The long awaited Alpine A290 has been revealed. Based on the new Renault 5 Turbo and combining the classical R5 Turbo styling with a hint of Alpine DNA.
So, lets start with the basis of the Alpine. That is the new Renault 5 E-Tech. Now Alpine has taken this car and mechanically changed it to include a more potent motor taken from the larger Megane E-Tech to give either 178 bhp or 217 bhp. Alpine state that while the hardware is the same, the software has been totally redesigned. To sit with the motor, you get a 52 kWh battery pack which Alpine states will give the A290 up to 235 miles of range. Charging speeds are at 100kW and the A290 features bi-directional charging and vehicle-to-grid just like the usual R5 E-Tech. 0-62 times are around 6.4 seconds which is impressive but is helped by the lighter weight at 1,479 kg (200 kg less than the MINI Cooper SE). Finally to help the motor, there is a 60mm wider track than the R5 E-Tech and wider 19 inch wheels and new sportier suspension and brake all together giving this car a 57:43 weight distribution.
Now lets talk about the design and to start with you can clearly see that it is an R5 E-Tech but Alpine has given it a set of new headlights and a set of spot lamps to give it the 4 pod lamp look like the A110. the Bumper is also much sportier too. Along the side and we get a slightly different pressed rear door which mimics the design from the classical R5 Turbo. Round the back and again we get a new set of bumpers and the removal of the black bar, seen on the R5 E-Tech. In its place is a small boot lip spoiler and just below that the Alpine lettering.
Moving inside the new A290 and the interior is mostly based on the regular R5 E-Tech but it has been 'Alpineified'. We get a new sportier Alpine steering wheel with a top dead centre mark and some sports toggles. The infotainment system and instrument cluster is the same as the R5 E-Tech but has Alpine graphics in it. What is new though is the centre console. Heavily inspired by the A110 we get the button gear selector from that car as well as a key slot and electronic parking brake as well as some storage. Finally the dashboard has some new designs for the Alpine and the seats are slightly sportier with designs yet again inspired by the R5 Turbo. One great feature to talk about is a new sound system engineered in collaboration with French hifi brand Devialet. This will be responsible for the radio but also playing two different augmented engine noted that will change pitch and volume depending on speed and acceleration.
The A290 will consist of 3 trim levels. Starting with the GT, then going to the GT Performance then ending with the GTS. Above these will sit a limited run Premier Edition which will come with a few unique finishes. The price of the Alpine A290 hasnt been announced yet but it should start at around the £32,000 mark which means it is right on target with the MINI Cooper SE.
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