The Nomad may have been born from a simple idea – to give the Atom a sibling capable of all-terrain driving – but in the making, it has taken on rather more of its own identity.
Ariel’s intent was to retain as many carried-over items as possible, which is eminently sensible. But in the end, although it unmistakably looks like an Ariel, only the floor panel, instrument pod, pedal assembly and steering column and rack have been retained. Even now, Ariel is thinking about offering a slower rack than the current one, which has two turns from lock to lock.
Everything else is different from the Atom. Most noticeable, evidently, is the chassis, which is still built by Arch Motor & Manufacturing and still skeletal in appearance but is now stiffer and heavier. It’s beefier to cope with the rallies or competitions that, Ariel estimates, 50 percent of buyers will undertake with their Nomads.
It feels curious to call the Nomad an off-roader, but ostensibly that’s what it is, so it has stronger double-wishbone suspension than the Atom’s and a greatly increased ride height. There are three damper options: the regular Bilstein units fitted and sat on Eibach springs of our test car, adjustable Bilsteins or adjustable Ohlins. All offer dual-rate springing – softer at the top of the suspension’s travel, to easily absorb small lumps and ruts, while becoming firmer as travel increases to retain fine body control. We’ll come to that later.
