Alpine's first new car since the A610 in 1991 needs no introduction, suffice it to say that when the all-aluminum, mid-engined, double-wishbone Alpine A110 arrived last year, it was like a grenade thrown into the sports car segment which is very affordable. The Alpine A110 is a brilliant sports car that rivals everything from the Porsche 718 Cayman to the Audi TT. The French company took a lot of heat when trying to recreate the magic of the original 1960s car, but the result is an incredible driving experience and stunning looks.
It feels like a special car on the road and certainly delivers on the comfort factor, although some might find the premium qualities of its German rivals more appealing. Plus, there aren't many alternatives as light, fun, and as capable as the Alpine A110. There is only one body style, one engine (albeit in two different states), and one gearbox. This means that whatever trim you choose, you'll be happy with a stylish two-door coupe body with a 1.8-liter turbo engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. All are rear-wheel drive, and all weigh less than 1,200kg, while power options include the standard car's 248bhp or the 296bhp output that comes with the GT and S versions.
Standard A110 version features
Part-leather/microfiber bucket seats and 17-inch alloy wheels, while the GT features larger 18-inch alloy wheels, six-way adjustable leather comfort seats, and high-gloss carbon fiber interior trim. The top-end S variant is more focused on performance and adds a sports chassis with reinforced anti-roll bars, larger Brembo brakes, 18-inch matt black 'GT Race' alloy wheels, and aluminum pedals.
The Alpine A110 is amazing to drive, with engaging handling and plenty of grip
When Alpine – and parent company Renault – set out to revive the legendary brand, the main focus was on making a light, attractive sports car. We have now provided several examples, both in Europe and the UK, and we are pleased to report that most of these efforts have been successful. The Alpine A110 is a very exciting car to drive.Weighing just 1,098kg, it's much lighter than rivals such as the Porsche 718 Cayman and Audi TT RS. Because there's less weight to tow, there's also less power produced – the tiny 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine pales in comparison to Audi's 395bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder unit. The Alpine's motor isn't as characterful as its German rival, but it sounds good, and it's more fun to rev than the muted flat-four in the latest Cayman.
Low weight has huge benefits in terms of handling. A double-wishbone suspension and powerful Brembo brakes aid handling, while the rear-mounted engine offers perfect balance. There is even a flat underbody that makes the car more stable when driving.
Although some may criticize the fact that the Alpine is not available with a manual gearbox (all cars are equipped with a seven-speed DCT transmission), this little sports car feels very sophisticated and very fast.
There are three driving modes:
Normal, Sport, and Track, which changes the steering, exhaust, traction control, and gearbox settings. You cannot change the suspension settings. But even though it doesn't offer adaptive dampers, the car rides beautifully on British roads. The grip is also excellent.
Insurance Group
Insurance brackets are high for the Alpine A110, but mostly in line with competing models. It is in the same group 44 as the Porsche Cayman S, which is one group higher than the Audi TT RS. That equates to an annual premium of around £665 for the average male driver in his forties with three penalty points.
Depreciation
Expert data shows that the Alpine A110 achieves strong residual values, with an average of 64 percent of its original selling price retained over a typical ownership period of three years and 36,000 miles. The fact that so few were built means the long-term value is even higher than the Porsche 718 Cayman.
Although the emphasis is on keeping weight to a minimum, the Alpine gets a well-trimmed cabin and plenty of technology
Since it is a small and light sports car, the Alpine's cabin is quite compact. However, it's covered in quilted leather, and there's a lot of technology on offer.
Each car gets a set of digital dials, the appearance of which changes according to the car's driving mode. The optional sports seats offer excellent support without being too firm, while the raised center console provides a sporty ambiance and a feeling of encirclement. in the cabin.
The higher-powered A110 S is expensive but offers Brembo brakes, an active sports exhaust, and bespoke 18-inch black alloy wheels. Inside, you get brilliant bucket seats, a Focal stereo, and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Satellite navigation, Bluetooth, and DAB are all included, with the 2021 facelift model now featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The S version also includes interior flash-like orange stitching throughout the cabin and aluminum pedals, but there's only one standard paint color – Glacier White, so if you want to spec a different color, you'll have to pay for it.
For those who crave more exclusivity, Alpine offers an Atelier personalization program where buyers can access new body colors and special finishes for their car's rims and brake calipers.
Boot
Even with two boots, there isn't much room to carry a bag or suitcase. The front trunk measures 100 liters but is quite shallow and can only accommodate a briefcase or laptop bag. The 96-litre rear boot is much deeper, but you'll still struggle to take more than a soft sports bag or weekend shopping back there.
Backed by the Renault group, reliability should be good – but the Alpine is missing some familiar autonomous safety technology
Alpine didn't appear in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, while parent brand Renault finished 20th out of 29 in the manufacturers' chart. However, the A110 will be sold at eleven Alpine centers across the UK, so it will get a dedicated dealer network.
Safety equipment includes switchable ESP, emergency brake assist, hill start assist, driver and passenger airbags, and LED headlights. However, it doesn't get the latest autonomous safety aids of regular Renault passenger cars, such as automatic emergency braking. Euro NCAP has not carried out crash tests on the A110 and is unlikely to do so, given the special nature of the vehicle.
Guarantee
It's the same set-up you'd get on a Renault Clio or Megane, with the Alpine also offering light sports car buyers the chance to get additional protection for an extra cost.
Service
There are only eleven Alpine Centers in the UK, so servicing your A110 may prove a little more complicated than with a Porsche Cayman or Audi TT, as both of these competitors have access to a much larger dealer network. However, Alpine provides maintenance agreements to help spread the cost of necessary service work.
Satellite navigation, stereo and infotainment
The Alpine comes with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard. The display is quite responsive, although the menus on the Porsche 718 Cayman are more logical and the system is easier to operate on the move due to more physical buttons.
producing surprisingly good sound for the lack of firepower, while DAB radio and Bluetooth are both included.
The neat-looking digital instrument cluster changes depending on the driving mode you're in, with more or less information and driving data displayed as needed. The S version also adds Alpine Telemetrics, which allows the driver to access technical information such as fluid temperature, acceleration measurements, and lateral/longitudinal forces.
Two-door coupes are hardly known for their practicality, but the Alpine is worse than most
OK, so it's unlikely you'd buy a two-door sports car with high hopes for practicality, but the Alpine suffers both in terms of cabin storage and boot space. There are two boots, but neither is too big – offering space for a laptop bag or weekend shopping. Poor interior storage and a lack of space put this down further, although Alpine offers an optional Storage package, consisting of a cargo net behind the driver's seat and a storage box.
Size
At 4,180 mm long and 1,798 mm wide, the Alpine is smaller than the Porsche 718 Cayman and Audi TT. Combined with good visibility, the car feels easy to position making it very rewarding to drive, even on narrow B roads.
Legroom, headroom, and passenger space
The Alpine is a two-seater, so this part is largely irrelevant. However, it's worth noting that the interior of the A110 is quite cramped, with the high center console making things feel quite cramped. However, if you're not the claustrophobic type, most adults should be comfortable.
Engine, 0-60 acceleration and top speed
The 1.8-litre four-cylinder unit is available with standard power of 248bhp and 320Nm of torque, while the GT and S versions offer 296bhp and 340Nm over a wider rev range. Its rivals offer more power but make no mistake, this is still a very fast sports car.
Alpine claims the 248bhp A110 can sprint from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, and our test recorded a time (0-60mph) of 4.6 seconds. The previous S version with 288bhp was a tenth of a second quicker, while the upgraded GT and S were over two-tenths quicker.
In triple tests against the Porsche 718 Cayman S and Audi TT RS, its German rival completed the same sprint in 3.9 seconds and 3.5 seconds respectively.
However, the Alpine's low curb weight makes it strong in gear. This also helps agility through tight corners. Each model is electronically limited to 155mph.
Lightweight engineering makes the Alpine A110 surprisingly affordable to operate
By minimizing weight as much as possible, Alpine has managed to create a sports car with incredible performance, which doesn't cost a fortune to run. Based on new fuel efficiency and emissions testing, Alpine claims the A110 will officially return 35.1mpg (34.5mpg for the GT and S), and although we only managed 34.4mpg on our test, that's much better than the Porsche 718 Cayman Latest S (24.6mpg). mpg as tested) or the Audi TT RS (23mpg) can do it. This equates to a huge difference in annual fuel bills. The CO2 figure is 152g/km (153g/km for GT and S versions).
However, the high price means you'll pay more annual road tax than hot hatchbacks and fast coupes – although rivals Porsche and Audi also incur the same surcharge.
