The new design increases total chassis stiffness by 60%, but even though the Nomad 2 is a shade longer than the original car, its kerb weight rises by only “a few percent”.
Official figures will be issued before the first customer car leaves Crewkerne “this side of Christmas”, but preliminary data puts the new model at 680kg as standard.
The Nomad 2’s all-independent double-wishbone suspension (front and rear) adopts anti-dive and antisquat geometry, which promotes stability despite the fact that it has longer wheel travel.
Chief engineer Jim McKechnie said the Nomad 2 keeps its predecessor’s remarkably soft and absorbent ride on rough roads but can negotiate them even faster.
The cockpit is familiar in layout, with bare-finish composite bucket seats, a small digital instrument pack ahead of the driver and clearly labelled switchgear in blocks nearby on a half-width fascia.
Behind that, the Nomad 2 has high-mounted, self protecting wiring designed to keep it functioning in the toughest of conditions.
So far, prototypes have amassed well over 5000 miles on Welsh rally test tracks, one mile of which is estimated by Ariel engineers to equal 50 miles of road use.