discredit the Atom 300 in a german magazine

[dreamscape]

i really got upset about this article in a german mag, where some ignorant journalist claimed the Atom to achieve a 3,8 sec. 0-100 KmH time. So i tried to put this right by telling them the Atom actually needs 1 sec. less. They replied they got this information from the german distributor, very odd if you ask me and why the hell they don´t contact the factory, if they want verified information?!

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/hitliste ... 25034.html

[Hedge]

There's loads of in-accuracies. Saunders is quoted as saying someone walked away from a crash unscathed, having hit a wall at 170mph.
Yeah, right. Unscathed, maybe. Atoms don't do 170mph. Guess it's kph, but who knows, given the rest of it all.

The article is unbelievably poorly written, IMO.

Cheers, Hedge

[ebeck]

The above link has virus problems.  Don't click on it. 

[dreamscape]

this is the official site of a well known german car magazine, i really can not imagine why there should be any virus problem, though i am not a computer expert. Although it is really not worth to click on it, since you can only find a photo and this: Platz 38: Ariel Atom 3 300. Ariel lässt kompromisslos weg. So erinnert der Atom 3 300 eher an einen Formelrenner als an ein straßenzugelassenes Fahrzeug. Motor: R4, Kompressor • 221 kW (300 PS) • 196 Nm • 1,7 kg/PS • 0-100 in 3,8 s • Vmax 245 km/h • 54.973 Euro.
However, good job Xavier for your feed back!!! Thats exactly what i have replied to the jounalist pointing out the fifth gear WR video on youtube.

Cheers,
Tobias

[maverick1]

Sorry to burst everyones bubble about the Atoms 0-60mph or 0-100kph, but I have tried a couple of times to test my Atoms acceleration and the best time I could do is 3.8 seconds 0-60. I have a US Atom 2 with around 265hp. I did not test too aggressively.
I really don't think the Atom, even a 300hp model can hit 0-100kph in under 3 seconds, without an absolutely perfect launch, revving it high and aggressively dropping the clutch.
So the figures they give of under 3 seconds are not real world figures that you can duplicate on a regular basis, or would want to duplicate and have your mechanicals remain in one piece.
I've only been in one Atom that could break the 3 second barrier on a regular basis and that was Calscotts 475hp Atom, and he has a long list of mechanical failures.
Nothing wrong with a car that can hit 60 repeatedly and reliably in the mid to high 3 second range.
Funny thing is I don't believe all the magazines that publish Atom 0-60 times of 2.8 or 2.9 seconds, I don't believe they actually tested out the cars and got those numbers. They just printed what they were told by the manufacturer. I don't think the Atoms owners would appreciate the reviewers thrashing the cars to see what they could get.

[AtomMadStew]

Did they see the england versus the germans top gear episode quarter mile drag? Need i say more

[WorkingOnIt]

[quote="maverick1"]
Sorry to burst everyones bubble about the Atoms 0-60mph or 0-100kph, ...
[/quote]

I don't think anyone here would confuse published times with real world.  The drop clutch times are important to some people (and perhaps the brand) for comparison purposes / bragging rights.  It's sad; manufacturers have been known to compromise optimum real world gearing to move the 2nd shift point above 100kph to make the number look better.

For all the complaints about Car and Driver magazine, they did come up with something years ago to try to more realistically quantify acceleration.  Along with conventional 0-60 figures, they include a 'street start' number in all their road test results, which consists of timing a rolling 5mph start to 60.  (Times are usually higher than the 0-60 and the ranking order in comparison tests often differs.)

[MonsieurX]

When i first tried a 0-100 kph in my new 245 early last year, i counted 1 thousand, 2 thousand, 3 thousand and there it was, 100 kph!
No clutch dropping (didn't want tire slip), and a passenger just insures the car stays on the ground!

Oh, did i mention i had a passenger? LOL

Impressions?

Late last year, i went to the nurburgring and did a flying lap alone that seemed like it was 8" minutes flat! I was taking off at almost every jump and at one jump (plantzgarden or something) i just kept making the jump longuer and longuer just before the turn... Scary but ok, i was amazed at the speed and control...

Then comes my passenger and told him i'd drive cool (i was kind of wobbly after that long jump before the turn...) and we did our lap which my passenger firmly commented as not driven "cool" - but i know i drove cool!

Behold the DL1's times later that night... my flying lap was 8:30 and the lap with the passenger was 8:22! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh  At least the car felt a lot more stable!

I wish journalists would do tests like these...

[benyeats]

[quote="maverick1"]
Sorry to burst everyones bubble about the Atoms 0-60mph or 0-100kph,
[/quote]

Almost every UK magazine has managed 3 seconds or less in the UK 300.  Magazines are not gentle with any of the cars they test so comparisons are valid, owners will be more sympathetic with their cars so don't match magazine times.

Ben

[silver]

and they did test the US model to achieve 2.88 seconds.........................I think that was with the mule which had 280whp, which might be why.

[maverick1]

My point was, in the real world you won't see a 0-60mph time under 3 seconds unless your willing to damage your car.
Let me ask this then, have any of you Atom owners ever timed(instrument) your acceleration pulls and achieved a time under 3 seconds??
On the bright side, since all other competitors times are also made by abusing the car and not real world times....it's all relative.

[MonsieurX]

I have abused it gently to see the DL1's acceleration curves, and the Wikipedia top speed was wrong! I went a lot faster!

[Hedge]

I've got a point about this (oft-quoted) 0-60mph time:
Who really gives a flying duck? Honestly.

Atom's are mental fast, period. 2.88/ 3.88 etc, what's the big deal. Just get out and drive em.

Cheers, Hedge

[dreamscape]

i totally agree with you Hedge, but i still can not resist to disagree when stupid journalist are telling bullshit, thats all.

[Hedge]

[quote="dreamscape"]
i totally agree with you Hedge, but i still can not resist to disagree when stupid journalist are telling bullshit, thats all.
[/quote]