Skip advert
Advertisement

Watch the Ariel Nomad go head-to-head with a Fiesta WRC car

1300bhp, some deserted Welsh countryside and not a lot of traction... Welcome to evo's first off-road group test

If you’ve not yet experienced the joy of driving on loose surfaces, perhaps our latest video will convince you to have a go.

Readers will already have seen Henry Catchpole’s written report and Aston Parrott's photography in issue 218 of evo Magazine, but few things are better suited to the medium of motion film than the spectacle of rally cars and purpose-built off-roaders sliding across gravel and mud.

Advertisement - Article continues below

In evo’s first ever gravel group test, we pitch the new Ariel Nomad – undoubtedly the inspiration for this feature – against the Polaris RZR, Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Porsche 911 Safari and Bowler Defender 110 V6.

While we won’t pick a winner – each has such disparate talents and purposes that selecting a favourite would almost be unfair – the conclusion is an easy one to make.

Whether you’re being powered along by a rear-mounted flat six, a twin-cylinder one-litre or a full WRC-spec, 300bhp four, driving on gravel is could be the most fun you can have behind the wheel of a car.

Watch the full video above, and if you’d like to see more action from each car, keep an eye on evo’s Facebook page, where we’ll be posting raw on-board footage over the next few weeks.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Carlos Sainz signs for Ford: rally champ set for 2025 Dakar challenge 
Ford Ranger Raptor Dakar rally
News

Carlos Sainz signs for Ford: rally champ set for 2025 Dakar challenge 

Two-time World Rally Champion and four-time Dakar winner joins Ford Performance’s 2025 Dakar team
10 May 2024
2024 Dakar Rally preview: cars, teams, routes and full details
Prodrive Hunter – front
Features

2024 Dakar Rally preview: cars, teams, routes and full details

The 2024 Dakar rally roars into life on 5 January. Here’s all the key information, plus an inside look at Prodrive’s Dakar preparations
2 Jan 2024
Prodrive P25 review – this £552,000 Subaru Impreza is worth every penny
Prodrive P25
Reviews

Prodrive P25 review – this £552,000 Subaru Impreza is worth every penny

The P25 is Prodrive’s dazzling tribute to the iconic Subaru Impreza 22B STI. But can it possibly justify its eye-watering £552,000 price tag? There’s …
28 Oct 2023
2023 British Rally Championship: Trackrod Rally results
British Rally Championship Trackrod Yorkshire
News

2023 British Rally Championship: Trackrod Rally results

The 65th Motorsport UK British Rally Championship season continued with the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire
25 Sep 2023
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 2024 review: rally-bred hot hatch is better than ever
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 UK
Reviews

Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 2024 review: rally-bred hot hatch is better than ever

Toyota’s heavily updated Gen 2 GR Yaris has finally arrived in the UK, and we’ve driven it on the road
24 Jul 2024
This is our best look yet at Ferrari’s brand new hypercar
Ferrari hypercar test mule
Spy shots

This is our best look yet at Ferrari’s brand new hypercar

The LaFerrari successor will bring Ferrari’s motorsport and road car programs closer than ever, with sophisticated aero and a new hybrid powertrain
22 Jul 2024
McLaren GT Fast Fleet test – four months in the 203mph 'grand tourer'
evo Fast Fleet McLaren GT
Long term tests

McLaren GT Fast Fleet test – four months in the 203mph 'grand tourer'

Our ‘grand touring’ McLaren has departed. Did we get to the bottom of what it’s all about?
22 Jul 2024