As if the electric Renault 5 isn’t fun enough, the Renault group is now introducing the Alpine A290. Also electric, but with a lot of extra horsepower and a sportier suspension.
What stands out about the Alpine A290 (2024)?
The Alpine A290 also has the brilliant retro design, based on the classic Renault 5. But with increased power comes wider wheel arch edges, fatter bumpers, oversized skirts and larger wheels. The bulges in the rear doors that refer to the air intakes of ancient Alpines with a tail engine are a bit forced.
But even in the dark you immediately know that an Alpine A290 is approaching and not one Renault 5. This is thanks to the LED headlights and fog lights with the special cross signature, inspired by the stickers that once adorned the lights of classic rally Alpines.
The inside of the Alpine A290 leaves no room for misunderstanding about the car’s origins: the house color blue and the iconic A are amply present. The interior has also been enhanced with extra profiled furniture and a leather sports steering wheel.
Two buttons in particular draw attention. The red OV button does not directly connect you to NS chief Wouter Koolmees or the nearest train station, but stands for ‘Overtake’ and ensures that maximum power is immediately available. Indeed: for fast and safe overtaking maneuvers.
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We also see a blue Recharge dial that allows you to select from three regeneration levels. The gear positions D, N and R are not selected with a lever on the steering column as in the Renault 5, but with lightning-fast buttons on the tunnel console. Just like with the Alpine A110.
While the ‘normal’ Renault 5 is currently only available in one power variant (150 hp), saddles Alpine potential buyers of the A290 immediately experience choice stress. Do you go for the relatively tame GT or GT Premium with 180 hp, or do you opt for the real hot hatch of the family? In the latter case you should go for the 220 hp GT Performance or GTS. The price difference with the ‘tame’ variant is about 3000 euros – more about that later – but for those extra cents you get more than just 50 hp.
This means you don’t have to settle for recycled fabrics on the furniture in the GTS. You’re sitting on real nappa leather and not that sweaty vegan stuff. On the outside, both top versions have Michelin Pilot Sport S5 rubber instead of port EV tires. Behind the alloy wheels, the Brembo brake calipers are painted red instead of gray (GT) or blue (GT Premium) for the occasion.
What’s good about the Alpine A290 (2024)?
While colleague Jaap was already lyrical about the driving pleasure that the ‘normal’ R5 offers, the Alpine A290 takes that a step further. Because of course the driving characteristics had to be adapted to the increased performance.
The track width measures 6 centimeters more, the springs and dampers have been adjusted and the stabilizers are one size thicker. Torque vectoring can apply more or less power to the individual wheels as desired, to keep the car on track in fast corners.
The hundred sprint takes place in 7.4 seconds for the version with 180 hp, the most powerful variant takes a full second off that. The top speed is 160 and 170 km/h respectively. Not exceptional values for a performance EV, but among the compact hot hatchbacks the Alpine A290 belongs to the elite group. The nice thing is that the performance feels ‘natural’, partly because the added engine noise keeps pace with the throttle input.
For an EV, the Alpine A290 is quite light (1479 kg) and the center of gravity is low, making the handling on public roads both entertaining and impressive. Especially if you select the sport mode, in which the steering and electric motor process the driver’s input faster than Donald Trump turns swing states red.
Even in tight bends, the sports seats hold you firmly and the car remains neutral for a long time. The amount of lean remains within limits, but the suspension does not turn your kidneys into kidney pie. And the handling also remains friendly for a long time. Even if you disable the ESP, the A290 will never bite your head off. That is because Alpine said it wanted to make the A290 a daily usable hot hatch and not a hardcore sports car.
After a few laps on the Circuit Llucmajor, the more experienced track tigers agreed that the car indeed has its limitations. Still, the compromise between safety and driving pleasure on display was impressive. If you dive into a short corner with the Alpine A290 so hard that the rear axle wants to take a step to the side, this is quite easy to cope with. And then you are already far beyond the limits that the average driver will not even explore.
Despite a brisk driving style, we achieved a consumption of about 17 kWh per 100 kilometers during our test drive with the 220 hp A290 GTS. This should allow you to get fairly close to the specified WLTP range of 364 km. Fast charging makes the A290 slower than accelerating: 100 kW is the maximum. This allows you to charge the Alpine A290 from 15 to 80 percent in 30 minutes. With many other EVs, the battery goes from 10 to 80 percent in that time. On the other hand, an additional 150 kilometers of range is added in fifteen minutes.
What could be improved on the Alpine A290 (2024)?
The Alpine A290 is primarily a fun car, but a little ease of use is also nice. In terms of storage options, this is quite disappointing. The glove box and door pockets are small, there are no cup holders and there is no storage compartment under the tunnel console. And while the console is so high and wide that it constantly tries to engage in sexual harassment with the driver’s right knee
The luggage compartment is quite spacious at 326 liters for a car in this segment, but the lift threshold is high. There is also no height-adjustable bottom, so that anything but a flat loading floor is created when you fold down the rear seats.
With the rear seat in function, a maximum of two people with a maximum height of 1.75 meters can sit there. An additional condition is that their shoe size is not larger than 42. In addition, people with large feet must ensure that they do not trip over the oversized sill extensions when getting in and out.
When will the Alpine A290 arrive and what is the price?
The first Alpines 290 will be at the Alpine Store in Soestdijk in December 2024. Because Alpine expects that the A290 and later the A390 will give a significant boost to sales, there will be a total of six dealer locations.
In addition to Soestdijk, you will soon also be able to find the A290 in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Eindhoven and Groningen. The first customers will take delivery of their A290 in early 2025.
| Version | Assets | Price (€) |
|---|---|---|
| A290 GT | 180 pk | 38.800 |
| A290 GT Premium | 180 pk | 42.000 |
| A290 GT Performance | 220 pk | 41.800 |
| A290 GTS | 220 pk | 44.800 |
| A290 GTS Premiere Edition | 220 pk | 46.300 |
The basic GT version already has automatic air conditioning, height-adjustable seats with electrically adjustable lumbar support for the driver, seat heating, electrically operated side windows front and rear and a heat pump. The multimedia system with 10-inch screen has built-in Google services, but Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also available. The Arkamys audio system has six speakers.
The GT Premium adds, among other things, heated steering wheel, a higher-quality audio system from Devialet with 9 speakers, electrically folding and heated exterior mirrors and a wireless charging option for the smartphone.
What do I think of the Alpine A290?
With the A290, Alpine is explicitly aiming for the Mini Electric, otherwise the car has hardly any competitors. The fun level is high, although in my opinion Alpine could have improved that a bit by making the engine sound more like that of a combustion engine. Now we get the idea that Doctor Emmett Brown is out Back to the Future can open the door at any moment and speak to us sadly: “Marty, I now say farewell and wish you Godspeed.”
The Overtake button should also have been omitted, because you achieve the same effect by flooring the power pedal until kickdown. In short, it’s actually a pretty pointless gadget.
All that remains is a very nice car. In addition to its performance, design and character, the Alpine A290 charms with nice details such as French flags in the upholstery and headlights, and in the more expensive versions also with beautiful leather and beautiful stitching. It does have some practical shortcomings in terms of space, but the small turning circle of 10.2 meters makes the A290 extremely handy in daily use.
All in all, in my opinion, the car deserves a nicer name than the sterile ‘A290’, of which the A stands for Alpine, the 2 for the B-segment and 90 for the brand’s ‘lifestyle range’. If we had a choice, it would have been the Alpine R5 Turbo – following Porsche’s example. The reference to the Renault 5 makes the car more recognizable to everyone and the term ‘turbo’ then, just like with the electric Porsche Macan and Taycan, refers purely to above-average power.
In any case, I expect that the A290 will provide an LBX effect for Alpine. You’ll just have to deal with what I mean by that Lexus to ask.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
