Following a sneak preview last month, Ariel Motor Company has taken the wraps off their new model dubbed the Ariel Nomad, which it has described as “a modern buggy designed for the rough and tough of the wild but just as home in the city.”

The latest addition to the Ariel family – the Ariel Nomad

The bronze welded off-roader features a similar tubular steel frame design as the Atom model, but at 670 kg it weighs 200 kg more than the Atom. It further comes with an increased ground clearance, long-travel suspension, a complex rollover protection as well as a reinforced chassis.

The long-travel suspension provides up to 300mm of ground clearance as well as 71-degree approach and 82-degree departure angle. It also benefits from a wide range of Yokohama tyres ranging from high speed road, All Terrain and full Mud Terrain right through to Gravel/Forest Rally and Sand/Paddle, with 15″ and 18″ rims in both alloy for both off/on road use and magnesium for road use only.

Power comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder iVTEC engine sourced from Honda and tuned to deliver 175 kW at 7200 rpm and 300 Nm at 4300 rpm, which is then sent to the rear wheels via six-speed transmission with hydraulic clutch and a limited slip differential.

This setup allows the modern buggy to complete the 0-96 km/h run in 3.4 seconds, reaching a top speed of 201 km/h.

The interior comes with individual lightweight waterproof seats, as well as an open cockpit with LCD dashboard and programmable shift lights, while the exterior is additionally illuminated by Hella halogen headlamps and LED indicators.

“There are things that we can do at low volume that you simply couldn’t contemplate with mass production.” said Simon Saunders, Director of Ariel.

“We understand niche markets and we understand customers’ demands completely. Everything we have learnt from the Atom has gone into Nomad and it shows. Nomad is Atom’s tough brother and a continuation of our ‘SERIOUS FUN’ philosophy. If we can put a smile on people’s faces, on road or off it, we have done our job”.).