Atom 4 - Build and Collection

[markwetherall]

Not only do the new bigger wheels and tyres look good, they add so much more grip and look great with the AP's inside them.

[markwetherall]

Thanks for the comments everyone. As soon as Henry confirms which tracker they having installed I will compare:

A-Plan
REIS
Adrian Flux
Lloyd &White.

Cheers
Peter

They use the tracker from tracker.co.uk for the car. Company is pretty awful to deal with took me 3 weeks to get mine up and running. Still just over £260.00 for 3 years isn't to bad to pay for the subscription

[phil4]

They use the tracker from tracker.co.uk for the car. Company is pretty awful to deal with took me 3 weeks to get mine up and running. Still just over £260.00 for 3 years isn't to bad to pay for the subscription

I echo those sentiments wholeheartedly, absolute nightmare to get it sorted, but now done and I got 4 years for £279.

https://www.ariel.club/forum/viewtopic. ... 6&p=294891

[44 TOY]

They use the tracker from tracker.co.uk for the car. Company is pretty awful to deal with took me 3 weeks to get mine up and running. Still just over £260.00 for 3 years isn't to bad to pay for the subscription

Can you track the vehicle via an app?

I currently have a "Smar Track" tracker fitted to a car (uses Global Telemetrics) and its pretty impressive but a fair bit more for subscription so just wondering whats different.

[phil4]

The tracker is normally fitted as a requirement of the insurance company, as such you just need one that they agree to. The one fitted by Ariel is entirely un-interactive. It simply sits there until your car is stolen, you notify tracker and they activate it so the police can find it. No phone app, web view, tracking etc. It doesn't activate when the car is stolen, it's entirely passive until you call tracker.

Usually you'll need a "Thatcham" approved one. I believe [mention]autobackup[/mention] uses a Globaltelemetrics one, so demonstrates it's pretty good.

So basically if you go this route, check with your insurer.

[markwetherall]

They use the tracker from tracker.co.uk for the car. Company is pretty awful to deal with took me 3 weeks to get mine up and running. Still just over £260.00 for 3 years isn't to bad to pay for the subscription

Can you track the vehicle via an app?

I currently have a "Smar Track" tracker fitted to a car (uses Global Telemetrics) and its pretty impressive but a fair bit more for subscription so just wondering whats different.

No it is a very basic one. If the car is missing, call the police then call tracker and they will contact the police and tell them where the car is. Basic but cheap. They do not alert you if the car moves without the dongle in it

[Peter255]

I am trying to avoid using the tracker for insurance as its quite expensive subscription! Not all places require it. A-Plan don't care. Thats a lot saved per year!

Might be a pointless option sadly.

[Peter255]

the only thing about the atom 4 that I am impressed with is the larger rear wheels/tires. They look sick!!

Likes / dislikes is quite an interesting topic. Nothing is perfect for everyone. These are just my thoughts prior to collection.

Like
Suspension seems a nice improvement. It was very smooth on the road. Looking forward to testing on track. Impressive tbh.
Turbo engine for tuning potential.
Turbo engine for mid range grunt on the road.
Better handbrake positioning
Keyless start! YES YES YES!
New dash seemed nice and clear (also hopefully waterproof this time).
No side pods for 350! Not a fan of the old ones.
Like the look of the larger tubes, and should be stiffer chassis again.
Better aero (or so we have been told) giving higher top speed.

Dis-like
The look of the new "droop nose" engine intake scoop (why i went carbon to hide it a bit), it might grow on me.
Loss of charger whine.
Its heavier again, meaning the power to weight of base 320 car has fallen, and it has been tested as a touch slower up to road speeds (<100).
Nose design is a little less attractive to my eyes as its fatter (personal thing).

So if i can grow to love the nose and inlet scoop it just needs a bit more power! Remapping next year!

[markwetherall]

the only thing about the atom 4 that I am impressed with is the larger rear wheels/tires. They look sick!!

Likes / dislikes is quite an interesting topic. Nothing is perfect for everyone. These are just my thoughts prior to collection.

Like
Suspension seems a nice improvement. It was very smooth on the road. Looking forward to testing on track. Impressive tbh.
Turbo engine for tuning potential.
Turbo engine for mid range grunt on the road.
Better handbrake positioning
Keyless start! YES YES YES!
New dash seemed nice and clear (also hopefully waterproof this time).
No side pods for 350! Not a fan of the old ones.
Like the look of the larger tubes, and should be stiffer chassis again.
Better aero (or so we have been told) giving higher top speed.

Dis-like
The look of the new "droop nose" engine intake scoop (why i went carbon to hide it a bit), it might grow on me.
Loss of charger whine.
Its heavier again, meaning the power to weight of base 320 car has fallen, and it has been tested as a touch slower up to road speeds (<100).
Nose design is a little less attractive to my eyes as its fatter (personal thing).

So if i can grow to love the nose and inlet scoop it just needs a bit more power! Remapping next year!

Seeing as I have about 650 miles on mine now I will add a few items

Likes:-
Seat are a massive improvement
Dash is fantastic, clear and lots of options on it
Turbo Sounds are great and engine noise on standard exhaust is really good
Much more stable on the road due to extra weight
Less wind buffeting at speed
The Steering is just brilliant. Much improved
Traction Control is great

Dislikes
Turbo can drone a bit on a long motorway drive so always trying to keep it of boost when cruising to reduce noise. I had the same with supercharger anyway so no real difference there, just seems to be a more noisy

Other than that, what a massive improvement over my old 3. Just had 2 great weeks in France (except for the rubbish weather on the 2nd week) with the car and now booked in for a trip to Oulton park and Anglesey early next month. You are going to love the mid range boost, so addictive.

[Preseh]

Has anybody gone for the quick steering rack (Or have it on their existing car)? I've initially spec'd it with the thinking that I might do a sprint or two but I'm wondering whether it makes the car too twitchy for road use.

[Hedge]

I drove a 3 with the quick steering option & B’Jesus was it twitchy. Not so much better on the track, either.

With the 4 though? Who knows.

Cheers,
Hedge

[44 TOY]

Hello All.

I priced up insurance earlier and it was a similar price to my Perf.... without any track days included, i have to say it shocked me a bit.

I called Adrian flux to get that quote, I am 35, held my driving licence over 15 years, clean licence, no claims or convictions and 9 years no claims to use on the car- it came in around £1600, on another note listing the modifications was "fun" and time consuming, it made me not want to call anyone else haha.

Does that price sound about right?

[Karl V]

on another note listing the modifications was "fun" and time consuming

I'm intrigued by the 'modifications' part. Where is the line between 'options' and 'modifications'?

My daily has a sunroof, which is an option. My Nomad has Alcon brakes, which is an option. They are both unmodified from what rolled out of the factory (except maybe the cup holder in the Nomad).

Are people quoting factory fitted options as modifications to insurance companies?

I get that adding aftermarket parts are probably modifications, but should I be declaring underbody protection, a winch and a removable steering wheel as 'modifications'?

I'm genuinely interested.

[44 TOY]

on another note listing the modifications was "fun" and time consuming

I'm intrigued by the 'modifications' part. Where is the line between 'options' and 'modifications'?

My daily has a sunroof, which is an option. My Nomad has Alcon brakes, which is an option. They are both unmodified from what rolled out of the factory (except maybe the cup holder in the Nomad).

Are people quoting factory fitted options as modifications to insurance companies?

I get that adding aftermarket parts are probably modifications, but should I be declaring underbody protection, a winch and a removable steering wheel as 'modifications'?

I'm genuinely interested.

Well, for example, with Admiral insurance, they ask for a list of "factory fitted optional extras" (anything which is not standard) when you get a quote- they do not cover the options on the payout, they pay out market value for the car, but they need to be listed and in turn this raises the price of the policy- not listing them could invalidate your policy according to the terms and conditions, below is a quote from their website

10. What modifications void car insurance?
When you arrange your car insurance cover you need to tell us about any modifications and optional extras on your car as not all types can be covered.

If you plan on modifying your car in any way during the policy term you will need to let us know as this could affect the car’s value or power.

Similarly, you need to let us know about any optional extras your car may have. Any Mini or BMW owners out there are probably well aware of the incredible number of optional extras available when you buy a new car.

I wouldn't mind getting clarity on this one myself as I haven't dealt with any of the companies which insure Atoms before now, i just treated it the same as Admiral and started listing the options, i'm not sure if the wording was asking for just modifications or optional extras as well when the chap from A Flux asked the questions now.

[Karl V]

And actually, would someone buying a 2nd hand car even know what the options are? Locking fuel cap / stainless steel fixings / petrol tank painted black?

It's an interesting one...

Good luck with your insurance hunt.