![]() Silly question, but how practical is the Mugen-spec Atom?Ĭompared to a normal car? Not very. ![]() You can’t smash through the ‘box like you would in a Caterham instead a more delicate touch is needed, and when acceleration is so manic that’s not the distraction that you need. ![]() Pedal positioning is spot on, the steering (though a lovely Alcantara wheel) is a feelsome delight, grip levels are high but the Atom can still be playful if you’re brave, and (as with all Atoms) you still need to think a little bit more about the gearchange than you’d like. The sensation might be exacerbated by my lanky height, but it’s actually painful, and you will initially duck away from the air box over your left shoulder. There’s a real pressure change around the air intake near 4500rpm, and it really does try and suck your eardrum out. Ignore the green and amber shift lights, wait for red LEDs to blink, then shift and you’ll be in the power sweet spot. (Though perhaps the supercharged engine might suit the Atom better as it means you needn’t nail it to the redline quite so much.) Shift up early and you’ll drop below the VTEC zone and it grumble and sound unhappy just like an E46 M3 CSL does when it’s not being nailed to the limit in each gear. The Mugen thrives on revs, it lives to be nailed to over 8000rpm. It’ll still outpace anything this side of a supercar, but it won’t scare you stupid like the torquey 300. You need at least 6000rpm to really access the power, so below those revs everything is (a little) more relaxed. The Mugen, in comparison, is a doddle to drive. It’s still the scariest car I’ve ever driven. And it was the screaming, shrieking and frankly terrifying supercharged 300. So what’s the Ariel Atom Mugen like to drive?
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