Written by Abby Dowsett with Photos by Abby Dowsett and Dylan Osborne
Since it’s founding in 1955, Alpine has always boasted unique, chic
cars that are classy in looks and impressive under the hood. While they
may not be as well known as some of the other, bigger French
manufactures, such as Renault or Peugeot, they have always kept their
signature style and held their own significant place in European
automobile circles. Their introduction to the world of Formula One
came in 2021, and while their competitive abilities as a team may not be
anything extraordinary, it certainly provided the company with much-needed international exposure.
“Thrilling new hot hatch.”
Named by Alpine as a ‘thrilling new hot hatch’, the A290 was unveiled
by Alpine at the 202424 Hours of Le Mans on June 13, as part of the company’s new electric re-brand ‘Dream Garage’, and has been named the A110’s ‘successor’. The car is the first of seven fully electric cars to be
released, and kickstarts the company’s dive into a fully electric
lineup. In this article we’ll explore if an electric car can really do the
term ‘hatch-back’ justice, as up to now, the EV market has
lacked something worthy of the term.
On paper the A290 certainly seems impressive. It’s been modeled
after the previously successful Renault 5, and claims to have 220
horsepower, a range of up to 380 KM and the ability to reach 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds. It’s long stint of winter testing in Sweden advanced the car’s balance, and improved its handling on ice. Without a doubt, it is Alpine’s
intention to build a car to rival it’s closest counterpart, the Fiat 500e Abarth.
The A290 boasts a completely redesigned steering wheel, borrowing from it’s Formula One counterpart. The reason we believe this car is so successful as a hot-hatch isn’t owing simply to its powerful statistics, but rather, because of its consistent and superb homage to Alpine’s own racing history.
“Borrowing from its Formula One counterpart.”
Alpine has always been a brand with a strong racing pedigree. Most memorably, in the 1970’s, it won both Le Mans and the World Rally Championship, and since 2021, has competed in Formula One, often placing somewhere in the middle of the grid, which for a three-year-old team, is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. The A290 seems to be an amalgamation of Alpine’s past racing history, encompassing rally and Formula One alike, often drawing on direct aspects from these different cars in the A290.
The most obvious of this is the exterior. All Alpines have the instantly recognizable double set of headlights, and the A290 is no different. Shaking things up a bit, instead of the classic round headlights you’d see on the A110, the A290 has opted for a square shape, with a negative-spaced cross in the middle. This is said by the engineers to ‘mimic the way rally headlights were taped in the 70’s.’
The electric Alpine comes equipped with an over boost button (used for overtaking), and has direct control to many other aspects of the car, such as braking and traction control. The seats are reminiscent of the old Renault 5-Turbo, bucket-like in style, but straight at the back, allowing for an engaging and upright driving experience. Even under the hood, this car is full of history. The brakes have been directly taken from the A110, as well as the hydraulic bump stops. The main motor has been taken from the
Renault Megan and is more than powerful enough for this little car.
All of this, combined with a fully customizable traction control and
an impressive weight of 1500kg, allows for a fun drive where you can properly throw the car around.
With all of this taken into account, the price quoted for the car at the Le Mans press conference was 40,000 Euros. With the average European salary being 28,000 Euros, this car certainly can’t be considered ‘affordable’, but then at this current point in time, it’s difficult to find an electric car that is. Yes, this is a large price tag for what it is, but perhaps, with the future of electric cars sometimes looking bleak and corporate, that is the price to be paid for history and unique style.
