caterham decision (though I'm approx 99.9% sure about it, and perhaps will think about an Atom in a few years). The Atom is the nearest visceral experience to a bike, due to its open nature, the fact you sit so low to the ground, can see the ground whizzing past as you look at the suspension working on the front wheels accentuates the feeling of speed. The fact you can do this on a summers day in shorts,and t shirt with no helmet is the ultimate buzz.
A bike will always be easier to flow through traffic, but on a twisty open road with some tight corners the car will be able to brake later and harder.
You can never replace the thrill of riding a fast bike, leaning over in the corners , balancing the front coming up vs spinning the rear wheel etc. However something like an Atom is close, has the luxury of not needing leathers and helmet plus you can chat to your passenger,
If you ever get chance to try one or even better own one, then do it .
In terms of the other cars, the XBOW is a bit more enclosed in the cockpit, although you need to remove padded seats to sit lower in the car. The caterham feels like luxury with a heater
Hope that helps.
The other consideration is storage space; my 2-Eleven had no boot, and an Atom's boot is tiny, whereas a Caterham's boot is actually quite usable.
In terms of driving, the main difference between Caterhams and their mid engine competition is that Caterhams generally are very playful, calm and easy to drive on the limit and move about a lot when pushing on, whereas the mid-engine alternatives tend to be more stick, stick, slip; and their lower polar moment of inertia makes them more urgent when on the limit. This is due to the difference in layout (FE vs ME/RE), but also the type of rear suspension (De Dion vs fully independent).
ordered an atom 3 245 in summer 2017. Initially i was disappointed that the atom 4 had gone turbo but they would have been without a honda engine if they had not gone with it.
So now I have should be getting an atom 4 in march 2019. A long wait !
Not seen the extras list yet but i wont be adding much, it looks like all the stuff i would have needed to add to a 3 is already included (lsd, wheel and brake upgrade - cant afford AP calipers) so it shouldn't cost much more than the outgoing model for a basic car.
power from the 245 would have been fine for me but the reviews seem to be saying the car is a whole lot better in many respects (especially for the less able driver). Also more crash protection has improved should the worst happen and my son will be in the passenger seat so this is a bonus. Separate seats will be a winner too since I am 5'5 -single seat would have been very squashed for my mates.
The 2 year waiting list mean that i should be able to sell up when i finally get too cold and wet without losing too much money.
All in all- not super keen on turbo solution but overall i think i have gained more than i have lost.
Will let you know in March (hopefully)
So now I have should be getting an atom 4 in march 2019. A long wait !
Not seen the extras list yet but i wont be adding much, it looks like all the stuff i would have needed to add to a 3 is already included (lsd, wheel and brake upgrade - cant afford AP calipers) so it shouldn't cost much more than the outgoing model for a basic car.
power from the 245 would have been fine for me but the reviews seem to be saying the car is a whole lot better in many respects (especially for the less able driver). Also more crash protection has improved should the worst happen and my son will be in the passenger seat so this is a bonus. Separate seats will be a winner too since I am 5'5 -single seat would have been very squashed for my mates.
The 2 year waiting list mean that i should be able to sell up when i finally get too cold and wet without losing too much money.
All in all- not super keen on turbo solution but overall i think i have gained more than i have lost.
Will let you know in March (hopefully)
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